Swimbait Stories

[mx4life14]

Man reading all these stories makes me want to fish so damn bad. I cant wait till christmas is over to finally get a line wet again. And speaking of irvine, I think im going the day after christmas. My buddy thinks were fishing for trout. Little dose he know, im fishing swimbaits all day.

 

Another hit and miss battle I had was the last trip to dimond valley. Early in the moring. Me and my dad pull up on this submerged island. Just as I drop the trolling motor, I see some shad get blasted in a bush. Throw my punker out just past the ball. On the 4th glide right as it got next to the ball, something just toilet flushed it down! And I missed that one too. One day. Im determined to stick a pig. Ive offically put away all the 3 inch hollow bodies and am going to stick a frigin fish on a big bait. I think thats my resolution for 2011. lol.

[Chaozu]

I was just getting back into bass fishing and was looking at some pictures online. I seen one with a big wooden bait hanging from its mouth and was amazed at the size of the lure. It turned out to be a slammer so I went to down to the tackle store and bought one. Went out with a couple friends and started chucking while they worked their drop shots. They started laughing at the bait calling it the submarine lure. Right as I turned to tell them I was gonna fish with it, I hear a giant explosion behind me and watch their faces turn from laughter to jaw dropping. I turned to see 4 pounder with my bait in its mouth and watched it start to turn and run. I was hooked from that day on. I didn't even have a rod to throw the thing but I was out there everyday chuckin. It truly is a disease!

[bigbaittoon]

Mine is hooking a 6lber on the born again that ran right at me so I thought it was small and didnt ask for the net. My buddy brings it out anyway as I go to swing the fish into the boat, as he bends down, and the bait flies out of the fishs mouth. The fish lands in the net as the born again flies right above my buddies head

[WRobo]

Mine is hooking a 6lber on the born again that ran right at me so I thought it was small and didnt ask for the net. My buddy brings it out anyway as I go to swing the fish into the boat, as he bends down, and the bait flies out of the fishs mouth. The fish lands in the net as the born again flies right above my buddies head

That was a little too close bro. I am glad that only you saw the bait coming at my head...I was focused on your fish. lol

[LIGHTFOOT]

First big bait fish was a 5lber on the MS Slammer at night. Back in the days when calfishing, Rob Belloni, and the slammer were breaking new ground. I remember, I was working at dominos pizza and going to high school when the first batch of huddleston deluxes hit tacklewarehouse, I got one of course (before they sold out for months and months and months). I was super exited to get out and try it, it looked so much more real than anything I'd ever seen. I had just bought a calcutta 400 for the super low price of $30 and was ready to start really swimbaiting. Unfortunately, that calcutta I got such a good deal on had no level wind. Any how, I took that fresh new hudd to the lake for her maiden run and began casting away. I was in disbelieve at how real the bait looked in the water, confidence was soaring. I was going to catch a big fish for sure. Then I went to make a hail mary of a cast over to a nice looking spot and my reel with no level wind backlashed. I heard a loud snap and watched my hopes and dreams fly through the air and land out in the middle of the abyss never to be seen again. I've had a love hate relationship with swimbaiting ever since. I'm sure we all have, but the good times always outweigh the bad and so we continue this circle of madness! And wouldn't have it any other way!

[CheeseWeasel]

This is not a story of sweet success ... in fact I still have nightmares about this story. If you don't like a bitter taste left in your mouth quit reading now. I am not joking ... just skip this.

 

Two years ago I went to my home land of California to visit family and more importantly do some fishing. I called my friends back home and set up trips for nearly the whole time I was home. Thanks to my friends Matt (couldnt spell his last name if I tried) and Jeremy Anderson.

 

For a week I camped on Jeremys couch, helped him paint baits and do things around the bass cave and learned some of the basics of painting with an air brush and compiling a list of what I would need to get started oh and fishing almost every day as well. Jeremy took me to one of his spots that he knew had giants. We fished this spot several times that day, we went to get some late lunch and cool off at Union Point. We filled our bellies and shared stories with our buddy Justin and headed back out.

 

We fished a bit and got back to the spot right as the sun was setting. My first cast to the spot I wing a Gen 2 punker in Black Dog Shad way back into the spot and begin walking it very aggressively. The next thing I know a giant to gos completely ape $#%^ on the punker. I let the line tighten and swing hard, we are hooked up, the fight is on!. The fish runs to one side of the weed line and back to the other I raise my rod tip to keep my line from hitting Jeremy the fish comes up, she is gigantic, well into the teens by our estimates. As she surfaces she is swinging her head wildly and tosses the punker 5-feet into the weeds and slips back to her watery lair.

 

I couldn't believe it. How stupid was I to raise my rod. why didn't I go to the bow? What the $*%& was I thinking. I claim temporary insanity on just how big that fish was and swam like a Russian Typhoon class nuke sub. I was so mad, disappointed and just plain miserable. Quite possibly the fish of a life time ... gone just gone because I went nuts. I reeled in the punker and kept fishing knowing that wasnt going to happen again but maybe something. I had nightmares the next few nights just revisiting that ugly memory. I still have not had my redemption but one day I will.

 

I told you this story sucks and will leave a bitter taste in your mouth. You were warned.

[Arden Hanline Jr.]

I'll tell ya a couple swimbait stories. One of my PB that I posted for the latest contest; and another that isn't so good. LOL

 

Some have probably heard this one already, but here goes anyway.

 

So I'm fishing Lake Jennings on a Friday back in 2007; in one of their rental boats. Fish are in pre spawn with a few males starting to move up. I just left Lake Murray the week before; catching a nice 9 pounder on the Hudd. Now at Jennings, I'm hittin' points and cruisin' the bank lookin'. I come up to a point, beach the boat, and fire the ROF12 Kokanee Hudd out there and fish the top of the point; bottom bouncing up hill. About half way in, I get a "tick"; and set the hook. Now I prefer to reel into the bite and lift into the fish as the rod starts to load up. I'm not one of those guys that just rips into them right away. That doesn't work for me! I also use softer rods that some. But I'm out of it at that moment and when I feel that "tick"; I swing. The rod doubles over, I'm "hooked up"; and the fish in coming my way. About half way in; it just comes off. No jump, nothing; just came right off. I truly believe I never hooked that fish. I think it just chomped on it, I pulled her a ways; and she let go. I made a couple more casts; and left the spot to let it rest. I went away from the point and just sat under some trees for 20 mins and watched the spot. I was close enough so I could get back on it if I saw a boat gong towards it. After about 20 minutes, I got the boat out a ways and this time; I cast parallel across the point. I let the bait go to the bottom and just SLOWLY bottom crawled it. About half way in again, my bait felt REALLY heavy! No thunk, no tug; just REALLY HEAVY! I cranked hard, rod tip started to flex; and I lifted into it. I'm hooked up and just grinding. NO head shakes, NO coming to the surface, NO jumping, NO pulling drag, NOTHING; just grinding it in. I get the fish to the boat, stick the net down; and scoop her up first scoop. The hookup, fight, and landing; went as smooth as it could have gone. It was perfect! I took the fish to the dock, had it weighed on four or five different scales, and two of them read 16 pounds 6 ounces; so that's what we went with. My first teen fish, less than a pound off the lake record, second largest recorded bass out of that lake that I'm aware of; I was PUMPED! The fish was released healthy where I caught her. Next trip, I got a 13 pound 8 ouncer on my second cast of the morning on a Jerry Rago soft bait and the very next trip; I caught a 10 pound 6 ouncer off a bed. Pretty much the perfect month:)! LOL

 

 

Now, BAD days! This could be a great day or a bad day; depending on how you look at it. I'd call it a BAD day! Fished Diamond Valley with my bud Tim Eaves. We chucked swimbaits all day. To start the morning off, I get a hit on a ROF5 Hudd off of a point. I'm SLOW rolling the bait, speed it up a few handle turns, pause, "THUNK"; no hook up. OKAY, great start! Tim gets hammered on the Baitsmith Mag.........no hook up. Throwin' the Rago 6" SKT................THUNK............no hook up! Another cast, another spot, THUNK..................NO HOOK UP! Tim gets slammed on the Mag................broken record..............no hook up! We pull up to one of my favorite spots. I have a nick in my line on my Hudd setup that needs retying and I haven't ate anything yet. I fire out a Born Again, deadstick it; retie and eat a sandwich. As I take a bite out of my sandwich, I hear some splashin'. The BA was just mauled! Bait's under the water, set the hook; bait comes flying out of the water! WHY???????? COME ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to throw a even bigger bait, so I tie up a 12" Castaic. Cast it to the same spot and let it sit. KABOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO HOOK UP!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, now I'm on full alert, rod in hand; watchin' the bait like a hawk! Fish explodes on it, sucks in under, can't see the bait; reel down and swing! OH YEAH.................wait, nope NOTHING AGAIN! Cast back out! KABOOM..............miss! Bait comes flying out of the water and when it lands KABOOM....................and ANOTHER miss! Basically, I got 6 blow ups on the 12" Castaic in about 40 mins or so and didn't hook up once. Tim hooked the only fish of the day, at striper; and LOST IT! We had 16 bites on swimbaits, most were on 10"+ baits; and we DIDN'T LAND A FISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WORST DAY EVER! Would rather not get bit I think! TOP THAT STORY! You would think I could get lucky and snag one but NO! When it's not meant to be; IT'S NOT MEANT TO BE!

 

 

Arden

[Arden Hanline Jr.]

Well at least that's kind of a compliment! This is moving in the right direction!

 

Arden

[flyforfish21]

 

You guys make work MUCH more fun this morning!

 

Geoff

[Robbie]

It all started for me in October, maybe November 2001. I had just got finished doing 2yrs up state , i just parolled about 2 months prior.

Well as i was sitting around pondering what to do with my life i thought getting back into fishing would be a good start.

As a kid my dad and i would fish Castaic upper out of our 14' sears trolling for trout, this was back in the 80s ( if i only new then what i know now ) so fishing was in my blood. And back in 97' i started plugging for stripers until i got stupid and busted, but thats not the story, if there is a story. Im terrible at typing and putting a story together.

So back to 2001,i had hooked up with an old friend who was addicted to bass fishing and got me into fishing for Large mouth with big baits. So one day i was mapping out the upper trying to find roads that could get me to the back of the lake, and i also went back to my knowledge of deer hunting and the roads we used to use to hunt around the lake i found one road that led to the back of a cove. So one afternoon i pack up my newely bought osprey in light trout ( that bait smacked em back in the day ) and back pack and headed out, as i finished my hike and got to the water i noticed trout beaching themselfs and at that time my heart started to pound out of my chest and my butt started to pucker and if you saw the hike i just did to get to this spot you would know why,.. mountain lion tracks everywhere. So i continue my walk to the back along the shore line and have to billy goat my way to my spot and when i get there i see BIG BASS cruisin, i make a few cast (not knowing what i was doing) and get absolutely freight trained, still to date the hardest bite ive ever had, And this fish was just so pisst and bull dawging me like you wouldnt believe and after i landed that fish i thought i was going to have a heart attack, it is still today the most awesome experience ever in my life of fishing (and you can see that fish in the cal-fishing gallery under Rob Aparicio) a 10 lb large mouth that changed my life for ever and my first largie on a big bait.

[Urban]

I went and bought a giant bait thinking I was crazy. I stuck a giant bass on it. My life has fallen apart since that day.