Swimbaits in general...discouraged.

[marc626]

Forgot to mention that the fish he caught with conventional lures were only just over 5lbs. I do believe that we promote fish over 8lbs. More like over 10lbs. At the lakes I fish, a "buzz jet" and especially spinnerbaits spook off the bigger bass period! Why? Because they see them everyday. Not saying that they will not eat them. I have caught bass close to 7 lbs on a spinnerbait. However, several pounds heavier on 8" baits. More opinions? Do post.

[mcaetano2905]

Fishing is supposed to be fun.  There's not as much fun in being a fishing snob.  Trout snob, Ranger Boat snob, bass snob, swimbatit snob, etc.  If you want to fish some other stuff that's fine.  If you want to only fish swimbaits that's fine too.  Its all good.

I agree. I spent about 15 years (!!!) throwing 6 to 7" swimbaits more than anything else and only caught about 10 bass (!!!) on them! Read a lot of articles, watched the best swimbait videos. I know I was fishing right. The fish I caught were nice fish, but did not get my PB. FIsh here are northern strain and they eat mainly 4 to 5" pumpkinseed sunfish. Now, I'm trying to match the hatch more and I fish spinnerbaits, jigs and senkos (these 3 baits work great here for trophy fish), I'll try chatterbaits now too. Last summer almost broke my PB on a S-Waver 168 and I caught another nice fish on it this year! It looks like it works better than most swimbaits here. I learned a lot from watching Brett Richardson's dvds and sending him some e-mails with questions. He also has a youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/brettrtrophyhunter/videos . You'll be amazed at the numbers of HUGE northern strain bass he catches! He uses swimbaits too but fishes jigs and chatterbaits most of the time. He even fishes a float & fly in the winter and catches monster bass! He mostly fishes at night, but in the winter he fishes more during the day and he told me his tactics work great during the day too (here in Portugal we can fish only from dawn to dusk). My PB is 5lbs. Brett Catches a fish over 5lbs on almost every trip, and many times several fish over 5lbs... What I learned from him is: if you like to fish swimbaits then fish them! They're great for big bass, specially when they're active and looking for a big prey fish. If you don't like to fish swimbaits and still want to catch trophy bass then there are many baits, even small baits, that can do it. Trophy bass fishing is more about location, presentation and timing than a bait. Brett told me to still use some big baits (he uses Mattlures Bluegills, Huddlestons, etc) but to use jigs, big jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. He told me to mimic the pumpkinseed sunfish here (using a Mattlures Ultimate Gill or U2, for example). I think I was not getting many big fish on bigger baits simply because I was fishing baits bigger than the fish big bass normally eat here... You'll learn A LOT if you watch Brett's dvds. You can find him on facebook or send him an e-mail. I learned more about trophy bass fishing from him than anyone else! I adapted what he says to fishing from the bank and fishing only during the day. It works.

Edited April 23, 2017 by mcaetano2905

[mcaetano2905]

Look here for some instructional videos from Brett Richardson: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvI3qggVr5cXzVkT9NuHX4d5rcPiCjvqu . They're excerpts from the dvds. Great information. Even if you only use swimbaits you can use that information adapting it. In this video he talks a bit about baits: https://youtu.be/N-M3Uk_SefE?list=PLvI3qggVr5cXzVkT9NuHX4d5rcPiCjvqu .Enjoy!

Edited April 23, 2017 by mcaetano2905

[deaknh]

Seriously dude every one of your replies on this threads have been negative shots at OP, I won't tell you what you should or shouldn't say but I will tell people when they're being an ass. The poor guy's just looking for some encouragement during a slump I'm sure we've all been in.

I'm friends with Stuart, he knows I'm busting his balls, now maybe you should get some tissues and take a midol.

[Yjjustforme]

It'll take some time to get it and for you to feel it but the more and more you throw the "big" baits the more confidence you will gain from it. Try to think to back when you first started learning to fish, you had that go to bait whether it was a spinnerbait or a lipless or topwater that you knew you'd get hit on or at least have followers with. But then you saw a new bait or went with a buddy that was throwing something else and then you had that drive that hits you to learn to fish that bait to get bit on that bait and you put in the time and dedication until you "mastered" it. Think of the "big" baits in the same way. You gotta start off with fishing it and fishing it and fishing it and fishing it some more until boom all of a sudden it all just seems to come together and fall into place. Then you'll know without a doubt that it will come, that BIG bite is only another cast away. Good luck tight lines and stick to it bro, it'll happen. (See that you're in Virginia, not sure if you have access to stripers where you're at but that'll help you build confidence big time and fast by throwing big swimbaits for them) hope this all helps.

[NEbucketmouth19]

I'm friends with Stuart, he knows I'm busting his balls, now maybe you should get some tissues and take a midol.

oh lol, fair enough haha

[BASS_SWINGER]

Evreyone is a hardcore swimbait fisherman until they cant get bit and the dropshot rod comes out

[swole_t]

1 advise I could give is find out a lake in your area that produces big fish and dedicate yourself throwing swimbaits in that 1 lake. Find big fish areas in that particular lake and access your productivity with swimbaits after fishing it 1 year to 2 years. Trying to fish swimbaits in too many lakes when you don't have a clue or confidence how to catch them on swimbaits will destroy your confidence if you don't have success.

This is pretty much what I wanted to say^^^

 

My advice would be to play the odds to your favor. Fish bodies of water that in some way either through personal discovery or generally known to be great places for a swimbait bite, and have the best ingredients for swimbait fishing. A lot of people will just fish areas where the largest known fish is 4 pounds the average size fish is 1 or 2 pounds and they will throw a deps 250 all day and expect to catch a bunch of fish or a 10 pounder. Even though a 10 pounder has never been known to be caught from this place their maybe a couple in there and you might eventually catch one after so many years, but why not just go to another lake(might be farther away and less convenient) that is known to have large population of big fish and the right factors and ingredients(whatever they might be) for a great swimbait bite? Spend your time there swimbait fishing. I have said this before and people have disagreed. But not every body of water is equal for a "GREAT" swimbait bite. Someone told me that along time ago when I first started throwing Swimbait's and I just refused to believe it and would continue to throw Swimbait's everywhere and at any time. And yeah I caught swimbait fish here and there doing that, but i didn't experience a lot of success until I actually fished a body of water with the great conditions and factors for Swimbait's. And at that point I finally accepted what this person said. But if you are just interested in catching fish then throw conventionally bass lures. Because 99 percent of the time they will produce more fish than Swimbait's. But that's not why people throw Swimbait's, they throw them because they are targeting trophy sized fish as you already know. So fish accordingly. I'm saying this kinda in general, it may or may not completely apply to the OP, I don't know all the details of his situation.

[stkbass]

Here's some things I've learned over the years using swimbaits only. Hopefully some of this can be useful to you.

 

1. Time and place is a key factor. If you don't get bit change your time. Night time can be the right time.

2. Every lake isn't the same. Match the hatch to better your odds and find out what they are keying on. If there isn't big forage in that lake your odds go down. If you can't get bit on multiple style of baits and after making timing adjustments...move on. Find a lake that is known for big fish and swimbaits. Focus your efforts there.

3. Learn big fish behavior, they are wise. Big fish can make adjustments in their feeding habits if they've been caught before.

4. Stick to a handful of proven baits and learn what conditions to throw them. Not all swimbaits work in all lakes and conditions.

5. When you get bit, take note of: angle, presentation, bait, time of day, weather condition, season. You may be able to pattern this and/or apply this elsewhere.

6. Present your bait where it becomes an easy meal. Along a wall, top water, on the ground, along weedlines, etc.

7. Swimbaiting isnt for everyone..and I am glad.

 

Tight lines.

[Campobassmaster]

Everything here is perfect. I don't know what I can add, I agree with all of it. What ceasar said was great, you have to know how to fish other stuff and when tactics work and what colors.I went months without getting bit and I just recently changed that because I gauged the situations better. I saw I had muddy water, went to a black bait,  a tiny klash which can be cranked and make a lot of commotion for the fish to find it.  If it's winter and you're on a jerkbait bite or maybe a buddy or someone is, go throw a slow moving bait you can pause, thats why the hudd and glide work in winter, or suspending baits.   In the summer if people are killing on buzzbaits, why not go get a 190 plopper, or burn a wake or something. If they are hitting frogs or spooks (walking baits) try a punker.

 

Just take what you know and would fish, and try to just upsize it, thats what I try to do.    

 

Again, all of these responses stated above are GOLD, take it in.

 

Good luck and tight lines.

[suicideswim9]

Recently got into swim bait fishing. Have a good amount of different baits but have been focusing on keying in on the main forage in the different waters. I started by throwing a 7 in paddle tail. Thats pretty much all i threw for awhile. I started to catch fish on it and get more confidence. I started to throw the hard baits (strong shad, hard gill). I have thrown the strong shad several hundred times in multiple ponds that i know have big shad and a very healthy population. Havent gotten bit. However, i threw the hard gill for the very first time last weekend at a pond with mainly blue gill. It got bit the very first cast! hang in there and grind it out!

[Ceaser]

Recently got into swim bait fishing. Have a good amount of different baits but have been focusing on keying in on the main forage in the different waters. I started by throwing a 7 in paddle tail. Thats pretty much all i threw for awhile. I started to catch fish on it and get more confidence. I started to throw the hard baits (strong shad, hard gill). I have thrown the strong shad several hundred times in multiple ponds that i know have big shad and a very healthy population. Havent gotten bit. However, i threw the hard gill for the very first time last weekend at a pond with mainly blue gill. It got bit the very first cast! hang in there and grind it out!

7" Hollow Paddletail is still my number one softbait. Matches the forage here close and plain gets bit

[LUV-2-CATCH'EM]

Do you fish alone? I was having a tough time for a while...specifically when I was the one parking the truck after launching the boat...Turns out a "Friend" of mine was peeing on my lures when my back was turned!

 

Now I fish alone (I only had 1 friend)...Kidding!

 

NOW SERIOUSLY...Head up! keep casting brother! Find a few baits your confident in and stick with them...leave everything else at home. Try to fish with your Swimbait brothers so you can bounce ideas off each other... GOOD LUCK!

[blckshirt98]

I'm still new to the swimbait game and I get discouraged pretty quickly if I don't get bit or see anything happening.  I also have a pretty short attention span so throwing something for a long period of time over and over again with no result is very difficult, it's like repeating the same level in a video game over and over again and not making any progress.

 

I've only been bass fishing for about 4 years so I still get enough of an adrenaline rush from catching a bunch of 1-2lb bass to be happy.  My impression of swimbait users are that they have caught so many small bass in such large numbers that it doesn't register on their adrenaline meter anymore, and they need the bigger fish to get that rush.  They've jumped the 1 foot ramp on a dirt bike enough times where they now need to jump the 10 foot ramp.

 

If the 3-5 lb bass are still giving you a rush, no shame in targeting them.

[bassturds]

go night fishing! that'll break your slump!