Swimbaits in general...discouraged.

[HaterBait]

First time posting. What up. I think we can all feel your pain. Back when I first chucking huds at DVL and Perris. After saving up for my first swimbait set up. I think it was over a year before I finally got one. Mainly due to the fact that I would breakdown after a few hours and start start drops shotting a robo worm or dragging a sinko. It was not until I literally stopped bringing conventional gear To protect me from my self. that I started catching a few. I got my first one at silver wood slow banging rocks at the dam. And my PB at dvl not long after. Stick with it bro you'll get one.

[bassing305]

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.

 

I think most of us here are using swimbaits to catch trophy bass( size varies depending on what state you are in) and it will be a waste of time and money in my opinion to target small/medium bass on swimbaits. Regular bass lures catch big bass as well, so swimbaits are not always needed to be a successful big bass fisherman.

[bassing305]

go night fishing! that'll break your slump! 

 

Good advice. I catch plenty of big bass at nighttime here in South Florida, especially when the daytime temperatures are hot.

[bassturds]

ya night fishing is always a good bet for good fish with big baits. i night fish here in the northeast into early december. water temps high 40s

[bassing305]

ya night fishing is always a good bet for good fish with big baits. i night fish here in the northeast into early december. water temps high 40s

 

There are many times that  a rebel pop-r, jitterbug, hollow belly frog, etc is all you need to catch a big bass at night time.

Edited June 8, 2017 by bassing305

[KeepinItReelFishing]

I never understand why it has to be one approach or the other.  I ALWAYS start out with my biggest lure in any given area, and work it thoroughly.  But, before I move to my next spot I will always throw smaller offerings, and often in a different lure category in the same spot.

 

The only reason I can see for not doing so would be to save time.  Indeed, it takes a while to fish a spot thoroughly with multiple baits, often in different parts of the water column, and even from different angles.  But, on countless occassions it was my second, or third lure that got bit.  

 

Here is an example:

 

I often encounter large weed flats with around 2-5 ft of water between the tops of the weeds and the surface of the water.  There are many factors to consider, but often time I will start fishing that flat with the Deps 250 or other large glide bait.  From there I will change not only lure type, but action.  So I will move to a bluegill style lure that is a multijoint.  In doing so we've appealed to fish looking for trout as well as those that get excited for the glide motion, to those fish that are looking for bluegill type forage and with a thumping, multi-joint movement.  After that I will move to my tradition size lure.  Again....many factors to consider (time of year, water temp, clarity, wind, etc) but I will then cover that same area with anything from a lipless crank, to a chatterbait, to a Slug-Go.  

 

I still believe that in the long run the larger baits will add up to larger fish.  But,  I must stress there have been MANY times where my big fish have come on those smaller presentations after having covered the area with the larger lures.

 

There is no rule that says you can't fish both, and the simple fact is if you go big lure and ONLY big lure you are going to be missing some BIG fish that were there, but keyed in on smaller lures as opposed to the large stuff.

 

What is more important?  Big fish, or the kind of lure you get them on?  Forums of like minded people can blind anyone to "roll with the crowd" and "keep grinding".  By all means....keep grinding (I do), but just offer than smaller option afterwards.

Edited June 12, 2017 by KeepinItReelFishing