Finding your own style

[BmoSmith4]

I’m not brand new into swimbaiting but I’m just now getting more serious and dedicated to it. Something I struggled with for a while was trying to find my own style. I have more baits that haven’t ever hit the water than I do baits that I’ve caught fish on. This year something just clicked and I have started to find my own style and understand what it is I like about some baits and what I don’t like about others and when and where I like to fish certain baits. That alone has made me a much better swimbait fisherman than watching any video or reading any article. I feel like new guys into swimbaiting like myself tend to get too carried away with the hype baits out right now and what everyone else is catching fish on, and we forget to think about what baits will fit into our style of fishing we already have for conventional tackle and the lakes we fish. 

[ewillsd]

I can relate to this so much because when I first started i was doing the same thing. I was however on a broke high schooler budget, but i was still trying to get every bait I could afford. It clicked for me when I finally caught a fish that I had to grind for. Tough day of fishing, hot, in a float tube, and hadn't had a bite in a year and a half. Then I went on a trip with Manny Chee where I learned more about swimbait fishing and myself than I could ever imagine. Also Mike Gilberts "A quest for the cure" article was very eye opening.

[CaliBassin]

100 percent true. Do what works for you and don’t give 2 shitz about what others throw or what hype baits go around. Here I am never owning any drt product or plan on ever getting one. Like many have said, bass are opportunistic feeders and will not just eat a tiny klash. Of course there are certain times when they are more picky but hype baits nowadays are no different than the banjo minnow in the olden days

[Tony91723]

I think alot of people get this wild idea that they need all the coolest baits or the next best thing since sliced bread.    Trust me I fell hard on that idea and have spent thousands of dollars on all the cool baits only to just sell them at a loss.  What I have learned is to focus on 4-5 baits and fish them to the best of your ability and also learn everything you can on those baits.  I remember having to use a bait wrap or two just lug around all the baits I would carry for a trip.  I had a long conversation with the owner of swimbait city and the one thing that stuck was him telling me that all the hype baits are nice but focus on the basics and that's all you need.  He listed: the slammer/rat, a punker, slide swimmer and a hudd/baitsmith. I've taken that advice and ran with it. Since, I have been catching quite a few more fish this year with way less gear in my backpack.

[Noreaster603]

This is a great post/topic. I definitely have been through my fair share of swimbaits and as time passes you develop and learn what you like to throw and are successful at throwing. Everyone has their own subtle nuances in their game. Like most I have a decent amount of baits but find myself throwing more or less the same rotation of baits. It is good to have options but a lot of the times the latest lures catch the eye of the fisherman  not just the bass.

[gradycodd]

You can do literally everything by the books and totally suck. In today's world the only advantage you can have is to stand out from the crowds and put a little extra confidence into each of your casts. Good topic! 

[Joshlix]

This is a great topic that could help a lot of guys out there. I think we have all had this thought a time or two on the water. What really opened my eyes was the cast and crank podcast with Matt Peters. At one point Matt said something along the line of, all you really need is a ms slammer, slide swimmer, triple trout, and a hudd.

These baits may not be your confidence baits, but the concept can apply to every swimbaiter. Get a wake, glide, multi-jointed, and soft plastic that you have the most confidence in and learn everything possible about those baits. It’s a simple concept but it is so easy to get caught up in the hype of a new bait.

Just because somebody can market a bait doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you and your style of fishing. And like Grady said, there is something special about standing out from the crowd and being confident in what you’re throwing. 

[Mossypumpkin]

A wise young man once said, “if you can’t wake it, don’t take it”. 

[bchalk22]

This is a very good topic. I am not brand new to swimbait fishing but have only thrown them for a couple years. I have been dedicating more trips to throwing solely swimbaits. One thing I have noticed is I have a certain style of baits I plan on throwing each trip and I stick to that. May be 1 bait or could be 3 baits. It’s my style. It’s what keeps me interested when chucking baits for hours possibly with no bites.

I do have some of the most recent popular baits. Some I have confidence in because I have been bit on, some I don’t have confidence in yet because either I have not thrown them much or have not been bit. I think what we have to realize is that we should look at the conditions we are fishing before we go out and use that info to pick the baits. If it is more likely you will get bit on top then bring a wake style. If you think fishing a little below the water column then bring a slow/ fast sink. Swimbait fishing can be slow and boring but picking baits for the conditions obviously will make things more fun.. 

[Mikey99]

To me there is a natural progression to swimbait fishing.  Start with a handful of baits, catch some fish, get hooked on swimbait/big bait fishing and go all-in.  Load up on swimbaits like it's an arms race, buy buy buy and go crazy trying to buy all the hot and hard to get lures, spend your time on the water throwing every lure in your box, catch some fish and start finding your confidence baits, start selling off baits and weaning down the collection.  That's how it's been with me anyways 

[azsouth]

find yourself and you will catch the fish, easier said then done. Anyone who is a true swimbait fishermen will go through ups and downs. The one thing that I have learned over the years is " let the fish make the call " meaning change your thinking to theirs. Most people think they know how to fish a bait well, that might be true on their water. For me personally it is catching fish everywhere you go. Fish hard and have fun doing it.

BTW WAKE BAITS RULE!

 

[Cj_bassinish]

only 2 baits I use and catch fish on year round. Triple trout and tiny klash. Starting to catch some fish on a hph also but have not given it enough time and fish to call it my style of bait yet.

great topic and thanks for sharing!

[NEbucketmouth19]

On 8/22/2019 at 8:09 PM, Mikey99 said:

To me there is a natural progression to swimbait fishing.  Start with a handful of baits, catch some fish, get hooked on swimbait/big bait fishing and go all-in.  Load up on swimbaits like it's an arms race, buy buy buy and go crazy trying to buy all the hot and hard to get lures, spend your time on the water throwing every lure in your box, catch some fish and start finding your confidence baits, start selling off baits and weaning down the collection.  That's how it's been with me anyways 

I haven't gone on any crazy buying sprees yet but that's how it's kind of been with me. Once I knew I liked it and wanted more it's been about finding the baits I like and have the most confidence in in each category. I fell in love with slammers and hudds early and didn't look for clones or similar baits all that much, but struggled to find baits I could fish faster or crank down that I liked. I'm starting to now though. 

[Harshwaters]

Last year was my first full year of swimbaits only.Saw some post of local guys fishing at night.Thought I would try it and the rest is history.Not much of a style but I pound the banks at night with wake/topwater baits. Absolutely love fishing in the dark and instantly fell in love with the Slammer.I' m sort of a one trick pony throwing various styles of the MS Slammer 90% of the time.Going thru a bait cleansing of sorts at the moment.Trying to keep it simple.My rotation now includes the 9" slammer,Cl8 Baby Possum,10" Cut tail,and rats.Have zero confidence during the daylight hours with swimbaits.

[yev14]

On 8/4/2019 at 3:07 PM, Mossypumpkin said:

A wise young man once said, “if you can’t wake it, don’t take it”. 

Amen to that :)