{"id":5454,"date":"2018-09-16T05:45:48","date_gmt":"2018-09-16T05:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/?p=5454"},"modified":"2018-11-06T17:56:57","modified_gmt":"2018-11-06T17:56:57","slug":"how-to-fish-swim-baits-for-monster-bass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/how-to-fish-swim-baits-for-monster-bass\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Fish Swimbaits For Monster Bass"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re not having a lot of luck this fishing season it’s time to start using swimbaits.\u00a0Swimbaits have been taking off the past couple years and for good reason. What started as a fad out west has quickly taken off across the United States.<\/p>\n

Modern hollow bodied and jointed swim baits have really changed the game.\u00a0 Fish high pressured lakes with ease and catch more bass this season.<\/p>\n

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How to Fish Swimbaits<\/h2>\n

Swimbaits are one of those lures that are just difficult to classify.\u00a0 They come in all shapes, materials and sizes.\u00a0 Made out of wood, hard\/soft plastic and other composite materials that are all designed to swim naturally.\u00a0 With so many different styles and designs it’s no surprise that people don’t understand swimbaits.<\/p>\n

Where to Fish Swimbaits<\/h3>\n

Swimbaits will bring in bass all season long if you know how to fish them.\u00a0 With fluid natural movement they work extremely well in clear and dingy colored water.\u00a0 The only time you’re going to want to skip a swimbait is after a storm when the water is kicked up.\u00a0 With all that mud in the water bass can’t see the main thing swimbaits have going for them(their movement).<\/p>\n

When to Fish Swimbaits<\/h3>\n

It’s really hard to find a day that you can’t fish a swimbait.\u00a0 Whenever my normal baits aren’t working I like to throw a Berkley Powerbait Ripple Shad<\/a>.\u00a0 They excel in colder water, but they’ll do really well in current and warmer water.\u00a0 I’ve found that the best days are going to be overcast with a little bit of wind.\u00a0 On extremely bright days you’d be better off with a bright Strike King Sexy Shad Crankbait<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Swim Bait Fishing Depth<\/h3>\n

You can fish a swimbait from the surface all the way down to 50 feet below water.\u00a0 You just need to know how to properly weight it. By using different weights you can adjust the overall depth of your swimbait.<\/p>\n

To fish just under the surface use a buoyant unweighted swimbait. Swimbaits that are weighted with lead can fished all the way down to the bottom or somewhere in between.<\/p>\n

Hard vs Soft Swim Baits<\/h4>\n

Swimbaits are one of the weirdest fishing lures on the market. There’s no one set style of swimbait that works well in every situation.\u00a0 Typically I’ll use hard swimbaits in topwater applications and soft swimbaits in deeper water.<\/p>\n

Fishing With Hard Swim Baits<\/h4>\n

Hard swimbaits typically have multiple segments with joints in between.\u00a0 Typically you’ll see double segment swimbaits, but there are some manufacturers with lots of segments.\u00a0 The biggest advantage of hard swim baits is their casting distance.\u00a0 Long casts with varying retrieve speeds will really bring in a ton of bass.\u00a0 Slight adjustments in the retrieve speed will change the action.<\/p>\n

You’re going to want to use a hard swim bait in the same areas as other topwater lures.\u00a0 You can spend a lot of money on hard swimbaits, but I’ve had a lot of luck with cheap Soljer Hard BlueGill Swimbaits<\/a>.\u00a0 When you’re having a slow morning (especially in the summer<\/a>) you can cover a lot of water fast.\u00a0 With a big splash cast over your favorite fishing spot and rip it back through.<\/p>\n

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Fishing Soft Swim Baits<\/h4>\n

Soft swim baits look more like plastic worms than their hard body brethren, but they have excellent movement.\u00a0 They come in a variety of sizes and styles, but it’s hard to beat the Strike King Shadalicious Swimbait<\/a>.\u00a0 When rigged properly with lead and the right hooks, they can be fished at almost any depth.<\/p>\n

Cast a soft plastic swimbait and slowly reel it back to your boat.\u00a0 Adjust your retrieve speed to allow the bait to sink deeper into the water.\u00a0 You can even go all the way down to the bottom without having to worry about hooks snagging on cover.<\/p>\n

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Swim Bait Sizes Change Up Your Approach<\/h4>\n

Most people are going to want to use small to medium sized swimbaits.\u00a0 I prefer the mid sized 4-5 inch swim baits that will bring in bigger bass.\u00a0 A 5 inch Berkley Havoc Grass Pig<\/a> in clear water will out perform soft plastic worms on almost any day.<\/p>\n

Fishing bigger 8-10 inch swim baits is going to require specialty fishing equipment.\u00a0 You’re going to need oversized specialty swim bait rods, with a heavy line and reel.\u00a0 Stronger gears and heavy guts allow you to lob the lure farther than you could imagine.<\/p>\n

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Different Swim Bait Materials<\/h4>\n

The main things all swim baits have in common is a lifelike appearance and smooth action.\u00a0 With so many different species to mimic it’s not surprising there are a ton of different materials used.\u00a0 Most manufacturers use either some form of PVC or a rubber\/plastic mix called TPE.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for a longer lifespan try to avoid PVC baits. Soft Plastic TPE Swim Baits are going to last forever if left in your tackle box.\u00a0 The only way to destroy a soft plastic swim bait is with lots of bites and that’s a good trade off.<\/p>\n

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Rigging Up Swimbaits<\/h3>\n

Swim baits come in all shapes and sizes so describing the proper tackle gets a little bit difficult.\u00a0 Smaller lures are a little difficult, but with larger 5+ inch swim baits things get a little bit easier.\u00a0 Use a heavier rod with a medium-heavy action.\u00a0 For line you want a heavier test 20 lbs or more is best.\u00a0 50 lb braid was popular for years, but 20lb fluorocarbon line has been popular in recent years.<\/p>\n

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<\/h4>\n

Fishing Swimbaits in Different Water Depths<\/h4>\n

Shallow Water 3-5 Feet Deep:<\/strong>\u00a0 I love throwing swim baits on overcast days in clear and shallow water.\u00a0 They work really well from 3-5 feet around docks and grasslines.\u00a0 When I’m not having a lot of luck with more traditional topwater lures, larger swim baits offer enough commotion to attract a bite.<\/p>\n

Mid Range 5-10 Feet Deep:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>When fishing moderately deep water look for bass suspended around vegetation and fallen timber. With realistic motion they work really well at drawing bass out of heavy cover.<\/p>\n

Deep Water 10+ Feet:<\/strong>\u00a0 Personally I’m not a huge fan of swim baits in deeper water, but some fisherman have a lot of luck with swim baits. Fish a swim bait in deep water after the spawn and throughout most of the summer.<\/p>\n

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Fish The Shad Spawn<\/h4>\n

One of the best times to fish a swimbait is during the shad spawn.\u00a0 Prespawn Largemouths go absolutely crazy for the Strike King Shadalicious Swimbait<\/a> during the shad spawn.\u00a0 When matching the hatch it’s going to be hard to beat a swimbait.<\/p>\n

The hard part about fishing the shad spawn is that bass stage at different locations.\u00a0 You’re going to want to start around points, structure, and boulders.\u00a0 I love working around docks and grasslines around spawning flats that hold fat females.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you’re not having a lot of luck this fishing season it’s time to start using swimbaits.\u00a0Swimbaits have been taking off the past couple years and for good reason. What started as a fad out west has quickly taken off across the United States. Modern hollow bodied and jointed swim baits have really changed the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[10,15,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Fish Swimbaits For Monster Bass - RangetoReel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/how-to-fish-swim-baits-for-monster-bass\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Fish Swimbaits For Monster Bass - RangetoReel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you’re not having a lot of luck this fishing season it’s time to start using swimbaits.\u00a0Swimbaits have been taking off the past couple years and for good reason. 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