bass said:
Colby: Nice looking fish! Sorry you did not get the one you wanted, but that is an awesome consolation prize.
I have never used a swim bait like the one in your picture (a Huddleston type). So I have a few questions if you don't mind.
1. Do you use a swimbait as a search bait or just when sight fishing?
2. Do you get smaller fish on a swim bait as well as big fish or mostly big fish?
3. If fishing in an area where the bigger fish seem to be mostly in the 3lb range would it be a waste of time to throw a swimbait?
4. How do you work them, do they have built in action or do you need to provide it? (Steady retrieve, like a jerk bait, etc)
5. Would my 8.5' salmon rod (1-3oz) make for a suitable rod?
Thanks for any insight you can provide.
GraphiteZen: I laugh every time I read your signature!
This one is a glide bait, it has substantial left to right gliding movement -video:
I use a swimbait as a search bait often not as much sight fishing. The sight fishing (not bed fishing) I have been doing recently is more associated with finding a giant fish and spending a few days on it until it is willing to eat, I'm sure everyone here can relate to walking the bank and spooking the giant bass looming just within eyesight, its that sort of deal. This time of year fish can be really pattern-able as far as individual fish are concerned. What I mean is, if you can find a 6-10lb fish it wont disappear not to be seen again in early Spring, the fish are not as apt to move over much distance this time of year if you can find them around critical areas conducive to prespawn habits.
I get a lot of small fish on swimbaits, the bait in the picture is around 8.5''-9'', and the fish in the picture might go 4lbs on a good day, it definitely had a couple trout in its belly. I have caught hundreds and hundreds of fish in the 6''-12'' range on baits that are in the same size range.
A swimbait in a 3lb area, hmm, I wouldnt call it a waste of time but its entirely dependent on what the fish are foraging on. I still throw all other sorts of baits often too, I just prefer patterning bigger fish on swimbaits, and secondly jigs. 3lbrs will eat swimbaits without a doubt, and theres a lot of semi-small swimbaits anything under 6-7'' available, if you ever needed swimbait selection advice feel free to PM. I really like Osprey line through swimbaits in that size.
Every swimbait is worked different for the most part, swimbaits are a whole genre of different baits almost like an entirely different fishing style all together. There's swimbaits that fish like wake baits, slow rolling baits, big jerkbaits, baits you burn, or baits you twitch, it all depends on how that bait is designed. Most can be slow rolled, but I typically add some sort of imparted action on each cast regardless of the swimbait, something irregular can coax bites somewhat often.
Your salmon rod would likely be OK. Most old swimbait rods were converted salmon rods, for example the back bounce loomis rods. It really depends on the action of the rod, you want a fast or mod fast action, if your rod still has a somewhat stiff backbone yet is semi parabolic it should be fine. The swimbait rod I caught this fish on was an 8'6'' 7 power 4-16oz.
Chris/Tomriker- It really depends this fish was hooked on the back hook but I readjusted the bait for a clearer pic, this fish came up and wrecked the bait and got hooked in the gill plate. My fish on this bait seem to t-bone the bait right in the middle. It all depends on the swimbaits, and the conditions, and the individual fish, some days they choke a bait some days they kiss it.