It’s a rare day when I retrieve a swimbait downhill. I like reeling in slowly and doing that will give you a lifelike wobble through the water. Mixing up your retrieve mechanics can also prevent arm fatigue. Another modification he does at times is to add a nail weight into the bait to get it to dive deeper quicker. Basic swimbait “tails” such as the Sweet Swimmer, Big Hammer and DieZel MinnowZ have very little detail and flat faces for fitting them to the back of a jighead. The sounds come and go as it zooms towards you and away, and bass can hear and feel as the Balam approaches into their territory.". The twitch retrieve is used with jerkbait lures. There are two problems with pulling up on a point or an underwater hump, positioning your boat in deep water and throwing shallow. Allow the head of the lure to bump into rocks, logs or whatever else it may encounter. So you can have a big catch or small catch depending on your preference. It has a high-speed retrieve and is still light so you won't be tired from reeling a giant bait all day long," he said and added that a gear-ratio over 8.1:1 is best. Checkout these high producing tips from Jeremy with @Fishing the LoneStar The swimbait or paddletail plastic is a classic when it comes to fall bass fishing. Just like with a swimbait on a plain jig the retrieve is fairly simple. It has a high-speed retrieve and is still light so you won't be tired from reeling a giant bait all day long," he said and added that a gear-ratio over 8.1:1 is best. One of his favorite retrieves is a steady retrieve with a slack line. There are two problems with pulling up on a point or an underwater hump, positioning your boat in deep water and throwing shallow. He says there is a time and place for both of them.The weedless version shines in shallow water and anytime he is fishing around grass. > The second has to do with the inherent design of most swimbaits. If you asked me what one lure I would want with me on a deserted island it would be one of these. Shimada discovered this retrieve style by chance and has been using it with success ever since. The material that is used for the reel should be considered highly too. Chatterbaits are commonly used for freshwater sports fishing because of its amazing action and the variety of ways to retrieve the lure. What I mean by this is get you boat into a position to make that long cast parallel to the bank in order to retrieve the swimbiat through the strike zone the whole retrieve. I will still fish it slow, but reeling fast a few times during the retrieve really seems to trigger them to bite,” he says. Just go slow and steady and mix in an occasional pause with the line held tight to let the bait pendulum down slowly before restarting the retrieve. Shimada said the differences between Japan and the States are vast in terms of gear used and personal preferences, but shared what he uses when fishing the Balam 300. “Either the Fred's Crank Launcher or Air Series Casting Rod 7'5" Heavy is what I use because they have the right action and length needed to really bomb it out there,” he adds. Click here to check out Jeremy's channel. Some prefer a slower gear ratio (in the 5.4:1 to 6.1:1 range) to keep the bait in the strike zone longer, while others prefer a higher gear ratio (7.3:1) for long casts that allows for a fast retrieve as soon as the bait hits the water. If you need to rig your swimbaits there are three common methods you will want to use depending on your situation. I really like a 1/4-ounce jighead. Those new to fishing may find this term confusing. Softbaits can be broken down into 2 categories: Top-Water: Top-water softbaits are typically eel tail softbaits rigged with unweighted or lightly weighted swimbait hooks and soft circle hooks. A swimbait’s buoyancy, or lack thereof, can greatly impact how you retrieve it. “I usually fish the weighted version like this down to around 4- to 5- feet and slow roll it above the cover. It is a big bait in every sense of the word, and another unique thing about it is how well it fishes at high-speeds. It's like they lose all control," Shimada said. After you have your swimbait in the strike zone, you can begin working it. Cast and Retrieve Fishing. Burning a big swimbait at high-speeds is something that most other anglers are not doing yet here in America, and it is something the bass do not see every day. Tim kicks it off by showing the best way to rig a swimbait weedless. If it is near the bottom, fishing a swimbait right along the bottom will be the best place to start. If you are fishing deeper water they have no problem coming up and grabbing it.”. Swimbaits are a highly visual technique and the color can make a big difference. Swimbait rods are specifically designed to catch large fishes by supporting large and heavy lures. "My best success is after a long winter when the fish are hungry, and most of the big ones are up shallow," he said. This retrieve is something that Roumbanis tries anytime smallmouth are present. He prefers a 7'9" extra-heavy Evergreen Hercules Acteon Magnum EX rod. Use whatever lure you want, a swimbait, a crankbait, a spinner — they all are designed to be tossed out, and reeled back in using a particular motion, this is called cast and retrieve. I use a size 1 for largemouth because they just inhale it,” he says. By doing a simple countdown method, you can ensure that your bait remains in the right depth zone. The whole key to that bait was the weighted harness on it and the action it created, so we included that in this bait. Trout. Slow Roll Over Structure Fishing above trees and rocks is when Roumbanis will slow roll his swimbait. But as you might guess there are variances that can make it more efficient. A swimbait's tail kicks and thumps under slow constant reeling. When trying different retrieves, first make a short cast and watch the lure to ensure it … That being said, here are some of the things that you need to have or prepare. How To Retrieve A Chatterbait. The first is that the bass have seen that approach a thousand times. He works the swimbait with a 7-foot, 4-inch Daiwa 741 medium-fast rod and Daiwa Lexa 300 (8.0:1 gear ratio) baitcast reel filled with 18-pound Maxima ultra-green monofilament line. “I catch a lot of fish that way at that time of year dropping it along steep bluffs and drops,” he said. He’ll use the same reel and gear ratio but will instead spool it up with 20-pound fluorocarbon. The most important technique for swimbaits is the retrieve, and there are different methods for different situations: The key to the stop-and-go retrieve is to pause as you reel to let the bait sink slightly, thus imitating the motions of an injured fish. 10/3/2017. They require big specially designed swimbait rods, often 8 feet in length with heavy line and reels with strong gears and guts in them. They also vary in sizes to match fish of different sizes. Even though he has moved from the west as he fishes the Bassmaster Elite Series, swimbaits are still a big part of his game. If you happen to run up on a group of schooling fish, be sure to cast it out and let it fall. A bait of this magnitude requires specialized equipment both to cast and fish such a large lure. "The Balam is a lure that excels when you approach points where the bass should be located at and retrieved at super ultra-high speeds," said Shimada, who has learned to anticipate when strikes will occur and how he can use a fast retrieve speed to his advantage. Checkout these high producing tips from Jeremy with @Fishing the LoneStar The swimbait or paddletail plastic is a classic when it comes to fall bass fishing. "Simply put, I think it is a world where bass have never experienced this before. This lure and trailer will have enough action to be able to land fish. The swimbait will just work. This is when many of Shimada's big fish have happened, but it will work other times of the year. His years of experience with them have given him the confidence to use them in a variety of situations from coast to coast. Fishing above trees and rocks is when Roumbanis will slow roll his swimbait. …2 problems with pulling up on a point or an underwater hump, positioning your boat in deep water and throwing shallow. If you’ve chosen to stick to the smaller end of swimbaits, it’s not necessary to invest in a whole new rod. Couple great swimbait tips from Chris Zaldain. Tweak the Retrieve . Types of Swimbaits. If you’re going to be using this you’ll want to use a white, black, or fish colored chatterbait. Snook typically like a faster retrieve than redfish. Position the hook correctly – The best way to extend the life of the swimbait is to position the hook so the knot is inside the Fattube and the hook eye (or split ring, if using one) is against the Fattube. He also looks for high-percentage areas like bridge pilings, trees, and rocky banks. He says to start out with a slow retrieve with just enough forward motions to swim the tail of the bait. The South Carolina pro says he idles down deep hollows with his trolling motor and uses his Lowrance side imaging to know exactly where those fish are. 3. "Typically bass get spooked when they see the boat or the angler, however when the switch has been turned on due to the high speed retrieve or 'Eight Trap,' the bass only focuses on the lure and wants to kill it.". If you notice more suspended fish, they are most likely feeding in the middle of the water column and up. The good news about this bait is that it’ll do a lot of the work for you. Like most big-fish techniques, swimbaits shine when big bass are feeding on big forage and when push shallow to spawn. The Sassy Shads of the past have been swapped by the jointed hollow and bodied swimbaits of today. Sign me up! “I worked with Optimum and bait designers to create a bait that was inspired by one of my favorite baits that is no longer made. So you have to match the size of the swimbaits with the gear ratio that you are going to use. What is important is to have a rod that can hook bass and not be too stiff," Shimada shared. His signature series Boom Boom swimbait from Optimum is available in both the weedless and weighted versions and are his top picks for swimbait fishing. "The Shimano Antares DC MD XG is the best reel in the world right now. The retrieve is always slow and low. For starters, he likes a 25-pound nylon (monofilament) line because it has enough stretch to handle strikes at close distances. You will know when one grabs it, it will be two quick hits and the second bite is when you want to slam the hook home,” adds the Elite Series pro. The weighted version is more versatile in that it can be fished deeper and in open water around structure. Make sure you match the hatch for the best results. Since the baits he mentions are not massive baits (6” long), they can be fished on conventional tackle without the need for a swimbait specific rod and reel. Everybody does it that way, and the bass become conditioned to it. "The concept of the eight trap is to get the bass to turn on its switch and get excited. When using a hollow bodied swimbait, I usually let it sink to the bottom give it a jerk to get it moving and retrieve it really slow, so its just off the bottom, sometimes I will add in a jerk every now and then, or let it sink to the bottom and then jerk it off the bottom and start the retrieve again. Spinning setups are fine for really small finesse style swimbaots but for almost everything else a baitcasting rod is a real must. The key to the retrieve is to imitate the action of the baitfish. The second has to do with the inherent design of most swimbaits. READ RELATED: Fishing Jerkbaits for Swimbait Fish, READ RELATED: Early Season Froggin’ with Kenta Kimura, READ RELATED: How Josh Parris Catches Big Ones at the Delta, READ RELATED: Boom Boom Line-Thru | Here's How It's Done. How To Use A Swimbait. You can’t reel, cast, or retrieve smoothly if the building method of the reel isn’t innovative. Watching Shimada fish the Balam is like others burn a crankbait or fish a buzzbait on the surface. Don’t let the current lull you to sleep and not be aware of what your bait is doing when fishing for bass out deep with a swimbait. If you use too heavy of a weight you will be more likely to spook the fish. The … If you want to cast lures over two ounces, you’re going to have a hard time without a strong rod. In his many YouTube videos, he can be seen tight to the bank with his boat nearly on the shore as he parallels bluffs, rocks, and above submerged trees. How to Rig a Swimbait The rigging you use with a swimbait lure will change based on the size of the lure and the style of the lure. Soft Bait Retrieve Methods. NO. Trout are like snook in that they seem to like a more erratic retrieve. Fishing them too fast or with too much action is one of the biggest mistakes with these baits, a slow and steady retrieve will get the best action,” he begins. Just keep it coming on a slow, steady retrieve and that consistency will get them to completely kill it…or if they don’t, then the fish will have exposed itself and you will know where that fish lives and you may be able to back it up with a worm or even an I-Slide jointed swimbait or something like that where the action is … The Bio-Gill Swimbait is a three-piece, double-jointed bait with a lifelike swimming action designed as a search bait to cover water on a steady retrieve as well as rod twitch and pauses. He believes the combination of sound and speed causes the bass to react so well to this lure. Deepwater baits are crawled slowly and steadily along the bottom, even jigged for lethargic cold-water bass. Want to catch MONSTERBASS in the fall? The best way to retrieve this type of swimbait is very slowly. Often in these conditions, the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish. Click here to join the Salt Strong Insider Club Click here to grab a pack of Alabama Leprechauns. Fred Roumbanis, like many anglers with California roots, loves swimbaits. That’s why you need to cast it a long-distance and retrieve it through the zone the fish are in. When it comes to the weighted version, he will opt for rod with a softer tip and will even use a crankbait rod at times. Swimbait rods can look similar when compared with crankbait rods; the only difference between them is that the swimbait rod is comparatively larger. Skipping them under docks is one way he catches big bass in places where they do not see as many baits. Position the hook correctly – The best way to extend the life of the swimbait is to position the hook so the knot is inside the Fattube and the hook eye (or split ring, if using one) is against the Fattube. Available in both 4” and 5” sizes, these baits feature a slow sink action and are available in five forage matching colors. "I think that giant baits have never been retrieved so quickly before," he began. 4/13/2020. He most often uses a simple cast and retrieve when fishing a swimbait. If you want to cast lures over two ounces, you’re going to have a hard time without a strong rod. With that being said he has three variations of retrieves that work for different situations. The megabass dark sleeper is the perfect swimbait for fishing deep ultra clear water. Click here to subscribe to our channel for Pro tips and Bait breakdowns on a monthly basis. Line through swimbaits are a large swimbait which allows the line to run through the body of the bait to keep the fish from using the bait as leverage to thrown the hook. A Simple and Deadly Approach to Fishing Swimbaits - YouTube Swimbait is a type of big bass lures that can carry fish ten pounds or more. On the Bassin’masters.com , worth a full read fer sher: > It’s a rare day when I retrieve a swimbait downhill. You can fish it slowly, and it stays in that part of the water column, unlike a crankbait or jerkbait,” Roumbanis advised. His line of choice is the Evergreen Bassile Flexhard HG. There’s more than one way to fish a jerkbait. Anglers can work these lures at all depths in open water and around cover with a slow retrieve or a fast retrieve bumped off the bottom or at mid water. The main technique that Robinson turns to is using a 4-inch Zoom Boot Tail Fluke swimbait with a 1/4-ounce swimbait head to drop right above those schooling fish waiting for something to pass them by. 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