Plastic Swimbaits?

[Neal/CO]

Just curious who is using these? With all the articles on them in In-Fisherman and all the new models introduced the last few years, I am wondering what everyone thinks of them?

I have caught some small walleye and bass on them recently. I like the fact that you can throw them into rocky areas and not worry about snagging. THey seem to pull out of snags better and they are inexpensive if they do snag! Sure beats snagging up a countdown Rapala at five bucks a pop!

I bought a bunch of the three, four and five inch Storm Swim Shads in different colors. Plus some of the Berkely Power Swimbaits and Pogy Shads. I already had a bunch of Sassy shads which have always worked.

I have caught alot of big trout over the years with a bait called Long A from Gene Larew. It is a four inch bait with no belly, but a shad type tail. White has been the best color. I not sure they make it any more?

[Neal/CO]

I guess I,m the only one who has bought these?

[Mattman]

I have yet to target Walleye with mine.

I have been having good sucess Bass fishing with them though. Average fish size is up slightly.

This is a bad year for me to try anything new. The fishing has been poor for me this year, on any bait. But the swimbaits have shown me enough that I'll be giving them another very legit shot at catching fish next year. And targeting Walleye.

http://www.swimbait.com/



Matt Davis

Better to have and not need than to need and not have!

Otterods - High performance hand crafted fishing rods.

[Neal/CO]

Which one's have you been using Matt?

[Kolby]

I've been using a wide variety of plastic baits for shallower walleyes the last 2 years. I like the thumper style products you mention above. However the Gulp 3 inch minnow, in white or pumpkin seed-gin clear water, has taken alot of fish for me in the 12 foot and shallower areas. Really shallow I cast. 10 to 12 feet, I just drop it down with a 1/4oz head and cruise with the bowmount, jig trolling I guess. In fact, the only time I use live bait anymore is slipbobbering off shore with the 2 and 4-year old, or when the fish are so finicky you have to just sit there with it in their face (which doesn't happen to often). I think a crankbait will still outproduce in certain conditions, but the Gulp has become a mainstay in my boat.

[Mattman]

I don't think I've thrown any 5 inchers yet. I've thrown the 3's a little. I'm glad I didn't get many of those, they seem too small to me, but what do I know. Mostly I've thrown 4 inchers. I've got Baitfish, Green Machine, Bleeding Mackeral, Tennessee Shad, White Zombie, Sea Wolf and Senorita. Haven't fished them enough to find a preference for anything. Although I just seem to like to throw the Bleeding Mackeral on a green head.



Matt Davis

Better to have and not need than to need and not have!

Otterods - High performance hand crafted fishing rods.

[Rob77]

Hi,

Since September 2003, I've been using swimbait many times for walleye and bass. I have good success with them. I've caught many fish in the 3 to 5 pounds range with big Bass Assassin and big Power Poggy or Power Shad up to 6 inches long.

It's particuliary good right now et for the rest of fall.

Often, fish hit thoses big lures harder than they do with grubs.

I just love them!

;-)

[karpbuster]

We were having good luck in the spring for Stripers using the large Storm swimbaits up to 9" long. I think the gizzard shad were spawning and they were producing great. I had a lot of short strikes though and would hook up for a second and not catch anything. We went right into u-rigs from that and I haven't tried them again this year. In the past I have used smaller swim baits for bass, walleyes and they really haven't worked that well for me. I am probably too use to other lures that I have more confidence in, they look great.

karpbuster

[Backwater Eddy]

I use a lot of Sassy Shad style baits, or minnow body style baits with flabby "Thumper" tails.

One style I have had considerable success with is the Mister Twister 4" Tri-Alive series of Sassy Shads. The 4" and 5" Power Pogy is another good one if you can find them. In deeper water I use ball heads, but for the most part I prefer darter heads or stand-up wedge style heads for casting or trolling.

A while back I scored at a discount a large quantity (like 100's) of Saltwater shads made by Berkley (I think they were Berkley?). One was purple with a flabby white tail and the other glow green with a flabby Orange tipped tail. Both were in the 5" range when rigged and they do a bang-up job on spring and late fall walleye in stained water. I have a quantity left and they get a new dose of scent from time to time to freshen them up a bit, they do produce well still.

One thing I like about Shad bodies is the action they produce at a slow steady speed. Very handy in cooler waters to increase the "Hang Time" in front of a sluggish cool walleye. I use them a lot in the fall up shallow in rivers with lots of cover for big eyes to lurk in.

I have tinkered with Sassy Shads up to 6", and they do work. Finding the right jigs for the large Shads is often the chalenge.

What I found was the 4" to be about the best overall size for my needs. If I were to carry only one size now it would likely be the 4" Sassy Shads or the 4" Power Pogys.

Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

"ED on the RED"

><,sUMo,>

[SUPERTROLLER]

Good to see you're still around Ed. Nice informative post. You should check in with us more often.

[Neal/CO]

Good post Ed! Thanks.

I have been using the Gopher Owner Mushroom heads for years on my soft plastics. If you need a good hook for big Shads that you might use for toothy critters or cats, you should buy some of the Owner Saltwater jigs. Both Cabelas and Bass Pro shops sell them. I use the 1/2 oz head alot for Pike fishing. The 1/2 oz head is poured on a Owner 3/0 hook, which is perfect for a five inch bait, and the 3/4 oz is on a 5/0. Those hooks can penetrate almost anything!

[Backwater Eddy]

Great tip, Thanks!

I do like the Chompers with and without the weed guard. I also use them for "Frog Fling'n" in the fall. They keep Kermit and the hook up it the eye's face when they drill it, good hook-up percentage without need for a stinger.

This is a timely topic because of a bite I am working at present. The walleye are feeding heavy on young Freshwater Drum, a typical fall pattern on the Red River, Lake Traverse, and/or Bigstone Lake. I believe it is fairly typical wherever you find young Drum in abundance?

Getting the right profile and size of plastics is key to slipping into this bite, shads often do the trick. Another is 4-5" White Tube bodies on the same stand-up jigs or darters. In or near flowing water I find river walleye pick off the slow falling tubes when they are hunting young drum or crappie on the dams.

I cleaned 4 sumo fat 2# walleye last night, they were stuffed to the gills with young drum, and still feeding. The bait color had to be white to get them to bite, and the shape of the baits also appears to be a factor. I swapped out to other colors up and down the scale and NADA-ZIP..no fish. Went back to the white plastics and one hit after another without the aid of any live bait. I did use an added scent on all the baits equally so I think it was a fair comparison.

Old timers would say "Match da Hatch", and that indeed may be a very good argument here.

Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

"ED on the RED"

><,sUMo,>