The Swimbait Diaries, recollections and instructions

[Johnny A]

Well, I finally decided on a "non-swimbait" swimbait rod, the Team Daiwa L & T TL-76T-5FB, the telescopic, flippin' model for those of you not up on your Daiwa rods by model number. I wanted to keep it inexpensive while deciding on how I felt about swimbaits and also having another purpose to fall back on, if necessary.
Truth be told, the swimbaits I was using were the MB LimberLamber and the Evergreen Amazon stick baits, both weigh in at about an ounce and a half, not really swimbaits, more like plugs on steroids. I had faith in both brands of baits and the Evergreens were less than $20.00 each, the MB baits a bit more.
My initial reel of choice was the REVO STX 7.1:1, it will not be for long. It's not that it's a bad reel, just a bad reel for this purpose. I have decided after two trips, a round baitcaster with a low-retrieve ratio would probably be better.
After two trips, I'm starting to get a feel for this technique, well actually I see the potential for this as a big fish method. I went to a couple of local clear water ponds so I could watch the baits in action. I was amazed watching the LimberLamber swim through the water so effortlessly and smoothly.
I haven't even gotten to the Evergreen Amazon, yet.

[tonym]

Johnny. I was looking at the same rod for jigs only I wanted to pair it up with a Daiwa Advantage HST. Something a little bulletproof as I'm not real skilled in flipping jigs in heavy cover. That way it doesn't hurt the pocket book to bad if things don't work out so well for me.

[Johnny A]

Johnny. I was looking at the same rod for jigs only I wanted to pair it up with a Daiwa Advantage HST. Something a little bulletproof as I'm not real skilled in flipping jigs in heavy cover. That way it doesn't hurt the pocket book to bad if things don't work out so well for me.

Prior to my discovery of Megabass, Daiwa rods were my mainstays.

[SoCal_LMB]

JA,
the good thing about getting a feel for big baits in a clear water lake/pond is that it helps build up your confidence in a certain bait because you can see the fish come up for it or follow it in. also, that Revo's gear ratio is to high. if you want a round baitcaster that's not too expensive then i'd go with a Calcutta. do you have a Daiwa Millionaire already?

what do you think of the Daiwa L&T so far for those baits? if you want a swimbait specific rod that is inexpensive then i would say look at the Okumas, Redington's and Crucial's. alot of guys seem to be using the new Powell's but they are slightly more expensive and i didn't feel that they were better than the other less expensive offerings. on another note, i got to check out the Dobyns swimbaits rods and they are as good or better than the Powell's and Mike Long helped design them.

and when it comes to learning swimbaits. i would say stick with the US stuff. the JDM stuff is ok but the commonly available JDM "swimbaits" just aren't up to par. there are some great swimbait lures from Japan but they are handmade and fairly expensive (on par with the expensive US handmade baits) and hard to get. the EG Amazon is just a big Spook type bait and it won't help you much when it comes to throwing the US California style swimbaits IMHO, you're right about it being a "big plug on steroids". Mattlures, Reation Innovations, Rago Real Trout, River2Sea. . . these are all lures that are nice and affordable and you don't have to stress about losing them as much. it's also a good idea to invest in a double jointed floating swimbait and practice deadsticking it. this technique can work really well at times but it takes some practice to get the action just right. . .

[Johnny A]

JA,
the good thing about getting a feel for big baits in a clear water lake/pond is that it helps build up your confidence in a certain bait because you can see the fish come up for it or follow it in. also, that Revo's gear ratio is to high. if you want a round baitcaster that's not too expensive then i'd go with a Calcutta. do you have a Daiwa Millionaire already?

what do you think of the Daiwa L&T so far for those baits? if you want a swimbait specific rod that is inexpensive then i would say look at the Okumas, Redington's and Crucial's. alot of guys seem to be using the new Powell's but they are slightly more expensive and i didn't feel that they were better than the other less expensive offerings. on another note, i got to check out the Dobyns swimbaits rods and they are as good or better than the Powell's and Mike Long helped design them.

and when it comes to learning swimbaits. i would say stick with the US stuff. the JDM stuff is ok but the commonly available JDM "swimbaits" just aren't up to par. there are some great swimbait lures from Japan but they are handmade and fairly expensive (on par with the expensive US handmade baits) and hard to get. the EG Amazon is just a big Spook type bait and it won't help you much when it comes to throwing the US California style swimbaits IMHO, you're right about it being a "big plug on steroids". Mattlures, Reation Innovations, Rago Real Trout, River2Sea. . . these are all lures that are nice and affordable and you don't have to stress about losing them as much. it's also a good idea to invest in a double jointed floating swimbait and practice deadsticking it. this technique can work really well at times but it takes some practice to get the action just right. . .

1. I'm looking at the Conquest 100 or 200, don't own a Millionaire. I was looking at the Daiwa Luna, but at ~$220.00, I may go another $75.00 or so and get the Conquest.

2. The difficulty I have with swimbait rods is the lure weight range. I'm using lighter baits than spec'ed for on the rod. The flippin' stick really isn't that bad although a medium fast might be a bit better.

3. After watching the LimberLamber, I was going to pick up a floating bait. I'm at the point of being able to manipulate the bait as a waking bait and a sub-surface bait. I need to work on detecting action at the beginning of the cast and toward the end. I think that's where a bit stiffer of a rod action might help.

4. I'm looking for video and articles on bait tactics.

[SoCal_LMB]

1. I'm looking at the Conquest 100 or 200, don't own a Millionaire. I was looking at the Daiwa Luna, but at ~$220.00, I may go another $75.00 or so and get the Conquest.

i would stick with the Calcutta/Conquest. they are hard to beat for tossing big baits IMO. also, if you have any interest in a low profile reel don't forget about the Curado 300DSV. it can be bought at some really good prices on Ebay from various sellers

2. The difficulty I have with swimbait rods is the lure weight range. I'm using lighter baits than spec'ed for on the rod. The flippin' stick really isn't that bad although a medium fast might be a bit better.

flipping sticks usually don't have a good action for swimbaits. that's why i would suggest the Okuma's and other swimbait specific rods. they can both be had fairly cheap and are proven. i agree that med. fast is ideal.

3. After watching the LimberLamber, I was going to pick up a floating bait. I'm at the point of being able to manipulate the bait as a waking bait and a sub-surface bait. I need to work on detecting action at the beginning of the cast and toward the end. I think that's where a bit stiffer of a rod action might help.

exactly. . . a stiffer rod will perform much better. many people think that sensitivity isn't very important when fishing swimbaits but it is. remember you are usually long casting and you definitely need to be able to detect the action all the way back to the boat for the best results. if you decide to get a swimbait specific rod i think you will be amazed at the world of difference it makes.

4. I'm looking for video and articles on bait tactics.

here is a video with Byron Velvick

http://www.basstackledepot.com/BTD570.html

as far as articles on tactics. it is hard to find better info than what is talked about on calfishing.com, and swimbaitnation also has some good tips. they both have video clips as well but they aren't as helpful as reading the forum discussions about techniques IMHO

[GAMEOVER]

Amazing how big this swimbait craze is on the westcoast I dont think we'll see any of it in the midwest/Great Lakes area.

[SoCal_LMB]

Amazing how big this swimbait craze is on the westcoast I dont think we'll see any of it in the midwest/Great Lakes area.

GO,
i wouldn't be so sure. i just think the guys in the midwest and the east just don't have the confidence in them so they don't spend a whole lot of time throwing them. having confidence in them is a big part of the game and it takes alot of time to build it up. not to mention that they are expensive and really very hard to get locally in those areas. if you look through the swimbait forums you will see that small groups of anglers across the US are finding that they work well in their bodies of water as well. i have read many posts about giant smallies being caught on them. could the next record smallie come on one? i think it's a really good possibility

[GAMEOVER]

Amazing how big this swimbait craze is on the westcoast I dont think we'll see any of it in the midwest/Great Lakes area.

GO,
i wouldn't be so sure. i just think the guys in the midwest and the east just don't have the confidence in them so they don't spend a whole lot of time throwing them. having confidence in them is a big part of the game and it takes alot of time to build it up. not to mention that they are expensive and really very hard to get locally in those areas. if you look through the swimbait forums you will see that small groups of anglers across the US are finding that they work well in their bodies of water as well. i have read many posts about giant smallies being caught on them. could the next record smallie come on one? i think it's a really good possibility

Very good point SoCal man your a good poster! I dont have any confidence in them partially because I have ziltch expierence with them. We do have some killer smallies here and the Largemouth are okay but their the "Northern Strain" I still hunt them religously though. I never seen Smallies take huge jerkbaits which is something id need to land a Smallie on first in order to get the confidence id need for a swimbait setup. Worse come to worse I have one hell of a Musky/Pike setup

[SoCal_LMB]

We do have some killer smallies here and the Largemouth are okay but their the "Northern Strain" I still hunt them religously though.

Northern or Florida strain. . . they're all fun! the Northerns take swimbaits just as willingly as the Florida's. . . maybe even more willingly because i believe they are the more aggressive of the 2

I never seen Smallies take huge jerkbaits which is something id need to land a Smallie on first in order to get the confidence id need for a swimbait setup. Worse come to worse I have one hell of a Musky/Pike setup

catch enough 5lb+ smallies on swimbaits and you just might help break the craze wide open. . . and you're right, if you get tired of throwing swimbaits for bass then the same setup should double as a pretty good Musky/Pike rig IMO.

the other day i was watching some fishing on TV and they were fishing Lake Michigan for big smallies. looked like tons of fun

[GAMEOVER]

Oh man im really going to look into them now..

[Johnny A]

UPDATE:

A few things:

1. UPS says my "new2me" MB Randy Blauket F7-77X rod is on the truck and in transit to my house. This rod is listed as medium fast on the MB Japan website. As noted previously, I believe that taper should provide casting strength, power to get bait moving and the sensitivity to work the bait effectively. We shall see!

2. I'm going to take a few more trips before replacing the REVO STX 7.1:1 reel. It's holding enough 20 lb test for distance casting while maintaining backup line, should I need it. Also, the fast retrieve, in addition to a slower action rod, I will hopefully be able to get the bait in work mode sooner.
Another reason I'm holding off from changing reels? Quite a few of the pros on Clear Lake were using the REVO with their swimbaits. Actually it's not the reel itself, it's more the use of a low profile reel effectively in that situation. My next change would be to change retrieve ratios.

3. I am expanding my actual swimbait arsenal by 50%. I ordered a Gan Craft Jointed Claw in 178 size. As with the MB LimberLambers, it is both lipless and slow sinking. I hope to be able to find a lipless floater in Jointed Claw.

I'll keep you posted!

[SoCal_LMB]

i'm interested to hear how the F7-77 handles those baits.

[Johnny A]

Call me Ishmael!

What? Too intellectual, literary and/or obscure for a fishing forum, bass thread?

Okay, let's just say I hooked into my first swimbait bass. Notice I said HOOKED and not caught/landed. The "new" MB F7-77X jumped in my hand and since I was watching my bait I got to see a finned watermelon engulf my LimberLamber. The first thing that crossed my mind was "Holy Sh*t, I don't have a f**kin' camera."
There aren't many NJ bass, in my experience that is, that are as big and beautiful as a pride of Georgia watermelon. I guess the bass didn't engulf the bait as well as I thought because when she turned and headed toward Delaware, my line went limp and she was gone.
Needless to say, my heart was in my throat and I fired off another cast, then another, which brought up another soft taker, somewhat smaller than the first. I set the hook but came up short.
The circumstances were less than perfect weatherwise. It's about 44 degrees F, windy as all get out with gusts up to "bring in the brass monkeys" and cloudy with a few breaks of Sunshine.
I'll be going back over the next couple of days. I'm psyched!

Here's a few more observations and notes:

1. The medium-fast taper is perfect for this size bait. 1 1/2 to 2 oz. Excellent flex for casting, perfect for bait control. I don't know what other way to say it.

2. 98% of any doubts or concerns I had about spiral guides on a rod were dispelled with the first few casts. I was casting into a strong wind and crosswinds and I maintained total control. Working the bait and fighting the fish got rid of the remaining 2%.

3. The MB F7-77X "Randy Blauket" etc., etc., is almost perfect for a swimbait application. The only thing I would change, a little more handle below the reel seat, maybe 2" or so. It could be because I prefer handles a bit longer but it was a minor issue.

4. The REVO stays but the 7.1:1 retrieve ratio is definitely GONE! I'll be swapping from STX to SX but the reel benefited from the additional power of the rod. I believe low-profiles reels can have a place in the swimbait techniques.

5. I can't finish without sending out a thanks to fish1971. He was excellent to deal with. The rod came securely packaged and in better than described condition. Thanks very much!

This is quite a learning experience. I guess if there are opposite techniques in bass fishing, finesse worming and swimbaits would probably fit the bill. I guess it's important to constantly grow as a fisherman. Exercises like this keep it fresh and always interesting.

J

[SoCal_LMB]

There aren't many NJ bass, in my experience that is, that are as big and beautiful as a pride of Georgia watermelon. I guess the bass didn't engulf the bait as well as I thought because when she turned and headed toward Delaware, my line went limp and she was gone.
Needless to say, my heart was in my throat and I fired off another cast, then another, which brought up another soft taker, somewhat smaller than the first. I set the hook but came up short.

wow JA, you got some takers on your first outing that should definitely help secure the addiction. IMO, don't swing for the fences when setting the hook. wait till you feel the fish on and then reel in and swing to the side

The circumstances were less than perfect weatherwise. It's about 44 degrees F, windy as all get out with gusts up to "bring in the brass monkeys" and cloudy with a few breaks of Sunshine.
I'll be going back over the next couple of days. I'm psyched!

overcast days and nasty weather are notoriously good swimbait conditions

1. The medium-fast taper is perfect for this size bait. 1 1/2 to 2 oz. Excellent flex for casting, perfect for bait control. I don't know what other way to say it.

2. 98% of any doubts or concerns I had about spiral guides on a rod were dispelled with the first few casts. I was casting into a strong wind and crosswinds and I maintained total control. Working the bait and fighting the fish got rid of the remaining 2%.

med. fast is ideal. if you see the custom stick that's they guys use here in Cal you'll notice that they are all med. fast w/ spiral wrapped guides. this is the ideal setup when fighting trophy bass

3. The MB F7-77X "Randy Blauket" etc., etc., is almost perfect for a swimbait application. The only thing I would change, a little more handle below the reel seat, maybe 2" or so. It could be because I prefer handles a bit longer but it was a minor issue.

it's probably got about a 13" handle, right? a couple more inches (15") would probably be more to your liking for sure. it would also feel better to cast IMO

believe low-profiles reels can have a place in the swimbait techniques.

definitely i love my Curado 300DSV. probably going to get another real soon

This is quite a learning experience. I guess if there are opposite techniques in bass fishing, finesse worming and swimbaits would probably fit the bill. I guess it's important to constantly grow as a fisherman. Exercises like this keep it fresh and always interesting.

those are my 2 favorite techniques. . . swimbaits and finesse. they are opposite ends of the spectrum for sure. so, sounds like you've got the fever now. be carefull. . . fishing swimbaits truely is addicting. now just start using some of the bigger Cali baits and see what pulls on your line next. also, it is my opinion that it is important to learn how to use the bigger baits correctly. there are many different retrieve techniques and they all take time to perfect. glad to see that you are enjoying this whole swimbait thing. it's definitely exciting to say the least. come out to Cal and throw them. you'll really be hooked after that