Spring 2018
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that! Soft plastic swimbaits do a great job at mimicking those small bait fish.
TARGETS AND RETRIEVE:
My favorite way to fish smaller swimbaits is rigged on a jig head because you can cover every depth with this technique. You can fish the bait fast and close to the surface, you can slow down and swim them in the middle of the water column, or you can slow roll them deep and jig them on the bottom. You can even rig them on Alabama rigs! The list goes on and on for how many ways you can use swimbaits, so it’s important to first identify what kind of bait fish are in the lake you’re fishing and “match the hatch.”
I like to look for rocky banks, boulders and submerged trees or bushes that will hold the fish who are ready to ambush their next meal. A SLOW and steady retrieve usually works best; but again, let the fish tell you what they want. Switch your retrieve until you find that perfect speed and hold on.
I prefer to fish the 3- to 6-inch swimbait like the Molix RA Shad on a ball head or darter jig head. This is the time of year that is perfect for catching BIG fish on swimbaits and, like I mentioned earlier, bass are feeding to prepare for the spawn; so, it is a killer option in the spring.
The most aggressive bites I’ve ever gotten have been on small swimbaits.
I like to throw them on a 13 Fishing 7’1” M Omen Black Spinning Rod with a 3000 Creed GT Spinning Reel spooled with 6- to 10-pound fluorocarbon line. If I’m throwing them on an Alabama rig, I use a 13 Fishing 7’9” H Extra Fast Casting Rod paired with a Concept C Reel spooled with 20-pound fluorocarbon.
So whether you’re fishing in a cold blue bird day that
warms up in the afternoon, or it’s windy and
rainy these three baits will consistently
produce bites and hopefully the
memories that come with them.
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