Big Bait Junkies

[VineAssist]

Okay, So I was reading up in a local Bass Magazine and found an aritcle referring to when people became addicted to fishing the big baits (trout swimbaits). They are not talking about these four inch shad things that have made a splash as of late but the baits that are 8inchs and bigger. So I decieded to start the same thing here...
My big bait experinces began way back in 1999. When I was fishing Perris, when it was full and Silverwood as well as Irvine Lake.
For me it was seeing my team partner catch an 8lb on his 1st cast in a team tournament at Silverwood on an Osprey. Or was it watching fish flying from the depths of Lake Perris to look at the Ospreys we where fishing. Or was it watching Fred Rombunais fish a AC Plug at Irvine and catch a 7lber.
For me it was fishing Silverwood the day after it reopened after the fires that ravaged the area. That day my partner and I probably caught 60+ fish on 8inch Ospreys and 10 inch Opsreys it was redicoulus. My next memory was getting about an 8lber on a Generic Sewer Rat at Castaic Lagoon. Dont get me wrond I have gotten bigger fish than this but these are the ones that stick out. Post up on this thread.

[calico killer kevin]

For me it's the beauty of these swimbaits and the chance of every hookup being a toad. Their color, shape, action, etc. I have just gotten into making swimbaits and so far I have a 4" bluegill and a 6" candy trout. The process is one of the most fun things I have done lately.

Also, there's nothing like the blowup you get when fishing topwater wakes swimmies. I have caught a few, but not a ton of bass so far ranging from 1.5lbs to 5.5lbs. I WILL get "that" one fish of a lifetime though.

[Indo-angler]

Yes, I remember well my first cast with a big bait, an Osprey, about 5 years ago at Puddingstone. Got nailed in a big splash by a 6 and 1/2 pounder that looked bigger (but I had my scales). Tore up this $16 bait, since I didn't really know how to handle it at the time.

Hooked on big baits ever since, even though my next maybe 500 casts (?!) did not get touched only followed!

[bsp]

For me it was watching a bass knock my Lunker Punker in the air and then bash it again when it landed. I've lost what would have been my PB if it hadn't spat the the hook after I saw it on a ROF5 Hudd (12lb at least). Gotten plenty of other hits before I figured out the hooks were dull. I should be able to stick a few now. Other than those two moments, it's been fairly mundane with most of my other fish being harbor calicos (2lb-3lb) that decided to bash Big Hammers and my Wake Jr.

[dodoman]

i love big baits.
just finished painting these 2.

made them from rago and atika.
the rago was a beat,n up trout color
the akita had cracks on them. ( baby striper pattern ).
i took advantage of it and made them both into brown trout pattern.

[DarkShadow]

For me, it was the 'hootin' and hollerin' that I get when kids run up to my gear saying that I caught a fish, while pointing at my Huddleston.

Secondly has to be the amount of swimbaits I've bought used for great prices because people have jumped on the Big Bait Train and have gotten run over before their journey ever began.

Lastly, is the guys throwing big baits on 12 pound test, and watching their 6 ounce bait snap, and glide gently across the lake, coming to rest at the bottom.

[matt duarte]

haha DS had some good points, you can never get enough of it when you reel in the hudd and some kids come running up saying what did you catch it on..

big baits is a love and hate relationship with me...i love it when you see the followers! i had a easy 12lber follow my bbz in to shore twice at dvl, the missed hits is what really pisses me off,and its always when you least expect it..i got smased on the floating bbz at DVL i was just messin around tossin my bait across the cove where my buddy was trying to scare him...burnt it in and slam! but didnt get hooked....another is at perris having the lunker punker get hammered 2 ft off shore in december was defently unexpected..and just this passed saturday tossin the hudd at perris...tossed it out let it soak for a lil bit while we had a pow wow trying to figure out where the fish were...started a slow retrive and the feelt those ticks but instad of a tick tick it was a bam bam! sucked i was sitting down in the boat cause i set the hook to late...but it defently keeps me comming back eventually that pig will get stuck! swimbaits is also like a collecting hobby...once you buy one you have to have the next one, than you have to have doubles or triples of each bait for back up haha

[bigbaitlobina]

For me it was on a sunday in october of 98'. I was at legg lake at the middel lake by the spillway. Burning a 8" old school optimum swimbait. Seeing a 8 1/2 lbs smash my bait 2 ft from my rod tip and bouncing it on the bank. This guy offerd me 20 bucks for the fish. I told him to F OFF and released it! Caught many since. But that was one to remember...

alex a.

[dodoman]

haha DS had some good points, you can never get enough of it when you reel in the hudd and some kids come running up saying what did you catch it on..

big baits is a love and hate relationship with me...i love it when you see the followers! i had a easy 12lber follow my bbz in to shore twice at dvl, the missed hits is what really pisses me off,and its always when you least expect it..i got smased on the floating bbz at DVL i was just messin around tossin my bait across the cove where my buddy was trying to scare him...burnt it in and slam! but didnt get hooked....another is at perris having the lunker punker get hammered 2 ft off shore in december was defently unexpected..and just this passed saturday tossin the hudd at perris...tossed it out let it soak for a lil bit while we had a pow wow trying to figure out where the fish were...started a slow retrive and the feelt those ticks but instad of a tick tick it was a bam bam! sucked i was sitting down in the boat cause i set the hook to late...but it defently keeps me comming back eventually that pig will get stuck! swimbaits is also like a collecting hobby...once you buy one you have to have the next one, than you have to have doubles or triples of each bait for back up haha
i feel ya on that, matt.lol
once you go big, there no turning back.

[KEL40]

which color and model 8" and 10 "Ospreys were you using Jimmy??

[Liteliner]

My first big bait experience wasnt for bass but for muskies in minnesota. I watched an episode of Babe Winkleman in Canada slaying toad norther pike with some 8 inch Banjo Minnows.:EyePop: Yeah banjo minnows. Jumped on the net and ordered me some. Headed out to Lake Calhoun in minneapolis and went searching for muskies once I got the bait. Found two monsters sitting under a road bridge and first cast with one twitch and just like Babe Winkleman did it I was on. Turned out to be a little over 40 inches. What a beast..... I wish these damn bass would eat the banjo......

[skunkmaster]

Ok, you guys have inspired me to get back at it. I'm definitely giving some time to the BBZ this weekend. Yee-haaaawww! :)

[DCCTrouserTrout]

I once bought a swim bait... Was casting off my boat at the pudd and DccFisherman wanted to try. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him cast, set the rod down and then start laughing. I look to see what the hell is going on and I see my bait land about 50 yards out there with no line attached. He casted it right off. He thought it was soooo funny. Haven't bought one since. My "big" bait of chice now is a size 20 midge pattern on a 2wt

[basscatcher]

i have been fishing bigbaits for alittle over 2 yrs. i cuaght my first bass on my hudd rof 12. i was reeling it in slow and i kept reeling in and i set the hook and i got it in. it was about 5-6lbs.




God Bless


basscatcher

[VineAssist]

In both models I like only three colors...
Stocker Rainbow
Scarred Fish (Silver and Peral)
Carp.
Everything else is just a spin off of these things.

I

[tacklejunkie]

Nothing like a big bait fish to make your day.
I've had a couple that were pretty memorable. few 7s, couple 6's, some 5's and on.. Gotta love the BBZ slow sink.

But dang I remember that one day at Perris I bagged one about 5lbs on the hudd and I was thinking how cool it would be to get another. So I kept on chuckin' the hudd and got hit again! There was like 5 of us floating right there in a circle and I was cranking like crazy and screamin' out loud "I got another one" and the fish pops it's head out of the water and flung the trout straight at me and I lost it right in the middle of our 5-6 person circle :LOL: was hella funny but I was kinda pissed I lost it cause it was only time I hooked two swimbait bass on full size swimbaits in one day.

IMO,
nothing better than a 20 fish day to 8lbs burning the crankbait though. Then you really get a taste of what killer bass fishing can be like and not as much fatigue as with swimbaits. Plus you are using lighter line and it takes a bit more skill to land a pig, and it will pull some draaaaaaaaaaaag.