8/23

[Skinny]

Hit the lake today, 3rd boat in line. I usually fish plastics and jigs but set a goal for the rest of the year to get my first DD bass so swimbaits for now. Was using a 8 inch Hud in a shad pattern on 30 pound power pro w/ 4 feet of 25 lb seaguar abrasx. My other rod had a decoy hydra tail on straight 17 lb sniper. The water and weather was perfect if you were waterskiing, not a ripple on the surface. I left all my other rods at home so that i wouldn't be tempted to pull out the wand just to get a fish on the deck. Spent most of my time alternating between the baits paralleling walls, points and brush. Varied my retrieves tried everything i could think of from fast to slow rolling on the bottom. About 10 a tiny amount of wind was hitting a rocky point on the north side. i cast across the point into deep water and start working my bait uphill. i felt my line go totally slack while i was reeling in. i start reeling like a madman for nothing. i thought that maybe i was bit and the fish knocked all the tension out of the line. thinking what could have been will keep me throwing the swimmer till my arms fall off. It was Pretty frustrating reeling in and watching big bass follow my baits along like they are pals or something. Great day on the water despite wearing a white stripe home. Im pretty new to swimbaiting so any advice would be appreciated.

[DEVOREFLYER]

If your line went slack the fish was coming at you, don't wait to feel the slack watch for the slack, never take you eye off the line. You can react quicker by seeing the slack happen than by feeling it happen. Next time you will get him using that technique. Eyes on the target just like in shooting.

[aggs234]

great job, glad to hear u sticking to it... the swimbait bite can be tuff at times... i totally agree with ya when u say , leave the finesse hear at home so ur not tempted to ds just to get a fish in the boat" , lol i feel the same way... i think ur doin the right thing sticking to the bait, having options one big one small... i personally like throwing those type of baits in the winter.. or when its cold for their slow, lulling action in the tail... sometimes when u burn a bait like that it doesnt swim right... i feel that since its summer, they are looking for a more of reaction bite.. .warmer water, a lil more hungry for the crazy fry and small fish rushing around the lake... something with a lil more action.. maybe a TT or glide bait... a go stop and go action. a burn and sink ... or sink to bottom then pop it up then sink action.. imitating a dying fish .. motion... then again ppl do catch big fish on hudds at this time of year.... it also depends on what time of day ... ur throwing these baits.... and giving them the right food / and right presentation at the right time... i guess i see where ur coming from when u say there was no wind and water was glass for jet skiers.... and soo i would think okay . slow presentation since the wind is down ... and slow roll it... i hear ya... id say use the swimbait as a locator.. since ur getting followers.. then throw a fluke or soft swimbait.. boot tail ...
or hammer or reflexsion... but yea.. sometimes they dont want that swimbait.. at that momment.. but since u left ur other rods at home then ur kinda stuck.. maybe invest in some scent . smear it on the sides when u get followers... and throw it right by them again.... but yea.. if they dont bite the swimbait at least u located them , and at that point pull out ur other setup and just get them in the boat....

but yea i feel ur frustration.. thats the swimbait life.. sometimes.... id suggest get a glide bait u like , start with a smaller TT or deps 175 glide or a gan craft , when that hudd and decoy bite isnt getting it done.. switch it up .. to a different movement... that glide bite ... seems to be newer to them and they are more eager to hit it ..

whereas the hudd may lul them to sleep mid day... or maybe ur rite , its noon or 2pm and they want that slower easy meal... ?

i like throwing the hudd at night and slow rolling it then....

i assume ur casting it in the right wind direction where the food is going into their mouth and not swimming up n over their head and away from them..

matt keeps bringing up wind , and analyzing the wind direction and speed really, helps me when deciding what bait .. and how to work it...

....

but yea... good luck , dont give up..

i would even say try 20lb line , a lil thinner , maybe get more bites.... specially if u working a hudd , and swimming it steady n slow... they would be more hesitant , cuz its visable..
to where if i was throwing a 10' TT and working it fast... stop n go... they prolly wont see the line cuz im working the bait faster...?..


i think the hudd and decoy are similar in the sense that the decoy is like a smaller hudd...

maybe try something with at different swim , a different action... when the hudd type swim isnt working for u for that time of day..



great job..... ur DD is coming .. stick to it braddah !!!


mike socal / aggs the angler / brgd BB

[Frequent Flyer]

watch out on the 30 lb pp, 65 is known to snap off baits let alone 30. If i were you id switch over to 25 lb p-line cxxx or big game. You can still tie your fluoro on if you want it for the sinkage factor but i personally don't think its needed. Good luck out there, you're getting a head start on me for this winter at dvl.

[Matt_Magnone]

great job dedicating. thats what its all about. on days where it goes slack like that and you can see your bait swimming at the end of a long cast, it can be really hard to stay motivated. not to mention you KNOWING that the fish can hear every sound of your trolling motor or fumbling movements in the boat. in my opinion you were doing it right buddy!

slicked out days i prefer to scale my baits back from the more aggressive burn style and lean toward minimal movement. one thing that has helped me with the summer is realizing what your fish are doing.

wind brings fish up; slack pushes fish down or out.

on slack days i'll target tree fish, suspended fish and fish holding on vertical structure spots where they can ambush. (walls, ledges or otherwise areas where fish can rush a bait while still being concealed) think the lions and tigers in africa. they dont run around and expect to kill some gazelle. they sit in hiding and ambush. bluegill, bass, shad, trout etc) know that if they venture too far off the beaten path they'll get blasted so a lot of juvenile forage hang tight to the bank or in an area they can ditch out in a hurry. bass will back off the bank but will always put themselves in a position to ambush and kill. as the wind comes up it brings so many more ambush spots up high in the water column that the bass can use. (mudlines, tree lines, back sides of a wind blown point, etc.)

wind is and will always be your friend as you get better with the swimbait. its my driving force. i know without a shadow of a doubt i'll see some sort of action when that wind is ripping. i'll often pick up the speed with the wind. i'll switch to more burn baits like the triple trout. when the wind is up the fish are in a more postive feeding mode. its up to you to trigger them. the right bait with the right cast on the right spot is what gets you those fish.

best pieces of advice i can give you with the swimbait is :

let the conditions dictate your bait selection

understand predator/forage relationships

pay attention to weather changes

above all DEDICATE!

when you really want to throw the swimbait you have to learn you're fishing for a different kind of fish and you'll have days where you suffer miserably. when you know the bite is off the charts on a simpler technique it can be so easy to put the heavy rod down. the driving force behind the swimbait for me is the fact that my very next cast might be THAT moment. the defining moment where i might catch a world record, lake record or personal best. with that in the back of your head you'll fish with a different mindset than most. if you really want to learn the swimbait you'll eventually be so consumed with it that you'll become a different type of fisherman!

always remember with all aspects of fishing, there are always exceptions to the rule. you could do something so abstract sometimes and then have it work out perfect. it just happens that way sometimes.

i definitely dig the 30-25 combo. it works out great. the heaviest i'll ever throw is 40-25 with the hudd. i hate the way the 50# feels and i know that 40# is more than capable of handling these fish. the only thing you need to be worried about is how and where you cast.

keep getting after it man! you'll be rewarded. if you need any help with it let me know!

[Flipage]

That's it! :UDaMan:
Matt hooked me up with a swimbait rod and its the one I pick up the least. I'm usually fishing with a friend or family and I always feel obligated to put them on fish and so I pull out the senko and dropshot rods (and still work to get bit.)

You guys have totally motivated me! I know now that I have to go out there alone and put my time in. And that goes the same with learning to catch bass with the jig and trailer...

Right now my swimbait inventory looks like this:
8" hudds ROF 5 & 12
G2 shellcracker bluegill
5"(?) Decoy in baby bass
Bunch of 6" castaic trout
Just got a couple of savage gear trout (hudd look-a-likes) from a work buddy

Could you guys point me in the right direction on what lure to buy next and what color?

Any pointers are greatly appreciated and thanks for the motivation!
Neil

Ps. And thanks to all of you guys that are willing to teach newbies--Matt, you're a great teacher! (That Albright knot you taught me is killer!)

[Skinny]

Thanks for taking the time to respond guys. At this point I am taking what I know about structure fishing and applying it to swimbaiting. Seeing what I saw yesterday, i will definately keep throwing the bait, the drawing power is amazing. Im not a pro or but I have caught plenty of fish in the 5-8 lb range at DVL. But i saw some true giants, i mean Nessies following. i almost peed my shorts in excitement when i saw one in particular following my bait in then she turned away as she saw my boat on the shore. Now I just have to figure out how to make them eat it and my OCD is kicking in big time.
Next time im in the shop Ill definatly hit you up Matt. I was in there a couple weeks ago with my daughter and picked up my Dobyns swimbait rod. Thanks again for the responses and advise guys. Good luck out there.