Swimbait HELP!!!

[Thedukeca]

I am getting ready to purchase a swimbait rod setup and was curious on what you guys recommend. Also which Swimbaits should I purchase. I plan on fishing Pedro, Mclure, Melones, and Amador a little more this year. I have never thrown Swimbaits so any info would Help ALOT. I spent a fair amount of time on the Delta last year but I didnt experiment with many lures. I threw alot of soft plastics. THANKS GUYS

[MT]

Hard to beat the Okumas with a Cardiff 300 or 400, very reasonable. Just match the rod to the baits you will be throwing.

[mvanguilder]

St. Croix mega swimbait and the swimbait for smaller swimbaits. Lifetime warranty, made in the USA. Go to the Bait Barn and check them out, plus he has any swimbait that you can think of for the motherlode, clear lake, delta, etc. Talk to Manny he is the owner and will set you up with the right gear. Get yourself a Lunker Punker in trout for topwater.

www.baitbarn.net
www.stcroixrods.com
www.fishwrangler.net

[BASSTUD]

I just bought two Okuma GS-C-7111XH 7'11" rods for 2 - 10 oz baits and two Shimano Cardiff 400A reels and am very happy with them, all i throw on em are the Hudds and Wake jr. Good luck

[bengish]

Dobyns DS 795MLSB Prolly one of the top swimbait sticks on the market ... And http://www.lftlures.com and http://www.deloscustomtackleshack.com/

Have them on sell for 129.99/139.99 normally 199.99

[bassindon69]

The rod and reel depends on what you would like to spend. As you can see you will get someone who likes rods from every brand. Some cost more some cost less. Some have a long handle some don't. Some are over 8' some are under. (You can't have a rod over 8' in tourneys.) They all seem to find a home with us all. I asked one of the top guys when I started a little over 3 years ago "What is the best low cost rig I can get that will get the job done. Money was tight for me. He said Okuma rod and a Cardiff 400 reel. I think he was right for me anyway and a few others.
Many have there own taste in what they use. Some like this brand and others like that. It goes on and on. Go with a rod you like but get one that will match the fish you want to catch. If you want to use Hudds and 8" size baits a lot go with a XH. The 7'6" heavy will get it done too and it also feels lighter then the XH but I don't think I get the bait out as far on a cast as I do with the XH in 7'6" or 7'11". With the heavy you can use it for big cranks or jigs if you like too. If that is the case get a Curado 300. The 300 reel is kind of all around. Again you can spend around 200 to 600 dollars. They all get it done.
I like My Dobyns 8' ML also but with some of the people talking about then breaking I use smaller swimbaits on it. The tip is a bit to fast for my taste. I know nothing about Dobyns new line of rods.

The best thing to do is keep it simple at first. Get a few Hudds , Rof 12, 5, even a 0. Most of the time I use some sort of 3:16 hard bait on top or Ms Slammer. You may find other baits that you like but start with ones that may get you a better chance of getting bit.

One more thing if you look up past posts on swimbait stuff there is a ton to help get you started. Read enough and you will get a good idea what to do

Good luck!

Don.
PS Just remember it's tough out there.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Personally, I would go with what Don has said, and as a matter of fact, I did..All except the Cardiff's..I found a couple of used Calcuttas and bought them..As Don said, it just depends on exactly what you want and what you want to spend..I still haven't committed to using the realy large swimbaits yet, although I do have a rig to toss them on..I plan on doing a lot more swimbait fishing this year, Don has been my goto spot for the straight skinny on anything swimbaiting..

mac

[TomAtkeson]

I just use a bass proshops 7'6" heavy flippin' stick. It has worked well for shell crackers and the big 8 inch money minnows. Last summer I got my first shell cracker fish on Clear Lake fishing with Gator. And got my first swimbait fish on a 8 inch money minnow on the delta. If you just are starting out and want to get off cheap, use a flippin' stick you don't often use or find a cheap bass proshops rod, It may not be designed for that or have the "proper" characteristics for swimbaits but they work.


That being said if you got the money might as well do it right and buy one of the fan favorites. I asked the same question as you did a month ago and the two popular answers were Dobyns and Okuma.

As far as swimbaits I'll tell you what I like because it doesn't seem like any one else has.

The whole line of Black Dog baits.
Shell Cracker - Floater in blue gill or red ear.
Lunker Punker - Rainbow Trout the new bass punker jr in baby bass may be good on those lakes too!
Weed Slinger in silver and green minnow are good looking in the water and I have not been able to fish it much yet.

Money Minnow- I like the hollow body swimbaits alot. They are inexpensive and look great! I use a 5 or 6/0 hook and do a little tweaking to give it a bigger bite I do this by opening the 90* bend near the point a little then bending the curved part of the hook towards the eye. This allows the bait more room to slide down allowing for a better hook set. I usually use the 1/4 ounce weight with them.

Good luck!

[tunaman]

Regardless of whatever gear and baits you get, I'd recommend that you get yourself a guide trip with a real good guide who knows the intricasies of fishing a swimbait, so you can learn the proper principals and get a huge leg up on the chase.

I was in that position two years ago, and really wanted to get started, but in spite of reading a lot and watching everything I could, I still had no real clue (still don't, really, so hold your comments peanut gallery! ) and decided I wanted to get a jump start.

I hired Art Berry and went out with him on DVL, and learned a TON that day. I watched him raise a giant, and watched it pace a Huddleston at about a 45 degree angle, all the way back to the boat. I saw several other followers, and watched him stick one, then finally got my first. It was only about 5 1/2 pounds, but it was thrilling for sure! Best thing was I learned to grind 'em in, and how big a fish you can bounce if you do it right... he's yelling "grind grind GRIND!", and I'm cranking away keeping it coming to the boat, all the while watching out of the corner of my eye for him to go for the net, or at least get close to the gunnel for a grab. Never did... instead, he just yells "SWING!" when it was getting close, and it magically bounced into the boat and I had my first swimbait fish! Had me shaking for a bit, I can say!

The next week out, filled with my new-found confidence, I went back out by myself and stuck my personal best at that time, which went 7.69# on the marina scale. First fish I caught over the 5 pound mark, and it should have weighed more than it did based on its measurements:



Bottom line is that a good guide is worth their weight in gold, if you're trying to shorten the learning curve!

Roger

[RMARX]

I probably spent 1500.00 on rods before I found a custom wrapped rod that I use, there is lots of good information on the internet check the review section at www.calfishing.com Rob does an excellent job reviewing products. I have used all of the mainstream "swimbait" rods and most of them are really no good for really big stuff, and barely good for average stuff like Huddlestons. Like Don said ask ten guys and you will get twelve answers and every guy will swear the other one does not have a clue! Good luck with your search! PM me if you want more information on the rod I use.

Robert

[bassindon69]

, there is lots of good information on the internet check the review section at www.calfishing.com Rob does an excellent job reviewing products.
Robert

Good stuff for sure

Don

[Team ngc]

you can't beat the powell 800 swimbait rod. The reel i have is the shimano cardiff 301 and 20 pound big game and can throw hudds and bbz1's all day the set up is great and is probley my favorite swimbait combo i have.

[Thedukeca]

Wow you guys are awesome!! I am a fairly young single father so I havent had to much time to throw larger baits. My 7 year old son got hooked on fishing the Delta this year. He is going to start out fishing me soon so your tips definately helped I had a Cardiff laying in my closet so I will probably put in on a Okuma or Dobyns. Any more recommendations on Swimbait colors or styles let me know!! THANKS AGAIN He yanked in a 3.5 last summer and that got him the Delta Fever

[biteme]

Being someone that is a gear whore,lol the Okuma is the best rod for me. When it comes to my gear I dont hold back and still the Okuma's do it for me. That rear section is the shiet!