Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

Just wondered does any body have any suggestions on how to get fish that follow your swimbait to eat. I know not every fish is going to eat but i fished yesterday and had alot of nice big spottted bass follow my swimbait without one taker. I tried switching up my retrieve pausing, thought maybe if i turned off my sonar that might help but nothing worked.

Do what Byron velvick does and smother some sort of attraction on it like pro cure. Could be the lil bit extra to make em commit to the bait.

A bait that will do a 180 helps.

Color? D.B.COOPER

Has anyone tried the figure 8 routine with the swimbait, like musky fishermen sometimes have success with..

mac

offduty wrote:A bait that will do a 180 helps.

I agree with Rich on this one. that 180 degree turn is deadly! Triple Trout or a BBZ1 is perfect for this.

As far as the figure 8 for a swimmer rig, I would think it could work too...never know. I've heard people do it but not totally sure.

In the game of big baiting you will get a lot of followers, but its just attempting to change retrieves, angles, such that makes it so much fun. Don't give up, and somedays those followers tell a lot about where the fish are and what their moods. if they are following closely, they are highly interested, but the lazy followers aren't normally in a feeding mood.

That's from my experience.

Mac,

Good point about the figure eight, but I haven't had any such luck with bass. Speaking purely musky, if a fish is following my bait the first thing I always do is add a burst of speed. More often than not, that will trigger a fish. Sometimes it just excites them more and that’s when I'll get them w/a boat side maneuver like the figure 8 or my personal preference a figure "o". If it were me....I'd take a wack at smoking your lure as soon as you see a follow.

I'm a displaced musky fisherman who keeps himself busy chasing bass on the Delta

I agree with the 180 also. Before I had baits that could accomplish that menuvere I would simply speed up the bait. Sometimes that " It's get'n away " thing will get them to eat. Casitas fish are famous for following baits for a very long distance and a switch up on color has helped me more this past year than the retrive. Good luck!!

Rip

My old rule with followers is this; if you can see the bass, they can see you! You may have limited success teasing followers into striking, you will have great success in teaching them to avoid that swimbait.
Try this; back off the area for 20 minutes, then return very quitely and stay back a little further. Make a longer cast and work the bait as slow as possible and try to tease a strike as far away from you as possible. Followers have been pulled off the area they were holding, give them time to return. You know the bass are there looking so you don't need to see them until after they strike.
Tom

Pick up a senko until the wind blows

As previously stated stopping and letting the fish get right under the bait works if you then go to a fast retrieve and they think it will get away, works good with floaters and Orso's work good and will do a 180.

Thanks for all of the great ideas and comments, i can't wait to get out and try again.

12 gauge with 00 Buck always works Some days they follow and you never figure out how to catch them. Just swimbait fishing.


I've never tried the 12 Gauge trick but I've wanted to lots of times

Gary Dobyns wrote:12 gauge with 00 Buck always works Some days they follow and you never figure out how to catch them. Just swimbait fishing.


I've never tried the 12 Gauge trick but I've wanted to lots of times

Well Gary if ya come to Casitas bring ur fishing bow as you can use it on the carp now.

try a c4............

Gary Dobyns wrote:12 gauge with 00 Buck always works Some days they follow and you never figure out how to catch them. Just swimbait fishing.


I've never tried the 12 Gauge trick but I've wanted to lots of times

i TOTALLY disagree!!!!!! 12 gauge with 00 buck scatters too much when it hits the water. i MUCH prefer m80's (barrel bombs). the explosion/concussion effect is much more efficient. however, one must be careful to not use full out dynamite. instead of stunning the fish like an m80, dynamite actually blows them to pieces.

You could always use one of the new swimbaits produced by Symtex or Skoda Works..I understand they have produced explosive strikes, or something like that..

mac

Oldschool wrote:My old rule with followers is this; if you can see the bass, they can see you! You may have limited success teasing followers into striking, you will have great success in teaching them to avoid that swimbait.
Try this; back off the area for 20 minutes, then return very quitely and stay back a little further. Make a longer cast and work the bait as slow as possible and try to tease a strike as far away from you as possible. Followers have been pulled off the area they were holding, give them time to return. You know the bass are there looking so you don't need to see them until after they strike.
Tom

What he said. I go with Tom most of the time though anyway LOL!
Don't rack your brain over it. Even hours later or another day may be the ticket too but some time is needed for them to get back where they were, like said. That's how the X editor (Mr Sealock) from FLW Mag got his PB on a trip with me. I had one hit at the boat and come off. There was another with it. The 2nd fish looked like it wanted to play too. I told him wait..... don't cast. We didn't move, I told him where the fish came from. After about 5 to 8 min went by I told him they should be back now. That was the biggest fish he saw like that before, he said. I told him where to cast past the area . He started to reel slowly and then set the hook. Got her in and he was STOKED! Not a giant (just under 8 but was his PB at the time and that made it pretty cool.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it don't. That's why we keep trying Show a pic of that big Spot when you get her.

Cool thanks everyone again, looks like followers are pretty common with swimbait fishing. I just really started throwing them. Really did real well on clearlake with them that has gave me confidence to throw them more. I hait to exagerate but one of the big spotted bass that followed my swimbait was huge maybe had to be my guess around ten. I have caught a 7.05 at melonies and the one that followed my swimbait was way bigger than that one. I mean it looke so big it looked deformed, I thought it a was largemouth at first because it was so big but i got a better look and saw it was a spottie. I was fishing at lake mcclure of all places.