Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

well i dont know if im just slow or what but im just now into getting into the "BIG" swimbaits. I know i know i should of started a long time ago so i just want to get a few tips from you guys on what makes a good swimbait and what do you use when huckin a big bait?

thanks or the help guys

fishin4life wrote:well i dont know if im just slow or what but im just now into getting into the "BIG" swimbaits. I know i know i should of started a long time ago so i just want to get a few tips from you guys on what makes a good swimbait and what do you use when huckin a big bait?

thanks or the help guys

do a search on youtube..

Check out swimbaitnation.com and swimbaitunderground.com. everything u need to know is there. Plus YouTube

What do you call a big swimbait?
The first thing you need is the rod/reel combination and they are not inexpensive, what do you have or what is your budget?
Most California swimbaits represent planted rainbow trout about 8" long, so that is a starting size lure. The rod should be able to easily cast a lure weight of 3 to 5 pz. And the reel able to hold 175+ yds of 25 lb line. Lots of choices!
Huddleston Deluxe 68 and 8" rof 5,12 & 16 are very popular and produce well.
Triple Trout 7" and 8" are your basic hard swimbait, again lots of lures like them!
Swimbaits are not a good lure to cover a lot of water quickly,you fish them slower and hit a lot of high percentage spots. It takes a lot of dedication to fish slow enough and cover the water column effectively and hit a lot of areas.
You learn to do this and stay with a high % lure in high % areas, you will catch some big bass.
Tom

Some decent Swimbait info here.......

http://www.bassmaster.com/video/2012-el ... techniques

as well as other techniques.

thanks guys. ive been getting into the 8" hudds Ragos and Tournament talos. I have a GL2 mag heavy 8' rod, im assuming that its a good rod for big baits. just need to get a good reel. What do you guys think about a round reels or low profile reels for swimbaits?

fishin4life wrote:thanks guys. ive been getting into the 8" hudds Ragos and Tournament talos. I have a GL2 mag heavy 8' rod, im assuming that its a good rod for big baits. just need to get a good reel. What do you guys think about a round reels or low profile reels for swimbaits?

All depends on what your preferences are. I prefer the larger round reels for the hudds and such because it forces you to fish SLOW! People get too anxious and want to burn water... fish spots slowly and you will get bit.

Low profile like the curado 300e are great for big topwater baits like punkers and pupfish.

I suggest slower reels to really pick spots apart.

Sorry, but I'll have to disagree. You can never go wrong with the Curado 301 E7. I just naturally adjust my retrieve by sensing tension on the line. It just comes second nature. I don't pay any attention to how fast my reel handle is going around, and when you have a hit and need to take up line or a big fish is coming straight at you, you can never have too much speed.
I have actually lost fish with slower speeds because I couldn't keep the line tight enough, never again.

I hear that, I lost a brand new Punker at Falcon that way, thought she'd come unbuttoned but no, she'd outrun me towards the boat then down into the trash.

Try this link:

http://www.swimbaitnation.com/nationtalk/

Otay Michael wrote:I hear that, I lost a brand new Punker at Falcon that way, thought she'd come unbuttoned but no, she'd outrun me towards the boat then down into the trash.

I stated that topwater baits I use the 300e thus the line pick up isn't an issue.

If you want to see what a big bait master uses watch Butch Brown. Calcutta 400b. 5:1 ratio. I'd say that's about all you need to know.

All the info you need: http://tacticalbassin.com/

elfish16 wrote:

Otay Michael wrote:I hear that, I lost a brand new Punker at Falcon that way, thought she'd come unbuttoned but no, she'd outrun me towards the boat then down into the trash.

I stated that topwater baits I use the 300e thus the line pick up isn't an issue.

If you want to see what a big bait master uses watch Butch Brown. Calcutta 400b. 5:1 ratio. I'd say that's about all you need to know.

Just imagine how much better he could be with a 301 E7

What you use to throw a swimbait depends greatly on what size bait your are throwing. If you had a budget for what you wanted to spend on a set up people would be able to give you pertinent advise. I have 4 different swimbait combos that all serve a specific purpose based on type of bait and weight.
If your just getting into it and want a moderately priced combo I would look at a okuma 7'11" xh and a shimano cardiff 300a with 20-25lb test line. This is probably your best bang for your buck with the combo costing around $220. It will not be perfect for everything, but it will work for most swimbaits. 8"Huddelston, 9"slammer, triple trout, all will work on this rod. Smaller swimbaits like basstrix, trashfish, 6" top hook baits, would work fine on a 764 or equivalent, with 15-20lb.

Hope that helps!

Hey Izorline guys- question:
My 25# gray Izorline worked great for at least 3 years, strong as heck and very little memory, and did not get weak even after it got old- great stuff, especially for the money. I won some 25# blue, but man o man, seems to have memory and thus does not cast the same at all. Anyone else notice the difference that have used both?

ALTHOUGH, I'd used the grey on the Quantum Cabo # CBC30PTS, and the new blue line on my new SHIMANO CARDIFF 400A, so I'm not comparing apples to apples with casting results, that could be it.

Reel ratio is only part of how much line the reel spool retrieves with each rotation. The round reel with a large diameter wide spool remains at near full capacity after making a long cast, where the smaller narrower spools have nearly 1/3rd of more line off the spool, which reduces how much line is respooled with each spool revolution.
A spool diameter of 1.5" X 7.0 to 1 = 33" of line respooled each handle turn
A spool diameter of 2" X 5.3 to 1 = 33" of line respooled each handle turn.
A spool diameter of 2.5 X 5.3 to 1 = 42"of line respooled each handle turn.
This is the reason the larger wider reel spools are an advantage with swimbaits. The round reels are stronger, larger drags and cast further due to the line capacity and can offer better control of big bass.
What do I know, I am just a jig fisherman.
Tom

Tom hits it on the head here. He's been around fishing for trophies for a long time and I've been tossing swimbaits since the mid 90' myself. I've fished all the reels around, Curados, Cabo Pts, Abu Garcia 6500's, Calcuttas...the bigger round reels last longer and have so much more torque on big bass its crazy!

Here is a tip, Try not to over think or make to big a deal about things and have fun and fish slow. Enjoy the ride, in time you will put things together as you get better (if you do get better).
If you do good look out for those who come around.