New Additions To The Family!

I recently acquired some new baits for my swimbait box. The family seems to be growing exponentially as of recent. Right now, I am in an experimental phase; testing out many types of baits to see what fits for my technique and my waters. Most of my baits come second hand from forums and eBay. My preference is to buy used if I have never thrown them. This usually saves you twenty to fifty percent off retail, which is especially great if the bait does not meet your expectations. One thing I have learned in swimbaiting is that you do get what you pay for and it is much better to pay more for what you want. You will save much more money buying a few, expensive baits that fit your needs exactly, rather than loads of cheap baits. You will have baits that are exponentially more durable and realistic. More important, you will have the utmost confidence in what you throw. With swimbaits, there is a lot more throwing than there is catching, so you need a bait that inspires the confidence to toss a bait for hours knowing a bite will come. My bait style of choice is a slow-sink, hard bait. Versatile baits, they allow you to "wake," bulging the top of the water and causing surface disturbance, to "cruise," like a lazy, large bait fish swimming slowly near the surface, oblivious to all danger, and to "count down," letting the bait reach and maintain desired depths. They also allow you to "change gears" and implement the "burn and kill." This is a technique I have had a lot of success with. I typically do this at the end of my retrieve, just before the bait reaches the boat. Crank the reel furiously then "kill it" and let it sink like a dying shad. This draws strikes from non-committal fish that follow the bait out of curiosity. This sudden, change of direction and slow, listless drift triggers the primal instinct in bass forcing them to attack the bait; reaction bite. Slow-sink, hard baits are less likely to get hung and lost to Davey Jones Locker. Fast-sinking hard baits are just asking for it. A ton of West Coast guys profoundly swear by soft baits and claim that they get bit more; especially in cold water. I can see this, however, the investment of $25 in a bait that will be ripped asunder in a few fish, versus a $50 hard bait with an infinite life span is what I see. The cost-to-catch ratio offsets a few less strikes in my book. My swimbait focus lies in large, shad imitations. With its roots in the West Coast, most swimbaits are geared toward trout-plant lakes. Thus, most swimbaits are trout imitations. I have caught plenty of fish with trout imitations in North Georgia lakes devoid of any trout. However, I think that a shad profile and color scheme gives you an advantage in our waters. A basic shad-minnow-panfish paint scheme is pretty much universal. As I acquire more baits and get to put more time in the water with them, I will post some reviews. Below are my latest additions to fit my technique and home waters: shad, bass, and bream imitations.