A-Jay

A-Jay

The paddle tail or boot tail swimbait can be a very effective deal for just about any kind of bass and in a super wide variety of applications. Not news. At this point its common knowledge that sliding one on a jig head can and does get bites pretty much anywhere in the country. Whether it be a solid or hollow belly bait, small, medium or even the larger versions, these baits seem to have some serious strike drawing power at times. Although I haven’t made an attempt to dive into this one yet, they do account for quite a few brown bass for me each year. So while is this mostly my experience chasing smallies, some of this may apply across a wider spectrum. I’ll start off with ‘The when’; and this may be the easiest aspect of this one. Seasonally, as soon as there is open water here and straight through to hard water, I almost always have a swimbait on a jig head rigged up & ready to throw. This is the deal I’ll be discussing here and I’ll get to the where and how in a bit. But yea, when the local brown bass population is on the feed, they almost always seem fairly eager to choke one of these things. Now let me get into some of my more common ‘where’ scenarios. Right off the bat, the versatility of these things does lend them to be effective in a wide vary of ‘wheres’. So it can literally be one of those 3 feet to 30 feet deals. However for me, up in this clear water, regardless of season, time of day or body of water, a swimbait on a jighead is an effective way to cover water and it’s usually ‘deeper’ stuff. I’ll quantify that by saying I’m throwing them up on to or off of mid lake humps, up & off points, as well as drop-offs and into saddle areas. Usually targeting bass in 10-20 feet. Bottom composition and cover can vary but in super heavy soft cover (weeds) I am not probing them with this bait. I might swim one over and around it, but IME, they don’t fish very effectively through the slop. Great way to cover a big mid-lake flat though. Slow rolling one over the weeds can help find biters (and a bunch of Pike, unfortunately). On a hard bottom, I like the lift & fall technique, on both a tight & slack line, as well as the cranking it along slow and letting it deflect; trigger deal. On a sand bottom I am all about grinding the bait. Reeling it along in such a manner, and at whatever speed I need, to maintain constant contact with the bottom. This is one of my more productive approaches that also gets me a ton of by-catch; walleye mostly. A Football head is a solid choice. Now for the gear, and it’s really nothing special. I use spinning & casting gear, pretty much interchangeably. Almost always using 7 ft Medium action in both blanks. Spinning gear is done with 10-15 lb braid and an 8 – 10 lb FC leader. And the casting gear is straight 10-12 lb FC. I will say that the spinning gear is usually selected when I’m looking to keep the baits deeper, say below 10 – 15 feet and the casting gear often gets the nod in anything shallower. Incidentally, this is the same tackle I fish a tube with. The Jig heads & Baits ~ There is a plethora of good quality swim baits and matching jig heads to choose from now. On line vendors literally list what seems like hundreds. I’ve fished a dozen or so types & brands. To keep it simple, I’ve pretty much settled on two; listed below. I do prefer softer baits in the 3 to 5 inch size range, with something close to 4 inch being a big player. While clearly less durable, I seem to get more bites. Along with that, having the right action, especially on the fall, is a must for me. When it comes to jighead shape, design and the all-important hook, again I like to keep it simple but here I am fairly particular. Brand Name is my desired direction but will go with a Lesser-known deal when there’s merit. I am eternally looking for jigheads with a quality medium and medium light wire hook that is also The Right Length. Too stout here can be tricky to sink on the medium gear I use; especially on a long cast or very deep running bait. Additionally, too long of a hook seems to ‘mute’ and can even over power a bait. I seem to get the best action when the bend is coming out the top of the bait no more than half way back of the baits overall length. More than that is No Bueno. My favorite heads match up to baits when they only go in about a third of the way (if that makes sense). Colors I keep close to the bait color and my default is just a plain lead, black or tungsten. Head shape & design includes where the line tie placement is located on the head itself. The right local will allow the bait to swim nicely, especially along the bottom and on the glide without forcing the bait to pick up unwanted & bite killing debris. A decent keeper helps; a couple of different ones work for me. In a pinch (meaning I ran out of a certain weight size) I’ve even used my tube jigheads with decent success. Jighead weights range from 1/8 oz for the smallest and shallowest presentations up to ½ oz for the other end of the spectrum I’d say I use ¼ oz and 3/8 oz the most though. Before I wrap this one up, I have two final thoughts. First, a bait type that has been deliberately omitted here, are the ‘pre-rigged’ deals. Not because they don’t get bites or that I don’t use them, because they can be killer at times and I do throw them. Storm Wild Eye Shad and the Megabass Dark Sleeper are two of my favorites. The Dark Sleeper sees local action and the Storm bait is an international Rock Star performer for me. While I fish them in much the same way, I didn’t include them here because comparatively, I only recently started using them. For me they seem like a separate deal, one that I may cover in a future Brown Bass Tools installment; especially that Dark Sleeper. And second, and I sort of hate to add this but it is relevant. Virtually every bait I have covered in this thread, has accounted for at least a handful, if not more, 5 lb plus Brown Bass; except this one. There are few things I enjoy more than adding a too close to the lens pic of a brown fatty to the end of one of these write ups. But alas, I cannot do that, because despite my best efforts, it hasn’t happened. Instead, what I will say and where I find myself throwing these swim baits the most, is to cover water & find biters. Done it a ton of times; plenty of 3’s & 4’s. Can be especially helpful on new water. This style of swimbait is as close to a ‘confidence bait’ for me as I have. Pretty sure this approach has indirectly led to a few tanks, by showing me areas that the bass are using. Strike King Rage Swimmer ~ Keitech Swing Impact FAT Owner Ultrahead Football Jig Head ~ Owner Ultrahead Round Jig Head Gamakatsu Round Jig Head ~ Dirty Jigs Tactical Bassin' Finesse Swimbait Jig Head A-Jay

Yes. Helps me get the right rig from the rod locker. A-Jay

First off, I did not intend on making this about what it’s become. But, Yes. Nothing lasts forever and right now I've got a pretty good thing going. The videos I do have plenty of potential to undermind that. No need to ramp that up to an infinite level for any reason. #hideinplainsight A-Jay

Very cool and such a great smallmouth. My take away from this interesting interview is that in the unlikely event that a fish like that ended up in my net, after some pics, video, a weight & measurements, I will also be filming the safe release. A-Jay

Same here. Measles and chicken pox mostly. My brother and never got the pox until wrte were young adults. I gave it to him. He was not happy. A-Jay

I'D be blasting that mess right into the lake ! A-Jay

Enjoying some muscle soreness this morning. Always part of the deal and has been for 4 decades. Not debilitating but certainty gets my attention. And for whatever reason I just never get used to it, perhaps I'm not supposed to. But combined with the every day old guy aches and pains seems I'm grunting & groaning everytime I move. Cleaning up the leaves one final time this morning should be very stimulating. Wish me luck . . . ? A-Jay

Been on a bit of a roll recently and the workouts are feeling good. Performed 2 working sets of 7 exercises. Extended a couple with drop sets. Also experimenting with my positioning on the leg press. Slid back a bit. Still keeping my back supported but increasing my range of motion a bit. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Thanks Tom. The stick fish was right under the boat and I high sticked it - so bad. Cost me a nice travel rod. A-Jay

I stand by my OP. But this looks really impressive. A-Jay

Completely forgot about this hookset with a jig & heavy casting gear. Not one of my finer moments, but there was carnage. Did manage to redeem myself on the next cast. https://youtu.be/1to6ti-tlZY?t=617 Fish Hard A-Jay

Far too many variables to even come close. Go fishing and see how it goes. If you get home with juice to spare, you're good. If you find yourself cursing your battery. Get bigger one or perhaps add a second one. Good Luck. A-Jay

I hear ya ~ and good for him. But I sold all mine so that makes it sort of like playing The Powerball. A-Jay

LOL ~ Hopefully, if the fish drops the bait prior to the overhead heave, his rig lands in the boat or at least somewhere close. I think I might try that one next time I fish a glide bait. Oh wait . . . . . . A-Jay

LL Bean offers a quality product as well. https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/506874?page=mens-casual-button-down-shirts&csp=f&bc=12-26-589&start=1&viewCount=48&nav=ln-589 A-Jay

Hello and Thank You for your service. Welcome back to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Nicely Done ~ ! Sounds like you're over the hump. Keep it going . . . . A-Jay

If it works for you, then roll with it. Casting an 1/8 oz jig on that reel with 8 lb mono or FC (Guessing) and an 8 ft trolling rod, is something I don't think I could pull off effectively. So good on you. A-Jay

That's a true Giant Brown Bass ! Pretty cool pic too. Sort of expected to see a little blue cooler on deck in the back round. Hope more info becomes available soon. Makes me think the world record could fall at some point soon. Congrats to Mr Gallagher. A-Jay

Thanks ~ "Eating Correctly" can perhaps mean something different to each of us. Above I used the term "Proper diet" and my version of that is designed to meet my specific needs. I'd say if yours does some of that, then you're nailing it. A-Jay

I've been putting getting this vaccine off for far too long. Know some folks who had shingles. Most were otherwise in good health. Each described it as top level misery that lasts and lasts. This thread was timely and needed. At least for me. Just sceduled the first poke for next week. Thank you @Mobasser A-Jay

There is quite a bit in this life that I have no control over. But each & every day, I have complete control over my own commitment & dedication to taking care of myself. While resistance training plays an important role in that, there's So Much More to it. A proper diet & sufficient hydration, beneficial sleep habits and setting short & long term life / fitness goals, really helps keep me on track. There is no way to fake it. I simply must put in the work. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

Great Name ~ A-Jay

I had one of those things as well. Would love to know who came up with that funky little hook deal. #useless The not for legal trade disclaimer is solid though. A-Jay