I am new to swimbait fishing so I would appreciate some tips. Here are some particular things i'm curious about. 1. When is a good time to fish a swimbait. For example a spinnerbait excels on overcast/windy days. 2. Where is a good place to fish them? (example:wood, rip rap, etc.) 3. Does it matter if the water is stained or clear? 4. Is it better to use swimbait jig heads or weighted hooks? 

When I throw one its either a huddleston or a top shelf magnum in any water clarity during the fall and winter coming into early spring when they stock trout in the local lakes. As for a place to fish them I throw them on points and river mouths where I find lots of rainbows breaking the surface jumping but I slow roll it on the bottom. By the way you may want to specify what type of swimbaits and the size and weight. the kind I throw such as hudds are a bit different than say 3-5 inch soft hollow bodies and hard bodied swimbaits like Roman mades and mattlures.

I am new to swimbait fishing so I would appreciate some tips. Here are some particular things i'm curious about. 1. When is a good time to fish a swimbait. For example a spinnerbait excels on overcast/windy days. 2. Where is a good place to fish them? (example:wood, rip rap, etc.) 3. Does it matter if the water is stained or clear? 4. Is it better to use swimbait jig heads or weighted hooks? 

 

If it seems like it would be a good day for a spinnerbait or topwater, they'll probably eat a swimbait. I like to have some overcast and some wind is almost always a must but like with anything else, there are always exceptions. Fish them in high percentage areas, weedlines, docks, wind blown points and other obvious ambush areas are some of my favorite places to fish them. They'll work in most any water color but there's better options in muddy water. As for #4 both have their time and place. I like a jig head for fishing deeper water where there isn't lots of snags. The keel weighted hooks are better around heavier cover and in shallower water.