I have fished alongside my buddies and we were fishing the same jig and I caught more bass with my stop and go retrieve vs. their steady retrieve. So, I was wondering what are your favorite retrieves for swim jigs and crankbaits.

 

~Giggidy~

When swimming a jig I normally just cast it and retrieve. Iv never really had much success doing anything, but that's not to say at all that anyone else wouldn't.

With a swim jig I'll cast and retrieve it back after letting it fall to the depth I want first.

Then about 1/4 of the way back let fall, give it a 2 to 5 count and bring it back, stopping to let it fall 1/2 then 3/4 the way back to the boat.

With a sq bill crank bait I wait for all the ripples to subdue after it hits the water, give it a few sharp jerks, let it rise to the surface, then reel it back.

For a mid to deep diver, I start reeling when it hits the water, then periodically burn the reel or give a few short pulls of the rod.

Mike

Mike pretty much nailed it. That's how our fish down here in SWFL like it most of the time

I want my swim jigs and squarebills to act like a drunk baby running into and through anything and everything.

I want my swim jigs and squarebills to act like a drunk baby running into and through anything and everything.

This.  I try to never just cast and reel without imparting some action to whatever bait I'm fishing.  I try to make my baits crash into cover and off the bottom.  I also pause and change speeds with just about every moving bait I fish.

For squarebills most of the time Im just reeling and letting the cover do all the work with a few jerks and pops here and there.

For lipless cranks I burn them or yo yo them. For crank baits I use a steady retrieve, then kill it, then steady retrieve then repeat.

I like to reel in crankbaits right over the tops of the weeds.