Soft plastic swimbaits got their start in salt water and very popular in the 60's out west. I don't know who was first with a swimming style sassy shad type tail, maybe Smitty's kelp kritter late 60's we used for calico bass.

Worm King had a line of salt water swimmers before making rainbow trout dinosaurs in 12" & 16" sizes early 80's. Swimbaits started in the salt and moved to fresh water.

The fresh water swimmers for general use was Mister Twister's Saasy Shad as I recall, the west coast trophy bass hunters kept the salt water stuff under the radar.

Tom

Probably the best company that makes baits you can use in both fresh and saltwater is Lucky Craft , their jerkbaits are good for salt and fresh.  Ive caught a 4lb halibut on a surf pointer 115 mr and ive caught a nice 4lb pre-spawn bass on the same bait.    The world record for surf perch was caught on a lucky craft here in ventura. 

 

Another great company that makes baits you can use in both fresh and saltwater is Big Hammer baits.  They have a bait called "ring hammer" in sexy shad or in red pumpkin that ive destoryed using on alabama rig.  also caught corbina and jacksmelt in saltwater on the same bait.  

big hammer make great swimbait tails that are great for both.  

 

Ive also caught rock bass and calico bass and halibut on a megabass vision 110, and that's a fresh water bait.  

 

Now recently i tried carolina rigging a freshwater soft jerkbait and just fricking killed it using it in saltwater.  

Ive done much experimenting with trying to use freshwater in saltwater  , and ill say that roboworm don't work in saltwater , neither do any craw imitation bait, nor any lizards so far.  

 

 

I live 5 minutes from the pacific right near some great inshore fishing, as well as fishing arond the channel islands.  I also live next to Casitas and Castaic, pretty much im in fishing heaven all within short distance from me.

 

 Trust me, many a Calico, Sandy, and Spottie have fell victim to Worms, Craws, Lizards, etc. I have run the gamut of fresh water lures through salt water and many bass and various other species have chewed on a variety of soft plastics and hard baits. Keep on throwing a wide variety of baits and you might be surprised what they want to chew on for any given day.

Soft plastic swimbaits got their start in salt water and very popular in the 60's out west. I don't know who was first with a swimming style sassy shad type tail, maybe Smitty's kelp kritter late 60's we used for calico bass.

Worm King had a line of salt water swimmers before making rainbow trout dinosaurs in 12" & 16" sizes early 80's. Swimbaits started in the salt and moved to fresh water.

The fresh water swimmers for general use was Mister Twister's Saasy Shad as I recall, the west coast trophy bass hunters kept the salt water stuff under the radar.

Tom

I bought two Vivifs when I was a teen in the late 60's out of a magazine. They had a swimming tail.

Lizards or craw style baits?  to tell you the truth i haven't tried using lizards too much. then again the fish in caifornia arent the brightest when you compare them to snook 

I do a lot of inshore saltwater fishing, most fish I encounter will hit almost anything.  Not  a doubt in my mind I could catch many species using a lizard or a craw.  With the exception of a few species I don't need anything but a spoon, top water or a bucktail jig, I learned that after spending hundreds of dollars.  Good snook fishermen I know put a flair hawk on and never take it off.  I'm real big on barracuda fishing, we make our lures from surgical tubing, going thru the water a 10" worm is going to have a real similar look to it.  A cuda would jump all over it, that worm is not ideal as it won't withstand a cuda strike.  That freshwater worm can be put on a beat up bucktail as a trailer, now you have a primo tarpon and snook lure.

I can take just about any freshwater lure and catch saltwater fish with it.

 

To answer a question why we use different lures, the primary reason is to just do something different, the fish don't really care.  

Thanks! Helped a ton I will see what I get!

This is awesome thanks!

I use a couple Salt top water for bass. Go for it.. see what you can produce with it. Fun and interesting challenge..

Good Post!

2 words. Skitter walk