What's the best inexpensive (less than $10) swimbait? I'm thinking of the Huddleston 4 1/4' Shad swimbaits (opne with green on top and one with blue) as they are only about $7 each but there must be others in that range too that work good too. I checked the Castaic but they seem to all be over $10 for a decent sized one.

Probably less expensive to get a package of J-Will heads and some Fat Impacts.

Thanks but I personally like the ones that actually look like a fish...maybe it's beginners naivete...lol.

inexpensive and realistic is almost oil and water.  Especially if you are looking for something bigger.

Flatback shad on a jig head works great and would have been what I said.

 

cheaper "realistic" options by savage gear and spro will get you close to $10 though.

Savage Gear stuff is nice for what they charge.  I also like some of the Little Creeper options and the California Reservoir Lures Slim Thrashers.

My new favorite is the little creeper all American trash fish with a 8/0 owner beast hook.  For a two pack of baits its like 17 bucks.    Price isn't to bad in my opinion.  Under 10 bucks you're pretty limited.  Id say the Kietech would be your best best.  I have caught a lot of fish on them.

Savage Gear 3D real trout in 7'' - $9.99 , fantastic swimbait !!

 

do you have a rod capable of throwing big baits ?? what rod do you have to throw swimbaits ?? that will define a lot about what swimbaits to get . let people know to give you some good recommendations .

What's the best inexpensive (less than $10) swimbait? I'm thinking of the Huddleston 4 1/4' Shad swimbaits (opne with green on top and one with blue) as they are only about $7 each but there must be others in that range too that work good too. I checked the Castaic but they seem to all be over $10 for a decent sized one.

If you did buy a weedless shad you might be heart broken pretty quick. They might last 10-20 fish or they might last 1 or 2. They are a excellent bait but are expensive if you are only getting a couple fish each on them. I stopped buying them for that reason.

I'm using an Abu Garcia Vengeance 7ft. medium fast action rod so I can't get much bigger than those Huddleston 4 1/4" shads...my pole says up to 5/8 oz which is what those shads are. I also can't afford to replace them if they only last for 1 or 2 fish...YIKES!!!

I'm using an Abu Garcia Vengeance 7ft. medium fast action rod so I can't get much bigger than those Huddleston 4 1/4" shads...my pole says up to 5/8 oz which is what those shads are. I also can't afford to replace them if they only last for 1 or 2 fish...YIKES!!!

you are pretty much limited to hollow body swimbaits , until you get a rod suitable to throw heavier baits ..

Get some Zman shadz, they last forever. 

Get Storm Live Kickin' Shads. Caught my PB pike on the 4 or 5" bleeding roach. Some swim crooked, some swim fine. Or get the Cabela's Real Image Forked Tail Baitfish. That has the most incredible action I've ever seen on a lure, and actually caught two largies on one cast with it.

I'm using an Abu Garcia Vengeance 7ft. medium fast action rod so I can't get much bigger than those Huddleston 4 1/4" shads...my pole says up to 5/8 oz which is what those shads are. I also can't afford to replace them if they only last for 1 or 2 fish...YIKES!!!

wait till when you cast off a $50 bait and you watch it sink to the bottom of the lake , all part of the swimbait game ....

I will never spend that amount of money on a single bait! Not when you can catch fish on much cheaper bait as well. I actually checked out those Cabela's real image fork tails and they look very nice and seem to be reasonably priced at $6.99 each...maybe that's the way to go for now, I can't see spending the same amount on the Huddleston if it's only good for a few uses before the bass chew it up so bad it needs replacing.

With that rod, your going to limited to baits smaller than you've asked about. If your worried about losing a bait, I suggest an heavier combo. I use a 7' 9" Heavy/Fast with a round solid Al frame baitcaster loaded with 20# copolymer. I've NEVER cast a bait off. I've had a couple stolen by Northern Pike, but they weren't really expensive baits.

Back to the gear you intend to use, that will work nicely for a 3-5" paddle tail swimbait on a 1/8 oz. jig head.

Optimum Baby Line Through

I will never spend that amount of money on a single bait! Not when you can catch fish on much cheaper bait as well. I actually checked out those Cabela's real image fork tails and they look very nice and seem to be reasonably priced at $6.99 each...maybe that's the way to go for now, I can't see spending the same amount on the Huddleston if it's only good for a few uses before the bass chew it up so bad it needs replacing.

$50 is on the cheap end of a good swimbait.

I'd suggest looking at soft hollow body swimmers. Like keitechs and basstrix

Optimum Baby Line Through

X2, one of the best soft swimmers you can get for under $10. Lots of colors and sizes and pretty durable too. 

Swimbait fishing, esp the large ones, requires a bigger investment than other freshwater techniques.  You need the beefier rod and reed to throw them, you will need new line, and you will need to invest in the swimbaits, most of which don't come cheap.  You may even need two new setups if you really wanna throw some of the monster swimbaits.  The smaller swimbaits are a good starting point to see how you like it because you can use your MH/H gear, but I've heard a few people say once you get addicted to swimbait fishing, you won't want to fish anything else.

I fish Hudd shads and grass minnows and never had a problem with the durability, get some Mend-It. Under $10, under an ounce...you can go with the Hudds, or what some others suggested. I heard Northland Live Forage baits aren't bad, look pretty similar to the Storms. Also R2S makes some decent baits too. Good Luck.