I want to get one swimbait as my first “big” swimbait. Right now, I’m debating between the Megabass I Slide, Savage gear shine glide, and Jackall Gantarel. I live in South Jersey where there are not many big lakes. I mostly fish ponds and don’t have a boat, so I only have bank access. I’m just wondering which glidebait/swimbait between these three would be best suited towards me. I appreciate any feedback. 

SG won't break the bank but that specific model you reference helicopters when you cast it. I have the 5" version.

 

I've fished all three and the iSlide is top notch, fit/finish/components, but if you go with the 185 or higher, make sure you have the proper rig to cast it. Gangarel jr. is a good starting point, great bait with a few different ways to fish it as it has multiple line ties and a line die to drop swim it. River2Sea S-waver 168 or 200 should be on your list as they're surefire to catch you fish and wont break the bank. Spro 8" bbz-1 is also good, go for the floating version.

1 hour ago, Dangerfield said:

SG won't break the bank but that specific model you reference helicopters when you cast it. I have the 5" version.

 

I've fished all three and the iSlide is top notch, fit/finish/components, but if you go with the 185 or higher, make sure you have the proper rig to cast it. Gangarel jr. is a good starting point, great bait with a few different ways to fish it as it has multiple line ties and a line die to drop swim it. River2Sea S-waver 168 or 200 should be on your list as they're surefire to catch you fish and wont break the bank. Spro 8" bbz-1 is also good, go for the floating version.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the S-waver. I was looking at that too. Which lure would you think would be the best out of the s-waver, gantaral, and I slide? 

I haven’t used the I-slide, but you can’t go wrong with the gantarel or the s-waver. I fish the gantarel JR quite a bit and have caught a ton of fish on it. It’s really fun to fish actually and I’ve caught fish both from a boat and bank fishing. 

I have a few S-Wavers and they do catch fish without breaking the bank. And, for the most part, you don't have to have a specific rig to cast them. 

1 hour ago, SnailsYeast said:

Oh yeah, I forgot about the S-waver. I was looking at that too. Which lure would you think would be the best out of the s-waver, gantaral, and I slide? 

Start out with the swaver in bone or lite trout and the gantarel. The I slide also reaches different depths based on the temperature of the water. 

Shine Glide takes all of the listed baits behind the woodshed. Not only does it work great, but it's priced well too. 

 

Do yourself a favor and get the 7", not the 5". IMO, the helicoptering on the cast is way overplayed with this bait. It will do it because it's a tall and fairly flat bait, but if you sidearm lob cast it, it becomes a rarity for it to do it. 

 

I've thrown all the above except for the Savage Gear. I especially like the Gantarel Jr. and have had good results running it along drop-offs during prespawn. Really like the rotating hook hangers. I added a large turbo blade to a couple of my Gantarel baits and they really "thump." Does it help, I don't know for sure, but I'm a believer in changing up a bait's signature from time to time and they still hammer it.

5 hours ago, Harold Scoggins said:

I've thrown all the above except for the Savage Gear. I especially like the Gantarel Jr. and have had good results running it along drop-offs during prespawn. Really like the rotating hook hangers. I added a large turbo blade to a couple of my Gantarel baits and they really "thump." Does it help, I don't know for sure, but I'm a believer in changing up a bait's signature from time to time and they still hammer it.

That’s pretty smart. Might help with muddy water around here.

13 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Do yourself a favor and get the 7", not the 5". IMO, the helicoptering on the cast is way overplayed with this bait. It will do it because it's a tall and fairly flat bait, but if you sidearm lob cast it, it becomes a rarity for it to do it.

100% agreed.

18 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Shine Glide takes all of the listed baits behind the woodshed. Not only does it work great, but it's priced well too. 

 

Do yourself a favor and get the 7", not the 5". IMO, the helicoptering on the cast is way overplayed with this bait. It will do it because it's a tall and fairly flat bait, but if you sidearm lob cast it, it becomes a rarity for it to do it. 

 

 I feel like 7” would be a little overkill for the small ponds I fish. There aren’t many big fish over 4.5 pounds where I live. 

1 hour ago, SnailsYeast said:

 I feel like 7” would be a little overkill for the small ponds I fish. There aren’t many big fish over 4.5 pounds where I live. 

Not at all. I caught almost 20 on my 7" Bone shine Glide last time out and only a couple were over 2 pounds. Bass have no idea how big they are (or aren't), and the size of the bait is a big part of the draw. Who knows, there might be more big fish in your ponds than you realize. I know I was shocked when I started fishing h

them in some of the lakes I fished a ton and thought that all the fish were small.