ok, do i have to secure my swimbait to my line? and if so, how? i just FOUND 2 old jigs. one pretty small (black, blue, and purple) with no rattle, and one id say 1/2 ounce (brown, orange and yellow) with rattle.

Not quite sure what your asking here..............of course, both baits need to be tied on the line. Tie a palomar knot and leave the tag end as long as your want to drop-shot to be(I usually like about 12-18 inches)........you tie the top bait with the palomar and tie your weight(Jig) to the tag end of the line. In my opinion, a 1/2 oz jig is a bit heavy(depending on the depth your fishing).......I like 1/8- 1/4 oz for most applications. I would go with the smaller jig..........I have never tied a swimbait on a drop-shot and I'm not sure your gonna get the action you need on the swimbait with this type of rig. You'd be better served to use some other sort of minnow bait such as a plastic minnow(my fav on a drop-shot) or a fluke etc...............Small finesse worms such as roboworms and Zoom finesse worms also work great.

how do i tie a palomar to the line? ive only seen it on a hook. how do i rig a swim bait then? cuz i have a full big bag of them and i have no idea how to use them. i am VERY new to soft plastics, as you can tell.

Most of the time, a swimbait is used by itself.....much like you would fish a crankbait........I have never heard of one being used on a drop-shot. Now, when it comes to tying................picture you have nothing on your line @ this point.........tie a palomar knot with the bait that is on top(minnow/worm) and leave the tag end as long as you prefer.......(12-18 inches or whatever you like, shorter or longer). Tie your weight(or jig) to this tag end and you have both baits on the line.

thanks for all your help. one last question. well, 2 i guess. with a swimbait, do you use weight and if so where do they go, and how do i hook up the hook?

Swimbaits are not my specialty, but I've never seen anyone use one with a weight........If they want the swimbait to go deeper, use a bigger swimbait..........Now, as far as hooking the bait, you want the point of the hook to be sticking out the back of the swimbait. thats about as far as I go with a swimbait......that would be a good question to ask the other members of the forum.............

how do i rig a swim bait then? cuz i have a full big bag of them and i have no idea how to use them.

What kind of swimbaits do you have?

plastics with the kind of disc tails. some with long top fins, some without. some different colors, some with one. would those work for trout?