What's up everyone,

I am brand new to fishing with swimbaits, and I was wondering if there is anything that works better than a steady retrieve. I've been just reeling it in steadily at whatever speed to keep it where I think the bass are hanging out.

I appreciate your help

Peace,

GC Pondman

What seems to work for me is varying the retrieve - steady, speed up, slow down,  speed up - stop - speed up, slow and steady - stop.  Don't twitch or jerk, or yo-yo off the bottom.  Will try to bring to the surface once in a while but pretty much a straight retrive.  Try to mimic a bait fish feeding and/or heading for cover.

Eddie

I aree with Eddie; sometimes a very erratic retrive will bring them on. You might try fishing them as you would a jig too.

im no swimbait expert and it depends on the bait but ive been having a lot of success reeling steady and then just killing the bait and letting it fall on a semi slack line.

this thread is especially interesting to me, because I'm tossing swimbaits more and more.

May I make a suggestion that might clarify things a bit?

Alot of baits are being called 'Swimbaits' these days.  But your not likely to employ the same techniques with a 4" storm as you will with an 8" HUD.  So if think it's worthwhile please add the type or model swimbait you are referring to.

I have had my best luck so far on Matt's baby bass using a straight retrieve

And the 3:16 mission fish that I cast into the grass and jerk it through like you would a crankbait.

Hope I'm being helpful

avid.

this thread is especially interesting to me, because I'm tossing swimbaits more and more.

May I make a suggestion that might clarify things a bit?

Alot of baits are being called 'Swimbaits' these days.  But your not likely to employ the same techniques with a 4" storm as you will with an 8" HUD.  So if think it's worthwhile please add the type or model swimbait you are referring to.

I have had my best luck so far on Matt's baby bass using a straight retrieve

And the 3:16 mission fish that I cast into the grass and jerk it through like you would a crankbait.

Hope I'm being helpful

avid.

What Avid said!

this thread is especially interesting to me, because I'm tossing swimbaits more and more.

May I make a suggestion that might clarify things a bit?

Alot of baits are being called 'Swimbaits' these days. But your not likely to employ the same techniques with a 4" storm as you will with an 8" HUD. So if think it's worthwhile please add the type or model swimbait you are referring to.

I have had my best luck so far on Matt's baby bass using a straight retrieve

And the 3:16 mission fish that I cast into the grass and jerk it through like you would a crankbait.

Hope I'm being helpful

avid.

I'm using a Storm bluegill.

There 's a common misconception of what swimbait represents, hear the word "swimbait" and immediately everybody thinks it looks like this:

A huge chunk of plastic shaped like a fish.

Far from true, the term "swimbait" represents a GROUP of baits, just like plastic worm reperesents a group of baits, baits that look like the one in the picture ( which BTW are exceptional value and proven fish catchers ) are just a small fraction of the baits that form the group.

So in order to answer the question: Other ways to work a swimbait?

First we have to know to which particular type of swimbait from the group we are inquiring of, not all of them even though made with the same design perform the same task or are capable of performing the same tasks, because in that type there are floating, slow sinking, med sinkers and fast sinkers; you can "wake" the surface with a floater or a slow sinker but if you want to do the same with a med or fast sinker you will have to reel in like mad.

The most commonly used retrieve is by reeling in the bait steadily at slow pace, but it doesn 't mean it 's the only one; slowly reeling in and twitching the bait also works, so is deadsticking the bait on the bottom, vertically jigging it or even dropping it from one level to the other in places like bluffs and rip raps.  

There 's a whole world of swimbaits from where to choose, choose according to the application or technique you have in mind.

What Raul said.

You can even dropshot or c-rig a swimbait. Just depends on the bait and situation. The sky is the limit really.

I have fished storm swims quite a bit last year. You said you throw the bluegill, if it is their heavy sinking one, then your best bet is to jig it, yo-yo it or burn it. It just sinks too fast for a slow presentation. If you are talking about their bluegill that has a small crankbait lip, then throw it away If you buy the storm swims, the one I recommend the most is the suspending, rattling, jerk swimbaits. I have had quite a bit of success with those. The best retrieve most of the time is a slow, steady one that just barely gets the tail moving. Watch out though, I have had some monster hits on them ;D. But with retrieves, the best advise I have ever heard is to find out what mood the baitfish are in and make your lure do that. For instance, the falling and rising of the barometer can cause baitfish and even bass to become jittery or real calm. A little homework and you will have a better idea what the forage should be doing and maybe what they are doing. Then match the action of your lure according to how the baitfish are acting.