Hey guys,

I've been wanting to get into swimbaits for a while now, but all of the lakes near me are stocked with brown trout and I have not been able to find a good brown trout colored swimbait. I really want the color to match the hatch because some of the lakes are reservoirs and the water is super clear. Does anyone know of any good swimbaits made in this color? I was told that huddleston is planning on making one next year.

Also, on the subject of huddleston, I am very interested in trying the weedless 6" huddleston ROF 12, but I am wondering if the equipment I have can handle it. The heaviest rod I own is a 7'6" MH BPS Crankin' Stick that can handle up to 1.5 oz, but the huddleston is 1.75 oz. I have an Abu Garcia Revo Winch mounted on this rod and I use it for deep cranking. Would I be able to get away with using the 6" huddleston on this setup?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

You don´t need your swimbait to look like a brown trout, if "matching the hatch" is your thing then use a color pattern you can find everywhere bass live ---> baby bass, can´t get closer to match the hatch than that. As for your rod, yes you can use it for casting that weight, won´t be the nicest cast but it will work.

Get the golden shiner color or the other colors they sell that are close to that. I wouldn't get the weedless hudds or the regular 6 inch baits for trout imitations. The Hudd68 and the eight inch Huddleston swim more like a trout and that is more important than getting an exact match on color from my experience.

Stocked Lake Browns look like Landlocked Salmon, IE not that goldish brown color you think of in wild/river run Browns. A Hudd in Phantom Holdover, or the regular old silver with some creative shapie-ing will get you a pretty close match.

Don't over think the matching the hatch philosophy though.

if you dont mind, you can custom paint a huddleston into a brown trout. here is a clip from southern trout eater that shows you how to paint it:

As for your rod, yes you can use it for casting that weight, won´t be the nicest cast but it will work.

what do you mean by it not being the nicest cast? Which parts of the normal retrieve will be affected the most?

what do you mean by it not being the nicest cast? Which parts of the normal retrieve will be affected the most?

I've never handled the particular rod you have. But if the upper lure weight rating is true, the tip will feel pretty boingy with a ROF 12 6" hudd, limiting you to lob casts. I don't think your retrieve will be affected a lot, since with the swimbaits, the reel does almost all of the work. The real trouble, as I see it, will be during hooksets. Idk if you'll get enough hooksetting power. Maybe you could consider using braid. JM 2 cents.