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Swimbait Strategies

Casting—Casting swimbaits is the most popular approach, though tossing the most pendulous models will tax your stiffest muskie rod. According to Terry Battisti, whether you’re casting a 10-incher for 15-pound sows in Lake Casitas or working Coeur d’Alene for 3-pounders doesn’t much affect swimbait strategy.

“In either case, you concentrate on presenting the baits naturally on ambush points. Ambush spots can include underwater points, but also floating peat bogs, boat docks, fallen trees, or any other prime feeding location. Always consider the shape of the structure or cover and the direction you want to retrieve the bait. Knowing the key angle to trigger a strike can be critical in swimbait fishing.”

When casting big baits for giant largemouth, anglers often experience follows, much as in muskie fishing. Bass will tail the lure to the boat, in states of activity ranging from lazy curiosity to surging aggression, as with the bass Wolfgram encountered last fall.

Wolfgram outlines his approach: “If I’m familiar with a lake, I may have 20 areas that offer good ambush spots or where I’ve encountered big fish in the past. On my first round [many of these big bass haunts are less than a couple hundred acres], I might see fish on five or six spots. On my second round, I might just fish those spots again, and maybe a few others that look right for the conditions.

“I usually stick with the same lure that the bass initially followed, as I know they are interested in it. You catch so few giant fish that it’s impossible to construct a fishing pattern, in the tournament fishing sense. You just gotta keep throwing. Sometimes, I can catch a bass that follows a trout lure by finessing them with a nightcrawler or a tiny live crawdad. Usually, though, I either stick them on the first sighting, or I don’t.

“Giant bass see a lot of baits in these small, clear reservoirs, and they’re hard to deceive. If bass were as easy to fool as anglers, I’d catch hundreds. Every time out, I bet 10 other fishermen comment, ‘Oh look, he’s got one’, as they watch me pull in my trout lure. During slow periods, I may go weeks without catching a bass. During the best times, I average about 1.3 bass per week for three 10-hour trips, but nearly all are over 8 or 9 pounds.”

Trolling—To keep baits in a deep strike zone, Jerry Rago favors trolling. His Generic Trout (both soft and hard models are available) is a favorite for casting, but to reach the 15- to 30-foot range, Rago rigs with wire line. “I watch for fish on my sonar and try to keep my baits running just above them. Then I may slow or stop the boat to make them fall, a deadly action for suspended bass.” Other experts use braided line and sinking swimbaits to reach into the depths. Ken Huddleston uses his trolling motor to slowly carve big figure eights over productive areas, keeping baits back 40 to 50 yards to lure boat-shy fish.