Four primary categories of swimbait exist, though some lures borrow from more than one group.

Hardbodies: Alan Cole’s A. C. Plug was the granddaddy of jointed hardbaits, hand-carved in Cole’s garage, as were many similar styles. Today, plastic has become popular as well, for machine production and the array of realistic colors and textures possible with that medium. SPRO followed successful introduction of the BBZ-1 swimbait with BBZ-1 Shad, a 41⁄2 inch ultra-realistic lure with 4 jointed parts, translucent flexible tail, and thread on top, just like a real threadfin. Big bass wizard Bill Siemantel contributed these designs.

Tru-Tungsten also expanded their jointed swimbaits from the original Tru-Life Swimbait, a bluegill and tilapia look-a-like. Next came the 8-inch Trout, followed by a 4-inch Tru-Life Swimbait and a Mullet in 7-, 8-, and 9-inch versions. Running depth of the Tru-Life baits can be adjusted by adding or removing tungsten BBs in the body cavity.

One of the hottest jointed hardbaits on the pro trail is the Magic Swimmer from Sebile, a French company that’s grabbed attention with an array of innovative lures. Magic Swimmer’s jointed body has 3 segments that swim in a seductive S-pattern big bass can’t ignore. This bait played a role in several tournament victories and high finishes on the Bassmaster Trail in 2008. It’s available in 4 sizes, up to 9 inches and 4 ounces.

Strike King has made major inroads with King Shad, a bait that’s become one of Kevin VanDam’s go-to favorites—reason enough to stock a few. The jointed bait offers erratic action that pulls bass from deep water. Jackall has new colors in its Giron jointed swimbait, one of the finest imitations of the sunfish family on the market. And in their Deps line Optimum Baits adds the Highsider Jr., 6 inches long and 11⁄2 ounces, with 4 body segments.

After acquiring Castaic Softbait Company, Nature Vision kept Jason Scott on staff for swimbait development. The RockHard Swimbait Series, a set of triple-jointed hardbaits, was developed with input from legendary lunker catcher Mike Long. They feature Castaic’s Magnetic Hook Holder to keep the belly treble tight to the body, and the Tri-Claw Hook System, which exposes 3 tines on the head hook. Also check River2Sea’s Kong, with a double-jointed body and realistic appearance, available in floating and sinking versions.

Big, hard-body swimbaits work best in clear, open waters, as their built-in swimming action and realistic colors tempt the biggest bass that roam offshore. Free-swinging trebles get the user in trouble near wood and craggy rock, however. And with hefty price tags, losing a couple can ruin your day. Bigger baits also require special tackle to fish comfortably and effectively.

Leadhead Swimbaits: These were the first soft swimbaits, as the Worm King Dinosaur and Brightenburg’s Fish Trap, designed for calico bass and other Pacific Coast species, spun off from the Mister Twister boot-tail concept. Savvy anglers recognized the appeal of the vibrating tail and rolling body to predators of all sorts. Sunrize Tackle’s Big Hammer, Gary Yamamoto’s Swim Bait, and Berkley’s PowerBait Swim Shad, sized in the 4- to 6-inch range, have gained a place in every swimbait angler’s repertoire, for their simplicity, lifelike action, depth control, and sure hooking.

Weighted and Unweighted Soft Swimbaits: Soft plastics with interior weights are versatile for depth control, and have become key baits for big reservoir bass. Top names in the category include Basstrix, Osprey, Optimum, Storm, and Huddleston, which initiated the “rate of fall” concept. Success comes from cranking them slowly along structure, over ­vegetation, or slow-rolling them just above bottom on deep flats, points, and bluffs, at depths beyond the reach of lipped baits—18 to 30 feet.

Storm Lures’ WildEye Swim Shad helped spread swimbait popularity by offering prices that didn’t intimidate anglers curious to try these baits. Instead of $20, $30, or more for a wooden bait, or $15 for a big soft plastic one, you got a bag of Storm baits for $3.99. With sizes from 3 to 9 inches, there was something for anglers from Mexico to Massachusetts. New additions include River2Sea’s Bottom Walker and Optimum’s Heavy Cover Series, with weedless hooks.

Since entering the softbait market, Alan Cole has expanded his offerings with the AC Bluegill and AC Casitas trout bait. Nature Vision’s Castaic brand has a great new innovation with Catch 22, a soft, jointed-body swimbait that swims actively at any speed and is guaranteed to catch at least 22 bass before becoming torn and unfishable. Durability comes from its Inner Armor Skeleton. A “No Throw” Sliding Hook System also keeps fish pinned.

Unweighted soft plastic swimbaits catch big bass early in the season, or any time shallow presentations work. In clear impoundments, suspended bass may swim up to engulf them as well. Hand-poured California Swimbabes, available from 4 to 9 inches, have proved popular. A key feature is that the lure slides on the line, so bass can’t use its weight to throw the hook. Optimum’s new Baby Line Thru, a 5-inch 1.2-ouncer, also slides on the line, resisting damage when attacked.

Hollow-body Swimbaits: In 2006, Bruce Porter of Basstrix released his Paddletail Minnow, the first ­hollow-body swimbait. It had a thin, lifelike body and an extremely supple paddletail. “I wanted a new swimbait that had near-neutral buoyancy and a thin body to swim naturally, beyond a wiggling tail,” Porter reports. “An air pocket within the body provides buoyancy and action, as well as cutting weight, so they’re easier to fish on standard tackle.”

Anglers familiar with Basstrix immediately envisioned their appeal. Among those was bass pro Jay Yelas, who used the bait en route to the 2007 FLW Angler of the Year award. “Looking back, those swimbaits accounted for more than half the bass I caught that year,” he states.

Yelas, a member of Berkley’s pro staff, contacted the company about developing a similar bait. Within a year, Berkley’s PowerBait Hollow Belly Swimbait was born. Initially available in a 5-inch size, 6- and 4-inch editions soon followed.

Porter couldn’t pour enough Fat Minnows to meet demand, and Kamakazee Baits introduced a hand-poured Treats Swimbait. Fred Ward released the Money Minnow, sold within months to PRADCO, and Luck “E” Strike came out with Bass Magic in 3 sizes. Recent additions to the ­hollow-body arsenal include Strike King’s Shadalicious, the SwimmerZ from ZMan, Mann’s Hardnose SwimShad, EC Bass Magnet, and more.

In addition, injected, solid-body baits shaped like hollow-bodies are available, too. Rigged alike, they differ only in color and action. One of the more spectacular has been Lake Fork Tackle’s LIVE Magic Shad, a jointed softbait available in sizes up to 8 inches. Also unique is the Double Diamond Swimmer from Optimum. It has zig-zag swimming action, in addition to a roll and tail-kick.

Swimbait Rods

Swimbaits range from 1/4 ounce up over half a pound, calling for tackle to match. Rods labeled “swimbait action” typically are long and extra-heavy to cast and retrieve big baits. Smaller lures fish fine on medium-heavy and heavy-action crankbait, spinnerbait, or rigging rods. Those designed for big baits (8 inches or more) feature an extra-long handle. While this may look cumbersome and adds weight, it allows for easy, two-handed casting.

Big bait expert Bill Siemantel recommends cradling the long handle inside the elbow and paying attention to body position during the retrieve. Supporting the rod with your body eases strain on back, elbows, and shoulder, and correct posture helps drive the hook home. Reeling before and during the hook-set removes slack to drive hooks home at a distance.

Daiwa: The new Team Daiwa Zillion series includes 2 swimbait models, a 7-foot 4-inch extra-heavy (TDZL741XHFB) and a heavy 8-footer (TDZL801HFB). The Zillion features HVF graphite, bias construction, and Daiwa’s proprietary super carbon “Zaion,” to minimize weight with no loss of power.

Dobyns Rods: Designed with input from western bass legend Gary Dobyns, this company made quick converts with their variety and quality construction. The Champion Series includes 5 swimbait models, 2 designed by Mike Long— 795ML SB, 7-foot 9-inch and rated for 1- to 4-ounce baits, and 806 ML SC, an 8-footer for up to 5 ounces. The biggest stick, reported to deliver 10-ouncers with aplomb, is the 807 MAG HSB.

Fenwick: In their Elite Tech Series, Fenwick adds a Swimbait “Extreme Speed Control” casting rod (ECSWB79H-F), 7-foot 9-inch and rated for 15- to 25-pound test. With a soft but sensitive tip, it’s built for casting accuracy with medium to large swimbaits (1 to 3 ounces) and has plenty of backbone for hook-sets. It’s ideal for baits like Berkley Hollow Belly SwimBaits, but fishes heftier swimmers as well.

G. Loomis: The brand new SWBR953, a 7-foot 11-inch 3-power rod is designed for the hot new ­hollow-body baits, fished on 10- to 20-pound line, but it handles baits up to 2 ounces. This brings Loomis’ Swimbait selection to 5, ranging up to a 7-power rated for baits to 10 ounces. The SWBR955, a slightly heavier edition (5-power), has been a favorite for fishing mid-water swimbaits like SPRO’s BBZ-1, River2Sea Kong, and 20th Century Triple Trout. If you’re traveling to Amistad, Clear Lake, or Baccarac in Mexico, you can pack the new 3-piece Escape Travel Rods. The ETR81-3 MH17 and ETR81-3 HC20, both 6 foot 9 inches, are suited to midsized and large swimbaits.

Kistler: Last year, Kistler released the 8-foot KBSBS80 in their Graphite Plus line of Technique-Specific rods. Rated for 1- to 5-ounce lures, they’re versatile rods for big baits. The Smart Touch reel seat puts you in direct contact with the sensitive blank to feel the sometimes subtle wiggle of a big, soft-plastic sinker.

Lamiglas: Bill Siemental has been preaching the benefits of the Big Bait Special (model XC807) for years, catching hordes of giant bass in the process. It’s a hefty, long-handled stick with moderate taper and can handle the biggest baits. Its little brother XC806 also measures 8 feet, but has a telescoping handle for easy storage and takes baits to 3 ounces.

MegaBass: From the company’s I. T. O. Engineering think tank comes a pair of potent swimbait sticks. The “White Python” (F7-76RDti) has a following among West Coast swimbait enthusiasts. This 71⁄2-footer boasts a versatile rating of 3/8-ounce to 4 ounces, covering the gamut of swimbaits. Designed with a “Slant Bridge” handle to enhance leverage and casting ease, it’s built with a combination of Megabass’ D.N.A Graphite and a “Rare Metal Composite.” The “Super Destruction” (F8-78DG) is 2 inches longer and handles the biggest baits.

Okuma: The Guide Select Swim Bait Rod series includes 6 models, ­ranging from medium-heavy to extra-heavy and it’s clear the engineers have done their swimbait homework. The 3 lighter ones are 71⁄2 feet long and the heavy sticks measure 7 feet, 11 inches. Fuji New Concept frame guides with Alconite inserts finish the rods. And take your pick for under $110.00.

Quantum: In their Superlite PT Series, Quantum’s QTC7117F receives great reviews from anglers fishing ­hollow-belly baits and swimmers up to 2 ounces. This 7-foot 11-inch rod is powerful but light in weight, thanks to Fuji ACS reel seat and titanium-coated guides.

St. Croix: When it comes to producing great rods for all sorts of fishing, count on the folks from Park Falls, Wisconsin. Their Legend Tournament Series includes 2 swimbait models: LTBC79HF, rated for 1- to 4-ounce baits and measuring 7 feet 9 inches; and LTBC80XHF, the Mega Swim Bait rod, 8 feet long and rated for 3- to 8-ouncers. And new for ’09 are Mojo Bass Rods, including the MBC79HF, 7 feet 9 inches and with a fast tip, rated for 1 to 4 ounces. Best of all, it costs less than half as much as a Legend Tournament.

Line Choice

For fishing hollow-belly swimbaits, Jay Yelas likes the sensitive and sinking properties of fluorocarbon, Berkley’s 100% Trilene Flurocarbon, in particular. “I use 10-pound test with the 5-inch Berkley Hollow Belly Swimbait in most situations,” he says. “Thinner line allows maximum lure action, where you can get away with it,” adding that he switches to 15-pound test around brush or docks.

Around lily pads and thick grass clumps, however, I’ve found 50-pound braid excels for setting hooks and ­landing bass in thick cover. The bite is shallow, often just below the surface. To get baits a bit deeper, add interior weights. Particularly on long casts, no-stretch braid also helps set hooks through the substantial bulk of swimbaits. Braid also excels for surface swimbaits, keeping them up and enabling strong hook-sets at great distance.

When casting monster swimbaits, both fluorocarbon and braid have problems. If a tangle occurs with braid, it parts easily, launching costly baits to parts unknown. Siemantel, a firefighter by trade, tested this principle and found that braids actually melt, as friction burns spectra threads. In addition to weaker knot strength, flurocarbon also fails under heavy duress more frequently than mono, apparently due to fracturing of its dense structure. Density and its hard shell cause fluoro to spill off a spool rapidly, potentially causing tangles or weak spots that lose lures and big bass.

For those reasons, Siemantel and other big bait experts continue to rely on tough, low-stretch monofilaments in the 20- to 30-pound range when using hefty middepth swimbaits. But to set hooks, it becomes critical to reel before rearing back on bites far from the boat. Anglers must understand the relationship between line stretch, rod stiffness, and hook-setting motion, to get effective sets without breaking off.

Notes on Reels

The combination of heavy line and long casts calls for large-capacity reels. For the biggest baits, Shimano’s Calcutta 400 and Abu Garcia’s Ambassadeur 6500C have been standards. The new low-profile Abu Garcia Revo Toro is a great option, more easily palmed during the retrieve and amazingly light at 10.3 ounces. Gear ratio of 5.4:1 helps prevent over-reeling a lure, and it comes with an optional power handle. Okuma also has added the Red Isis, power reels with a 5.1:1 gear ratio, lots of line capacity, and a cool red highlight finish. Check the Ri-250T for great all-around swimbait use. For lighter baits, choose top-­quality reels with medium gear ratios, powerful drags, and fine-tuned spool tension adjustment, as well as generous line capacity.

It’s going to be an exciting year for swimbait fishing. While bass in a few waters may actually be jaded towards some presentations, fish in far more waters have never set eyes on these remarkable baits. Get ready!