Northwest Fishing Reports

I own three plastic swimbait molds, 2 1/2 inch, 3 1/2 inch, and a 4 1/2 inch. I have did well with the 2 1/2 inch on my dropshot. But the other two have caught me exactly 3 fish over a three year period. Two smallmouth, and one tiger muskie. That's it! Never have I seen a lure in the water that looks more natural and lifelike, and yet I can't buy a fish using them. I've fished them slow, I've fished them fast, near the surface, down deep along the bottom. Makes no difference what I do. But I just can't bring myself to give up on them. Every fiber of my being screams that they should catch fish, and lots of them. But funny thing, I haven't talked to one other bass fisherman that has had much better luck with them than myself. And yet on YouTube I watch bass after bass being caught on them. Oh well, I guess I'll just keep on throwing them and hope for the best.

I haven't caught a fish on them. But I only threw one 3 to 6 times last year, and by 'times' I mean 3-6 CASTS, and 3 of those casts was just to watch what it does. This year I've thrown it a couple casts. But I plan on concentrating on the swim bait and the jerk bait this year.

Amx wrote:I haven't caught a fish on them. But I only threw one 3 to 6 times last year, and by 'times' I mean 3-6 CASTS, and 3 of those casts was just to watch what it does. This year I've thrown it a couple casts. But I plan on concentrating on the swim bait and the jerk bait this year.

I wish I could have that excuse. I've fished the living bejeesus out of them.

maybe our bass arent big and bad enough to go after big swimbaits haha

goonatic wrote:maybe our bass arent big and bad enough to go after big swimbaits haha

They'd have to be a total pussy not to each a 3 1/2 inch minnow.

A guy I know caught a 2 lbder on a fat 6" or 8" hard plastic swim bait. The Smallie had most of the bait in his mouth.

Maybe your bass are wimps, but my East Washington bass are not. I have hammered bass over here on Swim Baits over 6 inches, both hard and soft swim baits. Heck, I have caught Rainbow and Brown Trout over here on Swim Baits up to 5 inches.

Like anything else, if you fish a perfect lure in a swimming pool, you won't catch fish. On the other side of the coin, if the fish are there and hungry, anything will catch them.

I won't go into detail, but I suggest that you are fishing your Swimbaits in the wrong locations and the wrong times. Fishing drop shot on fish suspended half way in the water column would not work, and yet it does not make the drop shot bad. Fishing a topwater on fish that are located on the bottom will not work, but that does not make topwater baits bad. I suppose it goes without saying that fishing rubber worms on the bottom while the fish are taking topwater baits is .......

Swimbaits are tools, nothing more, nothing less. As a rule of thumb, if you can catch them on spinnerbaits, you probably can catch them on swimbaits - assuming that you can fish the same water.

Anglinarcher wrote:Maybe your bass are wimps, but my East Washington bass are not. I have hammered bass over here on Swim Baits over 6 inches, both hard and soft swim baits. Heck, I have caught Rainbow and Brown Trout over here on Swim Baits up to 5 inches.

Like anything else, if you fish a perfect lure in a swimming pool, you won't catch fish. On the other side of the coin, if the fish are there and hungry, anything will catch them.

I won't go into detail, but I suggest that you are fishing your Swimbaits in the wrong locations and the wrong times. Fishing drop shot on fish suspended half way in the water column would not work, and yet it does not make the drop shot bad. Fishing a topwater on fish that are located on the bottom will not work, but that does not make topwater baits bad. I suppose it goes without saying that fishing rubber worms on the bottom while the fish are taking topwater baits is .......

Swimbaits are tools, nothing more, nothing less. As a rule of thumb, if you can catch them on spinnerbaits, you probably can catch them on swimbaits - assuming that you can fish the same water.

That kind of puts things in perspective. Thanks.