Choosing a swimbait.

[Anglinarcher]

I love a lot of the patterns, and colors, but a 6" rainbow trout does not look like the adult trout that the swim baits are painted up to match. If you find one with par markings and true young rainbow, straight out of the hatchery colors, PM me - I want three.

T Dot offered to look for these, but I can't find a way to post a picture.

So, HOW do I post a picture here? Never mind, got it. (HEHEHE)

[Anglinarcher]

PS, yes, I took them from the internet, they are not my pictures.

Notice the parr markings, and the fact that the parr markings are not red, but black.

Notice the color of the tail, it is not black or grey.

So, who has a swim bait like thesse?:cheers:

[T Dot]

ive seen something like this before, i will check out a few of my suppliers. if you know someone who can paint, that might be an option as well.

i will let you know what i find

[JWerner]

I put some time in last Summer. I was lucky enough to get to Clear Lake last spring and brought back some swimbaits. I did not use them for some time. Eventually, i dedicated some time to them. I prefer the soft baits like the basstrix. However, I don't like the Falcon Hooks. I think they are too light in weight. When I rigged the 6" with a 6/0, the bait would wiggle too much - unnatural in appearance. Trimming tails a bit and adding weight was needed. This year I will try adding mojo weights in the hollow belly. I had much better luck working them toward the bottom vs up in the water column. I also had better success in 8 - 16' of water vs water less than 8'. Best of luck..

[skimpy]

:thumleft: Nice fish

[platinumroof]

Anglinarcher:
I think I have the answer to your question:
http://www.huddlestondeluxe.com/

[Anglinarcher]

Anglinarcher:
I think I have the answer to your question:
http://www.huddlestondeluxe.com/

Very Impressive 6" trout. That color is not perfect, but it will do well.

Has anyone used this brand before? How does it swim?

$25 each is not so bad, as long as no one tells my wife.

[T Dot]

Very Impressive 6" trout. That color is not perfect, but it will do well.

Has anyone used this brand before? How does it swim?

$25 each is not so bad, as long as no one tells my wife.

we have a bunch of those, and they are the cream of the crop when it comes to soft plastic swimbaits. without a doubt they are must have. out of the box they should swim perfect.

you can also try mattlures, as they are a close but distant 2nd.

[platinumroof]

I have tried the Hudds a little. The 6" is available in 2 different ROFs (ROF stands for rate of fall. It is the depth the lure will sink in 10 seconds) ROF 5 and ROF 12. They swim very nicely and should not roll over at any speed. The tail design is called a wedge tail. Two other popular wedge tails are the Baitsmith and the ABT Soft Wagtail. All three have slightly different wedges. Wedgetail baits do not kick super hard and really look like a trout just ambling along.
I haven't tested my Wagtails yet and was not at all impressed with their customer service when I tried to contact them.
The Baitsmith wedge is a little larger and it has a nice kick when falling so it looks like it is swimming toward the bottom. It is only available in one ROF. These baits are made in Idaho and I got a very quick and personable response from the owner.
The Hudds have a great reputation, are super realistic in appearance, and have a really realistic feel to them. They actually feel like a fish in my hand. These baits are also available in 8" size with ROF 0, ROF 5, ROF 12 & ROF 16.
The Mattlures have a totally different tail. They all have some form of a paddle tail. The Mattlure trout has a much more pronounced kick to it than the wedge tail baits I have.
I want to reiterate that I am very new to swimbaiting and my experience is limited to testing what I have bought and reading what others have done. From what I hear though wedge tails, paddle tails, and jointed hard baits all work.
I'll be doing a lot more testing this week so hopefully I'll actually catch a fish on one.

[ChrisB]

Technically my first swimbait fish ever today. I did get one last year on a yamamoto, but I'm not counting that. I fished for 8 freaking hours for this one fish It was TOUGH. This fish went 2.5 lbs. MattLures Bluegill gets the job done ! I bought the bait from someone that put a trap treble hook on it (otherwise new), thanks cause thats what stuck it.

[platinumroof]

Nice fish Chris. And way to stick with it. I'm glad to see those Mattlure Bluegills work up here because I've got several of them. Was it the Ultimate Bluegill or the original one?
I'm taking an out of town guest to Lk Wa. tomorrow and I'm going to throw swimbaits most of the day. Wish me luck and I'll let you know how it goes.

[ChrisB]

Thanks. Its the original. I have both styles, but have not tryed swimming the Ultimate yet. I did find that one original I bought doesn't swim right. Someone sold it to a guy on BBC, then I bought it from him, so that could be the reason.

Good luck out there tomorrow !!

[HillbillyGeek]

Sweet!

I had almost forgotten what bass look like...

[Anglinarcher]

I have tried the Hudds a little. The 6" is available in 2 different ROFs (ROF stands for rate of fall. It is the depth the lure will sink in 10 seconds) ROF 5 and ROF 12. They swim very nicely and should not roll over at any speed. The tail design is called a wedge tail. Two other popular wedge tails are the Baitsmith and the ABT Soft Wagtail. All three have slightly different wedges. Wedgetail baits do not kick super hard and really look like a trout just ambling along.
I haven't tested my Wagtails yet and was not at all impressed with their customer service when I tried to contact them.
The Baitsmith wedge is a little larger and it has a nice kick when falling so it looks like it is swimming toward the bottom. It is only available in one ROF. These baits are made in Idaho and I got a very quick and personable response from the owner.
The Hudds have a great reputation, are super realistic in appearance, and have a really realistic feel to them. They actually feel like a fish in my hand. These baits are also available in 8" size with ROF 0, ROF 5, ROF 12 & ROF 16.
The Mattlures have a totally different tail. They all have some form of a paddle tail. The Mattlure trout has a much more pronounced kick to it than the wedge tail baits I have.
I want to reiterate that I am very new to swimbaiting and my experience is limited to testing what I have bought and reading what others have done. From what I hear though wedge tails, paddle tails, and jointed hard baits all work.
I'll be doing a lot more testing this week so hopefully I'll actually catch a fish on one.

T Dot and Platinumroof, thanks for the info. Let me know what you come up with. The ones I used on the Delta were far too big for our waters, so I am learning just like you are.

This could be a fun summer.

[Slabking]

Nice one Chris . I've gotten to the point that I will leave my other bait boxes in the truck if I plan to throw swimbaits. Sometimes I have to force myself to try new things and stop relying on the old standby lures and methods.

[T Dot]

T Dot and Platinumroof, thanks for the info. Let me know what you come up with. The ones I used on the Delta were far too big for our waters, so I am learning just like you are.

This could be a fun summer.

no prob. the hudd and mattlures are the top 2 i would suggest. there are others, especially if you jump into the hardbait section. you can also get them painted.

:joker:

how big are these lures you use on the delta? i think nothing is too big for these waters, but thats my mind set. there are others within my circle of friends who dont believe. so im out to prove them wrong. we have had a few fish come of larger swimbaits this year.

[Anglinarcher]

T Dot and Platinumroof, thanks for the info. Let me know what you come up with. The ones I used on the Delta were far too big for our waters, so I am learning just like you are.

This could be a fun summer.

no prob. the hudd and mattlures are the top 2 i would suggest. there are others, especially if you jump into the hardbait section. you can also get them painted.

:joker:

how big are these lures you use on the delta? i think nothing is too big for these waters, but thats my mind set. there are others within my circle of friends who dont believe. so im out to prove them wrong. we have had a few fish come of larger swimbaits this year.

On the Delta, and on Clear Lake, the guide had me throwing 10" and 12" rainbows. I believe they were Caustics?

My shoulder hurt each day as if i had been casting for muskie with my muskie junk. Ouch, but the bass were more numerous then the Muskie I caught.

[T Dot]

On the Delta, and on Clear Lake, the guide had me throwing 10" and 12" rainbows. I believe they were Caustics?

My shoulder hurt each day as if i had been casting for muskie with my muskie junk. Ouch, but the bass were more numerous then the Muskie I caught.

by chance did you stretch before and after, and warmup with a smaller lure? i have learned my body will take it alot better, if i stretch, and warmup with a light lure. after a few warmups, i can throw them all day. i do take rests during the day as well. then again, as a group we take turns throwing them.

i remember one day, where i didnt stretch and didnt warm up. big mistake, i was sore all week.

we already have a bunch of 9s as well, but we are looking into throwing a few 10s and 12s this year.

[platinumroof]

Baitsmith just anounced today that they are adding a faster sink swimbait to their lineup. This will be great for fishing deeper or faster. They are also adding a new color. If you guys haven't checked out their baits you should.

http://www.baitsmith.com/

[skimpy]

Those baitsmiths sure do look like nice. I might have to invest in a few.