Fish it on a jighead, underspin, spinnerbait, whatever — soft-plastic spinnerbaits are the deal this time of year so….
1. Storm 360 Searchbait
Swimbaits — especially the smaller ones fished this time of year — are for-sure fish-catchers. If it eats, these catch ’em…and that’s what the Storm 360 [pictured in “gaga”] was designed to do: Catch everything that swims.
Course that includes bass. You can buy bodies and heads separately, or get ’em pre-rigged. But the bottom line is they’re designed to be easy to rig and easy to fish — tie one on and crank it back. No PhD in bassin’ needed.
Use it to target shad, fish around promising cover or structure or just as a search bait. Works in the water column or along the bottom.
Storm also makes a lipped version called the Searchbait Swimmer — check it here.
2. Strike King Rage Swimmer
Ever hear of an Alabamian Rig? Might wanna try some o’ these Rage Swimmers on one o’ those because that new 3.25″ size is hard to beat. But if you’d rather just stick one on the back of a jighead, this is a good’n. Check that color, green gizzard shad.
Here’s a good vid with David Kilgore about fishing a Rage Swimmer on a lighter jighead in colder water. He has the bigger-size Swimmer, but the same thing applies.
3. BioSpawn ExoSwim
Shad-colored swimbait? Check. Catches ’em? Check it:
That’s Seth “no me llamas” Feider, whose “Feider shad” color ExoSwim is one o’ the deals for this bait in the fall (and is in that pic). Here’s what he be sayin’ ’bout it:
> “Right now’s best time of year to throw it. For smallies, a single swimbait gets really good late in the year when the water’s super clear. They’re really keyed on baitfish then after eating crawfish all summer. A lot of the bait that was suspended in the middle of the lake all summer is making its way shallow in the fall. Smallies take advantage of it and put it on a lot of weight.
> “I fish it on an
Outkast Goldeneye Swimbait Head, 3/8- or 1/4-oz with the 4/0 hook option — it fits that swimbait really well. It’s a fairly big bait — 4″, like a 3.8 Keitech.
> “We have a couple really good colors that time of year. I like Feider shad. I fish it on pretty light line — 10-15 lb straight
Sufix fluoro. I’m kind of an anti 6.3:1 guy, but this is one of the few things I use it for because you really have to crawl that bait on the bottom as slow as you can. I use a
Daiwa Tatula SV and a 7′ ML
Daiwa Tatula Rod.
> “You need a rod with really soft tip. A lot of bites don’t feel much different than the rock…. It bows up almost like you’re getting hung up. With this rod you can put pressure on the fish so you know it’s a fish without them dropping it on you.
> “Slow-roll it on humps and points that stick out far into the main lake basin. Up here [MN] we have tulibee [baitfish] which spawn in the fall…smallmouths follow them too. …furthest sticking out main lake points and humps.”
4. Fish Head Greg Vinson V-Lock Swimbait Head
Here’s what pro Greg Vinson wants to know: DO YOU FISH YER SWIMBAITS ON THE BOTTOM? Seriously cuz the pros do that. Here’s a quick tip on it:
Gitcha Fish Head Greg Vinson V-Lock Swimbait Jig Head — made for that bottom-swimmin’ — on the TW.
5. Fish Head Stand Up Underspin
Ever hear of a stand-up underspin? Me neither — how cool is that! From TW:
> An offshoot of the
original Fish Head Spin, the
Fish Head Stand Up Underspin delivers a modified design that is perfect for crawling across the lake floor. Molded with forward weighting and a flat bottom…maintains a nose-down posture with a steady retrieve and stands up when at rest, just like a feeding baitfish.
> …features a molded-wire top-notch ball bearing swivel, and a super-bright willow blade that generates a brilliant flash. Perfect for pairing with your favorite soft plastic swimbaits….
Fish Head makes a LOT more great stuff to put swimbaits on. Givin’ ’em some love….
