I was watching a fishing show hawking swim baits and how exceptional they are. What I don’t get is how is a swim bait different from a jig and plastic? Aren’t they the same thing? I am a sucker for the next hot lure and don’t know if missing something and maybe should be giving them a try.
They are a jig and plastic. Just another tool in the toolbox.
They act slightly different on the retrieve. A swimbait has a nice thump of the tail and a slight body sashay. The details of color and matching the hatch or forage is where swimbaits shine, IMO.
If you ever watched In-fisherman, Doug Stange puts them on sideways on the jig. Different look and thump. 
There is a good write up by someone here on Swimbaits and walleyes. Maybe couple years old. Perhaps someone can find it.
Really effective for any type fish. I’ll troll w the kids on deeper weedlines with some and catch northerns all day long. Super fun. Less tangle than crankbaits, and less dangerous when bringing in boat.
Perch ripple shad simply puts out almost every body of water i go to
I love fishing swim baits walleyes, bass, pike, they all love them to.
Tom, I have not seen the Hawkins baits.
There are a few different style swim baits. Some are poured with the weight and hook inside the bait. Others are just the plastic swim baits where you add your own jig head into. What style is the Hawkins??
Swim baits are all about the body shake and thump in the tail. I fish with these all the time and know a good swim bait when I can fell the tail thump through my rod. I prefer just the plastic bodies so I can adjust the hood size and head weight to what I want. I do not like the fixed hook/weight style that are pre poured.
Swim Baits are like almost any lure. There is a time and place where they excel. They are a real versatile bait in that they come in many Shapes, colors, and size. They work well for all species of fish from Panfish to Muskie. I will add that anytime you are dealing with a single hooked bait it is far easier to release fish. I fish swim baits a lot for SM bass on Mille lacs. We fish a fair amount of them for Walleyes and Large pike while in Canada as well. Pick a few up and give them a try.
I have been doing some research on swimbaits and plan to use them some this weekend on Walleyes. Trying out some pulsars and bigbites.
Kalin tickle tail did the job for us on rainy and I’m excited to try them out on large mouth
I have been doing some research on swimbaits and plan to use them some this weekend on Walleyes. Trying out some pulsars and bigbites.
In the past I’ve mostly used the Keitech swimbaits ( For Bass and Walleye) and the storm 360 ( For Pike ) I am going to try out some of the new storm Largo Shad this season.
Do you guys just toss them shallow and do a steady slow retrieve?
Do you guys just toss them shallow and do a steady slow retrieve?
I fish them fast, slow, shallow , deep. Snap jig them and pause. All sorts of stuff. Just depends on the fish honestly
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>John Rasmussen wrote:</div>
Do you guys just toss them shallow and do a steady slow retrieve?I fish them fast, slow, shallow , deep. Snap jig them and pause. All sorts of stuff. Just depends on the fish honestly
Thanks Bearcat, talking for walleye in lakes not rivers
Does anyone know of a company that makes them bigger than 5 inches? Seems most are 3-4″, and I’ve found a few closer to 5″ but would like some bigger. And John Bearcats answer would apply to walleye in lakes for me as well.
Yeah both lakes and rivers, as well as bass and walleyes. It depends on the day. And some days they just don’t work.
Does anyone know of a company that makes them bigger than 5 inches? Seems most are 3-4″, and I’ve found a few closer to 5″ but would like some bigger.
I was looking at stuff just because of this thread and saw Basstrix has 6″ and Keitech has 8″. Also, bass people seen kind of crazy 
Edit: theres a bunch of bigger ones on tacklewarehouse.com
Does anyone know of a company that makes them bigger than 5 inches? Seems most are 3-4″, and I’ve found a few closer to 5″ but would like some bigger. And John Bearcats answer would apply to <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye in lakes for me as well.
Here is some all the way up to 10″. Joe and Jeff Andersen out of Bemidji sell them
Edit… forgot the link
Does anyone know of a company that makes them bigger than 5 inches? Seems most are 3-4″, and I’ve found a few closer to 5″ but would like some bigger. And John Bearcats answer would apply to <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye in lakes for me as well.
Zman makes one that’s 9″ and I know both Bug Hammer and Offshore Angler also make larger sized ones.
Does anyone know of a company that makes them bigger than 5 inches? Seems most are 3-4″, and I’ve found a few closer to 5″ but would like some bigger. And John Bearcats answer would apply to <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye in lakes for me as well.
Basspro also makes some solid ones that are 6 or 7 inches and a thick body. I use them for ice fishing lakers and they kick well.
For walleyes? The 5” Bubba Shad in sexy shad pattern, paired with a 3/4oz Ike VMC swimbait jighead is deadly if you’re looking for a hefty presentation. When combined, this jig/plastic is a 6” long bulky presentation that wobbles nicely…and walleyes will eat up.
They also make a 7” and 9” Bubba Shad but my experience is that, while walleyes still stike them, larger swimbaits will begin to give you diminishing returns in terms of hook-up ratio. Case in point, last fall I was throwing a 10” swimbait for Muskies at night in an area loaded with walleyes. Cast after cast I watched on Livescope as walleyes darted up and hit the bait, but caught none of them.
On the other hand, that 6” Bubba/jighead combo gives you a very high hook-up ratio, provided you have the right rod/line to handle casting and retrieving a bulky 1oz bait.
I like the Berkley hollow belly in 6” with a 3/4oz bullet head for fishing walleyes in the weeds – 4-12fow.
For deeper applications I like the 5,6, and 7” big hammer swimbaits. When I get to depths greater than 15fow I use these because they are heavier and I pair them with 1, 1.5, or 2 oz bullet heads depending on the depth.
BigWerm, check with Big Hammer swim baits.
Does anyone know of a company that makes them bigger than 5 inches? Seems most are 3-4″, and I’ve found a few closer to 5″ but would like some bigger. And John Bearcats answer would apply to <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye in lakes for me as well.
Look into the Gambler Big GZ. I was really impressed with the Gambler EZ and it is the upsized 6.5″ version.
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