Setting the hook hard and fast allows you to bury the hooks deep while there is still time. Swimbaits have become one of the more popular options among bass fishermen in recent years and one of the questions I hear asked the most is should I use a jighead or a weighted hook on my soft paddle-tail swimbait? I believe that swimbaits target big bass and that big bass are inherently more cautious than small bass. You can also easily go up to a 1 ounce or 1 1/2 ounce jighead easier than you can a 1 ounce weighted swimbait hook. Like nose hooking on a dropshot, wacky rigging a plastic is a great way to free up the action and create a profile that bass can’t resist. Once I did that, I landed at least 75 percent of the bass that bit. Put a bit of weight in front of it. This way, all the pulling pressure of the cast and retrieve is directed into the back of the tube. In really gnarly cover you can prick just the point into the plastic to keep it from catching on snags. When you're skipping, you are putting a lot of torque and force on the nose of the bait and that screw lock holds so much better than just an offset bend. Choosing which hook depends on the shape of the swimbait. Upon being weighed she tipped the scales at 8.56 lbs. Usually when you get to 3/4 ounce on a weighted swimbait hook, the hook is gigantic and much too large for a lot of regular paddle-tail swimbaits. I’ve personally seen too many fish suck a swimbait in and spit it back out quicker than the angler can react so why take your time and increase the likelihood of this happening to you? Here is a prime example of my hook-setting style. Swimbait Size For Trophy Hunting. Swimbait, like crankbait, spinnerbait, jerkbait, buzzbait, ripbait, etc., is a term used to describe a certain type of lure. 2. Most anglers that are pitching and flipping a Texas rig are going to be using a straight shank style hook. section: | slug: 6-choices-for-weighted-hook-vs-jighead-on-swimbaits | route: article_single | Rigging a paddle tail swimbait weedless is very similar, but instead you want to slide the hook in the bait deep enough so the point of the hook lays against the back of … But man does this soft plastic bait really work. When asked how he sets the hooks he responded, “I don’t, I let them eat it. Setting the hook hard and fast allows you to bury the hooks deep while there is still time. **Sieg asked that I add the true weight of this fish. To weight a swimbait hook, simply run the hook point through the hole in the weight, then run the hook point through your swimbait like normal. If you swing and its not in their mouth, they’re gone.” Here is a prime example of Sieg’s hook setting style. I don’t drop the rod and rear back, I don’t speed up my reeling, I simply swing high and to the side as soon as I feel pressure. lead head (Coming Soon to our product line up) As two time angler of the year Jay Yelas said in the FLW magazine ” the swimbait played a huge role in my success last year. In most cases, it comes down to hook choice and bait selection. Wheeler shares his top 4 rigging methods that allow paddle tail swimbaits to be fished through a variety of cover types and depths. Next, I laid 3 swimbaits in a tray on their back so that the tails were up. I use the Trokar Magnum Swimbait Hook and Owner Beast weighted hooks and have been experimenting with the new Hayabusa weighted hooks. Sieg Taylor’s Approach:Sieg and I spoke over the phone and he had some great insights to share. What makes this particular discussion so interesting is that both of the anglers involved have proven their method’s effectiveness. Those Clearlake fish can be very misleading but Sieg wanted you all to know the final weight. Grab the swimbait at the same location each time you advance the swimbait onto the hook. Swimbaits like the Strike King Swim-N-Shiner, Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper, and Gambler EZ Swimmer are the perfect size, and should be the standbys in your swimbait arsenal. When you lined up the swimbait body to the jighead, you saw where the hook needs to enter the front of the swimbait so that it aligns with the jighead. I rig it weight less on a 1/0 and 2/0 wide gap hook and also a gam.. finess hook 2/0 it’s like a circle hook I’ve also rigged it with a 3/0 weighted (1/16) swimbait hook and rigged on several different jig heads. I made a video a few years back about matching a swimbait to jighead. So an exposed hook is my usual choice. For the reason I just mentioned, when I'm throwing a really large swimbait, especially one that is real tall, I will always go with a weighted swimbait hook. As is the case with any swimbait and hook, you want to match the size of the hook to the length of the swimbait as well as the height of the swimbait. Experiment With Weight . I have a few general guidelines that I follow for which I use in various situations. The biggest and baddest bass in your local lake aren’t your typical creatures. Waiting to set the hook allows the fish too much time to realize something isn’t right. [Pictured: Lunkerhunt Fetch, Optimum Baits Boom Boom, 13 Fishing Coalition Baits BAMF, Working Class Zero Citizen]. New from I-Cast 2016, the long awaited Yamamoto Zako Swimbait. Position the hook correctly – The best way to extend the life of the swimbait is to position the hook so the knot is inside the Fattube and the hook eye (or split ring, if using one) is against the Fattube. I saw a 9 lber bumping the head of the swimbait over and over again. While a lot of anglers will opt for a head they can put into a bait like a hollow-bodied swimmer, I think the head on the nose of the bait serves the same purpose as the tungsten weight on your worm. The weights have a hole near the top that is designed to slip onto a hook shank, and work perfectly on swimbait hooks. Specialist Lure Fishing Webstore Official Reseller of the Top Fishing Brands just looking to try new things. And I think a swimbait out deep just acts better with the weight on the nose than on the belly. Separate the cylinder of the pop rivet from the shank. The hook point usually lays on the back of the swimbait and stays tucked out of the way. I almost exclusively use a screw-lock hook. Pro bass anglers know all about small tweaks to optimize bait performance and hook-up ratios. The key is to keep reeling at the same speed. You can feel what the bait is doing on the bottom a lot better. Designed by Bass Master Elite Series angler Brett Hite, it is the new bait of choice as a bladed jig trailer and for flipping. The main advantage of a straight shank hook on a Texas rig is that the hook angle points up. How to Rig Swimbaits – Process Connect the split ring to the eye of your treble hook. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I use VMC Boxer jigheads, Flat Shad heads and BOSS swimbait heads most of the time as well as the Scottsboro Tackle swimbait head for jigheads. do you do this without a leadhead and just run a hook to the dropper and then just jig it to give the swimbait some action? Hook not strapped to lure not likely to effect lure Swiming action to any degree. While experimenting can lead to more effective presentations, better hookups, more landed fish, I think there are a few things to consider when choosing to use and exposed hook jighead or a more snagless presentation with a weighted hook. On the other side of the fence you have my good friend Sieg Taylor. I also used a lift and drop retrieve a lot in deep water. Obviously big bass have no problem with the smaller swimbaits but when you are are around schooling fish, it is often a lot 2-pound fish slashing at the bait. The rod and reel kept it pinned without issue and I horsed it in though the reeds and brush up onto shore. Not as much experimentation goes into the head and hook as does the body of the bait. Bigger than 2cm and weighing more than 7gr, the Megabass Dark Sleeper 3.8" keeps the same type of action (fishing along bridge piers, submerged structures or in cutlery) No doubt he knows how to decide predators ambushed waiting for a nice easy prey. Waiting to set the hook allows the fish too much time to realize something isn’t right. Run a toothpick through the swimbait from the point you marked on the belly out the center of the bait’s nose. She would bump one side then the other. If the fish are a bit deeper, then you need to add weight to the lure to … And many anglers just always use a certain jighead or a certain weighted hook. If you watch closely you can see the fish has been on for several seconds before he leans back on the rod. Buy Wake Swimbait Lures from the leader in Bass Fishing Outfitters, The Hook Up Tackle: Guaranteed lowest prices on Wake Swimbaits from the top brands including Black Dog Bait Co, Huddleston Deluxe, Reaction Innovations, 3:16 Lure Company and more-The Hook Up Tackle is your Wake Swimbait … The hook point usually lays on the back of the swimbait and stays tucked out of the way. Probably 90 percent of the fish I weighed in at Beaver and Norman came on swim baits I was fishing around boat docks. Straight Shank Hook . And I will usually be fishing it on a jighead. 6-keys: sports/wired2fish//// Start running the jighead through the plastic body. Tactical Bassin' - Telling the truth about bass fishing, Advanced Swimbaits Part 2: Hooking the Fish. I have played around with weighted hooks and you get a lot of bites but not as many hookups. I don’t believe there is any reason to wait. Three hooks can be used for paddle tail swimbaits: a swimbait hook, a straight shank hook or a jig head hook. We categorize our swimbaits into five categories by the forage that the baits are designed to imitate. Popper = Pop - Rest - Pop, assist hook will fall away from the lure at rest and lesson hook up ratio. He likes to rig The ProMinnow with an exposed 1/4 oz. He fishes unrigged swimbaits with the 6/0 Owner Weighted Beast hook, but trims off a little of the weight so that it’s closer to 1/16 ounce than the 1/4-ounce that comes stock. Swimbaits have taken the fishing world by storm in recent years, and The Hook Up Tackle is proud to offer one of the finest displays of swimbaits in the world. You can feel your way around with the bait. It slides well on the water, you can fish it on an unweighted hook to really get a good skip and keep your weight down on the hook. When I'm out deep, I like a smaller swimbait or one with a smaller kick so that it doesn't ride up. I’m still really learning how to fish it. Since fisherman argue about nearly every topic presented to them it should come as no surprise that they argue about how and when to set the hook on swimbait fish. site: sports | ptype: stories | pageType: stories | Now I experiment more with hooks, castability shallow and rigging tricks. You can fish the jighead, but a swimbait skips so much better with a belly weighted hook tucked into the bait. Wacky Rigging A Soft Plastic. And I always rig the head on the outside of the swimbait. In similar fashion, when I'm fishing for suspended fish in open water, I want as much exposed hook as I can get because those fish are usually charging from a distance and they are slashers. 3. The fish pretty much set the hook itself. I believe that swimbaits target big bass and that big bass are inherently more cautious than small bass. Insert Cylindrical portion of the pop rivet into the belly of your swimbait. I (Matt Allen) believe that a hard and immediate hook set is the key to putting big bass in the boat consistently. Some slight scissor modifications allow the bait to be custom fit to spinnerbaits and jigs of varying hook sizes and styles — important for increasing bites and reducing short strikes at the same time. To rig this style yourself, simply slide the hook into the nose of the bait and poke the hook through the back so the base of the hook lays against the nose of the bait. When I'm bottom bouncing out on deep ledges, I will go with a jighead. As is the case with any swimbait and hook, you want to match the size of the hook to the length of the swimbait as well as the height of the swimbait. “The real beauty of the Magdraft is the harness houses a powerful magnet that holds the belly treble hook firmly in place using magnetism. When I'm fishing around cover like laydowns, grass, and stumps with a soft swimbait I will have it rigged on a weighted swimbait hook. Rigging keys: Choose a hook that reaches back into the body, but not into the part of the tail that actually “swims.” Jigheads work best for open water and umbrella rigs. When in doubt – start with something in this range. Hollow Body Take a look at both approaches and then decide for yourself. Sieg prefers to continue reeling then slowly applies hard pressure to the fish. Until then, make your next day on the water a great one! The next time you’re on the water give both methods a try then come back and share your experiences with the group. I'm often fishing the deepest in the winter, a time when bass are eating small baitfish out deep. You can know when you're on a real rough bottom or a soft bottom. Then I laid another row of three in front of that with their tails hanging … But that's a little more than most guys are willing to do to get a bait to the fish. Swim bait = Steady retrive - Hook will stay against lure due to water resistance. Let’s start with my approach:When I am reeling and feel a fish “tick” my swimbait I hit them hard, really hard. The more hook sticking out, the more likely you are to hook those fish. Insert sewing needle through pop rivet out the nose of the swimbait. I let the bait sink for a few seconds, and gave 2 gentle twitches and got NAILED. With a good hook in place, Jordon is ready to talk about the key to his swimbait hook-up success — the hookset. While I staunchly oppose his method I must admit that I’ve seen it work for him on numerous occasions. Swimbaits are basically plastic or rubber "fish shaped" bodies rigged on a jig head. Instead of swinging I just kept a steady pace, that is when she inhaled it. Here is a prime example of my hook-setting style. I run my drag pretty much maxed out, probably 15 lbs. The Fattube should rest under the belly inside those flaps. You can fish small swimbaits deep easier because they have a lot less lift. Most swimbaits come pre-rigged and have an exposed top hook. Designed to imitate a bluegill or shad, the Zako features an accordian-style cut tail with flanged fins to keep the action tight and more natural. • Then push the hook point back through the body of the bait, leaving the hook point just below the surface of the plastic. originalDevice: deviceType:desktop, video a few years back about matching a swimbait to jighead. How to make it work. You can get good small jigheads that hook well and don't overpower the bait. I also do weedguard modification on some jigheads to give me another weedless option with an open hook. The sliced body didn’t interfere... Nose-hook It . Likewise if I'm fishing a really big swimbait, it's often in shallower water and I like weighted hook because I am more likely to encounter cover that I can't always see up shallow. The size of the bait, depth I plan to fish and how I plan to fish it around cover or out over open water makes the decision pretty simple in most instances. When skipping a swimbait around shallow like when fishing docks, a weighted swimbait hook is the ticket. You could also use a stiff metal wire. If the cadence breaks, you’re in trouble. Split The Belly . While you might ask 10 anglers what their favorite soft swimbait is and get 10 different answers, it seems a lot less jigheads and hooks get used. In closing, I’m not sure there is a right answer. I've also heard that you can attach a swim bait to a dropper and fish it that way. When using weighted hooks, adjust the weight to fish the bait anywhere from the surface to double-digit depths. Neither of us will waiver on our methods because we’ve both proven time and time again that they work. We Ship Worldwide! You want to have enough clearance so when a fish bites, the plastic of the swimbait has enough room to collapse out of the way and expose the hook to catch fish. Hook strapped to lure not likely to effect lure Popping action to any degree. In fact I will say a swimbait is one of the better baits to learn to skip with a bait caster. Whether they’re 5 pounds or 10 pounds I swing them in.” He went on to share some of his experiences that led to his hook-setting style when he said, “When I won a Won Bass Pro-Am I actually saw it happening. He runs the weighted hook through the nose of the bait, casts it out and swims it back to the boat. On other swimbaits, nailing the entry point is critical. When you hook the straight shank hook back into the bait the point of the hook points up at roughly a 30-degree angle. But when it comes to hollow-body swimbaits, there isn’t much in the way of unique tweaks that might differentiate the way anglers rig them. Most of those large swimbaits like a 13 Fishing Coalition Baits BAMF swimmer or a Battle Shad were designed to specifically fit a large weighted swimbait hook. She was moving so quickly I could hardly see her motions. Here are 6 basic bass fishing scenarios and the setups I choose. [Pictured: Megabass Spark Shad, Zoom Swimmer, Scottsboro Tackle Swimbait, Jenko Booty Shaker, Strike King Rage Swimmer]. That's the basic scenarios I consider when choosing a weighted swimbait hook versus a jighead for swimbaits. Keep experimenting and playing with better hooks and presentations coming out all the time. I can catch stuff on strip squid but I'd like to learn new things. I'm always interested to hear what heads and hooks guys have found that they really like. In really gnarly cover you can prick just the point into the plastic to keep it from catching on snags. I experiment a lot with swimbaits and heads. A bass fishing video blog dedicated to teaching and helping bass fisherman grow. Grip and rip. You will eventually find one that fits the way you fish really well. Once I know they’ve eaten the bait I reel hard and heavy, then swing them into the boat. 3. Then I put a foam insert on the neck of the tail just in front of the paddle. Some swimbaits are the type where the body is separate from the jig head and must be rigged by the angler. Megabass Dark Sleeper 3.8" Megabass Dark Sleeper 3.8" Here is the big brother of the Megabass Dark Sleeper 1st of the name. Pop rivet out the nose of the swimbait onto the hook points up at roughly 30-degree... Both proven time and time again that they really like methods a try then come back and share your with. 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Fall away from the surface to double-digit depths because we’ve both proven time and time that...