This set up allows for a natural presentation, with the swimbait moving through the water like a small baitfish. 1. No more need for super glue with our swimbaits. If you’ve chosen to stick to the smaller end of swimbaits, it’s not necessary to invest in a whole new rod. How to Rig a Swim Bait. Sometimes fish just want live bait. He will rig it on either a 4/O or 5/O Fusion19 swimbait hook. How to Rig Live Bait. 4 1/2-inch Strike King Shadalicious; 3/32-ounce, 5/0 wide-gap swimbait hook . Once you have the boat and body of water, your fishing success is determined by your ability to correctly address each critical detail. Slide the sinker on the line and then tie the treble hook on the line. But in current where I feel the bait is being pushed up, I will simply stop reeling a few turns, let the bait pendulum and fall back to the bottom and immediately start reeling again. Don’t be afraid to destroy some baits – According to Lawrence, you’ll probably booger up a bait or two as you’re dialing in the process. “A Keitech gets a lot of head wobble. 3.8-inch Keitech Swing Impact FAT; 1/2-ounce jighead 6.The Do-All Rig . There are so many differnt ways to rig a swimbait, one post would not be enough room to cover them all. Texas Rigging A Soft Plastic. This lift and drop and change of speed and direction often triggers bites I wasn’t getting on the steady retrieve. A drop shot is an all time great way to catch bass and is one of my favorites. This rig also makes great pitch baits if sea conditions are a little choppy for splashing pitch baits. Here are 4 of the most critical ways to rig a soft plastic. They are the 5/0 trokar and the 4/0 Owner Beast.It depends what bait you're throwing but if you use the 4.8 Keitech like we often do, you can't beat the Beast. How to rig a swimbait - True Lock Swimbait Head. 3:16 Minnow; 7/0 Gamakatsu EWG Monster Hook 4.The Hawg-Hunter Rig. Yes also search swimbait. How you decide to rig your swimbait can have a big impact on how it will act, how it will look and also where you can fish it. Fishing The Jika Rig. But you rig that on a line-thru, and it gives it a totally different action and look. I quite often use swimmers as teaser baits when I’m fly fishing for billfish or switch baiting with light tackle but I usually cross-stitch the body just to hold the bait together if a billfish does get hold of it. You can know when you're on a real rough bottom or a soft bottom. Whenever a new lure or technique comes along, it takes awhile for an angler to learn its idiosyncrasies and how to make it work best for him. To Glue or Not To Glue Many seasoned swimbait anglers glue the swimbait to the jig head, should you? _____ Most swimbaits come pre-rigged and have an exposed top hook. Part of the series: Fishing Lures & Baits. The only downside would be that sometimes a softer bodied swimbait such as a keitech seem to tear easier when Texas rigged. “Here comes the beauty of the swimbait. I feel that Texas rigged swimbaits come through the grass much better and also give a smaller profile when needed. There are several different ways to rig them. There are three main ways to rig a paddle tail swimbait; exposed top hook, weedless, and bottom treble hook. How To Rig Swimbait Hook. 3/4-ounce, 6/0 Revenge Swimbait Hedz XL 3.The Dock Rig. Most hook brands have designs specifically for this application, like Mustad’s Power Lock Plus Series of hooks. The twist lock with prevent the nose from tearing every fish and you will only have to worry about the tail being biten off. “The lighter the weight, the more of that head-wobble action you’re going to get,” Lawrence says. Andy Poss unleashed a storm of swimbait sales across the country when he introduced his Alabama Rig in 2009. By Kyle Peterson & McKeon Roberts • Apr 8, 2019. I hope you have patience because swimbait fishing is an all-day commitment. Our favorite way to throw them in open water is on a jig head. Probably one of the most common ways to rig a plastic, Texas rigging is ideal any time you’re fishing around any sort of snaggy cover – whether, rock, wood, or the eponymous vegetation. Jacob Wheeler relies on small to mid-sized paddle tail swimbaits to catch bass throughout the country. To rig your swimbait this way, take your hook and push it through the top of your bait all the way through the back of the swimbait. Most hook brands have designs specifically for this application, like Mustad’s Power Lock Plus Series of hooks. Similar rigs are these days distributed by Surecatch, Citer, Brad Job (Aussie Jigs), Headstart and Tackle Tactics as well as numerous other commercially made and cottage industry brands. Swimbaits - The Basics Basic swimbait fishing information, tips and techniques. 4 Swimbait Rigging Styles That Work Everywhere. Theories behind the Big Hammer design and what makes them "swim" so well. When you are around grass and cover it is best to rig them on a weedless belly weighted hook. However, its not ideal for fishing in heavy cover. The rigging you use with a swimbait lure will change based on the size of the lure and the style of the lure. Drop Shot. You can learn how to rig live bait on a simple fish hook, as well as the best practices for ensuring that your quarry are interested. You’ll often hear, or read in this case, me talk about perfection in the details. If you want to cast lures over two ounces, you’re going to have a hard time without a strong rod. Regardless of which rigging technique you use, please pay extremely close attention and take you time making sure the any time your hook enters or exits the bait it is precisely centered. Why do Big Hammer Swimbaits Have Better Action? The Tokyo Rig Swimbait is the perfect tool for extreme depths and maintaining bottom contact with a swimbait. Normally with a deep swimbait, a keep a slow, low and steady retrieve. How to Rig a Swimbait. 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. In 2009, when Andy Poss introduced his Alabama Rig, he released a wave of swimbait sales throughout the country. Turn the swimbait so that you are looking directly at the back of the bait. Breadcrumb. I tend to use a keeper called a Change-up or a weighted hook when I need it to be more weedless.” Former Bassmaster Elite series competitor and Bassmaster Open champion Paul Hirosky thinks that the swimbait is beautiful in many different ways. It is tough to pick the right weight and know exactly where you are at in the water column. Rigged with a Swimbait Hook This is the easiest and most basic way to rig a soft swimbait, like the TailGunR. This rig is commonly called a chin guard rig due to the first commercially made rig of this type being the Chinguard, which was produced by Tropical Lures. That could still be viewed somewhat as the basic setup. Learn how to properly rig these baits. Now, note where the hook will exit the top of the swimbait body. All you do is pitch the swimbait into the bed and let it sit there, and unless a bass truly hits the lure, it's easy to hook them on the outside of the mouth, which is not a legal tournament catch. HOW TO RIG A BIG HAMMER™ SWIMBAIT Page 1 STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 Step 4) Push the hook into the front of the swimbait slightly. The tinier, castable umbrella rig allowed five swimbaits to be introduced to the bass on bass rods and reels, thus loads of new swimbaits were available consequently. These extremely realistic baits are subtle, yet easy for bass to detect (strong vibrations) making them well-suited for clear and dirty water alike. Swimbait is a type of big bass lures that can carry fish ten pounds or more. The umbrella rig for bass. The smaller castable umbrella rig enabled 5 swimbaits to be presented to the bass on conventional bass rods and reels and there were a ton of new swimbaits to hit the market as a result. In the beginning, the actual Alabama Rig had 5 wires, each of which an angler would attach a jig head to and a swimbait would be placed on each jig head. Part III: More … The key is the twist lock swimbait hook. I have done well with it and it’s become really popular lately on an umbrella rig. Plus, run your swimbait through cover to pick up some great fish! Image. “What’s really cool about that line-thru, and I learn new things about it all the time, is each swimbait kind of has its own action when you rig it that way,” Lawrence adds. To rig a swimbait with a treble hook, place the hook at the bottom half of the swimbait and use a screw lock to keep the hook in place. Plus swimbait also covers a wide range of types of baits. By following Bertrand’s advice of experimenting with different hooks and jigheads, you can make sure you have the correct action for that day on the water. After inserting the tube into the swimbait’s nose, make a slight incision in the lure’s belly and thread your line through the tube and the lure’s belly. If you catch 20 fish and need another bait you just screw another one on your jig head, and you are ready to start catching! Kietech are super soft and that's what makes them have so much action. Texas rigging a swimbait can be an awesome way to catch fish in cover. To be perfectly honest, I prefer a Texas rigged swimbait over the keel weighted swimbait hooks most times. How to rig a Big Hammer swimbait. True lock head will save you time and money on the water! You have everything from the huge hard swimbaits to the solid plastic swimbaits, and the hollow bodies, all with different methods of rigging. But basically, the umbrella rig has five baits on the harness that you can cast and retrieve. Use these swimbait fishing tips to catch lunkers like this! We've found two hooks that consistently stand out from the crowd. That’s where Texas rigging comes into play. You can feel your way around with the bait. I rig on a 3/0 to 5/0 Keel weighted, spring lock 1/16-1/8 Oz maybe even a 1/4 if I want it to run deep. And I always rig the head on the outside of the swimbait. But now, you can find an umbrella rig to meet any rule requirement or desire you have. Rigged with a Swimbait Hook This is the easiest and most basic way to rig a soft swimbait, like the TailGunR. This set up allows for a natural presentation, with the swimbait moving through the water like a small baitfish. Looking at the swimbait from this direction will help you rig it straight. 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 second method is the weedless method. Traditional swimbait lead head set up’s can be hard to fish. how to rig a swimbait with a treble hook Written by on November 3, 2020 . How to rig a swimbait with a treble hook for prespawn bass. Check out this video on how to Texas rig a swimbait for additional information. 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