DE- Mystifying Swimbait Fishing
By Craig Gottwalls

If you are anything like me, you first viewed the swimbait craze with a jaundiced eye. I remember seeing the ocean rods, massive line, car-winch reels, and size 11 high-topped tennis shoe baits adorning the local pros at the sportsmen shows and thinking to myself, I just want to catch fish, I certainly don't need all that! I rationalized that I was not for, and did not need such Paul Bunyan-sized gear in order to compete in bass tournaments. Sound at all familiar ?

Someone Killed the Easter Bunny
And then one morning it clicked in my head. Approximately two years ago I listened to Kent Brown's Ultimate Bass radio show on a Saturday morning. It was the last day of the FLW Stren Event on Lake Shasta in 2006 and, as usual, Kent was interviewing some of the pros in the top 10. Mark Meddock ultimately won that event throwing an 8 inch soft plastic trout swimbait. Heading into the last day, Kent interviewed Gary Dobyns. At that time Gary was in no way, a swimbait aficionado. Gary is arguably the most successful tournament angler in the Western U.S. having won 39 fully rigged bass boats in 20 years of professional fishing. Giant rip baits and heavy spinnerbaits characterize Gary's aggressive fishing style. Until swimbaits came along, most considered those rips and spinnerbaits to be the big bait approach.

I smiled. Finally, the “ripping master” would dispel the myth that you need to throw swimbaits to win an event. Gary would go out with his Lucky Craft 128s (a 5 inch, 1 oz. rip bait) and show these swimbait guys that you could still do it with traditional “big baits.” I must have looked like a kid who'd just been told the Easter Bunny was dead when I heard Gary tell Kent that he just hoped to finish in the top 5 because this swimbait craze was certainly starting to be the go-to in many events. He almost conceded that his approach, at least for that event, could not compete with the Trout soft plastic swimbait. The Easter Bunny is dead.

Gary made a point from that day forward to learn to throw swimbaits. He makes his living fishing and he knew he needed to be on top of this new technique. Well, he learned them, indeed. Not only is his garage littered with what might be over 100 8 inch trout swinbaits, but he designed a rod with the express purpose of fishing the big swimbait all day long when he came out with his new rod company in January of 2007.

From that day forward, I researched swimbaits and swimbait fishing in a quest to bring this eccentric style of fishing down to the commoner's (my) level. I didn't want to be intimidated by the Paul Bunyan setups anymore. I too, wanted to chuck massive hunks of rubber into a lake and catch 8+ pound fish. It took me the better part of two years, but I'm there.

In this article I detail how I do it. I'm not saying my approach is the only or even the best approach, but I can tell you that it absolutely works. I would not even consider myself an accomplished or particularly skilled swimbait fisherman. But perhaps that is why I may be the best person to tell the story of how I overcame my fear and developed confidence in hurling the bait that killed the Easter Bunny.

Barriers to Success
There are mental, physical and equipment limitations to pitching 5-ounce, 8-inch rubber (or wood) baits around all day long. In fact, it was the words “all day” that always seemed to bother me. I like throwing my tubes, worms, crankbaits and jigs. I didn't want to abandon all of those “fun” lures in order to wield a gargantuan chunk of plastic on a hook. I'd hear all of those mind-numbing and endless clichés like, “You can't get bit unless the bait gets wet.” or, “The best way to catch a swimbait fish is just to go out and chuck it all day long!” Gee thanks, Einstein, I really appreciate the depth of your insight.

As far as physical limitations go, there is not much I can tell you. Yes, it does help to be younger, healthier and stronger because you are going to be tossing large, heavy baits on big gear with this approach. However, I have absolutely, unequivocally learned that the proper gear makes a massive difference in this world. I used to try and toss an 8 inch swimbait on a flipping stick that was not stout enough with a reel that did not have enough line capacity. It was Hell. It was tantamount to trying to eat your favorite t-bone steak with a huge serving of beans on a flimsy one-layer paper plate on your lap. It just doesn't work. You don't enjoy the experience nearly as much and eventually you get frustrated and grab the damned t-bone with your hand and eat it like a large slab of beef jerky. That is what I wanted to do with my swimbait. I wanted to grab it with my hand and wing it into the lake like a football.

Your swimbait rod needs to load-up and be designed to actually throw the bait you are fishing. Don't think you can just use your old trusty favorite flipping stick. You will end up hating the experience and your equipment shortcoming will cause a mental barrier. Spend the $100 to $200 and buy a rod made for throwing the baits you want to wield. I use the Dobyns 806 (that is an 8-foot, 6-power rod). Gary designed this rod with the 8 inch Trout soft plastic swimbait in mind. There are other good swimbait rods out there but I do suggest you find a friend or at least go to a dealer that will let you demonstrate their effectiveness. They don't all throw the bait equally well. The rod is, by far, the most important single piece of equipment in swimbait fishing. A poorly designed rod will wear you out and you will want to start pawing that t-bone angrily, so to speak.

Reels and line are also important, but there is more flexibility in these categories. Most folks like to throw their big swimbaits on 25 pound fluorocarbon or monofilament. Some folks like to throw braid. Others will tell you they don't like the fact that braid doesn't stretch for this application. I've experimented with all of the combinations and I like to use 20-pound McCoy line. McCoy is a hybrid style of line that most closely resembles a monofilament. It is outrageously strong and limber. If there is a complaint about McCoy, I hear guys saying that it “has too much stretch.” It does have a healthy degree of stretch in it, but frankly, for rip baits, crankbaits, and swimbaits I like that degree of stretch. I want that cushioning effect to keep from tearing the hooks out of the fish's mouth. And once you get up to 20-pound line, there really is not a whole lot of stretch unless you are catching fish over 20 pounds.

With respect to reels, you need a larger line capacity than the ordinary low-profile baitcasters most of us use for other applications. Generally, that means you will go to the larger circle-style reels like a Quantum Cabo, Shimano Calcutta 400, Diawa Luna 300 or the new Shimano Curado 300 (a lower profile baitcaster designed for swimbaits). If you are on a budget the Abu Garcia Ambassador reels also work just fine for less than $80. I tried putting my 20-pound McCoy on a Diawa Zillion and it just did not work. I could actually cast all of my line off in one long cast with that Dobyns Rod. There simply is not enough space for all of the line you will need.

Lastly, I prefer a 5 to 1 gear ratio for two reasons. One, it forces me to slow down and I (along with most anglers) have a tendency to fish swimbaits too fast. And two, it provides more winching power than a faster speed reel when you are reeling in your bait or a huge bass. It makes a difference and makes it easier to fish that large bait for more hours during the day. Again, anglers will differ on this issue, but for deep diving crankbaits and big swimbaits I really do prefer the comfort of a slower speed reel.

Your own mind, however, operates as the greatest impediment to swimbait fishing. That talk of throwing it “all day” just haunted me as I thought about dabbling with the oversized lures. What if I didn't want to throw it all day (and I didn't). How could I incorporate it into a more ordinary style of fishing and slowly build confidence and success?

An Elementary Approach
You are never going to effectively put the trolling motor down and pound a stretch of bank or a cove with a swimbait in your hand. You might catch a big fish here or there doing so, but you'll wear out and get tired of all of the inefficient casts you are making. My research revealed to me that your highest percentage of fish is going to come on points. Yes, you will absolutely catch fish on and near underwater ridges, rock piles and boulders too, but for simplicity, if you just focus on points you have a great start. (If you know where the boulders, piles, and ridges are – then great – you can incorporate them into this approach, but if you don't, you can simply focus only on points).

Begin by selecting one or two of your favorite swimbaits and rigging them up. If you only have one swimbait rod, then you'll only have one rigged, but I like to use two. I'll often rig up a fast sinking 8 inch soft plastic swimbait and an 8-inch or 12-inch Triple Trout (hard bodied three piece swimbait). You are going to make 3 casts per point with that bait. You will alternate points. On the first point, for example, I'll make 3 casts with the 8 inch soft plastic swimbait and then on the 2nd point I'll make 3 casts with the Triple Trout. The third point brings me back to the Hudd and so on.

Next, I'll have my two favorite large (non swimbait) reaction baits tied on. For example, I might have a deep-diving crankbait, spinnerbait, large rip bait or a big (3/4 oz. or 1 oz.) tied on. You could also toss a “small” swimbait in this category like a Money Minnow or a Basstrix Paddletail. Now you have 4 rods on the deck.

Lastly you may pick just one finesse bait and tie it on. This will be your 5th rod on the deck. It might be a darthead worm, tube, or smaller jig. You are only going to make one cast per point with this rod.

My goal in approaching each point (or rock pile, boulder or ridge) is to make 3 casts with the swimbait, 2 casts with a large reaction bait and then one last cast with a finesse bait. Approach each point from the downwind side such that the nose of your boat is facing into the breeze. If the breeze is blowing directly onto the point squarely, then it will not matter as much which side you approach from. I want to stay as far off of the point as I can with my boat in 15 to 20 feet of water. You need to be able to throw your swimbait over (not on) the point. If you plop your blob of rubber right on the top of the point you greatly reduce your chance of getting bit.

Kill the big motor far from your point (at least 75 yards) and troll over to the side of the point. Keep your trolling motor on a low setting. You are stalking the biggest and smartest fish with this approach and you do not need extra noise alerting them to your arrival. I would turn off all sonar units too, unless you absolutely need one to tell you how deep you are (you shouldn't, though, as you should be pretty close to shore and able to eyeball about how deep you are).

On my first point, I'll pick up my 8 inch Trout soft plastic swimbait and cast it into about 30 feet of water as far across the ridge of the point as I can. I will then let it sink down to the bottom or near the bottom and begin reeling very slowly. I want that bait to just barely swim and if it is sinking while it is swimming that is great. In fact, ideally, you want that bait to slowly and lazily swim right into that point and gently bump it as you drag it over the ridge of the point.

Yes, this is an expensive bait and you don't want to lose it. I realize many of you are thinking that you don't want that bait anywhere near the bottom, but remember, you are using 20 to 25 pound line. If you get hung up, give the bait some slack and troll over to the other side of the bait. Nine out of ten times you will pop it free if you pull from the opposite side that you cast from. At that juncture you must also move to the next point as you will have ruined that one – but that is okay, it is just part of what happens.

The second cast will be the same except it will be into 20 feet instead of 30 feet. And the third cast is the same again but into 10 feet of water. So, I will have effectively made three fanning casts over the point while holding my boat in one position. All of my casts have been with one swimbait. Incidentally, on the second point my casts will start and 10 feet and then go to 20 feet and finally to 30 feet. I'll keep experimenting back and forth from deep to shallow and then shallow to deep to see which method works better on that day.

At this juncture the true swimbait junkies fire up the big motor and run to the next point. I'm not quite that addicted yet. I've just taken the time to put myself in the perfect position on a point and all that I've established is that the big ones aren't ready to eat my swimmer yet. But how do I know I can't catch a good fish on a different application?

Cast numbers 4 and 5 are with my favorite large reaction bait. For me that is probably a Lucky Craft Staycee 90. I get two casts with that bait. I'll throw one into 20 feet and one in to 10 feet over the point just as I did with the swimbait. Again, on the next point I might switch to a crankbait or spinnerbait. The idea is to have two of your favorites on the deck an switch back and forth between them from point to point until the fish reveal to you which one they prefer that day. If you run 15 points and don't get bit on either of them, then pull out two different ones and try those for 10 to 15 points. But only keep two on the deck.

My sixth cast concludes my time on the point. That cast will be with a small jig, tube or darthead. At heart, I'm still just a kid and I still do just want to catch some fish. I feel that these baits give me the best chances. Otherwise, I'd leave that point and in the back of my mind there would be a little devil and that devil would say to me, “You are an idiot. There was a 3.5 pounder sitting on that point in 20 feet of water and all he really wanted was one slow moving tube. If you'd shown him that, he would have eaten.” So, I must indulge myself and allow just one cast with a “wimpy” bait!

How many points you hit in a day will depend on how far you want to take this. You will need to hit a minimum of 25 points to really give this technique a fair shake. I'd suggest you aim for 30 to 60 points. I have never run more than 55 in a day. That is a lot. I've heard of guys who say they have run 100 or more. Wow. More power to them. That is a lot of up and down and movement. You will also run into guys that may only make 2 or 3 casts per point and may never put the swimbait down at all. Again, those folks are bitten so badly by the bug that they don't need a system like this to stay interested.

My approach is designed to break up the monotony of only throwing big baits, mix in other approaches and still feel like you are maximizing fish catching opportunities. With the 3, 2, 1 approach you are making 6 casts per point and covering different depths with different baits and targeting fish with different levels of aggression at that moment. Yet, the focus is still on big baits (especially swimbaits) and catching larger fish and covering more water. The approach, in my opinion, works best when fishing alone, but certainly can be done with two people. I then run a 4, 2, 2 with each guy making 2, 1, and 1 casts.

One last thing to keep in mind before doing this is to make sure you have a good quality cranking battery in your boat and you are fully charged. If you are going to run 30 to 60 points in this style you are not only going to put yourself to the test and get a nice workout in the process, but you may also find that your cranking battery is not up to that many starts in a day. (You may want to see “Power Up” on page 30 of the Nov/Dec. 2007 BassWest to learn more about the kind of cranking power you may need for this many starts in a day).

So what happened the very first time I put my system to the test in the field? I stuck a 7-pound largemouth on cast 2 of point 9 on Lake Berryessa. And I was absolutely hammered again on cast 3 of point 22 but failed to hook up.

Special Thanks: Frankly, I could not have written this article without help from the following anglers that contributed to my research on this topic in the form of books, interviews, seminars, and personal time on the water – Gary Dobyns, John Gray, Aaron Martens, Bill Siemental and his book the Big Bass Zone, Chad Martin, Phil Clark, Ryan White, Mike Tobey, Kent Brown, & Russ Graves.

Craig Gottwals is sponsored by: Dobyns Rod Company, Galaxie Marine, McCoy Fishing Line, Basscat Boats, Liberty Benefit Insurance Services, Melissa Messer of Liberty Mutual, Health Net, Auburn Nissan, Costa Del Mar, United Healthcare, CIGNA & United Concordia.
Craig can be reached for questions or comments regarding this article or any of his sponsors at ctgottwals@yahoo.com