Keeping my rod at about the 11 o’clock position, I pop the rod a bit during my retrieve so the bait hops and slightly wakes the surface. I use a green pumpkin, a white or shad pattern, and then a black and blue. Because in a lot of fisheries, they are used to running down big shad, small carp, big bluegill, skipjack herring, even baby bass and other large forages. Question: James, what’s your second choice of new lures? Swimming a jig produces best when keying on any cover such as boat docks or aquatic vegetation that serves as an ambush point rather than fishing the lure along an open bank. But I haven’t found one that produces as much action or noise as the Rage Tail Shad does. Other jig trailers that work well for the swimming technique are 2- or 3-inch swimbaits, creature baits, double-tail plastic grubs and beaver-style baits. I've been playing with the Largo Shad from Storm since last fall. My favorite trailer is a plastic craw because its flat bottom glides through the water creating a more natural swimming action for my jig. The Storm Largo Shad is Wheeler's top choice in this bait category due to its seductive action and extreme durability. For american shad a 1 to 1/0 size hook is a good option. I will sometimes switch to a heaver jig such as a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce model if I want the jig to slide by the cover faster and trigger more reaction strikes. No votes so far! Product item Swim Shad 3" Soft Bait, which belongs in category Soft Swimbaits. Back in the 1980’s, anglers in Alabama, Wisconsin, Arkansas and some other states started swimming a jig around aquatic vegetation to catch bass. There is usually a little bit of current Jump to content. Fishing Line. “I start with one swivel that slides up and down the line and then attach a swivel. James Niggemeyer favors the Strike king Shadalicious as his swimbait of choice. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! This … Apr 25, 2015 - Photo by Travis Rathbone For generations, the white bucktail jig has been hailed as the most versatile lure ever. I leave the bait on the rod and use the same ones on my way home for bass fishing, equally as effective. A white jig with a pearl or white plastic trailer is the standard color combination, but bass tend to short strike this bright color combo at times, so I prefer a more subtle color scheme of a gray-and-blue jig with a blue trailer. It … 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. I retrieve my jig with a high-speed baitcast reel (7.1:1 or higher gear ratio) filled with 50-pound braid or 20-pound fluorocarbon line. I think simultaneously several guys were figuring it out and making jigs specifically designed for this technique to get better hook ups. Followers 1. How to fish a swim shad and buck tail. Artificial lures like shad darts are known to work better, but you might want to also carry live bait just to give it a chance. Brand of the product is Berkley. We caught up with Mike Bucca, Owner of Bull Shad Swimbaits on Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee to get a look out how he fishes his own swimbait. So we're always anxious to try the new ones that come out, looking for a little different swim that might entice more bass. There were guys in Alabama, Wisconsin, Arkansas and more using this technique 20 years ago and … This can be a great time for swim jig fishing. When bass hiding in weeds or under docks are reluctant to hit fast-moving lures such as a spinnerbait or buzz bait, try slowing down your presentation and tempting the fish with a swimming jig. The standard bass jig has always been a staple bottom-bouncing lure for decades, but the lure became more versatile when savvy anglers started swimming it for suspended bass. Then you have two swivels and attach a leader, hook, and D-Shad to each one,” he says. The quivering, undulating tails give them an alluring motion and send out vibrations that add an auditory appeal to lure a fish to strike. Whether you want to fish the Swim'n Caffeine Shad over submerged grass, swim it over brush piles or drag it through some bass beds, I believe you'll also be impressed by this bait. Jacob walks us through conventional jig head and weedless Texas rigging then expands on how he rigs the Largo Shad on the back of spinnerbaits and swim jigs. The double soft jerkbait rig or “Donkey Rig” as it is sometimes called is a great way to fish a D-Shad and you always have the chance at catching two fish at a time. originalDevice: deviceType:desktop, Storm 360 GT Coastal Largo Shad (link in description). A 1/4-ounce jig is my favorite size for the swimming jig tactic because it is light enough to keep the lure near the surface during my retrieve yet is heavy enough that I can still make long accurate pitches to my targets. Theyre are in Virginia and Maryland in the winter time and migrate North of New Jersey in the Summertime. section: | slug: 4-swimbait-rigging-styles-that-work-everywhere | route: article_single | Those are the real three colors that I fish with. Jacob walks us through conventional jig head and weedless Texas rigging then expands on how he rigs the Largo Shad on the back of spinnerbaits and swim jigs. Wheeler shares his top 4 rigging methods that allow paddle tail swimbaits to be fished through a variety of cover types and depths. Rip it, jig it, crawl it, hop it, troll it; even if you do nothing but cast and reel steadily, it'll get crushed. Mike doesn't buy into the "slower is better" swimbait mentality so get ready to have your eyes opened! Spring Swim Jig Fishing. “I swim it, flip it, everything.” Rocket Shad single spin spinner bait, any shad colored spinnerbait.....most of your tackle box could work. You will catch lots of 3-pound bass on a 6 to 10-inch shad swimbait. I retrieve the jig at a fast steady clip so it stays close to the surface. A barbless hook may be a good choice since you will likely just catch and release fishing. Why fish like them: These lures look like a real shad and the realism doesn't stop there. I get the same production regardless of color or whether they swim straight or not, excellent bait. This tactic works best for me in the fall when bass are hiding in the shady areas of docks and ambushing any shad that swim into their strike zone. Your goal is to present the bait at the level as the fish. site: sports | ptype: stories | pageType: stories | Small swimbaits have become a mainstay bass fishing lure and popular technique anytime fish are feeding on minnows and other small baitfish. Smaller shad will fall through the larger mesh holes. In addition to saving money, durability also reduces rigging time, equating to more casts made as well as expanding suitable applications. Key times to work fast moving jigs are in the spring during the shad spawn and in the fall when shad are in shallow water. I like the head and tail … Your casting net needs the correct mesh for the shad you are catching. Fast forward 25 years, and swimming a jig is a prominent pattern in fishing from coast to coast, from Wisconsin to Louisiana. Get live shad either at the bait shop or by using a cast net from a boat or the shore. Bass can also be caught during these times on spinnerbaits , buzz baits and Chatterbaits, but fishing pressure and cold font conditions can cause bass to ignore these lures, yet the subtle presentation of swimming a jig will still trigger reaction bites. 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. I started swimming a 1/4-ounce gray-and-blue Arkie jig tipped with a blue Guido Bug around boat docks on Lake of the Ozarks in the late 1980’s. Tom Use a pretty hefty size of monofilament fishing line like 12 pound up to 20 pound test depending on the size of fish you are planning on catching. It wasn’t until 2002 when the bucktail first got a run for its money. Most of the weight on the jig’s head is positioned towards the bottom of the jig so it will swim upright. Main Forum; All Content ... How to fish a swim shad and buck tail Sign in to follow this . BANK FISHING Trick to finding fish!!! The attraction also applies to their action when moving through the water. This is necessary to support the energy demands of spawning. Catch more fish from shore: catfish, bass, carp 11/11/2020 These fishing tips will change how you catch fish from the bank. Started by fishingbaby1999, November 9, 2017. One of the all time best softplastic swimbaits is the Keitech Easy Shiner. Most swim baits are primarily intended for casting but some work equally as well when trolled slowly astern of a moving boat. 3. The main difference between a standard casting jig and a jig designed for swimming is the head design. In the springtime, bass will start moving up into the shallows. How and Why to Fish the Rage Tail Shad. Be the first to rate this post. Niggemeyer: There are plenty of soft-plastic-surface lures on the market today. That’s when Storm unveiled its new swimbait, the WildEye Swim Shad. Edges and holes in the weeds are key locations for swimming a jig in the fall. Several folks have laid claim to creating the swim jig or the swim jig technique. I prefer the plastic craw and beaver-style trailers for a more subtle presentation, but switch to the swimbaits, creature baits and double-tail plastic grubs for fishing on the heavier baits to create plenty of tail action for more aggressive bass. I will be fishing off a pier. These extremely realistic baits are subtle, yet easy for bass to detect (strong vibrations) making them well-suited for clear and dirty water alike. Split shot reaper or a 1/8 oz dart head with a shad worm, take your pick. Three-and-a-half and four-and-a-half inches are my favorite sizes, though I have caught fish on all sizes. In each case, his trailer of choice is the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Meaty Chunk, his all-around favorite. Swim jigs feature a pointed nose with a vertical line tie so the lure swims through the water column and easily slips through cover. Some of the best weeds for swimming jigs are lily pads, water willows, milfoil, matted maiden cane and hydrilla with a tapered edge that forms a cavern underneath the weeds. Why do you like it? Question: This is a goofy-looking chunk of rubber. 6-keys: sports/wired2fish//// Key times to work fast moving jigs are in the spring during the shad spawn and in the fall when shad are in shallow water. “This is the only chunk I swim,” he said. A 4-12 pound monofilament line will work just fine for shad. Niggemeyer: The Rage Tail Shad. The beauty of the Storm Shad is that there is no wrong way to fish one. Trolled too quickly swimbaits with paddle-tails will either spin or capsize, immediately losing all fish-catching ability. Hooks. Use a net if you want to catch smaller fish to use as bait. People will throw the big baits for a handful of casts and then go back to their smaller offerings. Tie on a Gamakatsu Weighted Superline Extra Wide Gap Hook size 2/0. What is the proper retrieve speed and jerks? As you drift over the structure, look for marks on the fishfinder and pay close attention to the depths of those marks. The Shadalicious is my favorite swim bait. 2. Shad swimbait, Huddleston Deluze shad swimbait, Basstrix 5" shad paddle tail hollow body swimbait. They will still eat a swim jig which makes it such a productive way to catch fish year-round. As the shad spawn starts, he’ll switch to a white or shad-colored jig, which he pairs with a white chunk. 4. Advertisement Priced at $4.59 per 7-pack, you can find the Strike King KVD Perfect Plastic Swim'n Caffeine Shad at Tacklewarehouse.com and many retailers nationwide. Storms are my go to snook and tarpon lures and really produce, very very slow retrieve and let the current do most of the work. Casting jigs have more or a round head or a flat-bottom head so the lure can stand up on the bottom. Striped bass is a popular game fish found in the nearshore waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. The colors that I use, I use basically three different colors. As I mentioned before, these deepwater bass aren’t feeding, and as a result, they won’t swim very far … A green pumpkin or watermelon seed jig tipped with a plastic trailer in the same color also works for swimming a jig when bass are feeding on bluegill. Catching Fish With Storm Wild Eye Swim Shad in Ohio I have been thinking to try these wild eye shads for a while and finally I bought a pack of Pearl at Walmart. 10 Record-Setting Fish Caught In Utah This Season, 4 Tips To Prevent Your Feet From Freezing This Winter, Everything You Want To Know About The 10,000 Fish Yoto Worm, How The Army Uses Christmas Trees To Make Fishing Better, 10 Fishing Tips That Will Help You Catch A New Personal Best Bass. A typical shad casting net is 7 ft (2.1 m) in circumference, weighing 1 ⁄ 2 pound (230 g) with 1 ⁄ 2 inch (1.3 cm) mesh. Try using a swim jig in areas near shallow spawning grounds. As bass start to stage in the pre-spawn, they’ll start feeding more aggressively. So effective is its ability to catch any fish anywhere, bucktails were once stocked in military-issue survival kits. Jacob Wheeler relies on small to mid-sized paddle tail swimbaits to catch bass throughout the country. Keitech Easy Shiner. Bass can also be caught during these times on spinnerbaits, buzz baits and Chatterbaits, but fishing pressure and cold font conditions can cause bass to ignore these lures, yet the subtle presentation of swimming a jig will still trigger reaction bites. This specific item has a rating of 5. The real three colors that i use a net if you want to catch any anywhere. Will fall through the water larger mesh holes how to fish a swim.... A flat-bottom head so the lure can stand up on the rod and use the ones... Hook may be a great time for swim jig which makes it such a productive way to the! 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