Swimbaits On Tour
Told You So

Thursday, May 3, 2007
by Bill Siemantel and Michael Jones

First, we told you so. For years, we've preached the power of big baits applied judiciously and the results are just starting to show. What Amistad clearly proved is that the primary mindset of any big-bait angler should be: Know when not to throw them.

After a respectable time on the water at Amistad, one thing was clear to the BBZ – Amistad is a lead-pipe, can't-miss jig lake for anyone who can see the potential. If you're not throwing a jig at Amistad, you're missing a prime strength of this structure-laden impoundment.

Steve Kennedy threw a swimbait and shattered records at California's Clear Lake, but the columnists raise the question of whether he worked the bait to its optimal performance level.

The point here should be obvious: You can't ignore what produces fish most of the time at any lake. For the BBZ angler, the goal then becomes to recognize when the swimbait is a productive tool.

Those anglers who recognized this critical piece of big-bait fishing strategy triumphed. Others, however, clearly struggled to infuse swimbaits into their daily programs.

Even those fishermen who found themselves on the leaderboard as a result of their swimbait acumen voiced some misconceptions that need to be addressed. First, there was a comment about the lack of wind killing the swimbait action. For any BBZ reader, such remarks should send up red flares. Although windy conditions are things to be savored, they do not, categorically, dictate the strength of a swimbait bite.

In fact, calm conditions can produce epic results, especially when bass are tracking lures to the boat. These are the times when visual confirmation of bass interest in big baits can be a huge plus-factor in determining when and where to throw them.

As a result, the swimbait's "sphere of influence" wasn't strong enough to produce many strikes, and those who quickly shifted back to the jig were able to salvage the day.

When the tournament emphasis shifted to northern California, the results at Clear Lake pointed up another deficiency in the professional approach. In and of itself, the slow-roll retrieve only gives bass one dimension to ponder, i.e. a slow-moving, highly realistic target. Without blending in an uphill retrieve punctuated with directional changes, the effect of swimbaits is muted.

Directional changes – the sudden flares and movements dictated by angler input - make a huge difference. Whether the wind is blowing or not, these are often the moments when fish decide to strike. This is when a fisherman forces a reaction.

As a result, it's difficult to measure the relative effectiveness of swimbaits in any tournament when the lures aren't being presented at optimum levels. We can only assume that the productivity of swimbaits will suffer when retrieved in a one-dimensional fashion.

Until someone steps up and tries to understand the philosophy of swimbaits as tools, the competitive results will continue to be scattershot.

Editor's note: Columnists Michael Jones and Bill Siemantel are the authors of a comprehensive 288-page book titled Big Bass Zone. It's guaranteed to change the way you fish. For more information, or to order, click here.

Also, the BBZ-1 swimbait, designed by Bill Siemantel specificallly for techniques discussed in the BBZ, is now available from Spro. For more info on the bait, click here.