The Baits

There are a couple of different brands of swimbaits on the market that fit into the small swimbait category. The most well known are Big Hammer, Fish Trap, Worm King, and AA.  I am sponsored by Big Hammer / Fishco Mfg. and fish their baits exclusively. I have a lot of confidence in the Big Hammer bait and it has produced a lot of nice fish for me. While the fish have shown a definite preference for the 5 and 5.5" baits over 4" and smaller baits, the color doesn't seem to matter very much.  I've caught fish on the rainbow trout, sardine, brownbait, and smelt colors with no discernable preference demonstrated by the fish even on the same day, same spot, etc.  If I had to pick one bait though, I would probably throw the #13 big hammer color, Silver Flash / Green Back. It's a great all around baitfish imitator.

There are only a few good leadheads on the market, and you are kidding yourself if you aren't fishing the Fischo Mfg. Head.  They use Mustad UltraPoint hooks and come painted or unpainted with the "googly eyes".  I use either 3/4 oz or 1 oz depending on the depth that I'm fishing.  I've caught a few fish dragging a 1.5 oz head across the bottom but this technique was only productive for a short period of time.  I haven't done much on the 1/2 heads for freshwater bass although I am always experimenting depending on the conditions.

Rigging the bait straight is VERY important and comes only with practice.  The most important thing is to thread the hook through the bait in one continuous movement.  If you stop half way and then keep going, you'll probably wind up going a slightly different direction and the bait will run lopsided.  As you thread the bait the hook will come out the back of the bait in the right position naturally.  If you find yourself stretching the plastic or bunching it up while you rig the bait, you are doing something wrong.  A good idea when you are first rigging baits is to hold the bait next to the jighead and mark where the hook should come out.  Aim for that spot and you should do ok.  I will sometimes add a little superglue to the head of the bait to keep it from sliding down the hook.  This isn't critical but is a good solution if your bait is chewed up and you don't want to rig another one.