I am forcing myself to huck the big plugs and swimbaits more this year. I was wondering how many times do you end up hucking the big wood (or plastic) all day for nothing? Do you at least get a look or a strike during each outing or can it be so bleak there is great chance for nada on several trips? Just trying to mentally prepare myself. Thanks.


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Throwing the plug all day without a follower would be pretty brutal. I think most of us would pick up a jig or a worm after 6 hours of trout hucking dead water. You can usually expect at least 5 followers per day, sometimes more (hundreds). As for bites, 5 trout plug bites a day would be excellent. Typically you can expect 1 to 2. 3 would be above average.

It's good that you decided to throw trouts more, but don't limit yourself. You can get burnt out if you throw trouts every day for a week without a follower. If nothing's happening after a few hours, pick up another rod for awhile. I would suggest throwing trouts every time it gets windy. If it's calm and bright, do something else cause your chances of trout plug fish are pretty slim. Focus on windy afternoons, early mornings and late evenings.
-Brian

Well, there's always going to be days where it's almost impossible to get them to hit swimbaits. In my experience, I would say the days that it's tough to get a bite would be calm sunny days. I've spent hours on end throwing trouts in weather like that and the results have been pretty poor. On the other hand, just about every cloudy, stormy or windy day that I dedicate myself to throwing them, I catch fish, or at least get some sort of action.

I wouldn't say that you should only throw them on stormy days, but it's definitely a great way to build confidence.

I've thrown them a lot for nada, but the few times I've scored makes it worth it, and I haven't even come close to hitting the jackpot- watching guys like Cam throw them ALL day showed me that it takes a lot of effort but if you put in the time it pays off, it might be that last half hour when the wolfpack shows up and makes a slow day one to remember. We're lucky to have some guys on this board that have really got it wired, keep your eyes and ears open and you can learn a lot. It's definetly worth the effort involved.
Here's a medium one from Dixon on a day I figured they wouldn't want the swimbait- sheet glass, super clear, and 10 knuckleheads crowding the bank around the channel she came from- go figure!

Hey bassnet, nice fish :) That fish has a quite a tail on it.

Fongster, I get skunked all the time. I'm totally used to it by now!

How many followers you get depends a lot on water clarity. You'll get a lot more followers when the water is warmer as well, like in May and June.

I think if you take some plugs over to the vine and throw them consistently, you'll get at least one good fish this year. Let the conditions tell you what plug to use. If it's muddy or cloudy with choppy water, throw some Slammer. I don't know if Irvine has any wood, but the Slammer is great when you slowly crawl it around a piece of wood. If it's clear water, try a generic flat back swimbait or any one of the dozens of baits that are out now. I bet you'll get a good one.

>I get skunked all the time.

hahaha, you get skunked all the time. funny.

but right off the bat, I have to tell you that you are facing the toughest part of fishing swimbaits effectively, and that is catching those first few big fish, and thereby gaining the confidence needed to just keep fishing them.

I must say that I fished swimbaits (mainly the 9" Castaic trout) more last year than I ever have. I also caught far fewer fish (total numbers), than I can ever remember. But I also caught far more double digit bass (27) than I ever have also, which of course was my goal.

I guess I would have to say that I averaged about 1 fish every 3 days, or 30 hours on the water (for most of the year) and most of those fish were over 10 lbs.
I probably sighted, on average, 10 double digit bass per trip (most were followers) and had an average of one "swat, bump, tap, etc" every trip. This is where the fallacy of swimbaits having a low hooking percentage originates. I don't believe these half-hearted attempts really count as "missed fish". Because believe me, when that big momma hog decides she wants to eat that trout, she won't have any problem inhaling it in one big gulp ! And when she does, your hooking percentage will be very high ! Probably 90% plus !

Set up a "milk route" of spots, and work through each spot, making 3 to 5 casts on each stop. No need to fish one spot for hours. If a hog is there and looking for a trout, she will hammer it the first time she sees it..... or she won't hammer it at all. Do make as many rounds through your spots, as many times as possible during the course of a day though, as you never know when a monster bass will move up to feed.

Just my .02 cents,
Peace,
Fish Chris

Ha! I got motivated today and saw that although it was calm and sunny, there were a few thin filmy high clouds so I decided to hit it. I tossed the Osprey for 2 followers that were about 3.5 -4#. I then hucked the old style castaic softbody for nada (deadsticking it, float-twitch-twitch, and slow steady grind). The water was a bit murky but glassy. I didn't leave discouraged though. I fished from 1050 to 2 pm. Tossed an assalt spyder jig for only 20 minutes at the end--nada, too.


Big Hammer Swimbaits-Fishco/Hammerhead Jigheads
www.swimbait.com
Pro-Cure Scents
www.pro-cure.com

I always make it a point to throw the wood/plastic. I am partial to the MS Slammer after just purchasing one. I have gotten more follows on the Stocker Trout than any other bait. I find I get more follows on windy/rainy/overcast type of days too. Oh and the dang birds will not leave my MS Slammer alone ! I like to retrieve it really slow, so it just barely pushes a wake under the surface. So far, I have had a great blue heron, an Osprey at Irvine, and I have made cormorants do 180 during flight to come check out my slammer. Oh and one huge carp that I gacked across the back while trolling an old henrys at castaic. Man I thought I had a huge striper on !

I love launching the bombs.. even if it amounts to nada.. There's just something about the bigbaits.. =)

The only negative for me is when I pick up something really light--like my dropshot rig--directly after a 10 set of 12 repetition "swim-bo" workout.. something just doesn't feel right after.. I'll feel like an orchestra concerto conductor swingin his stick around.. I'd have to throw a crankbait or a heavier jig--at least a couple times--to get adjusted.. It might be just mental.. but I doubt it. Lotsa fun!