Swimbait Sink Rates Explained

Does anyone else remember when swimbait fishing was simple? Not only were you the only guy on the lake throwing a swimbait but you only had 3 or 4 legitimate options when it came to choosing a bait. Now there are so many brands and models that it can get really confusing knowing what bait you need. Let’s say you finally made the decision to buy an 8″ Huddleston Deluxe and you even chose the color. You would think all the decision making would be over but its not! Now you have to choose between 4 different sink rates, also known as “rates of fall” or “ROF”.
Multiple people have been asking about these different sink rates as well as about the rigging options for each model. I hope this video sheds a little more light on the subject. My personal rule of thumb is to fish the lightest model available that still has a molded in jig hook protruding from the back.

Fall Swimbait Fishing

Since filming the post, “Which swimbait should you choose” I’ve had quite a few questions come in about how to fish the baits as the water cools. Throwing a swimbait in late fall and into winter is very different from the rest of the year. Its no longer about trying to attract big fish from a long distance or about getting them to react to the bait. Instead, your goal is to present a big, slow meal and do it in a way that appears very easy to eat. I’ll likely follow this post up with another that shows a simple modification that will allow your baits to kick at slower speeds so that you can more easily target cold water fish.
All of the questions about how to catch these fish inspired me to actually get out from behind the computer screen and head to the lake. Luckily the fish were right where I expected them to be and I was rewarded with a gorgeous Northern California bass. She weighed in at 8.85 lbs and as the video shows, was caught creeping a swimbait along the bottom in 30-35 feet of water. If you watch closely you see me bump into a rock and then she crushes the bait!

What color swimbait should you choose?

Across the nation bass feed on a variety of prey species. Swimbait manufactures were quick to pick up on this and produce baits to match nearly any forage available to bass. On a typical store shelf you can find swimbaits that match everything from a rat, to a trout, to a goby. Without direction your only real option is to buy them all and see what works for you.
The good news is I already did the hard work for you! Over the last 10 years I’ve purchased nearly every swimbait to hit the market (with few exceptions) and have tried them in a dizzying array of colors. I’ve compiled all of that information into this quick video. I don’t cover every bait but I have a few quick tips that will help you select the right color for your situation.
You don’t need box after box of swimbaits, stick to the basics and you’ll do just fine. In fact, you’ll usually do better than the guy who spends all day digging through his boxes looking for the “magic” bait.

What swimbait colors do you have confidence in? Have your best days been on the realistic colors of some of the more extreme options? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Simple Swimbait Modifications

You don’t have to spend more than a couple days on Clearlake (or most other lakes) in the Spring to realize that, 1) you should be wearing a hard hat while you fish with as close together as all the boats get. 2) that the fish are beginning to see TONS of swimbaits. And 3) that you need to do something to stand out from the crowd. There are all sorts of modifications you can make to a bait but here are a couple simple ones that can be completed in a matter of minutes to make your bait unique. This video shows how to add gills and front fins to a Huddleston Deluxe 8″ trout but it can be applied to any swimbait to help you get more bites, even under pressured conditions.

Would you like to see other modifications? Let me know via the contact page or comments  and I’ll get the camera rolling. Enjoy!