Downsizing Swimbaits In The East

I wrote an article several years ago on titled "Swimbaits are Swimming East. The article was how you can catch bass in the East on Swimbaits just like the West Coast anglers are doing.

Well, now, it seems, East coast anglers are still using swimbaits but smaller versions of the ones used in the West. That makes since to me since I haven't seen to many 22 pound bass here in the East. What you have to realize though is a 5 pound bass can eat a 13 inch swimbait with ease, so personally, I still use some good size swimbaits.

Fishing swimbaits don't have to be a hard thing to do here in the East, you can fish them just like any other lure. For suspended bass try to locate the baitfish and then fish where they are using the drop-shot method. I used a bluegill imitation in the summer and have had pretty good luck with it.

You can also Carolina rig the swimbait and drag it to stir up the bottom, the only bad part about this is the hooks get stuck on the bottom a lot but it still works. If you reel a little faster the swimbait can still stir up the bottom a little and won't get hooked as much and it will have more action. I try to keep my lure right above the bottom where it stirs up some and still has the swimming action I want.

Another way to fish a swimbait is to jig it. Just throw the lure out by the cover you want to fish, move the rod tip up and down about a foot each time from the bottom and jig fish.

One of the ways I like to fish a swimbait when I know there are lunker size bass in the lake is to just let it sit. I do want to say one thing about this method, it takes patience! Just throw the lure out and let it sit, I have seen this method take two hours for the bass to finally go after the lure but it was a real nice bass and well worth the time when I brought old granddad up on the boat. I was fishing in a strip pit and I could see him looking at the lure, he would swim around it, go back down and was pretty cautious. I figured he could see me if I could see him, so that is probably why it took so long for him to strike.

If you're not fishing swimbaits in the east, you're missing a lot of monster size bass.

Charles E. White has fished over 50 years for bass from California to Florida. In his lifetime, it is estimated that he has caught over 6,000 bass. His biggest bass is a 12 pound 14 ounce that hangs on his wall in his office. His tips and techniques have helped many people who have never fished for bass before become successful anglers. He also has fished with the Pros in Florida. You can get his free report with bass fishing tips from over 50 years of bass fishing experience and tips from the pros at: http://www.bassfishingchronicle.com/bass_fishing_tips_report/bass_fishing_tips_report.html