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How can I prevent short strikes when fishing swimbaits?

Great question! Short strikes can be incredibly frustrating when fishing with swimbaits, but there are several effective methods to help prevent them and increase your hook-up ratio. Based on the video context and my own experience as a bass fishing guide, here are some strategies you can try:

Follow-Up Bait: As mentioned in the video "Short Striking Your Swimbait? Follow Up with This!" by BassGeek, one effective method is to have a follow-up bait ready. If a bass short strikes your swimbait, quickly cast a soft jerkbait of similar size to the area where the strike occurred. This can often entice the bass to commit to the bite.
Downsize Your Swimbait: Sometimes, simply downsizing your swimbait can make a big difference. If you're using a larger swimbait and getting short strikes, try switching to a smaller size. This can make it easier for the bass to fully engulf the bait.
Change Your Retrieve: Varying your retrieve can also help. Try incorporating pauses or speed changes during your retrieve. For example, as mentioned in the video "STOP Fishing SWING HEADS Like This.. by BassFishingHQ," pausing your retrieve can trigger a reaction bite from bass that are following but not committing.
Use a Trailer Hook: Adding a trailer hook to your swimbait can help catch those short-striking bass. Make sure the trailer hook is appropriately sized so it doesn't affect the action of your swimbait.
Match the Hatch: Ensure your swimbait closely resembles the forage in the area. Bass are more likely to commit to a bait that looks natural. Pay attention to the size, color, and profile of the local baitfish.
Fish in Stained Water: As noted in the video "Avoid This Common Swimbait Fishing Mistake by Fish the Moment," fishing in areas with less water clarity can sometimes help. In clearer water, bass are more likely to follow and inspect your bait without committing. In stained water, they may be more aggressive and less cautious.
Use a Different Swimbait Style: If you're using a paddle tail swimbait, try switching to a different style like a boot tail or a segmented swimbait. Different actions can provoke different responses from bass.
Ensure Proper Hookset: Make sure you're not setting the hook too early. Wait until you feel the weight of the fish before setting the hook. This can be challenging, especially when you feel multiple "thunks," but patience is key.

Remember, bass fishing often requires a bit of experimentation to find what works best on any given day. Don't be afraid to try different techniques and adjust based on the behavior of the fish. Happy fishing, and tight lines!

If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask!

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Short Striking Your Swimbait? Follow Up with This! by BassGeek → fish okay so what you've got to think about is how far those fish you've really got to pay attention in your cast where was the last hits of that bait it's been a tough day of fishing and they're hitting right here beside of me figures huh anyway so you've got to pay attention to where the last hit is those fish will follow that swim bait so far before finally they turn off and they don't want to have anything to do with it most of the time it'll be as they as it gets closer to the boat i've seen them follow it all the way up and under the boat and actually got hit that way before now the follow-up bait so you've heard people talk about using a frog over a mat and throw a jig or some sort of you know flipping rig again the follow-up bait is simply this now you do want to match it to the size of your bait so if i'm throwing a five or six inch uh swim bait i'm gonna throw a five inch uh soft jerkbait now this hook i'm not gonna lie i had this on a four inch it's a i think it's a three ought belly weight so it's a little small i would definitely go with at least a four as it's wrapped around my tip always hate it when it gets wrapped around the tip anyway

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Short Striking Your Swimbait? Follow Up with This! by BassGeek → swim bait i always have this on deck somewhere it is on deck ready to go so that i can pick it up throw it out and hopefully catch those uh ornery bass that ain't wanting to eat my swim bait give it a try tell me what you think as always questions comments in the comment section below you guys know i love to talk about fishing with you hope you'll try the follow-up method and uh as always like it if you like it don't forget to subscribe make sure you ring that bell so you get the notifications when these videos come out guys i love all your support means the world to me and as always you guys rock

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Short Striking Your Swimbait? Follow Up with This! by BassGeek → they're hitting your swim bait like crazy but they just ain't eating it how do you get those fish to commit so like i said we've all been there we're throwing some sort of swim bait whether it be you know these the bigger swim baits or even the finesse swim baits or even an underspin they're getting hit now for you guys that don't know when you're throwing a swim bait you want to make sure you throw it out there and as you're reeling it back sometimes you're going to get hits you're going to feel do not set the hook until you feel the weight of the fish now the problem with that is sometimes you're gonna get multiple thunks okay so it's gonna be somebody you know we can probably put a beat to that anyway and no matter how calm you are no matter how under control you are and trust me it hurts it hurts i mean it there is nothing any more frustrating than that when you're reeling it in and they're just knocking the absolute fire out of it and not eating it sometimes you can downsize they'll eat it sometimes you can go to another spin big or small they'll eat it but i'm going to tell you one of the things that i've done that works almost a hundred percent of the time now you've seen me talk about this before when it comes to suspended

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Avoid This Common Swimbait Fishing Mistake by Fish the Moment → there's no technique out there that takes more commitment than the big swim bait i may only get five bites all day so i need to make them count got them good one really good one you know fishing a big swim bait is different than any other lure category you're gonna fish you have to sort of shift your mentality to not expect to get a lot of bites this is about quality it's not about quantity there we go number five randy started his day on the main lake point on the lower end of the lake we were facing the worst possible conditions for fishing a big swimbait there was no wind no clouds and sunny skies this usually makes the fish very inactive and they're more likely to follow the swim bait back to the boat especially in clear water than actually eat it the water in the area where randy started had five to eight feet of water visibility and with no wind or clouds the fish would not commit to the big swim bait after fishing several more main lake points and pockets in the clear water section of the lake randy decided to make a long run to the james river where the water had a lot less water clarity in this area of the lake the water had one to three feet of visibility usually when you have bright bluebird skies no wind

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STOP Fishing SWING HEADS Like This.. by BassFishingHQ → sudden you just kill it that bass will basically just run into your bait they they basically have to make the decision do i bite this thing or do i just swim on past it so there are a lot of times where i am bringing that bait across the bottom and i stop it and bam that's when a bass will actually pick it up so every time that i cast this bait out and make a retrieve i will pause it usually one or two times during the retrieve now if i find that every bass that i am catching is hitting it on the pause then i will do this a lot more than just once or twice during the retrieve i may up it to three or four times so that is something alone that can help you to get more bites than other anglers now the other thing that will really help you to get more bites with this bait is by using speed this is something again i use with a number of different techniques you know for example a deep diving crankbait sometimes the best way to catch big bass on a deep diving crankbait is by absolutely ripping that thing as fast as you can i mean just across the bottom and the same thing can happen with your swing head now the big thing when you are fishing a swing head fast that you

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Best Paddle Tail Swimbait Tips for Bass Fishing (These Work!) | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → line something where the bats are hiding where they can come out ambush fish and it's just a nice steady retrieve it's nothing real to to crazy I've got my rod tip down and I've got it to the side that way I can feel the strikes a lot better and I'm in the Hooksett position you don't want your rod sitting way up here I've got the line out but you know what your rod when you're casting this and when you're retrieving it unless your weight you want it right near the surface you say for example the weeds are right under the surface you don't want your rod way up here because you're not in the Hooksett position if a fish bites it you have to remember to bring your hook down you bring a rod down reel it up really quick that slack line and then set the hook it's kind of difficult to do so you got to keep your rod tip down here and just a nice slow steady retrieve works really well sometimes what I like to do when I'm retrieving I'll give it a pause if I see like a little hole in the weeds I like to drop it down the weeds I'll pause it let it kind of fill just flutter down in there and sometimes that'll draw a strike another way I like to fish it is burning it back and this is great when you have a just submergent buoys right under the surface you bring it back at a good

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