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How do you choose the right size swimbait for different water temperatures?
When selecting the appropriate size swimbait for varying water temperatures, there are several factors to consider. These factors include the combination of the lake you're fishing, the size of the bass in the lake, water temperature, water visibility, and the average depth that the fish are using at that time of year.
In colder water temperatures, such as during the dead of winter, it seems that bass prefer a smaller profile swimbait. This could be due to the fact that fish are less active and less willing to chase larger baits. A smaller swimbait, around 2.8 to 3 inches, may be more effective during these super cold times of the year.
As the water temperature starts to rise during the pre-spawn period, typically when it increases by about five to ten degrees, the size of the baitfish also increases. This is when larger swimbaits, around 5 inches or larger, can be more effective. Gizzard shad and threadfin shad, which are common baitfish, tend to grow larger during this time.
Additionally, the type of swimbait can also play a role in selecting the appropriate size. Hollow body swimbaits, like the Spark Chad, can be effective when fish are a bit more finicky and the water temperatures are below 50 degrees. These smaller swimbaits, around 3 inches, have a smaller profile and less action.
It's important to note that these guidelines are not set in stone and can vary depending on the specific fishing conditions and the preferences of the bass in a particular lake. It's always a good idea to experiment with different sizes and observe the fish's response to determine what works best in a given situation.
If you have any specific questions or need further clarification, please let me know.
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How to Choose The Correct Swimbait Profile | FTM Live Stream #74 by Bass Fishing Declassified → and i have a bunch of things that i focus on when i'm fishing offshore with swim baits but i know that randy has other things that he focuses on when he's fishing up shallows so we're going to kind of cover both spectrums there and give you guys some good stuff to think about but starting off here randy do you just have some high level guidelines on profiles maybe just take a one minute just quick summary just to kind of get us started here yeah i think a lot of it depends on like i said it's the combination of a lot of different things it's a combination of the lake you're fishing the size of the bass in the lake in general the water temperature water visibility and the average depth that the fish are using that time of year another thing that's really key in my opinion from what i found out all over the country is when you're in the dead of winter like we are right now where like right now our water temperatures all across the country are about at their coldest point right now it seems like to me that they want a smaller profile swim bait during those super cold times of the year but as you progress more into the pre-spawn when that water temperature starts rising up another five to ten degrees that's when the gizzard shad and the threadfin shad are the largest that they are
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How To Choose The Right Swimbait! (Underwater Swimbait Footage) by TacticalBassin → it's that hard aggressive thump so it's got to be a warmer day when fish want to eat it just has to be and I will insist that in the really cold water you stick with the six inch rather than the five inch it just has a better swim the five inch is a tighter vibration I crush with it in the spring and the summer but that does not Shine for me in the winter I want that longer bait with a little bit more tail movement now the last category that I want to talk about is if your fish do move up that same thing talking about throwing like an S waiver 168 out here on the river there are fish to get up in three to five feet of water in the middle of winter here they do it's not like everywhere else they're also fishing 15 to 30. but some of these fish are shallow a great place to Target those fish or a great bait to Target them with is a MAG draft the mag draft you've got a couple Styles you've got the standard mag draft and then you've got the freestyle okay think of the the main mag draft as up and over think of the freestyle as down and through what I mean is when fish get up around shallow cover whether that be moving up on a rock bar moving up on a shallow Point getting around
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Swimbaits and Underspins - All The Info (Winter Fishing) by TacticalBassin → bait balls pushing up on the shore maybe you're in a northern fishery where you don't have shad at all maybe your lake is just pretty clear pretty sterile doesn't have tons of bait I will always lean to that swim bait and then again talking about that hook size hook size has a couple of factors obviously you can pair them to the size of the bass so that Matt allen head is pairing up great with a 4.3 or a 4.8 that's smaller size the tactical finesse is pairing up great with a three point three a three point eight a 4.3 but we'll still throw a 4.8 but it's more than just getting them to match when you're changing the hook size you can also change your gear when the going gets tough you will get a lot more bites on a really light line when the going gets tough in cold water the fish don't pull is hard anyway so go Light Lime that was why we built that finesse head because there was a time when you just didn't need that bigger hook and in fact it's hurting you if you drop down in line you get down to a 10 or 12 pound line you can still throw a half ounce swim bait you throw a 4.8 on a half ounce head but set it with 10 pound line and you're going to get way more bites
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How to Choose The Correct Swimbait Profile | FTM Live Stream #74 by Bass Fishing Declassified → hollow body swimbait or that mag draw freestyle and when those fish are a little bit more finicky water temperatures are below 50 degrees i go to the spark chad here's a quick reminder of some of the upcoming seminars we're offering on fishthemoment.com these seminars are three hours long and are packed with graphics and highly detailed information about specific fishing techniques and bass behavior also check out our seasonal lake breakdowns where we offer 40 gps waypoints on lakes all across the country by season all this is available at fishthemoment.com that has a smaller profile a little bit smaller action really just go with that three inch size now we'll get into hooks and weights and all this stuff because that's another topic we want to get into but for now randy i want to toss it back over to you and kind of get your opinion on what baits you throw well one of the things i definitely agree with you on johnny is i don't throw a lot of those intermediate-sized swim baits i'm either throwing the smaller 2.8 three point size or the five inch and larger now as far as like a shallow water application this time of year actually from december up until probably uh the mid part of february most all the time i'm throwing three-inch swim bait like the uh you know just just like the spark the three-inch mega bass spark chad
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Fishing Swimbaits for Big Bass in the Winter by Wired2Fish → water down there and 20 foot of water and you're winding super slow it still has a really good action that obviously made the fish bite today so check it out four inch swimmer the fish a little more active the water gets up in the high 40s 50s you know you might up size 2 to the 5 ounce and if your to the 5 inch and if you're going to want to fish a little bit deeper I might you know go up to a three-quarter ounce head on that bigger bait because it does have a harder kick which is going to cause it to lift more so a heavier head will keep it down there on the bottom when you're trying to reach those fish in 24 the water
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What Size Baits Should You Fish With? by TacticalBassin → correct at different times or just your different fishing style and your goals do you want to take it away first talking about winter time finesse why that works a little bit of that sure yeah winter time finesse you know cold cold water fifty degrees lower kit you know 45 you know sometimes I'll throw a super small micro hair jig it's real important to match the hatch you get a reel remember that fish are real lethargic the water temps are really cold and the fish don't want to travel very far to eat that baits you got to soak in front of their face you know real real small baits real small presentations and match the hatch and it puts a lot of fish in the boat you know and I agree 100% with all of that where I very just a little bit is if you specifically want to catch a giant fish and I think that's where that discussion always comes in online you can absolutely pick up a seven-inch worm in January and catch a monster fish we are not arguing that at all but if you want to target that fish if that's specifically what you're looking for we recommend going to a big bait up the reason for that the idea behind it let me hit it on the head with match to hatch you know if you're trying to fill a limit and you're out there in the
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