Although, I tend to work jerkbaits more often to cover water and locate fish, over the past couple years the swimbait has become a crucial part of my arsenal. While working weed lines and thick weed areas, a jerkbait just isn’t possible as the trebles will snag up way too much.

There are a number of ways that you can rig a swimbait and most common is using a football jig head or standard swimbait jig head. The problem with this rig is it still catches and plows weeds in certain conditions. I have recently started rigging my swimbaits a little different by texas rigging and this has increased my catch significantly. With the new way that I have been rigging the swimbait, I have also incorporated sound and scent which really gets the fish going.

First the rod that I’m using for this application is a G Loomis JWR (Jig rod). This rod has an extremely fast tip with lots of back bone to get the fish out of the weeds. For a reel I’m using a Shimano Stradic which has the strength to pull the fish out of the weeds and has a really smooth drag. For Line, I’m using 20lb Power Pro.

Now for the rig. I first slip a bobber stop onto my line followed by a ¼ – ¾ oz bullet weight. I then place 1, 2 or event 3 beads behind the bullet weight. You can use different materials for your beads to create different pitches of sound. I then tie my line to a 5/0 EWG (Extra Wide Gap) hook. This allows me to rig the swimbait completely weedless. I like to marinate my swimbaits in a number of scents for a minimum of a week before deploying them.

While casting this rig, you can work it a number of ways. It’s diversity is what really makes it so effective. You can reel it straight in through weeds, dragging rocks or jerk it to get the beads really popping.

The next time you’re out on the water, give this a try and you won’t be disappointed. Also remember to have a follow up bait such as a senko or drop shot rigged and ready to go. If you have a follower that doesn’t commit to the bait, toss the follow up bait in immediately and this will also significantly increase your catch.

Yours In Boating