8-13 on a swimbait today!!! 2024

paul. reply :

i said it in yesterday's post. i was ready for a lunker. well, thankfully it happened sooner rather than later. i got this long, lean 8-13 on one of my new favorite baits today - the tru tungsten tru life bluegill. this big girl is now my swimbait pb. 8-)

earlier this year, i made some difficult decisions which i was really honestly starting to regret. but i have been determined to stick to my guns despite some "growing pains." after catching a few good fish early, i decided i was going to do some things differently for the rest of the year. i was going to learn swimbaits and catch some big fish on them, no matter what it took. i was going to stop relying so heavily on live bait to produce lunkers. i was going to start trying new spots and methods. in short, i was going to quit trying to rely so heavily on the things that have worked for me in the past and actually try to become a better, more versatile fisherman. finally, it seems i might be starting to see some dividends.

i was out at one of my favorite lakes this afternoon armed with my swimbait rod and the tt bluegill. i resisted the urge to even bring another rod or other baits to prevent me from giving up on the swimbait. this is what i have been doing a lot of lately to force myself to learn these baits. after about 10 minutes of casting, i noticed a BIG wake in the the shallows-a lunker on the prowl!!! i focused a little more closely through my costas and actually saw the fish in the clear water - a hawg for sure. i cast the bait in the direction she was headed. no matter what you do on a cast, this bait makes a huge splash when it lands. but contrary to popular belief, i have learned that unless it lands right on top of one, this does not seem to spook fish. it actually seems to attract them. this biggun came right over and was literally inches from the bait. i had the bait in floating mode (no balls/weights inside) and gave it a twitch to "180" it. she absolutely came unglued. she flared out her gills and sucked it right in. i set the hook and started cranking with the big 7 foot rod and never looked back until this fish was in my hands. i learned this from matt (mattlures) and he is right on the money about how you need to fight a fish hooked on a big swimbait. i will not attempt to explain why, because he does a better job of it than me. i'll just say, "thank you matt!!!" now this fish is nowhere close to what matt, chris, jay, randall, and some other guys are getting on swimbaits. but after catching this one and one over 7 last month on swimbaits, maybe it's a start for me. sure hope so. i am going to continue on the journey towards becoming more proficient with these baits. here's some pix. hope y'all are catchin' some too.

Grey Wolf reply :

Nice bass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

paul. reply :

man! this sure is a big bait, ain't it? maybe it's too big. :-/

paul. reply :

now how big does it look? ;D

bpm2000 reply :

great representation of how "not big" that bait is!

Big-O reply :

WTG Paul, persistence paid off for you and great fish!

Big O

packman reply :

yea pretty big but it looks real as could be,but if it works id use it,maybe a size smaller

CJ reply :

Man Paul, I'm proud for you! Awesome catch and story(felt like I was there)!!!

Way to go!

mattm reply :

Awesome fish. The pic really puts in perspective how "big" the bait is.

Rob.Atl reply :

Nice job man im getting into swimbaits too there fun to use

rondef reply :

Thats one nice looking hawg you got there.

BassinAssassin171 reply :

good job paul! always crankin out those big bass

Newman12Fan reply :

I will be honest, I have 2 swim baits but no confidence in them because they are soooooo big, but man, that picture clears up that issue! They are not so big! GREAT fish! and GREAT photos! I will try again with them.

fourbizz reply :

Very cool Paul! Congrats!

Gary D. reply :

Awesome Fish!!!!!

Great Job!!!!

fishinfiend reply :

Great fish!! Looks like you need to change your name back to hawgcaller

What kind of swimbait is that?

paul. reply :

Quote
Looks like you need to change your name back to hawgcaller
What kind of swimbait is that?

nah, i'm done with hawg caller. i figure i've been here long enough that i can dispense with the formalities and just use my name. to answer your question buddy, that is a tru-tungsten tru life bluegill swimbait. otherwise known as "legal dynamite" for bigguns anywhere they are feeding on gills.

thanks to everyone for their kind words as always. maybe with fall coming on i'll luck up and get another nice one or 2 before year's end. good luck to all y'all too and remember, there's still room on the bandwagon. give swimbaiting a try.

.dsaavedra. reply :

paul you make me want to fish some swimbaits!!!!

i will have to get out there with the swimbaits i made and see if i can get some big ones (my swimbait PB is almost 2lbs).

great fish, i really like the 3rd photo!

Castamasta reply :

nice bass paul! might need to take up some swimbaiting myself

T-rig reply :

Awesome fish and great story Paul! 8-)

Bassn Blvd reply :

Way to go bro! I knew it was just a matter of time before you hooked into a lunker with the swimbait. She's a real beauty and a superb narrative.

Are you sure you didn't entice her with a live gill first though?

32251 reply :

Quote
i. i set the hook and started cranking with the big 7 foot rod and never looked back until this fish was in my hands. i learned this from matt (mattlures) and he is right on the money about how you need to fight a fish hooked on a big swimbait. i will not attempt to explain why, because he does a better job of it than me.

That is a fine fish.

I don't know though about the methods of just setting the hook and then reeling away until the fish is at the boat. With the big rod and the heavy line to throw the big swim bait....sounds more like salt water fishing to me.

I enjoy giving the fish a bit of a chance with modest line/rod weights and the sport and skill of playing the fish, adjusting drag, back reeling etc. Sometimes you win, sometimes the fish wins. This swim bait style of setting the hook and dragging them in......I don't know.

I watched the videos on the Huddleston website of the fellow catching those 15-19lb bass on the swim baits. Looked like he was fishing for Tuna or something.

Maybe I will try some of the smaller swims to see if I can use my regular set up and techniques with them.

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

I thought we were keeping that bait low key Paul??!!?? : ;D

Great fish, and I agree, Matt has been VERY helpful explaining the swimbait world.

-HAWK- reply :

Beautiful fish Paul! Its tough making changes in your fishing style. Especially during the blistering months of summer.

mdmaynard reply :

WOW, I think I'd probably pass out to catch a hawg that size....

Nice Job!!!!!!!!!!!!

paul. reply :

Quote
I thought we were keeping that bait low key Paul??!!?? : ;D
Great fish, and I agree, Matt has been VERY helpful explaining the swimbait world.

i just couldn't stand it any longer russ. this thing is just phenomenal in every way. ;D i've got a couple of other great swimbaits too, and i'll have more soon. matt, jay, randall, t-rig and some others have been great sources of info and knowledge. i honestly cannot thank these guys enough for all they've done to help. i have to give you props too buddy. you were the one who really got my attention about these baits. i had been thinking about using them for a while, but your posts pushed me over the edge and convinced me that it wasn't just a west coast thing. it's great having guys like y'all on here.

Rob.Atl reply :

Quote

Quote
i. i set the hook and started cranking with the big 7 foot rod and never looked back until this fish was in my hands. i learned this from matt (mattlures) and he is right on the money about how you need to fight a fish hooked on a big swimbait. i will not attempt to explain why, because he does a better job of it than me.

That is a fine fish.

I don't know though about the methods of just setting the hook and then reeling away until the fish is at the boat. With the big rod and the heavy line to throw the big swim bait....sounds more like salt water fishing to me.

I enjoy giving the fish a bit of a chance with modest line/rod weights and the sport and skill of playing the fish, adjusting drag, back reeling etc. Sometimes you win, sometimes the fish wins. This swim bait style of setting the hook and dragging them in......I don't know.

I watched the videos on the Huddleston website of the fellow catching those 15-19lb bass on the swim baits. Looked like he was fishing for Tuna or something.

Maybe I will try some of the smaller swims to see if I can use my regular set up and techniques with them.

you can try that but u may be dissapointed with a big fish and a big bait playing the fish is just not an option i learned that the hard way, if they jump or shake their heads u can usaully just say goodbye to that fish

Paul Roberts reply :

Congrats, Paul.

Mattlures reply :

Paul your a quick study. Congrats on a great swimbait fish!

mike bat reply :

Quote
now how big does it look? ;D

see all that red in that basses mouth ,, more on the lips ... a guy told me when you catch a bass that has a red in the lips and mouth ,,, its a sign that the bass has been smashing the baitfish ... im not sure how true that is ,,, but you did catch that fish on a gill bait ... looks like you were fishing what that bass was looking for ,,, nice one ... i have to go soulth or to cally in serch of these giant bass ...

.dsaavedra. reply :

Quote

Quote
now how big does it look? ;D

see all that red in that basses mouth ,, more on the lips ... a guy told me when you catch a bass that has a red in the lips and mouth ,,, its a sign that the bass has been smashing the baitfish ... im not sure how true that is ,,, but you did catch that fish on a gill bait ... looks like you were fishing what that bass was looking for ,,, nice one ... i have to go soulth or to cally in serch of these giant bass ...

i heard/read that when their teeth are dull and their lips are red it means theyre eating hard food like crawfish, and then their teeth are pretty sharp and they lips arent very irritated it meant they were feeding on softer prey like baitfish...

roadwarrior reply :

;D ;D WOO-HOO! ;D ;D

Just came across this thread.

Congratulations!

Great story, fine fish and nice pic.

8-)

Eddie Munster reply :

Nice fish Paul and great write up.

Glad to see you're humble enough to keep learning and very willing to give others credit where it's due. You're a great fisherman and even greater role model. Thanks.

Castamasta reply :

Quote
Nice fish Paul and great write up.
Glad to see you're humble enough to keep learning and very willing to give others credit where it's due. You're a great fisherman and even greater role model. Thanks.

words out of my mouth

Mrs. Matstone reply :

Congrats! Beautiful fish and I like your thought process on trying something new too. I often take something new I wanna try and work at it all day whether I am catching fish or not. I think it helps if you stick with one thing and give it some time. Often times people get stuck in a rut with their most reliable baits and neglect to try new things. Congrats to you for sticking to you guns. I am glad to see that you were rewarded with a nice hawg.

Paul Naj reply :

I totally agree. There's no better way to learn a new technique than to force yourself to focus on it and become better. Of course a fish like that will raise your confidence a notch or two. ;-)

Great job Paul

1669

8-13 on a swimbait today!!! 2024

related Fishing Reports topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed Fishing Reports topic