# bluegill imitator swim baits



## River Anglin (Feb 18, 2008)

I saw a guy using one of these bluegill imitators on VS this morning and I have to have one  I searched the internet and there are many different kinds. This one looked like a hinged wooden plug in 3 pieces. It swims like a real fish.

I can't find it. Anybody know what it is?

Or do you use a different one that you like?


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## barefoot boy (Mar 7, 2005)

Need more info. What show were you watching? Did you hear the name of the lure?


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## River Anglin (Feb 18, 2008)

barefoot boy said:


> Need more info. What show were you watching? Did you hear the name of the lure?


It was either Bass Edge @ 10:30 am or The Bass Pros @ 11:00 am. I think it was the latter. The episode was "Swim Baits". He did not say who makes it. I kept rewinding it to check. He just called it a bluegill imitator. Like I mentioned, there are many different "bluegill imitators" out there (a google search brings them right up). This one was unique, in 3 sections.


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## BassCrazy (Oct 11, 2007)

The show was the 'Bass Pros'. It will be rebroadcast a couple of more times this week, so see if you can catch the name of the company which manufactures it. The soft swimbait Quinn started with was the 'Basstrix Paddletail'. I didn't hear who made the bluegill imitator, but try this website. 

www.swimbaitcity.com

MattLures makes a nice looking bluegill imitator

Castaic Soft Baits also makes a sunfish imitation

Good Fishin'

Joe


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## bassattacker (Mar 14, 2007)

my uncle has one of the mattlures bluegill imitators and the action and life like looks are unreal, the pics of them online dont do it justice, we tried it in the sink just to see what it does and it swims just like a bluegill and also imitates feeding, the only prob i seen with the bait is although it is really life like its soft plastic so if u got into some monter fish you could end up with a $20 chewed up bait.


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## NitroFishing5 (Feb 1, 2008)

the only soft plastic swimbait i've seen out there is storms swimbait. It's 3 piece jointed by soft plastic. Everyother swimbait out there i've seen is either hard plastic jointed or metal. If you were watching Bass Pro's and Jason Quinn was fishing it could of been storms swimbait because he is sponsored by storm, if so those baits are very inexpensive for swimbaits. If you want to spend a little more on a swimbait that'll last you go lucky craft. I haven't seen a more realistic bait out there. Or if you tivo'd the classic they had a special on swimbaits, i think it was on day 2... Hope this helps!


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## angler69 (Sep 26, 2005)

I believe it was a Tru-tungsten "Tru-Life" Bluegill swimbait. Jason is sponsored by Tru-Tungsten Cabelas has em' 49.99
Tru-Life Swimbait is a collaborative design created by Tru-Tungsten&#174; and swimbait kings Ish Monroe and Matt Newman. This swimbait is three baits in one: Floater, Slow Sinker and Fast Sinker. Each bait comes with removable tungsten balls made to fit into the built-in chamber. The balls can be adjusted to customize the fall rate. The Tru-Life Swimbait mimics a fish's natural movement with its custom Tru-Life eyes, lifelike paint schemes and details.

just watched show again and I don't think it tru tung. because it did not have the tail separtated.


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## River Anglin (Feb 18, 2008)

That has to be it. I've looked all around and nothing else comes close. Maybe he was using a prototype of this one before they added the tail hinge.

50 bucks. Ouch!


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## angler69 (Sep 26, 2005)

I Found the bait Jason was chunkin' on the Bass Pros.
Reaction Strike Bull Bream, availible at Tackle Warehouse $30
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpageSWIMRSTRIKE-RSBBR.html


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## Erterbass (Jul 4, 2005)

BassCrazy said:


> The show was the 'Bass Pros'....
> 
> *MattLures makes a nice looking bluegill imitator*
> 
> ...


I agree with you, BassCrazy. I've been using the MattLures Baby Bass swimbait and the thing is uncanny in its realism. Their bluegill swimbait is every bit as good if not better. When you fish it in the shallows the thing will go nose-down like a bluegill feeding on the bottom. 

Absolutely killer during bass spawning time.

Price is pretty steep at $20 for one. The baby bass are $30 if you choose his "any three" special on his website. I've conversed with Matt on another forum and the guy is a bass fishing junkie who started making lures as a hobby - now he's got a full blown business.

Here's the link the bluegill series on his site:

MattLures Bluegill Series

Bob


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## BassCrazy (Oct 11, 2007)

Erterbass said:


> I agree with you, BassCrazy. I've been using the MattLures Baby Bass swimbait and the thing is uncanny in its realism. Their bluegill swimbait is every bit as good if not better. When you fish it in the shallows the thing will go nose-down like a bluegill feeding on the bottom.
> 
> Absolutely killer during bass spawning time.
> 
> ...


Erterbass:

Thanks for the feedback. How long is this MattLures bluegill imitator. How about the baby bass. I'm stubborn...it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but I like the swimbait idea. They look like they'd be really effective. Lastly, what is the advantage of a bait like this over say, a Lucky Strike soft swimbait (that could be Texposed and swam around weedbeds). Thought I'd ask someone who is experienced with them. I'll be tryin' 'em this season.

Thanks again

Joe


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## transcom (Mar 13, 2008)

This sounds pretty cool...anyone have any video of it.


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## BassCrazy (Oct 11, 2007)

transcom said:


> This sounds pretty cool...anyone have any video of it.


Look farther down the 'Tackle Talk' forum. It's the thread called 'Paddletail Swimbait Videos'. You Tube videos showing most major mfrs. soft swimbaits in action! Pretty cool...

Good fishin' 

Joe


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## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

Do you guys really spend $30 on a single lure? Wow, I am hard pressed to spend that on a handfull of lures.

Lg_mouth


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## Astro1700 (Sep 23, 2007)

I've had several of these swim baits over the last two years. They are a west coast or BIG lake bait. I've fished them throughout Ohio with no luck, but did ok on Norris Lake. They are fun though if your equipment is up to the weight.:B


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## BassCrazy (Oct 11, 2007)

lg_mouth said:


> Do you guys really spend $30 on a single lure? Wow, I am hard pressed to spend that on a handfull of lures.
> 
> Lg_mouth


Amen to that. No, I don't spend more than about 6 or 7 bucks on a lure, although I'm getting closer to spending 15 on a Lucky Craft Pointer suspending jerkbait.

This season I'm going to give the smaller hollow body paddle tail swimbaits a try; they definitely produce from what I've read. Lucky Strike makes a nice looking soft paddletail in in many sizes. I think I'll start out with the 3.5" size. Just texpose them on a wide gap weighted hook 5/0 or 6/0. Looks kind of idiot proof, which is RIGHT UP MY ALLEY!

Good fishin'

Joe


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## Erterbass (Jul 4, 2005)

BassCrazy said:


> Erterbass:
> 
> Thanks for the feedback. How long is this MattLures bluegill imitator. How about the baby bass. I'm stubborn...it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but I like the swimbait idea. They look like they'd be really effective. Lastly, what is the advantage of a bait like this over say, a Lucky Strike soft swimbait (that could be Texposed and swam around weedbeds). Thought I'd ask someone who is experienced with them. I'll be tryin' 'em this season.
> 
> ...


Joe, been out of town and just got back to OGF...

Anyway, the bluegill swimbaits are about 5 inches long while the baby bass is 6 inches long. 

As for their advantage...They are a soft bait as they are made out of a very flexible plastic; there is not hard plastic in them at all. What I like about them is they are VERY realistic when swimming them - the bluegill will go nose down on the pause while the baby bass does a very slow, undulating horizontal drop on the pause.

The baby bass is most effective swimming over top of weeds just below the surface or along a deep weed edge at a steady retrieve. No jerks or rapid retrieves - just nice and steady and the WHAM! - Mrs. Bucketmouth comes out for a mouthful and you have a decent bass in a fight.

Like I said in my other post - when you order from Matt's website you can order three baby bass (largemouth, smallmouth or striper in any combo) and get them for $30 for the THREE - not each.

For those who spend $15 on an Lucky Craft crankbait that is easy to lose in a laydown or rocks getting three of these swimbaits for $30 is do-able.

Bob


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