# swim baits



## ristorap (Mar 6, 2013)

With the water being cold what swim baits do you guys like to use for saugeye?


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

ristorap said:


> With the water being cold what swim baits do you guys like to use for saugeye?


Shew I use a lot,but hardly know the names of any. 
Of coarse big Joshys. I also like cabelas hoochie coochies.
I toss twister tails just as much as I toss swim baits. For those I prefer venom,kalin,zooms,beekley,shoot the list goes on. But the majority of my twisters are venom. 
I also use "minnow grubs" I like the bass pro shops brand.
Then another then hardly ever gets mentioned are straight tail shads. Like flukes or gulp alive minnows. I have caught a few good fish lately with a 4"gulp alive minnow style soft plastic rigged on a ned head. I have also been using the ned style jig heads with big joshys... not sure if you have read fishslims "stick in the mud" article but these heads are great for this technique....


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Oh yeah another paddle tail I use a lot is the zoom swimming fluke. Especially the white ice in clear water,an when I'm fishing for eyes and smallies at the same time. They move really good!!!


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## stonen12 (May 13, 2019)

I’ve been throwing twister tails and big Joshys, I’ve had no luck at all this winter though, I will look up the stick in mud article. I have a ton of ned rig stuff but haven’t been using it.


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## ristorap (Mar 6, 2013)

Saugeyefisher said:


> 4"gulp alive minnow style soft plastic rigged on a ned head. I have also been using the ned style jig heads with big joshys... not sure if you have read fishslims "stick in the mud" article but these heads are great for this technique....


I have not tried the ned head with joshys or gulp. I will need to try that. I will also need to read the "stick in the mud" and thanks for the info.


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## stonen12 (May 13, 2019)

Where do we find the article?


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

stonen12 said:


> Where do we find the article?


It used to be on the big joshy website,not sure if it's on there anymore or not.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

https://www.picuki.com/tag/jiggingislife

tips and tactics and videos are helpful.


http://www.bigjoshyswimbaits.com/SetupRigging_ep_56.html


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

I use a lot of berkley power grubs (christmas lights is my fave) in cold water. Fish them sllloooowww. I also like venom twister tails in hot pink/reddish, chartreuse and pearl. I have never fished big Joshy swim baits until just recently. Actually, all the talk on here about them convinced me to try some. So yesterday my buddy calls and wants to try our favorite wintering hole. I didn't expect much as the water was really stained and up, but I decided to try some of the Joshys. I threw a lemon colored, but hooked my first Saugeye on a 2.75 slush. Two hours later we had 8 Saugeye from 15-24" inches. I'm a Joshy buyer now. Oh we did catch two on power grubs tipped with a 1/3 nightcrawler . Four of the 8 were 17-19 and then one 24". Missed probably 5-6 more. It's a deep river hole and we slow drifted them, swinging them onto a shelf out of deeper water. The Saugeye were right on the rise ambushing bait.


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## odell daniel (Nov 5, 2015)

the fluke white ice work well, depending on the water I put a few of them in a bag of chartreuss twister tails and they get a little green on them. I have even got saugeye to hit them ice fishing, I cut the nose off the bait 1/4 inch or so but not neccessary


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## stonen12 (May 13, 2019)

I found the article, thanks lewzer for the links, I was able to find “stick in the mud” in the rigging section under the set up page! http://www.bigjoshyswimbaits.com/Action_ep_55.html


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

I'm North of Central.... but will add my 2 cents. I've narrowed my swimbait brands/styles down to using just Keitech Fat Swing Impact, Strike King Rage Swimmer and the Kalin's Sizmic Shad. They are all pretty similar. They have a wide main ribbed body with a thin tail section and a big paddle. I think the thin tail section and big paddle are crucial in getting the most action at slow speeds. I like the fat body since it helps add some bulk to cast a little better and figure it might help plane the whole jig/bait up a little in the water so it does not get stuck in the rocks as easy. Maybe that last bit is just my imagination. I do have some of the skinny body Keitech's, but don't use them much any more.

For twister tails, i stick with the Kalin's brand. The action in the 5" style is pretty hard to beat. They twist on the fall so every time you stop reeling, they keep working for you.


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## ristorap (Mar 6, 2013)

Do you guys think the thinner tail part works better in the cold water?


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

ristorap said:


> Do you guys think the thinner tail part works better in the cold water?


Not really. If it has good action it can be either


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Big Joshy Swimbaits came into existence precisely to address your question about saugeye in cold water. Josh designed and developed them initially for that specific purpose as there were no swimbaits available on the market that performed well in cold water at slow speeds.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

ristorap said:


> Do you guys think the thinner tail part works better in the cold water?


No doubt it does. Gives it better action then a thicker tail would. But softer plastic also helps...
Imo the swims that move the best with the lightest jig heads in the cold water are hoochie coochies , Joshys, and swimming flukes....
Just being 1000% honest here,but I have had a couple packs of Joshys not swim to well the last couple years. Where they used to swim great on the fall,these didnt. And they also felt stiffer then the other Joshys I've had. But it's only been a few packs,and being a "homemade bait" I can see that happening from time to time. 
Fyi the ghost fire colored joshy was money this last fall an now into winter....


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

ristorap said:


> Do you guys think the thinner tail part works better in the cold water?


I wouldn't necessarily say they are better for cold water..... more like the thinner tail section works better for slow retrieve on light jig heads. All depends how you are fishing the baits i guess. I tend to work them as slowly as possible the majority of time so i want the tail to kick when they are going slow. Only draw back with that skinny tail is that the toothy walleye like to keep the paddle sometimes when they are short striking. You might get a swing and a miss and then find out your swimbait is now a fluke bait.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

I have many swimbaits in the gear closet but since I started using Big Joshy Swimbaits, I hardly use any others.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

Going to let you guys in on one of my secret plastics from the past few years.
*Richard at BASS MUNITIONS* makes the best swimbaits I have found.
https://bassmunitionslures.com/collections/swimbaits

He pours 4 body styles.

Ribbed(2.8", 3.3", 3.8", 4.8")
Hollow (3.5" , 5")
Slender (4")
Stealth Shad 3" (no boot)

For there durability, I prefer the ribbed *'RECON Shad'* 3.3" in Sour Grape.
I have also been using the *STEALTH Shad* on a Scrounger head, DAMIKI rigs, and also use them on small A-Rigs. The *PATRIOT MINNOWS *are pricey, but hands down, the best on the market right now.

Pair any of these bad boys up with a VMC Boxer or Ledgehead, and you will be hunting will a full magazine!


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## stonen12 (May 13, 2019)

NewbreedFishing said:


> Going to let you guys in on one of my secret plastics from the past few years.
> *Richard at BASS MUNITIONS* makes the best swimbaits I have found.
> https://bassmunitionslures.com/collections/swimbaits
> 
> ...


Now that’s a hot tip! I’m going to order some sour grape shade soon!


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## AtticaFish (Nov 23, 2008)

NewbreedFishing said:


> Going to let you guys in on one of my secret plastics from the past few years.......


Nice link NewbreedFishing. Those Patriot Minnows do look pretty cool! Looks like the Recon Shad is from the Kietech line of baits. Color names and prices match up. Some of the colors are "custom" from Kietech though, so they come and go out of stock. If you go right to their site, they have some extra size options as well as customs. Sizes go all the way up to 7.8"!

LINK: Kietech FAT Swing Impact


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

The 3.8 recon shad works great as a trailer on 1/4-3/8 oz chatterbaits/swimjigs, and spinnerbaits. 
I am still working through whats left of my Keitech swims. I also have a good amount of Lunker City Ribsters, that are like the Swing Impact and Recon Shad. I tend to use those chunkier ribbed swims, when fishing very slow on the bottom. I've also done well on the 3.8 Jackal Rhythm Wave the past few years.

Anyone use the Megabass Sparkshad?? I hear great things about them.




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## joel_fishes (Apr 26, 2004)

Anybody have a good way to store swimbaits? I just keep the swimbait bags in a bigger Ziploc bag by size. Simple and cheap and works ok. Just wondering what others do.


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## stonen12 (May 13, 2019)

Planos or a binder.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

I like em best in a big ole Saugeye's mouth..., other than that I have a small plano box I keep jigs in one side and soft baits in the othe. I even have a clip I can clip on my belt. It will hold about 20 assorted swiimbaits, but only 6 colors (the long side has six sections. ) More than that goes in zip lock bags


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## REEL GRIP (Jan 11, 2013)

joel_fishes said:


> Anybody have a good way to store swimbaits? I just keep the swimbait bags in a bigger Ziploc bag by size. Simple and cheap and works ok. Just wondering what others do.


Leave them in the original package. If you put them all together
in a bag or box, tails will get distorted and not run right.


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