In the second part of this Two Part series we’ll continue the quest of asking the tough questions you need to consider before buying that new swimbait. Part II focuses more on the application you will be using the bait for as a guide to whether it’s a smart purchase or not.
I know swimbaits might be all the rage, like that girl you crushed on hard in Year 10, but there is no point being seduced by their popularity if you simply don’t have an application to effectively use them.
Here’s what I mean. If you live in a remote location where your only cod haunt is a thin sticky river and you rarely travel to get your cod fix, having a box full of swimbait bangers is just not necessary.
In a thin stick strewn river you will rarely go two casts without your dangling swimbait trebles finding an underwater snag. A diving hard body that bustles, bobs and bounces its way through the sticks is a much better, higher percentage option.
However, on the flip side there are countless conditions and waterways where a swimbait quickly puts other baits in the shade.
River Run
While thin, slow-flowing and sticky rivers might not be suitable for swimbaits, wide flowing and rocky rivers are the complete opposite. You would not catch us dead fishing boulder-strewn stretches of river sans a boxful of swimbaits.
There is no better bait to meander along a rock face or tantalisingly waft around a rocky flow point straight into the gob of a waiting Goodoo. They are also an excellent bait to use as a buddy bait to swim behind a surface bait and ‘switch bait’ a strike.
So, if you often frequent a river with a bit of flow and not a huge amount of sticky timber then a swimbait should be high on your shopping list.
Dam Good (oo) Baits
Wide-open expanses of water, like a lake or dam, are locations where a swimbait really flexes its muscles. But as Part I explained, not all swimbaits are built the same.
If you are fishing an impoundment in the chill of winter you might find yourself fishing shallower edges, while summer might see you probing deeper water. Therefore, if you don’t have a chin weight tow point swimbait look for shallow runners for winter and faster sinking swimbaits for summer. This, of course, is a general rule to help inform your next swimbait purchase.
While you can fling them from the bank in impoundments, I much prefer using them from a boat as it’s easier to unhook any snagged baits. A couple of snagged swimbaits from the shore can see you leave a lot of money in the bank – and not in a good way.
Match the (Swim) Bait
However, not all waterways are the same. Do some research – call the local tackle shop or caravan park – and find out what is the dominant biomass of bait to inform your next swimbait purchase.
For instance, Trout are a rich source of cod food in Eildon and Blowering, so a slender trout profile swimbait like a Jackall Gantia, Defiant 247 Swimbait or a 9” Biwa Kapsiz Kast are great options.
Alternatively, there is an abundance of Redfin in Googong Dam, Spangled Perch in Copeton and carp in the Murray River, so a more shad-like-profile-bait such as a Jackall Gigantarel is a smart move.
