Swim Baits For North Country Bass
by Travis Peterson
"Swim bait" is a buzz term in the bass world that generally refers
to soft-plastic forage imitating lures. Typically, swim baits have
a shad-type body and thumping tail. These lures are cast and
retrieved at varying speeds. In western states such as California
and Arizona, giant swim baits imitating shad, trout, and other prey
have accounted for many trophy largemouth catches.
While the effectiveness of swim baits in the western United States has received
much press recently, they've been around for years and have caught fish of all
species in all parts
of the world. A plastic grub is the oldest soft-plastic swim bait. Tube baits
like Berkley’s Power Tube are also popular “swimmers”,
particularly in smallmouth bass waters. Great Lakes and Canadian bass anglers
fool smallies with tubes all season.
Shad shaped swim baits are generally fished faster than grubs and tubes. With
the boat positioned in 8-10 feet of water, I might pitch the lure to the bank,
an exposed rock, or a fallen tree. A rapid retrieve with the rod held high will
keep the lure near the surface. As the swim bait is pulled from the bank into
deeper water, a momentary pause will allow the lure to drop into the strike
zone. Once in the zone, a rapid retrieve is once again employed.
New
to the swim bait scene is the Mimic Minnow,
Northland Fishing Tackle's answer to
anglers' need for a scaled down cousin of the monster-sized western swim
baits. When asked what his favorite lure is, an angler might reply “the one I
caught my last fish on!” However, many anglers have a “confidence lure”, one
they feel will catch fish when all else fails. For me, it’s the Mimic
Minnow. The sculpted head and life-like tail make the lure more realistic than a
standard jig and grub combination. A unique feature is the internally embedded
foil which reflects light through the semi-transparent body.
Some of my fishing friends have gained confidence in and padded their bank
accounts with this lure as well. Minnesota anglers, Jim Merthan and Chad
Johnson, each won Minnesota Pro/Am Bass Tour events on Rainy Lake in 2003. Each
pocketed $10,000 for their victories. Merthan credited the Mimic Minnow for
putting some
key fish in the boat. "The Mimic Minnow is very life-like and triggers a
reaction strike when fished aggressively," says Merthan. The former MN B.A.S.S.
Federation state champion is known for his aggressive style among his bass
fishing comrades. Jim works the bait with a retrieve similar to a
crankbait. "Cast it out and crank it in," declares Merthan. An occasional pause
or change in speed duplicates an injured minnow or panfish. For smallmouth on
shield lakes such as Rainy Lake, Merthan fan-casts boulder strewn points, rocky
shorelines, islands, and mid-lake reefs. A key element to many of Merthan’s
favorite smallmouth haunts is current. In many cases, current areas do not
involve rivers. Within lakes, wind creates current in narrow areas between
islands and around abrupt points. Current allows smallmouth to ambush forage
that is caught in the moving water.
Johnson will argue that swim baits aren’t just for beating the banks. He proved
this by winning the second Minnesota Pro/Am event on
Rainy Lake. The
Mimic Minnow accounted for a portion of his catch as well. In deep lakes with a
smelt forage base, smallies are known to roam open expanses, following the food
train. Casting at random works but will wear a guy out. Johnson is a master at
figuring out suspended smallies in mid to late summer. Chad targets sharp drops
and the open water within a cast or two of the drop. He’ll use his electronics
to find the forage and the fish. He also relies on his
Aqua-Vu camera when pre-fishing to be
certain the fish aren’t walleyes. Once, he’s made contact with smelt
and smallies, he goes to work. “I’ll cast perpendicular to the drop and work the
bait within a few feet of the surface back to the boat, which is positioned over
deeper water,” explains Johnson. “I’ll have my partner cast out the opposite
side of the boat, toward even deeper water, and use the same retrieve. Often,
he’ll catch as many fish as I will.” When fishing for these “roamers”, Johnson
constantly scans the water for breaking baitfish and boiling
smallies. Occasionally he’ll hear a splash behind him. Often he can turn and
locate the disturbance on the surface and cast to the area. In many cases, a
smallmouth will have the bait almost immediately.
Down-sized swim baits are an ace-in-the-hole when fishing cold front conditions
or pressured waters. On days when spinnerbaits and cranks will take a few
“high-fliers”, swim baits might fool a couple extra bass in a school. As a
rule, if I can fish through an area with “hardware- type” lures and catch a of
couple bass, I’ll make another pass with a soft-plastic minnow imitator. Often,
a couple bonus fish will play the game.
I
prefer to rig the Mimic Minnow on a 7’0” medium action St Croix spinning rod
with a fast tip. When casting, the fast tip allows for greater acceleration,
thus longer casts. In relatively open water, 8 lb, Berkley Sensation gets the
call. For fishing around weeds, I like 10 lb. Berkley Fireline. The no-stretch
super-line facilitates solid hooksets on long-range strikes. In addition it
allows
me
to rip the lure free of weeds. Often, this is when strikes occur, as the
acceleration imitates a fleeing baitfish and triggers a reaction strike.
The
Mimic Minnow Spin is a flashy version of the Mimic Minnow. An overhead wire form
with a spinner blade is attached to the jig to form a miniature spinnerbait. The
Mimic Minnow Spin is deadly in stained or dirty water. The added flash of the
overhead spinner increases the strike zone. Burn this spinnerbait and hold on!
When fishing this lure, I’ll rig it on a 7’0” St Croix casting rod and make
monster casts. I’ll typically fish it on 14 lb. Berkley Big Game
or Trilene XT monofilament.
Merthan, Johnson, and I agree that the silver shiner pattern is hard to
beat. Other favorites are gold shiner, bluegill, and firetiger
patterns. Consider the native forage in a given body of water and attempt to
“match the hatch.”
Swim baits aren’t just for wrangling western bass. They are dynamite bass
catching tools in the northern United States and Canada as well. Tie one on this
spring and see for yourself.
Travis Peterson
classicbass.com Field Staff
