Now before I get into talking about swim baits I will say that I am not that fond of them. But they do catch fish so I will pass along my limited knowledge to you. The first tip I can give you is to use swim baits that you have confidence in. At Ono Custom Rods, we carry Fish Trap Lures. Why? Because I have see too many anglers fish the "slide" with Fish Traps and catch fish. It got to the point where it was sickening for an iron tosser to watch. Now if Fish Traps are not your brand of choice the following tips will still help you catch more as well. My experience with soft-baits are with offshore fish likes Tuna and Dorado. For you inshore anglers I do not know how much these tips will help you.

    One of the most overlooked aspects is using the correct line weight. Stay with light line 15 to 25 lb. test. The lighter line helps in many ways. Your swim bait will have better action, sink quicker as well as more difficult for the fish to see. But with the light line do not forget to retie the lead head after every fish. Be sure to cut off any weak sections of mono.

    While on the subject of retying, be careful and tie your knots correctly. Wet the mono with saliva or water before you tighten them. Once again use a knot that you have confidence with. Knots like Palomar, Uni or Improved Cinch will work fine.

    Swim baits trigger the strike response in game fish. But to get the fish to bite it you have to get the bait in front of the fish. I know this some simple but you will be amazed at how many anglers do not. So make sure that your cast gets as close to the fish as possible.  That mean you should practice you cast prior to your trip.  You do not want to be picking a backlash out when that dorado takes of with you swim bait. If you are fishing the slide make sure you get into the water quickly and get the swim bait back to the fish.

    So you have gotten the swim bait in the strike zone, what do you do? In most cases a steady retrieve is best. Another trick is to stop the retrieve half way and free spool the swim bait again. Many times you will get bit on the sink or just as you start your second retrieve. If you get a short bite on your retrieve, free spool the swim bait. Be ready to get bit on the sink.

    So how do I set the hook? Well that depends if you get bit on the sink or the retrieve. When bit on the sink, wind down fast, cranking in any slack line then swing back hard to set the hook. When bit on the retrieve simple keep cranking. As the fish swims of with the bait it will usually hook itself.

    Since I am talking about hook set, it is good time to bring up catch and release. Since most of the time when using swim baits you will hook the fish in the mouth. Usually the fish is hooked in the corner of the jaw or outside of the jaw. This makes catch and release very easy, just reach down shake the hook free and the fish will swim off unharmed. I do not recommend this release method with fish that have sharp teeth like wahoo or sharks. In those cases simple cut the leader and forget about saving the shad head.

    Another trick by some swim bait anglers is to use Shad Heads that have "eyes". I guess they feel that it makes the swim bait look more life-like. We carry both types but the "eyes" sell two to one over regular heads. The one thing is to be sure that the Shad Head has a quality hook. Also keep that hook sharp and you will hook more fish.

    One final tip, match the color to what the fish normally eat. With Fish Trap Lures, there are 80 colors to choose from. They have baits the same color as any natural bait, anchovy, sardine, mackerel, tomcod, grunion, shiner as well as crustaceans. There are times when an odd color will out fish a "natural" color. Their lime-chartreuse is a killer on the striped bass.

    The only down side to swim baits is they do not last very long.  Getting that soft natural feel means swim bait will tear apart after a couple of fish.  But spending a dollars to catch a couple of fish is a small price to pay.