Technique: Swim Jigs By Steve Day

Big lures catch big bass; here is an idea for some bigger baits to use when fishing for larger bass. With major tournament wins in California and other parts of the country, swimbaits are all the rage this year. The only problem is that they can be spendy to buy and not all of them are weedless. Here is an idea for a swimjig that can be put together fairly inexpensively, is fairly weedless and can be used in place of swimbaits.

• Large: use a 3/4 to 1 oz. weedless jighead with a 6" swimbait or shad body and a 4/0 trailer hook (optional)
• Medium: use a 3/8 to 1/2 oz. weedless jighead with a 4" - 5" swimbait or shad body

Assembling the medium-sized swimjig is simple, just thread the shad body onto the jighead and fish it; a couple drops of fisherman's glue will help hold the body onto the jighead. Do the same for the large size swimjig, but add a good trailer hook to the jig hook; make sure it lies flat along the back of the shad body and doesn't swing out away from the body. Assembled Swimjigs are also available through Elken Lures.

Required tackle for this rig:

• 4" to 6" Swimbait or Shad body
• 3/8 - 1 oz. Weedless Jig with a sharp, strong 5/0 hook (Elken Lures Poison Tail Jigs work well)
• 3/0 or 4/0 Trailer hook for the 6" swim bodies (optional)
• Medium-Heavy to Flipping power Baitcasting rod & reel
• 14 to 20 lb test mono or fluorocarbon line

The swimjig can be swam around cover or through sparce weeds; it can be swam quickly or slowly, depending on the mood and activity level of the bass. If the body gets chewed up by fish, it can easily be replaced.