My Intro to Big Ass Swimbaits
Big swimbaits are trending rapidly in present-day smallmouth fishing. Their origins can be traced back to over 30 years ago in the Western United States where innovative and pioneering anglers like Bill Siemantel, and others, succeed in catching double-digit largemouths with wood and plastic models. As this method of fishing grew and exploded in popularity, the success of it caught on in other parts of the country and the non-typical bass fisheries where it wasn’t intended for. Much of the U.S.-based swimbait craze stemmed from what early pioneers like Siemantel and other California anglers were catching on the trout-stocked highland reservoirs decades ago. The idea of using a 6 to 12-inch soft plastic forage imitator to target megafishes with captivated the imaginations of anglers. Monsters don’t live everywhere, but big swimbaits are now giving anglers a realistic chance to catch a once-in-a-lifetime bass. Big smallmouths are selective feeders. The largest specimens feed less but want to maximize and get the most out of every meal. Otherwise, they exert so much wasted energy. Northern smallmouth lakes feature a lot of large forage fish species. They don’t