Swim Bait Tackle

[striper15]

Thanks Larry for having this forum and for your willingness to help us fellow fisherman!

Being new to swim baiting for big Largemouth’s, I have a question about rods and reels. “Textbook” calls for 8 foot bait casting rods that have a parabolic action, with long rear handles for casting and leverage during the hook set & fight. The reels are Shimano Calcutta’s with typically 20 to 25# mono line. All this to handle baits that average in the 2 to 5 ounce range.

Question: being more comfortable with spinning gear, is there a set up that parallels the above qualities? I know one problem may be getting a spinning reel to handle 25# line. I’ve thought about spooling braid first and then say a 20 foot section of mono as a “shock tippet”. Could you recommend any specific brand rod/reel?? I know the rod is a big key and needs to load up gradually to “lob” those big baits.

Sure do appreciate your time and insight.

Eric

[Bantam1]

I am not Larry but I fish a lot of swimbaits here in So-Cal. A spinning reel can be used to fish swimbaits. You will need to find the right rod to use for swimbait fishing. Most manufacturers do not really make a true swimbait rod for the spinning reel customers. You will need to find a saltwater type rod such as the Tallus TLSM70MHA or Teramar TMS80H/XH/XXH to handle the bigger baits. A spinning reel loaded with braided line such as Power Pro will be fine. Just use a leader like you have mentioned. I would look at 4000-6000 size spinning reels for line capacity reasons. I would not use anything lighter than 50 pound braided line for the heavier baits like a Huddleston for example.

[striper15]

Thanks for the reply and the rods you mentioned - I'll check them out!

Eric

[dahlberg]

Hi E
To be really honest, lures in that weight range are not much fun to fish with spinning gear, and usually present little or no problem on bait casting gear, even for an angler that has little or no experience with bait casting tackle.
You hit the key word when you said "lob". Bait casting only gets touchy when you have light lures or situations where you have to fire high speed casts at very low trajectories. This set of circumstances creates a rapid acceleration of the spool that can be difficult to control.
A longer parabolic (better action is progressive) style rod, and more or less open water situation that does not require a high speed, "flat" cast, should take you less than 15 minutes to get comfortable with the bait caster. Just concentrate on taking it easy and letting the rod do the work. Begin your cast with the tip pointed at the target. Make your back swing and forward cast one nice easy smooth motion, like a good golf swing. Loading the rod with the "back swing" really aids in getting a nice smooth controlled cast. Avoid the temptation of "pushing" the rod forward (a mistake made by the majority of anglers who toss big lures) but rather just "turn it over". You'll know your're doing it right if at the end of your forward stroke both of your elbows are close to your body.
As far as butt length, it's largely personal preference, but I like them about 9" long. When they get too long I find them cumbersome.
Obviously, you can reduce bird's nests when you're first learning by engaging all the anti-backlash breaks in the left side plate of your reel. I do not suggest tightening the end play adjustment on the spool so the lure drops so slowly the spool stops spinning when the lure hits the ground. It robs too much performance. It was a method used before the more modern anti backlash clutches were invented.
In terms as making "two handed casts" (something I've done since I was 5 years old when I first started using bait casting gear, and had to do it 'cause I wasn't strong enough to cast one handed) you will find your tip speed increases the closer you have your hands together.
Good luck, and I'm sure the few minutes or hours at the most, it will take you to get comfortable with the baitcasting gear will be well worth it in the long run!
best,
L

[striper15]

Larry -

Thanks for such a detailed reply! I appreciate it and will take all of your advice. Stay tuned, I may have more concerns when I get started LOL.

Eric

[tunafish]

[quote="Bantam1"]I am not Larry but I fish a lot of swimbaits here in So-Cal. A spinning reel can be used to fish swimbaits. You will need to find the right rod to use for swimbait fishing. Most manufacturers do not really make a true swimbait rod for the spinning reel customers. You will need to find a saltwater type rod such as the Tallus TLSM70MHA or Teramar TMS80H/XH/XXH to handle the bigger baits. A spinning reel loaded with braided line such as Power Pro will be fine. Just use a leader like you have mentioned. I would look at 4000-6000 size spinning reels for line capacity reasons. I would not use anything lighter than 50 pound braided line for the heavier baits like a Huddleston for example.[/quote]
Bantam1,
I'm looking for someone who fishes Diamond Valley Lake. You said you live in So- Cal and was looking to talk to someone. I'm new to the site and just wanted to touch base. I live in San Diego. My name in tunafish

[Bantam1]

Well current Diamond Valley is closed to boat launch due to low water level. You can still fish out of a rental boat. The bite has been pretty wide open from what I keep hearing. The bass and stripers have been busting shad all over the lake. I'm sure there is a good prespawn bite to be had right now too. I would go rent a boat and go for it. The lake is low so you can see all the structure in the lake right now. Bring a GPS to mark everything.