Swimbait is a type of fishing lure that actually tries to emulate both the appearance and the motions of actual baitfish. Swimbait is extremely versatile and can be used to angle for any kind of fish that eats other fish or crabs, shrimp and shellfish. They do not typically come with hooks, and must be rigged by the fisherman for this purpose.

swimbait luresYour typical swimbait lure is going to be made of rubber and fairly small, usually colored to look like some other kind of fish, although it’s not unheard of for bright, never seen in nature colors to be used. Generally speaking, it is going to have tails that are either articulated or flexible so that can emulate the appearance of a living fish.

Using swimbait is not as difficult as it might initially appear. You need to start with the rigging, which is one of the most essential parts of effectively using swimbait. Generally speaking, you want to use the lightest rigging possible, since this allows the swimbait to more effectively mimic the bait that is supposed to resemble.

Likewise you need to be mindful of how you’re moving the lure through the water. If you go too fast, the fish is unlikely to recognize the swimbait as something that it wants to eat. If you go too slowly, then you won’t cover enough area to get the maximum number of strikes. This is an are where experience and experimentation for going to be vital, so don’t be afraid to try different things with your swimbait.

The colors used for swimbait will also vary depending on the conditions in which you expect to be fishing. One school of thought says that if you are going to be fishing in conditions where the water is likely to be dark, you are going to want to use a lure that is darker colored.

Conversely, in waters where there is more light, you should be using swimbait that is lighter in color. This may seem counterintuitive, but the idea behind using the types of colors is mimic the natural camouflage of the baitfish. There is another school of thought that says contrast is key and you want to use colors that will be easily seen by the fish you’re trying to catch.

The coloration is an area where you’re going to need to experiment with swimbait to find out what works for you. One thing to keep in mind is that many fish track their prey solely by feeling the vibrations of the bait as it moves through the water, so getting your swimbait to move right is probably more important than getting the colors just right.

If you’re very patient, you can try deadsticking with your swimbait. This is where you simply let the swimbait float on the surface of the water, occasionally twitching the bait a few inches. This is an effective technique, but it is not for everyone. So, like everything else in the swimbait world, you’d be well advised to try it and see how it works for you.