Jigheads and wide gap hooks have long been the standards for rigging swimbaits, but the ubiquity of these lures has caused bass to become more wary of swimbait presentations. Educated bass now tend to follow, nibble or bump a swimbait, so the pros continue to make rigging adjustments to their swimbaits to trigger more strikes. Check out these rigging methods from the pros and expand your swimbait repertoire.
Davy Hite: Berkley Hollow Belly with Yamamoto swimbait head
A unique rigging tactic helped Davy Hite earn his eighth B.A.S.S. win when he used a Berkley Hollow Belly swimbait on Alabama’s Pickwick Lake in 2011. He had his best luck as he bounced the rig off of rocks during the retrieve. To keep the bait in place, he glued it to a 3/4-ounce Yamamoto swimbait head. “The rolling action of this rig was also key,” he said.
Bobby Lane: Berkley Havoc Grass Pig on a screw-lock bullet weight
A Florida rig works best for Bobby Lane when he wants to fish a Berkley Havoc Grass Pig around shallow weeds. He rigs the Grass Pig Texas style with a screw-in weight as light as 1/32 ounce that he screws into the nose of the swimbait. “It keeps the bait down just a little bit [1 to 2 feet] so the bait stays in the strike zone the whole time,” he said. “The weight gives it a perfect swimming balance and better casting distance yet isn’t too heavy that it sinks in the muck.”
Edwin Evers: Yum Money Minnow on a horsehead jig
When he wants more flash for his swimbait while fishing the bottom in deep water, Edwin Evers attaches a 3 1/2-inch Yum Money Minnow to a homemade 3/8- ounce horsehead jig with a small willowleaf blade.
Ish Monroe: Berkley Hollow Belly with a Revenge Baits Swimbait Hedz head
California pro Ish Monroe has a quick fix for short-striking bass when he strokes a Berkley Hollow Belly swimbait with a Revenge Baits Swimbait Hedz jighead along ledges. To increase his hookup percentages, Monroe bends the jig’s hook outward 1/16 inch so the hook point is out of line with the jighead eye. He also attaches a No. 4 Owner Stringer treble hook to the shank of the jighead hook and sticks one of the stinger’s hook points into the swimbait’s body.
Keith Combs: Strike King Shadalicious with a weight and glass bead
Keith Combs has a method that's great for catching short-strikers. “If they bite it, they’ve got it,” he said. Combs cuts a slit in the rear of a Strike King Shadalicious, then takes a hook with all but the shank removed and ties it to his line, runs it through the bait’s nose and out the slit. Next he threads a 3/8-ounce Mojo weight on the line and follows with a glass bead and completes the rig with a No. 2 treble hook. Then he shoves the weight up to the nose of the bait and lodges one of the hooks into the body leaving two hooks of the treble exposed.
Brian Snowden: Zoom Swimmin' Super Fluke Junior on a drop shot
Brian Snowden presents a different look to bass in brushpiles by adding a Zoom Swimming Super Fluke or Swimmin' Super Fluke Junior to his drop shot rig (1/2-ounce weight and 5/0 Bass Pro Shops round bend worm hook).
Mark Tucker: Zoom Swimmin' Super Fluke on a bladed jig
During the shad spawn, Mark Tucker combines a homemade ChatterBait-style jighead with a 5-inch or smaller Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper or Zoom Swimmin' Super Fluke to trick bass.
Todd Faircloth: Sebile Magic Swimmer Soft with weights on hook
The weight system of the Sebile Magic Swimmer Soft allows Todd Faircloth to present a swimbait more naturally when he drags a Carolina rig in deep water. “The weight is really important to keep the lure balanced on the Carolina rig to give it a natural look,” said the Texas pro, who positions three weights on the middle of the hook bend so the lure flutters straight down rather than nose first.
David Walker: Hollow-belly swimbait on a Luck “E” Strike Scrounger head
When he rigged his hollow-bellied swimbaits on a wide gap hook, David Walker ran into the common problem of the lure balling up during the hook set. He solved this problem by removing the bonnet from a Luck “E” Strike Scrounger head and sliding it into his bait. “The hook is exposed, which offers a much better hookup ratio.” Walker fishes his rig in open water around points. “You just lob it out and reel it in,” he said. “With the way the eye on the Scrounger is, it pops straight up from the head of the bait and this makes it swim with a head-down action.”
Fred Roumbanis: Optima swimbait with a swim jig
An Optima Double Diamond Swimmer and Pepper Custom Bait Fred’s Swim Jig is a favorite combo for Fred Roumbanis when working weeds in early spring. He also burns an Optima Double Diamond Junior Swimmer and Fred’s Roumbler swim jig over the weeds for smallmouth.
Originally published September 2011
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