Any experience with Big Swim Baits on Table Rock

[bferg]

 thanks everyone... good information.  Check back here later today for the link to my Swimbait Box Kickstarter campaign.  

[Royal Blue]

I've had really good success with the Spro BBZ-1 Rat.  I throw it at night a bunch and also early in the morning around bushes.  When they hit it it's like they're trying to kill it.  I wouldn't mess with anything other than the biggest one either.  I know several guys do really well on a Bull Shad like Dave was talking about.  After yesterday, I'm a believer in the fact that it would work.  I have one and have never thrown it, but I saw a ton of large gizzard shad yesterday up the James.  I have two large bait setups.  1 is a Dobyns Fury 795 swimbait/umbrella rig rod with a Lew's Super Duty Wide Spool.  I throw 25ld Big Game mono on that.  My other one is an Okuma Guide Select.  Same reel, 65lb braid.  Hope that helps at least a little.  I swear by that rat though.

[196champ]

The Mag Draft doesn't work on Table Rock...lots of experience with that one...

These are easy baits to throw and i have lost very few fish on them, hook up ratio is great as they will knock the rod right out of your hand.

Very specific speed you have to retrieve to get it just right, take a few casts next to the boat and you can figure that out pretty quickly.  I throw it on a Med Heavy, fast with a 6:1, 15lb floro seems to do the trick.

 

[Bill Babler]

Bill moved to Florida full time, I haven't seen him in several years.  Last time we talked, Bill B. and I had breakfast with him at Ma's.  He was living in Florida and full time crappie fishing.

Bill R. should get a lot of credit for bringing the float n fly to Table Rock and also the Big Swimbait.  He went from the tiny to super big and they both worked.

Several years ago Robbie Dotson was catching huge walleye on Bull Shoals on the 9" storm.  I went down there and threw it and caught a 8 lb. walleye and several bass over 5 lbs.  I also caught quite a few that were an inch or two larger than the bait.  That was in the Fall and we were targeting the same places we fish post spawn, channel swings and bluffends.

Beck and I fished them to suspended LM on bluffends when we caught that huge bag.

There is a trick to fishing them and the number of bites you get will amaze you. They will just slam the bait trying to kill it.  At times however its not in their mouth and you need to feel the pressure of the fish. The number of hookups will also make you frown.  Any size K will slam them and they will also catch some really big Jaws.  

On the bite, never set the hook, just wait till the rod loads and pull back.  If you go to snap setting the hook on the bite, you will put them down in a hurry as most times you will catch nothing.

A few years ago I caught a huge Jaw in front of Ab's on one while he and his brother were practicing for the Big Bass Bash.  I tried to get him to throw it but you know how those Mizzou guys are, you got to show them.

 

[Quillback]

My neighbor and his son where throwing Wild Eye shads on Beaver for Stripers 2 years ago, they were using small 3-4" ones.  They caught something like 30 stripers, one went 35lbs.  This was over the course of several weeks in May, not on one trip.  Never have thrown them myself for stripers, maybe this year, but if they're on top it's just too much fun to get those blowups.

[196champ]

Bill,

Do you think the hook up percentage has something to do with the treble vs single hook?  I threw that mag draft last spring a ton and lost very few fish, it seem when they hit it the rod just loaded up and they were on.  I will admit those small K's will bump it quite a bit and not try to "eat" it.  This bait will draw fish from a good distance in my opinion, reel it next to a deeper dock outside of a spawning pocket and watch how many K's will come out and give it a look, crazy how many fish it will show you too.

 

[Bill Babler]

Absolutely on the treble.  But, I have heard Ish Monroe and Byron Velvick both state to never set the hook on a big swimbait, just wait till your rod loads and you will be much better, but you will  still miss fish.  Both believe on gizzard shad that the fish try to kill them before they eat them.

They believe that they slam into the big gizzard and then position themselves in front of the struggling bait and swallow it head first.  If they were eating it on the strike most often it would be tail first and they cannot get them down that way.  Both also believe if they do take the shad in tail first they will huff it out after mauling it and re-swallow it head first.  Same with blue gill or crappie when they try and eat them.

Threadfin they just gulp.

MIke told me the reason that Velvick could not make it on the tour, was because he would not put that tennis shoe down.  Said he would try and fish it in a trout pond.

[Royal Blue]

15 minutes ago, Bill Babler said:

Absolutely on the treble.  But, I have heard Ish Monroe and Byron Velvick both state to never set the hook on a big swimbait, just wait till your rod loads and you will be much better, but you will  still miss fish.  Both believe on gizzard shad that the fish try to kill them before they eat them.

They believe that they slam into the big gizzard and then position themselves in front of the struggling bait and swallow it head first.  If they were eating it on the strike most often it would be tail first and they cannot get them down that way.  Both also believe if they do take the shad in tail first they will huff it out after mauling it and re-swallow it head first.  Same with blue gill or crappie when they try and eat them.

Threadfin they just gulp.

MIke told me the reason that Velvick could not make it on the tour, was because he would not put that tennis shoe down.  Said he would try and fish it in a trout pond.

The entire reason that I bought the Dobyn's 795, was for the big treble hook baits.  I was missing them too much with the Guide Select and this 795 loads up a lot better.  I will say that with tossing the rats that I've never had to worry about hookups or the rod loading up really.  They just destroy it if they commit to it.  I miss a lot less on the big line through and glide baits with the more limber Dobyn's.  Like a giant crankbait rod I guess.

[Bill Babler]

I have not missed many on the 25 and 40 series Rat no matter what rod I am fishing them on.  I think the strike on a topwater bait is somewhat different than a big swimbait, but point well taken.

Several years ago when the water was in the Buck Brush on Bull, I threw the Rat one day and it was one of the most exciting days I have had.  You could see them coming and they just swallowed it whole.  Head or tail first it did not matter.  I think when attacking those big gizzard shad they have to eat them head first and the pro's say that is the reason for misses.

[196champ]

Agreed Bill, great information there!

The first time i threw this bait last spring, on about my 3rd cast, i was reeling it down a log and watched a football spot come out from under it and absolutely slam the thing.  I couldn't put it down for 2 weeks straight after that.  Grated the window for this bite wasn't extremely long as the mag draft seems to plane out at about 3 or 4 feet.  The fry guarders don't like this thing either.