Types of Swimbaits

Swimbaits are among the most realistic styles of bass fishing lures available to anglers today. While other lures may attempt to replicate some sort of forage, swimbaits are able to offer an identical appearance with a similarly realistic swimming action. The term swimbait is used to categorize a broad spectrum of lures with extremely diverse profiles, action, depths and weights. Unlike some of the relatively specific lure classifications, for example buzzbaits, swimbaits may mean very different things depending on the angler's interpretation. We have broken down our swimbait categories by more specific descriptions based upon their construction or the forage they are attempting to mimic.

Hard Swimbaits

Hard swimbaits include swimbait lures which display a composition which is hard or rigid in nature. They are typically constructed from wood or hard plastic from which they derive their rigidity. Swimbaits in this category include jointed swimbaits, topwater and glide style baits. Among the popular models found in this category are many of Jerry Rago's masterpieces, Spro BBZ Swimbaits and Black Dog Lunker Punkers.

Hollow Belly Swimbaits

Hollow belly swimbaits includes soft plastic swimbaits which exhibit a hollow core. The hollow belly swimbait craze was ignited many years ago by the original Basstrix hollow swimbaits which proved responsible for a number of tournament victories and played a large role in the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament held on Clear Lake. The event was won by Steve Kennedy who employed the hollow belly swimbait and another larger soft plastic swimbait to amass a total of 122lb 14oz of bass over four days. The magic of television gained national exposure for the hollow belly style swimbaits and encouraged anglers all over the country to try it for themselves. In the years to come, several other companies introduced their very own versions of hollow belly swimbaits to satisfy anglers increasing demand. Hollow belly swimbaits have continued to be a hot commodity due to the versatility they afford fishermen. This style of swimbait can be rigged weedless, with a jig head or used on umbrella rigs. We offer a number of incredible hollow belly swimbait models to match the hatch from California to Maine.

Soft Swimbaits

Soft swimbaits include models composed of full body, soft plastic. We make the distinction between the hollow belly style and regular soft plastic swimbaits based upon the full body displayed by the swimbaits in this category. Soft plastic swimbaits include styles that mimic virtually every type of forage fish including: shad, bluegill, hitch, trout and bass. A vast array of styles are represented in this category including swimbaits that cover the entire water column from top to bottom. Additionally, lures in this category may include internal rigging or may come without any internal weight or hook. Popular swimbaits in this category include Huddleston, Rago, Mattlures, Keitech and Osprey.

Matching the Hatch - Swimbaits

Swimbait categories separated by the forage they intend to mimic attempts to simplify the search for the perfect swimbait to meet anglers specific needs. One of the most widely accepted principles of bass fishing is using lures that match the specific forage fish offered in the body of water in which they live. Sounds simple enough. To assist in this process we've offered an additional breakdown of swimbaits which include several of the most popular forage options across the country. Lures represented in these categories need only have one characteristic in common; the forage they intend to replicate. Some swimbaits display a rather ambiguous design that encompasses many species, therefore, those swimbaits will be found in each of the appropriate categories.