is there a "trick" technique to fishing swim baits === big ones in particular ?
what do you consider a swim bait ?
a big swim bait ?
when / where ?

I have been throwing swim baits since they showed up from California. The old wood baits called the A/C plug to now the big plastics ones. Points are key for me but you can catch them anywhere the bass are.Over ditches creek channels and bedding areas. You will need the right set up to be successful.

I like a 7'3 MH with 50 braid and a 6/4/1 gear ratio. This will allow you enough tip in the rod to let the fish load up on it before you set the hook. To stiff of a rod you will take it away from the fish to soon.

With the braid you get great hook ups and you can hook up on the longest cast. Remember the hooks are large so you better bring a big hammer if you plan on driving the hooks home.

Just slow retrieves work for me but lots of ways to make them work. They seem to work best with water temps above 60 degrees for me. If you have any other questions just email me anytime and I will reply when I get in off the water. Good Luck.

We're asked questions similar to these frequently so I'll convey the same information to you based on the product we produce in so much as 7" is concerned and whether or not it's considered "big".
First off the 7" weighs 2 oz by itself with no hook or weight added, usually an 8 or 10/0 is used and the weight varies depending on individual preference. The first suggestion we make is to review your current rods for their line and weight capacity you may have a rod already that can handle a swimbait. At issue is pre-loading your rod with the bait itself, it will affect your casting, hook set and fighting capabilities. IE you don't want to bring a squirt gun to a gun fight nor do you want a pool cue if it's not necessary. Also this applies if you plan to strictly cast & retrieve. Regarding line this is determined by several variables ie. open water, structure & consistent ave size of fish you're most likely to catch. There are several different trains of thought to which braid or mono. Again personal preference with the factors mentioned and there may be some trial and error required until you arrive at the perfect set up for you.

CUTriton:
That is some very nice info,,,,,,, but
Not one of the questions I asked was addressed or answered.
????

Sorry I misunderstood

To me, a swim bait can be either hard or soft, and is usually fished on some kind of jighead. It could be an original Mister Twister Sassy Shad or any of its copycats, a tube, or an 8" Huddleston. Hard swimbaits (to me) are simply big (6" on up) lures with big hooks for big bass. Anything made of wood or plastic that is advertised as a musky lure could also be called a swim bait. Again, this is just I PERSONALLY consider to be a swimbait.

I don't know that there is a 'trick' way to present them. Usually, with soft swim baits, I cast them out and let them sink to the desired depth, and then begin a slow retrieve with periodic pauses and slight jerks. I retrieve hard swim baits the same way, except that for floater-divers, I usually twitch them on the surface a few times before I start the retrieve.

I consider any swim bait, hard or soft, to be "big"it's 8" or longer in length.

I like to fish them anytime I'm looking for "that one big bass bite" - primarily across deep, timbered points and parallel to vertical and near-vertical bluff banks, creek channel edges, and drains from flats.

Hope this helps.

In west coast terms, a big swimbait would be 8" or bigger. I don't personally consider a wobble tail minnow on a jig head a swimbait. They are not fished the same, and do not draw the same caliber of fish on the regular basis. A painfully slow steady retrieve seems to get interest out of the big fish while erratic pauses and glides seem to generate bites from smaller aggressive fish. Erratic retrieves using a glide bait can make a follower commit, but slow and steady will draw them in and get them interested.

When/Where: Prespawn and post spawn are great times, and any points/feeding flats with deep water close. Areas where you have caught or seen big fish on conventional tackle are great areas to start.

Thanks for those last 2 post. Absolutely great information & I appreciate it very much.
Going to try some of those things this weekend on Lake Athens and see what happens

a big swimbait in my opinion is 6 in or bigger. you need a rod rated for the bait you are throwing because of the great rise in lure weight. with big swimbait fishing you are looking for about 2-3 bites a day, you dont exactly go out and slay them. but the size is the reward.

swimbaits are a year round type deal and the way you fish them depends on the type you are fishing.

if you are throwing a glide bait (single hinged hard swimbait) you would want to give it a slow roll retrieve and time to time kill it to allow it to glide.

multi jointed hard swimbaits are pretty versatile, some can do 180 degree turns on a rod twitch. for the most part i like to give it a slow retrieve and kill it or change retrieve speeds (still a slow retrieve).

and then you have your soft big swimbaits such as (huddleston's, mission fish, baitsmith's) you would want to generally slowly drag it on the bottom.

Since you asked about big swimbaits in particular, the info below will be geared toward that:

is there a "trick" technique to fishing swim baits === big ones in particular ?
The first trick is to make sure you have the right equipment or you will be frustrated. You don't have to spend tons of money doing it, but make sure the rod is rated to handle the weight of the bait you will be using. The reel also needs to be able to hold a lot of line because you'll have some distance on these casts. You can count these down and fish a certain depth or you can reel them just below the surface depending on the fish location.

what do you consider a swim bait ?
There are many small plastics that can be considered a swimbait. Some use jighwads or weighted hooks. I prefer to use the line through type because I like the action and the weight.

a big swim bait ?
6"-9" are what I fish with and consider big. I use Osprey, Mark Perry baits, and plan to try the Fringe Tackle.

when / where ?
Conditions dictate this. If you fish a clear lake (Amsted for example, where I first learned) you can fish these at any depth mid lake or around cover. With the clear water, they have a nice swimming profile the bass can see above them. I've fished them in 100+ feet of water over by the dam at Amsted with success. In other lakes, don't be afraid to fish them around cover and places like boat docks.

The thing I learned early that was helpful for ME is to make sure and pay attention to retrieve. They work great with a slow and steady retrieve and you get great action out of the tail this way. I talked to Mark at the FNS tackle show earlier this year and his baits are designed to be fished faster and won't roll.