Best BIG swim baits?

Wanting to try some of the big swim baits and was wondering what y'all would recommend!

Hard. Soft. Line thru. Swimbait hook in the nose. What type of big swimbait?

Probably soft!

3:16 Rising Son by 3:16 Lure Company

Mark Perry on here makes some nice hand pours, as does Fringe tackle.

8" Huddleston

define big?

any bait from this company http://smashtechbaits.com/t/swimbaits

GREAT swimbait options available on the Swimbaits page on Oak Ridge Marina's website! Also gives you a little overview of the different types of swimbaits and how each is rigged

Our best-sellers have been the Smash-Tech Convicts and the Rago Weedless swimbaits.

Fringe 7"

Osprey Tournament Top Hook Swimbait

If you're talking about soft swimbaits, then go with the 7"; my favorite swimbait for clear water. I threw these a lot last Summer and managed to catch a lot of fish on these. The 7" truly has a "big fish bait" feel to it and the fish love it. The swimming action on these is second to none. I've used Optimum baits in the past but these out-perform the Optimum's by far. I seemed to catch more fish per bait on the Osprey's. These are truly unique swimbaits.

I'm brand new to swimbaits up until 2 weeks ago I had never thrown one. I literally threw 3 casts with a Huddleston 68 and was addicted that fast. True story before I even unloaded the boat is hadB placed an order for 4 more. Can't go wrong with a huddleston

^ He knows.

If you're looking for a great big weedless swimbait, the smash tech convict is by far the best one out there.
Rig it on a 10/0 owner beast swimbait hook with a few suspend strips wrapped around the shank of the hook.
The key to this bait is the hook slot in the belly of the bait. This allows for better hook ups.

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3:16 for sure! James and I tore them up that day. Our best five were just under 45 lbs. You can catch many fish on one as well before they get tore up. They have weedless, line through with treble hooks, and glide baits. You can't go wrong with 3:16.

They tear up to easy. You can't catch many fish at all on one before you have to change them out.

He sure does, I like Mark's

Mark Perry makes some great swimbaits

2G's,

Have you ever fished with the convict? I catch plenty of fish per bait. Using a little bit of mend it on the back of the bait holds it together very well after catching a few fish on it.
Pretty much anybody with any experience with swim baits understands the value of mend it, hudbond, or some product like the two.

I'm not gonna say anything except that Jay is 100% correct.

Another vote for Mark Perry's swimbait... although where can I find some now??

The swimbaits at Fringe hold together as good or better than anything I've fished with and their colors are second to none

We carry them at Oak Ridge but we're out of stock (actually 2 left) and I'm waiting on Mark to show up with some more! (Mark: Hint... Hint...).

APT carries Marks swimbaits.

I like the Ospreys , & the 3:16 brands. Have done well with both

are you referring to http://anglersprotackle.com/? because I don't see it anywhere on their site.

Started fishing the Convict around the end of Feb. And with simply changing it out after every few fish and using mend it I haven't thrown any away yet. After you catch a few change out the bait and apply mend it glue to the needed area and lay on deck. Bout 5 mins and its ready to go. The action at a slow speed, which is the point with weightless big swimbaits, is outstanding and to me makes the difference. This bait is relatively new to bust on the scene and is getting quite the following. Best to get em now before everybody's throwing this model as much as the others. Yes I'm a guide but I receive no discount nor am I on their pro staff in any way.

Yes, I believe he is. They do sell them at the store. I don't know if they sell them online.

3:16 rising sons or Hudd 68/ Hudd 8". Hard baits- Deps 175, 3:16 freestyles

I am new to this swim bait thing too. I bought a few MC Swim Baits, the 9" version and few of the 7" that Carlos (River A Tackle). Have them paired up with the Owner Beast Hooks, 10/0 and 9/0. Little anxious to go give them a try .

Here is a pic of the one from MC. Thing is a monster!

Thanks for all the advice guys. One more question..
What color do you prefer?

I appreciate all that mentioned my baits but really I am just a small garage bait guy and not anywhere near as talented as guys like Mickey at 3;16 and Ken Huddleston. They are true masters. Jeff with Fringe does amazing work as well. I am a fan of Heath's baits with Smash Tech. Those are the guys that build some incredible stuff. Anything from them will be a quality bait.

Most of the time I use a few of my own but I also throw the Megabass Magdrafts for soft plastic swimbaits a lot and the I Slides for hardbaits. Both are built very well and priced reasonably.

Lots of great choices out there from the guys I mentioned.

I am new to this also. Get some lead tape. Marks baits, at least for me, need just a little on the hook to keel them a bit. I have also found that the Smash Tech and River A need the same thing unless you are throwing with the big Finch Nasty Jig Head. They all come thru the Grass pretty well. Mark made some new colors with some violet or purple sheen in them that are really good looking, and I purchased at APT last week.

Is there a particular model/size/color you use? In that picture I looks like one of you are using a hard bait and one a soft.

The best thing you could do to start with is to pick up a couple of the line thru baits and a couple of the weedless style baits in 6"-7". Pick a brand, it's not really critical at this point in your adventure. Get them in a shad color, tie them on a stout rod, use braid, mono or flouro, something stout. Find a good looking cove, cast out, retrieve back slowly. Repeat as necessary

Don't try and find "the best" on here because it doesn't exist. Some are better than others in some aspects but not as good as other baits in other ways. All of the ones recommended to you in this thread will catch fish. Buy a couple and fish them until you understand what makes them work. Once you understand what you like and dislike in one brand or style then start testing other brands / baits.

And buy some mend-it or similar so you can patch them up and catch more fish on them.

Thanks JPEEL!

you're welcome. If you were closer I'd let you pick a handful of baits from my tackle bags. As little as I fish now I'm sure I wouldn't miss them...

I vote 3:16 also. Was first big bait I ever used. Liked them so I never tried any others. I can't say they are better but can verify how good and durable they are.

Fringe Tackleis making some awesome colors in 5" & 7". The company is moving so checkout his FB page for pics and super deals!

Do the fringe have a slot in the belly like the smashtech do? That seems to really help on the hookset with the smashtech

Yes they do

Do you think a 8/0 Beast Owner hook will work ok in the Convict, had some 10s ordered but were backordered

Get some Mend-It. It'll repair torn soft plastic baits many times for a lot more use.

Exactly. For the money, this guy is the best hand pour swim bait maker in the country. Go look at his colors. No one even comes close to his stuff. He's more affordable than any of the other makers. The hype just because guides use something, they are paid to hype it up, doesn't mean it's the best.
http://www.fringetackle.net/products.html

For my first post on the TFF, all good things come to an end, the Fringe baits have been my go to. The best color patterns are the ones they make for the TVA not on their web site, I bring them in from the tackle store on Guntersville.

Check out the swim baits I am making with the link below. You can even design your own colors, contact me with any questions.

Thanks
Brady

I want to know where do you fish swim baits like these.. open water, beat the bank.. what is the technique to catching bass with them?

thanks
BD

They have different ones for different applications. You can get the weedless versions and fish them anywhere you want. I will also use underhook version when there is not a lot of cover. Don't want to be losing a lot of these by hanging up. It would get real expensive real fast.

if you could only choose one between SwimBait and Cranking Baits... what will you use.. and why

Buton, I would use a crankbait as it is more effective in dirty/stained water. If the water has more than 3-4 ft visibility, I would probably prefer a swimbait.

The reason why big swimbaits are used so much in California is because many lakes there have extremely clear water with big bass and big forage! As for my favorite swimbait brands, I prefer white or silver colored Osprey Brand Swimbaits and Huddleston Swimbaits. It seems like there are countless copies of the Osprey Swimbait Designs from different companies, which says a lot about their effectiveness! Huddleston Swimbaits offer some weedless models along with top hook models that are both killer at times!

I like to use the Huddlestons for fishing near or on the bottom, as they sit upright at rest, and use Osprey Tournament Talon Top Hook Swimbaits and other Osprey Swimbaits for swimming above the bottom and for whenever I want a bit faster retrieve. When choosing a BIG swimbait to use I always have multiple Huddleston or Osprey styles, colors, and sizes available to choose from. I hope this helps, good luck!

Great tip