Were a clear water presentation? But ol Billy Lawson lays the smack down on Fork with those Smash Tech swimbaits.? What gives? I know Fork has vegetation and I�ve only been once but I don�t consider it a clean water lake by any means.

Simple answer is swimbaits are pretty universal. Even in stained water s h.g ad and bluegill still swim so swimbaits work. The only in clear water stuff is something I thought initially but I have found them to work in water clear or stained.

Fork's always been good fished with swimbaits. Even going back to the early 80's and 90's where it kinda started with the AC Plug. But swimbaits have come a long ways since then in design. And Heath at Smash Tech is making some dang good ones. They work great around the vegetation at Fork, but I think they really shine in post spawn around May going into Summer.

Prefer them in stained water. Swimbaits are a visual deal. If the fish gets a good look at the bait, she won't eat it most times. That's why folks have so many "follows" in clear water.

Swimbaits are not a one size fits all. Like traditional tackle, there is a different bait for different conditions. Some have a soft presence with very realistic detail that excel in clear water. Some have more action and move a lot of water which can shine in off color water. Knowing which bait to throw in what conditions can turn a grind of a day into a very memorable trip.

You cant always stereotype a bait so much. There are a lot of presentations that are surprising

Don't be scared to throw swimbaits in dirty water. It's a big misconception that all swimbaits are a clear water only bait. This is especially true with our hollow body swimbaits as they give off tons of vibration.

I HEARD THAT EXACT STATEMENT EARLIER TODAY BY MY.BNL..SWIMBAITS AND SWIM JIGS WORK WELL IN STAINED WATER...I relized the clear water deal at Martin creek one year when the water was down..
I had been using Zooms shad pattern, but found an actual crappie swimbait that was clear. Changec to it after no bites on.the storm, and sacked up on it in a creek channel...

The bigger swimbaits i think work better in stained lakes..But i havent used them all over and lakes vary..I do downsize and make my own.after the spawn as size seems to be a factor, with color then..

Ive had better luck on swimjigs consistently than swimbaits..I also.use swimbaits behind swimjigs..as a down size!