Swim jig or spinner bait? I threw a swim jig for the first time this weekend and has some success. Which is better in your opinion?

Two totally different baits for me.....one does not take the place of the other for me in regards to one being better than the other.

+1

They look the same to me. One flashy, one not. Since I absolutely LOATHE spinner baits, I throw a jig with a swim bait trailer. I know some big fish are caught on spinners though. So, unlike me, use them both.

Spinnerbait , by far .
Anywhere there are weeds , doesn't matter the depth . From end of May to October are my best months .
In 40+ years of bass fishing , my best day ever --- 5 hours of fishing , approx 35 total bass , best 5 went around 34lbs w/o a DD .
The funny thing , for my first 25 years of bass fishing -- I had ZERO confidence in spinnerbaits . Then one day , I tried them in a large weedy area
and killed em ---been hooked on them ever since .

Spinnerbait for me. I catch a lot of fish with spinnerbait and oddly... spoons.

If I was catching a bunch of fish with spinnerbaits then went cold, I switch to a Thomas buoyant spoon and will usually land some fish. The spoon catches everything IME. Largemouth, trout, bluegill, warmouth.

spinnerbait works for me great, but both are quite an experience for me...

You are right about the Thomas Buoyant, it seems to work for many different species.

Both work great, fish whichever one you can the most efficiently depending on the cover/structure.

You want your lure presented well at the depth of where the active fish are, not getting hung up, or constantly cleaning a lure of vegetation.

I know some throw heavy spinner baits deep with great success, but the blades provide lift, and if the active bass are 15+ feet deep on the bottom or suspended in trees, I can get a 3/4oz swim jig in that area quickly, repeatedly, and efficiently

If there are active bass in shallow timber and grass, the arm of the spinner bait does a great job of deflecting off wood and the lift from the blades keeps the lure at the top, just ticking the vegetation. I'm not as efficient fishing a swim jig in that situation (have to keep cleaning the hook and get snagged more)