How to Rig a Swimbait to Boost Bites while Bass Fishing

Catch more bass by using swimbaits in a different way.

Spring bass fishing is coming quickly and we all need to get ready for it. It can be some of the most exciting fishing of the season but it won’t do you any good if you can’t rig your baits right to catch these lunker fish.

Rigging Swimbaits for Big Bass

Learn how to fish with swimbaits for big bass when they are finnicky and you’ll add more fish to your boat.

Swimbaits are reaction baits. They are big and they are designed to get a fish to strike when they see it. Bass see these baits as enticing or as an intruder and they attack them.

Swimbaits for Bass Fishing

Sometimes in the spring though, bass are slow to react, but you can employ a trick that will help make the bait irresistible to a fish.

Simply rig the bait on a leadhead jig. You can choose the size based off of the strenth of the current and the depth. If it’s a stiff current or over 15 feet water depth, we recommend a 1-ounce leadhead.

Bass Fishing with Swimbaits

Put on the swimbait head in backwards order. Normally, you would put the hook point into the bait’s nose and thread it through the body and bring it out the back. Now, you’ll want to use the hook point to cut a slit in the back of the bait where you want the hook to exit. Put the lead head in that spotand push it all the way to the head of the bait. There, cut another slit to bring the line tie to break through the plastic.

Rigging your swimbait this way will allow the hook bend to sit outside the bait like it would on the traditional setup, but the lead head is hidden by the body of the plastic bait. The presentation is better this way and finnicky fish will not notice.

Try this out when you’re having trouble getting the big ones to bite and you’ll be pulling up more big bass this spring.

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