3 segment swim baits

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LowRange
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3 segment swim baits

Post by LowRange » Sun Aug 14, 2022 7:57 pm

I can't buy a follow on a glide. This is has been my 1st season throwing big baits and I have come to appreciate the 3 segment S swimming baits.

I started out in spring throwing Chibi Gantarels, Vatalions and glide baits. The Chibi Gantarels produced all my big bait fish.

I switched over to the Berkey Gilly which isn't a big bait but it has that same S swim a Gantarel has but is weedless. Caught a ton of fish

Getting back into big baits with Savage Gear products and my two most recent big fish were on a 3 segment floating line through 8" trout and a 5" 3 segment 3D bluegill.

Starting to see a pattern here. That panicked S shapled fleeing near or on the surface is money. Still not giving up on glides though.

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Re: 3 segment swim baits

Post by Cristo » Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:14 am

Not sure if anything I have to say is worthwhile as I've only bag one or two real swim Bait fish in my time of throwing SBs. I will say this in general I mainly use Glides for shallower presentations and if there's cover around. I have a very very small portion of Glide baits I like segmented swimmers preferably. Depending who you talk to of course I feel they're a little bit more suited for how I fish. I like baits that I know will get down with some diligence, they don't necessarily have to be fast sinking or anything but I feel like they get down a little bit better than Glides or at least the Glides I've used in my experiences I will also say this in general I find they don't cast as far out so I like to use them more or less parallel to shorelines, once in awhile I'll throw it towards Shore and bring it or retrieve it out towards the main Lake but I feel I've had more follows up in the shallower portions of our reservoirs with more parallel to the shore presentations. Also if I'm throwing once in a while I'll throw one out but I just don't feel like I can get it out to make a retrieve worthwhile at least with certain dates that is I've had some pretty good luck with some other type of Glides built that get out pretty far probably as much as some of my segmented swimmers. I should focus near the marinas I should throw them near the docks located there which I have yet to do quite honestly I've seen people pull them up using other techniques so I know they're hanging around there and I've caught some of my bigger fish cranking near the marinas here on my home reservoirs.

Anyway that was kind of all over the place in short I prefer a segmented swimmers I have a boatload more of those than I do Glides I think Glides account for maybe 5% of my treble Hook presentations. Butch Brown would probably laugh at me but I just haven't had much success trying to have the patience to let them sink down to the proper depths I feel they need to to entice a big old chunk to commit. Also my couple swimbait fish have also been on segmented swimmers so I definitely have the confidence on throwing those 8-)
Last edited by Cristo on Tue Aug 16, 2022 1:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 3 segment swim baits

Post by LowRange » Tue Aug 16, 2022 10:37 am

I want to get into glides and blow a bunch of money for some reason. Not from a kayak though. Holding the rod up and twitching to the side while seated is no fun with these heavy sticks. It'll have to be a bass boat or pond boat presentation for me. I'll use my 5.3 oz Wild Side since it can handle 4 oz easily and is easy to work tip down. My thinking is that despite being only 7'2" glides cast like crap anyways so the short rod isn't hurting anything. I'm really enjoying the Savage Gear soft baits lately. They get bit
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Re: 3 segment swim baits

Post by Preston » Tue Aug 16, 2022 11:26 am

I've been throwing glides and soft swimbaits for a few years. I'd say medium size baits like 6" open pour soft swimbaits made by me and Magdraft freestyles. For glides 5-8" glides is my zone. It's been an interesting journey. I live in Oregon where we have lots of trout and stocked trout, so in the beginning I went with trout glides and colors. Caught some fish, but the action was rare, even followers seemed too rare. I kept at it. I don't know if my luck got better, my timing got better, or ability to work the bait improved, but I started catching more fish more regularly.

In the fall of 2021, I full committed on swimbaits for largemouth. And, I skunked from Nov until postspawn. Post spawn hit and the action went through the roof. I fished gill glides more this year and caught even more fish and had more followers than ever. Even fished glides for river smallies a bunch this year and caught them quite well.

The reality is I'm not totally sure what changed. Maybe I improved, maybe I got lucky, but confidence to go throw glides and swims has gone up dramatically. Still seem to only catch true big ones on jigs though, but the gill glides have caught a ton of 2-4.5lbers.

My mentality with the gill glides is that they are essentially big jerk baits. I work them chaotically with little rhythm. That seems to get the attention of the fish. With soft swimbaits, those get fished around grass and weeds, but there seems to be a bite window for these baits. I've tested this multiple times in areas where I know the fish are there. I can throw the soft swimbait for hours and hours with no bites. Then something changes. Be it wind, light level, sun angle, etc. Then out of no where, bam. Multiple fish will be caught in like 30-60mins and then the bite is gone.

So that's my summary of my swimbait journey. I'm a weekend(and sometimes weekday evenings) warrior who chases big fish in Oregon. No tournies.

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Re: 3 segment swim baits

Post by Cristo » Tue Aug 16, 2022 1:38 pm

Excellent write ups Preston and Low =D>

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Re: 3 segment swim baits

Post by LowRange » Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:07 pm

I've been blessed in that my only 3 fish on these Savage Gear baits have been 5-7 range. I had one slam that SG gill tonight and got off but it was big based on the tail I saw. Haunting for sure. That stupid gill gets hit hard on a fast near surface burn around weeds in evening low light but the hookup is terrible. Wish it was a line through. Despite fishing a private lake stocked with shad in Nebraska all my big bait fish have been on gill baits other than the one on the SG trout and odd fish junk fishing plastics/cranks. Nothing has touched the slow sink SG line through shad yet. :lol: Just need some more seat time.

My next thing will probably be wakes and rats. I loved the way that one 6lbr smoked that floating trout line through on the surface. Loads on fun.

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Re: 3 segment swim baits

Post by Preston » Mon Aug 22, 2022 7:57 am

I hope you do better on rats and wakes than I have done. I just can't get bit on them. Most of my fishing is done during the day. Rarely am I fishing early mornings or late evenings, so maybe that's part of the reason.

Let us know how the rat/wake venture goes.

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