Sizing Up (or down) Swimbaits
SEMANTICALLY, IT SOUNDS like the ultimate in obvious descriptions; however, “swimbait” means different things to different people. Sure, they’re all designed to create their namesake motion, but these popular reaction baits abound in strategic applications. For a glimpse into this realm of big-fish baits, we asked a handful of Bassmaster Elite Series sticks for their favorite swimbait application. Their insight provides tactical inspiration applicable across a broad spectrum.
UPHILL CLIMB
Chris Zaldain’s mail has come to a Fort Worth, Texas, zip code for the past year, but spending most of his life in San Jose, Calif., gave him lots of time to perfect his West Coast swimbait skills. His go-to pattern involves fishing glaringly obvious areas, but in a manner much different than most.
“I’m going to fish the most well-known community hole, the most well-known main-lake point,” Zaldain says. “We’re going to start there because everybody knows big fish get caught there every single year, but guess what? Not everyone throws these giant pieces of plastic.”
Zaldain heaves an 8-inch Megabass Mag Draft, but he’ll go
