SocalSean (US)

 When I first started throwing swim baits they were a seldom used tool in most anglers' arsenal. After the invention of the Huddleston Deluxe swimbait, everything had changed. The Huddleston Deluxe was the first bait to impersonate a trout with a lifelike subtlety close to perfection. Ken Huddleston's new masterpiece quietly began to dominate the local tournament scenes. Live wells were stuffed, heroes were made, photo albums and magazines began to fill with pictures of double digit fish all across California. As the secret got out thousands of anglers, including me had their first real taste of big bait success using the lures. Ken had a simple theory that he applied to the creation of his art. Ken Huddleston" It is my contention that the wiser, heavier Largemouth, consumes the largest, fattest, high-calorie meal while burning the least amount of calories." Kens theory proved to be the backbone of a new revolution in consumer friendly trout impersonating lures. As the demand increased for trophy lures, other major manufacturers have now begun to produce quality swim baits and make them available to the general consumer. More and more people are beginning to use swim baits, even most weekend bass anglers all have at least one swim bait rod on the deck. Inevitably the effect that this is having on our lakes is that the bass that were once somewhat simple to catch are for the most part becoming effectively trained not to eat the lures the same way as they once had. What is obvious structure to the fisherman has now become obvious structure to the fish. The reason is simple. The big bass have adapted to the boat traffic and become conditioned to seeing the same lures from the same angle on the same structure. The scientific term for this phenomenon is called, Pavlovian conditioning. Pavlovian conditioning is the fundamental building blocks of learning. It is basic to how all animals adapt to their environment, from multi-cellular organisms to humans. Those who either have the best genetics for reflexes, or who have the capacity to modify their genetically predetermined reflexes, have a better chance of survival and reproduction. In simple terms, adaptation is the key to the survival of all living things and all living things will adapt to survive, hence the bass are surviving.

Now that we have figured out what happens when bass adapt to fishing pressure, how do we overcome this obstacle? To answer this question with confidence you have to reassure yourself that humans are in fact the dominant species. We are the hunters and we have the ability to use logic and reason as tools for anticipating the changing environment. Although some of the subject matter may be unfamiliar to you, don't make things harder than they have to be. Keep your thought process simple and on the same level as the bass. Let the obvious signs guide your decision making process. Here is a checklist of things that you can use to cut to the chase and solve the mysteries of locating and catching double digit swimbait fish.

1) Find the food, find the fish. Research where the trout are stocked at your local lake, many of the stock trout will remain close to the place where they are planted for several days. Within a couple of days you may find trout in coves clear on the opposite side of the lake. Trout will get pinned in certain cuts, because the bass will utilize the lake structure as vantage and ambush points. Bass are opportunistic and will remember spots where they may find an easy meal. These spots are where bass utilize the strength in numbers. Multiple aggressive bass feeding in the same area are what I call a wolf packs. These," wolf packs", will feed together by attacking their prey as both a team and as competitors to one another, creating frenzy like feeding conditions. 2) When do they stock trout? Although exact days are not given the DFG provides this information to the public on their web site.

3) Open your eyes. You will see many signs as to where the trout are being ambushed. The explosion that sends a trout hurling out of water is a good start. Familiarize yourself with the structure in these areas and you will figure out the angles that make for natural presentations.

4) Spend time on the water. You can read all that you want, but there is no substitute for putting your hours in on the pond. Confidence and repetition is the key to improving your skill set.

5) Use the right equipment. Sure you can use a flipping stick and a cheap Chinese knockoff of a Huddleston but even if you get bit your odds are slim and none of landing the fish. Considering that you have only a 50% chance of landing fish on most swimbaits, why make the odds worse? Fish with all the right equipment. Use the right lures. Choose a lure that looks and swims realistic to you. Don't settle for second best when it comes to lure selection.

6) Be creative. Step out of the box and use your own creative energy to find a lure or a bite that no one else is on. The rewards for being creative are huge. You could end up with a magic trick that no one else knows about. There is nothing better than that, I promise. Being the only guy on the lake that is catching fish on a particular lure is like fishing on lake with no boat pressure and no angler competition.

7) Trap hook your baits. In order to land more fish you are going to have to use a little creative energy. If you are loosing fish on a regular basis, you probably need to figure out how to rig secondary hooks on your swimbaits. These rigs are called a trap hooks. You can make trap hooks out of wire leader, braid and crimps. This will increase the number of fish you land by up to %50 in some cases.

8) Modify your lures or make your own. Paint and Sharpie markers are your friend. Make your baits look unique. What they don't see often, they eat. Separate yourself from the school of production lures. The best lures that I know will never be on the market, because they are crafted by hand out of a block of wood or poured in garage somewhere by someone that will never tell a soul.

The best way to get bit is to make the prevailing conditions work for you. More often than not, success comes from learning what lures to use and when to use them. As for any lure you are going to have to figure out what triggers the strike by putting yourself in the mind of both the predator and the prey. You are going to have to try to see through the eyes of the bass. You are going to have to experiment and think for yourself. When your lure looks natural and reacts just like a trout, then it looks natural to the bass and will in turn trigger more bites. Keep putting your time on the water and switch things up as often as you can. Don't fish how everyone else does. Adapt your own presentations and learn to modify your lures. Sure we know that the lures made today look and swim more like live trout than ever, but do they have the same specific subtle color nuances of the planted and holdover trout at your lake? Find out what your trout look like by catching some. Take pictures and use those pictures to modify your own baits. Use sharpie pens, paint and glitter. Do something original and you will be rewarded for your efforts by improved catch ratios. Sweat the small stuff and think outside the box.

As you can see, your job is to figure out the presentation that will trigger bites under the prevailing weather conditions. Pay attention to spots where you are getting followers from. Having a huge bass follow your bait and not eat it is a positive sign. Half the battle is locating fish. Often times going back to the same spots and using the same presentation will work under different conditions, such as: low light or increased wind coverage. Wind and waves make the sub surface light conditions change and often will turn, following fish to biting fish. With so many options for swimbaits these days, how do you know what lures to use and when to use them? Here are a few of my favorite lures and presentations that are applicable to use with these lures.

1) For a fast sub surface presentation: Try the River 2 Sea Wooden Slither a Triple Trout or a Huddleston Deluxe #16

2) For surface presentations: Try the River 2 Sea Kong floater, the Magnum Rover or a Black Dog Lunker Punker.

3) For slow rolling or bottom bouncing: Try slow using the River to sea Kong slow sinker, a #12 or #16 Huddleston maybe even a Stocker Trout.