A Swimbait for Real Fish

I believe the swimbait trend in bass fishing has finally stopped being a trend and is now mainstream. It seems like every tackle company on the market has their own version. They price range is wide and they are as expensive as you are willing to pay. I have a decent collection of them ranging from the shad size up to the monster trout sized ones for fishing on the West Coast. Since a big part of the country is not California and not full of stocked Rainbow Trout, it's good to have a more universal bait. The Real Fish Bait Company swimbait is the perfect fit for those of us not lucky enough to live in an area with an endless trout food supply for our bass.

I first started using these baits about a month ago and have really put them to the test. The colors are great and they have every type of Sunfish you can think of; Bluegill, Warmouth, Shellcracker, Pumpkinseed, and Red Ear. They even have a Goldfish pattern if you find yourself doing some urban bassin'.

The bait itself is about four inches and weighs in at 1.8 ounces. It's definitely a heavy bait, and will cast a mile. For the test, I rigged it up with a Lamiglas Excel Small Swimbait/Frog rod and a Shimano Curado spooled with 20lb Seaguar InvizX.

The Real Fish Swimbait comes rigged with a single hook molded into the bait and also has a treble stinger hook attached to the bottom. If you are fishing open water, keep it on. If you are fishing grass like I was, just take it off. It's as simple as that.

I fished the bait very slowly along the bottom and ripped it when I felt grass or a wood. Watching the bait swim really explained why it works so well. The video below shows it in underwater in action.

As I was fishing the bait I really started to think of another thing this bait would be good for; bed fishing. I have used similar baits in the past and know these things are perfect for the spawn season. It's a great tool for getting the fish riled up, and if they don't bite the swimbait, it's easy to throw something else in right after and get bit. There is something about a bluegill near the bed that makes them go crazy.

The best thing about this bait is the price. While other baits in this category sell for around $20 each, the Real Fish Swimbait sells for $9.99. It's a great price for someone who is new to the swimbait world and doesn't want to spend too much to get started. You can learn more about the bait and the Real Fish Bait Co. by checking out their site here.

The Real Fish Bait Co. Swimbait in action