Finesse Swimbaits for Bass Fishing

Finesse swimbaits are some of the most versatile lures in a bass angler’s arsenal. Rig them weedless to cast in shallow water and around heavy cover or fix them onto a jighead to work deeper in the water column. They’ve been a four-season bait for longer than most of us have been bass fishing—depending on how you define “finesse swimbait.”
On his blog, Ike’s Fishing Blog, Mike Iaconelli suggests the roots of the finesse swimbait go all the way back to the grub, that curly-tailed plastic most modern bass anglers found clam-packed with their first push-button, cartoon-character-themed rod and reel, and never fished again. It’s true, though, grubs share the streamlined profile and kicking tail action of modern swimbaits. The primary difference is the shape of the tail.
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Most finesse swimbaits today have a boot or paddle tail, which delivers a more restrained action than a wildly undulating curly tail. This, in combination with a baitfish profile, provides a natural presentation, one that works in shallow structure or when sniping open-water bass spotted with forward-facing sonar.
Rapala, legendary maker of hard-bodied baits going back to the 1930s, offered a soft-plastic swimbait this year during the company’s first-ever release of soft baits under the new Crush City line. Rapala collaborated with bass pro Jacob Wheeler to create five baits, including two crawfish trailers, a Ned rig bait, a spinnerbait/bladed swim-jig trailer, and a finesse swimbait, The Mayor.

The Mayor’s tail provides an instant kicking action, even at the super-slow retrieves needed to tempt cold-water bass. It has belly and back slots for easy rigging and to conceal the hook point on weedless presentations. The soft material itself incorporates a custom mix of color, flake, salt, and scent to enhance the fish attraction.
The action of the bait, when rigged on a swimbait jighead, has little to no roll and a tight kicking action that begins when the bait hits the water and begins sinking to the desired depth.

The Mayor comes in three sizes, 2 1/2, 3, and 4 inches, and more than a dozen staple colors including perch, green shad, sexy shad, and green pumpkin.
Finesse swimbait applications continue to evolve as a growing number of anglers put them at the forefront of their arsenals, thanks to the effectiveness of swimbaits used in conjunction with forward-fasting sonar. The ability to control the sink rate of a finesse swimbait by adjusting the jighead size allows anglers to dial in their presentation to fool even a single fish marked on electronics. Most fishermen begin with a 1/8-ounce jighead, adjusting in 1/16-ounce increments to as heavy as 3/8 ounce. From there, a steady retrieve (paced from slow to moderate, depending on water temperature) with the occasional pause or twitch is all that’s needed to seal the deal.

Jigheads for Finesse Swimbaits

Jigheads with a 60-degree line tie, like the Berkley Fusion19 Swimbait Jig, are ideal for casting and retrieving baits. Anglers employing a more vertical presentation may prefer jigheads with a 90-degree line tie.

For vertical jigging applications, most anglers will opt for a jighead with a 90-degree line tie, like the Lunker City Titan Jig. This jighead also features a ribbed bait keeper on the hook shank to keep the soft plastic sitting flush to the head, maintaining a swimbait’s natural presentation.

A lure keeper is an essential part of a good swimbait jig because it prevents the lure from being pulled down the hook on short strikes, giving the angler a second chance to fool the fish. While a collar with a dab of super glue is effective, it’s tough to beat a spring-style (spiral) hook keeper, like the one on the VMC Hybrid Swimbait Jig, for holding a swimbait in place.

Selecting a jighead that pairs well with your choice swimbait is also important. For example, a Keitech Fat Swing Impact, with its cylindrical body and rounded head, will appear more natural when rigged on a VMC Hybrid Swimbait Jighead, whereas a Crush City Mayor swimbait, with its flat sides, will sit flush to something like a YUM Money Head Jig and lead to a more natural presentation.
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Source: https://onthewater.com/finesse-swimbaits-for-bass-fishing
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