I've been experimenting both with the 9 inch mission fish and the new Okuma swimbait rod for the last month. I wanted a weedless swimbait that actually was a big swimbait. The 9 inch mission fish seemed like the only option. The Okuma turned out to be the natural match for this bait.

From the beginning I was nervous about missing fish on this bait. It comes with a G-Mag hook but clearly needs some modification to even have a chance at hooking the fish. I was willing to give up some of the weedless quality of this bait and came up with this rigging with a 13/0 Owner.

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/2694.jpg

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/2695.jpg

So far it has worked very well for me. Having the front part of the hook above the plastic locks the hook in place so it doesn't fall in or need adjusting while fishing. You can change the amount the hook sticks out by having the final hookpoint exit closer or further from the head.

Despite the large gap between the hook point and bait it is still fairly weedless. Much more so than other single hook baits like the basstrix would be. And it retains the advantage of a breakaway hook so the landing percentage is excellent.

The bait is super heavy and needs a super hard hookset. The Okuma rod filled the bill perfectly for this setup.

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/2696.jpg

Overall I'd rate the Okuma swimbait rod + 9 inch Mission Fish + Hot Sauce + 10 lb bass as a solid combo. Not so sure about the Curado :)

"Yowsa!"

Great bait thinking and Bass catchin'!

Dan