Hi there everybody. I'm form South Africa, and i want to start fishing swimbaits to beat our current record of just over 12 pounds. No-one fish big baits here. What do you recon is the best swimbaits to buy? I need any information to regards to swimbaits, Please Help.

Hi Buddy

I'm also from SA!

Any big Swimbait would be worth trying - the key is persistence ... I've yet to catch a Bass on a big Swimbait, but have had some "followers" in both SA and the USA.

Get your Swimbaits online from www.tacklewarehouse.com for quick, professional service. Check out Rob's articles on this site about fishing swimbaits and scan these Forums for tips you could use.

There are some 7kg and 8kg Bass out there in SA and the "big baits" seem to be the way to go ...

Also check out my site www.BigBass.co.za

All the best,
Jacques
bigbass@fastmail.fm

Hi there Jacques


Thanks alot i've been to your website, great site.


Kobus Oosthuizen
Clearwater Bassmasters
Johannesburg

Whats the primary bait fish source for you guys in SA?..I wonder if it would help your swimbait fishing if you had a bait that mimics your local forage?....Nathan
www.Bettencourtbaits.com

Hi -
I'm Rob's wife and am teaching 7th grade history right now. We are currently working on our Africa unit. Would either of you have pictures you could send via email to me on African land, culture, food, people, architecture, etc. We are specifically working on the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai empires (which I know were not near South Africa) but I'm sure my students would still love to see any real pictures from someone who lives there - rather than from our boring text book. Pictures from anywhere in Africa that you think might be educational would be great. :)

Thanks for considering it. If you have any that you'd like to share you can send them to sbelloni@gmail.com

Thanks again,
Summer

ps. Anyone been to China? That's our next unit. :)

Summer

I'll have a look for you. i should have some at home.


regards
Kobus Oosthuizen

Nathan

We have tilapia in most of our lakes aswell a carp. But i think tilapia makes up most of our bass's meals.


kobus

I was doing a little research in baitfish in SA...Is "Kapenta" a major food source for your bass?..It looks similiar to our bluegill..Nathan
www.Bettencourtbaits.com

Hi Nathan

Excuse me butting in ...

To find out more about African baitfish for Bass, go here: http://www.bigbass.0catch.com/id8a.htm

The Kapenta is a small frshwater sardine transplanted from the African great lakes to Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. By the way, Lake Kariba also has Bass! See: http://www.bigbass.0catch.com/id2c.htm

If you ever wondered how the Florida strain Bass ended up in Africa, click here: http://www.bassfan.com/rayscott_article.asp?ID=33

For more African bassing info, check out: www.BigBass.co.za

All the best and greetings from South Africa,
Jacques

Thank you for the help Bigbass...I had my fish confused...The "Tilapia" is the fish that resembles our bluegill.
I'm currenly working on a new series of wooden swimbaits.The series will be called "Real Fish".The first two in the series I hope to have out by late January.They will be the Rainbow Trout,and Bluegill.Others in the series will be released probably in the spring.
If you think fisherman in SA would be interested,I can put some thing together for the baitfish prevelant in your waters..Nathan
www.Bettencourtbaits.com

I was wondering which one of these would most resemble the tilapia in El Salto, Salton Sea, etc.? If they're a close match in size color and shape you might have twice the potential for sales.
Tight lines,
Wade

Thats a good idea Wade....I looked,and the species of Talipia in SA & Mexico look VERY similiar....By the way,...did you ever fish that canal I told you about in Los Banos?..Nathan
www.Bettencourtbaits.com

Jacques, thanks for the links, really interesting! Sounds like you guys have all kinds of good things going on over there. Tight lines

Here is the Osprey Slow Roller FB in a Tilapia pattern we designed. There are many different variations in Tilapia colors worldwide, as diverse as our sunfish family ie: bluegill, pumpkinseeds, shellcrackers, etc. Brian made me a wood plug of a Tilapia that is more of an Aqua Blue/Green with Orange highlights. Though it hasn't made it to El Salto yet, that plug has caught a few local bass for me.
I like the Slow Roller body shape for a tilapia mimic too because of the prominent top fin and the tall midsection, very sunfish-like.

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/3013.jpg

http://bassworldwest.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BWW&Product_Code=SRF-099&Category_Code=1505050000

Hi, Nathan!

Any hard or softbait in a generic-type of Tilapia shape such as the "Tilapia sparrmanii" (Banded Tilapia or Vlei Kurper) shown on my link in my post above would be great for Bass in Africa or Mexico or certain areas of the USA where the primary forage fish is Tilapia.

The only problem is that the potential market in South Africa and Zimbabwe is not all that big (compared to the USA) ... If you make some Tilapia-type lures, I know I would definitely order a few.

Keep in touch ...
Jacques

Summer

Sorry i don't seem to have any photo's that i can send you. They got lost during moving.

Regards
Kobus: :(

Okay, thanks for looking. I appreciate it.

Summer

Summer if i find them i'll e-mail them to you.

Kobus

Hey I would suggest getting hard bodied swimbaits if your catching alot because the soft ones rip easy and can be expensive to replace!