OK guys- I am beginning to work on the list of 'approved baits' for our Clear Lake Series swimbait only tournament. I thought I would go straight to the source for an idea of what might be on the list. I am torn right now about how to set the parameters of what a swimbait is...., for instance, is a Lunker Punker a swimbait, or just a big spook? I would appreciate any insight you guys might have.

Thanks
Bill Cook
WON Bass

This used to be a much simpler question to answer :) The term swimbait has been used in such a broad fashion in the last 2 or 3 years by manufacturers that I think the meaning of the word has been changed.

It's just like a branding issue, where in some parts of the country the word "coke" means any sort of carbonated soda. In other parts of the country the word "coke" just means Coca Cola. These definitions change over time, and the meanings of some words like "swimbait" can vary a great deal depending on who you are talking to.

Just this week I've been shooting photos of new lures for the site, and they include a ripbait and a two-piece jerkbait with a propeller on the tail. It's been causing me to think more about how to organize the reviews because "trout plugs" and "swimbaits" doesn't cover it any more.

With all of that said, the review pages are a good place to start if you want to see what the world today defines as a swimbait. The link is here:

http://www.calfishing.com/reviews/index.html

If I can think of a better way to define it for you over lunch, I will get back to you here. Maybe someone else will have a constructive idea in the mean time.

The coke example is an excellent example of regional slang; in the world of fisheries regional slang will drive a purist nuts. For example, a green trout in Alabama is the same thing as a black bass in California. However, a rockfish in Maryland isnt even close to what a rockfish is in California.

To me, the defintion of a swimbait is what it was considered 10 years ago, and thats some large (hmmm, whats the defintion of that?) bait typically representing a trout or other larger baitfish. Nowadays, the term swimbait is used more freely (likely started as a marketing strategy). I dont consider a big hammer to be a swimbait, nor a basstrix swimming tube thing (whatever that is) to be a swimbait.

Good luck defining what baits can be used in a swimbait only tournament at Clear Lake. This should be interesting considering some of the bs threads that have appeared recently on other forums. You may actually have to develop an actual list of which baits can be used.

If your intentions are to have a tournament with lures that imitate larger prey such as a hitch or trout, I would set a minimum size requirement for starters. Your going to eliminate what some and most consider swimbaits by doing so but your going to narrow down your 'swimbait list' by a great deal.

You definetly have your work cut out for you, it's going to be a big list....

How about using certain products like in the Snag Proof tournaments?

You could use Huddleston, 3:16, 22nd Century, Rago, etc; I think this would save you a great deal of work. Everyone knows that these manufacturers only make swimbaits (With the exception of the Huddlebug). Just a thought...

You would also have to list if there can be any Modifications to a bait Also. I take things cut and dry but others will look for what they call "gray areas" LOL!! Like rigging a swimbait on to a buzzbait and so on.. Some like to look for things they can do NOT listed in rules, instead of just playing the game.

Don.

http://calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/bassindon69/basspics/

Nothing like fishing!

call it a big bait tournament and require the baits to be 8"+ as well as 3oz+. That way people can throw the 8"punker,wakebaits,deadsticks,etc. My vote goes for best 5 fish on CL

I have always disliked the idea of size limit on baits for a swimbait omly tournament. Obviously my baits would not qualify if you put a size limit. My baits are proven big fish catchers. Even my baby bass at 4.5inches mainly catches big bass. It may be small but its a big bass bait. My gills have probably caught more 10lb fish than 95% of the the "swimbaits" on the market. The task of a swimbait list will be dificult to say the least. I think you should make a list of aproved baits on a bait by bait basis. If its swimbaits only and not big baits only than you would have to determine what a swimbait is. I feel that a swimbait is a rubber fish. the Castaic hard head and BBZ typs are hybrids and all other hardbaits are big plugs. Of corse you would have to allow the hard baits to. You could also do a size limit with certain exceptions such as my baits, baitsmiths, the smaller Castaics ets.
Any way you do it sombody is going to argue for a soecific bait. It will be impossible to make everybody happy. I would just make a list of specific aproved baits and all custom baits would have to be pre aproved by the Tournament director well before the date of the tournament. After that date no non aproved baits should be allowed.

www.mattlures.com

8" and bigger(yes spooks and punkers)would be a true swimbait contest.

Call me crazy, but I always thought that swimbaits were those types of baits that had actions generated by either the shape of the tail, like a big hammer, HUD, mission fish,etc. Or by vortex shedding, like a triple trout, BBZ1...you get the idea....or a combination of both. If it has a lip....it's a big crankbait!

Seems to me, these types of tourneys should NOT limit what one uses to catch the fish...well OK no live bait! Why no trolling?

Why not just have a big ass bass tourney....who cares how it's caught?....within reason!

Would it be so awefull if a big bass tourney was won by someone throwing a plain ole jig?

There are a couple different "big bass" tournaments being talked about lately. So we don't get confused, here's the break down.

1. WON Bass is going to hold three tournaments on Clear Lake in the summer of 2008. Two 'swimbait only' tournaments, and one 'frog only' tournament. Rules for these tournaments have not been set yet. Bill Cook who started this thread is the tournament director who is putting the tournaments on. If you've fished WON, you know that Bill is a highly regarded tournament director who has been running the Central Coast and Golden Valley regions for many years.

details: http://www.wonbass.com/team/results/clear_lake_summer/index.html

2. The Heavyweight Bass Classic is January 25th at Lake Casitas. 50 guys fishing, 50 observers. One fish, winner take all for the biggest bass. Normal tournament rules apply and there are no special lure restrictions. Ron Cervenka is putting this tournament on. Ron is the WON Bass Southern California team tournament director, and has been for many, many years.

details: http://www.huddlestondeluxe.com/generic71.html

3. On January 26th at Lake Don Pedro, Robert Mansor who is an ABA team tournament director is putting on a 'swimbait only' event. I don't know a lot about event, though I would have loved to fish if I wasn't going to be at the H.B.C. the day before. Entry is $515 per team.

details: http://www.americanbass.com/swimbait_flyer.htm


The point of this thread is for Bill Cook to get ideas from you, the swimbait junkies of California, on how to set up the rules for his swimbait only event. Making a post saying something like "who cares how they catch them" doesn't help here because it's already set that it's going to be a swimbait only tournament. The only part that remains to be determined is the rules about what can and can't be used.

The only similar events I can recall in the past were the Snag Proof Open's aka "The Frog Tournament", where baits had to be snag proof baits. That was a lot easier to define what was allowed or not allowed, but still there was griping about people trying to stretch the rules or whatever.

In any case, what helps here is the solid discussion above, with suggestions from some great sticks like Urban, PHISHnutS, magmaster, bassindon, deepsessions, Mattlures, and swim-bait.com.

After lunch at Quiznos (which was nice) an idea that came to mind is this... What if the only lures allowed were baits listed in the review section of calfishing.com :) If the bait you want to use isn't in there, you have to get pictures of the lure to me, or send me the lure! heh.

More seriously, I liked the length restriction idea(sorry Matt). From an on the water policing point of view I think that would be much easier to enforce. If your bait isn't making a grande sized splash when it hits the water, something is up :o

I think you have your work cut out for you Bill. I hope you continue to get some good ideas here.

Rob I totaly understand the length argument. It makes it easyer to enforce but you have to admit my little baits(gills, baby bass,trouts) are true swimbaits in every sence. They are also big fish producing baits. The problem is where do you draw the line.
If it was a length only and you accepted a punker or a big tube the why not a ten inch worm. After all a punker is a top water walk the dog bait and a tube is still a tube regaurdless of how big it is. There is no cut and dry easy way to do this. Seriously if it were me running the tournament and I was unbiased I would put together a panel of 3-5 guys and accept or deny each bait on a bait to bait basis. I would be much more lenient on bigger baits but I would allow some of the smaller baits with proven big fish ability.
I would have a date set for anglers to submit any bait for aproval that was not on the first list well before the date of the event. Then once the aplication date was past no other baits could be submitted. At that point you would judge each bait and publisize your official list. If one of the anglers didnt get his bait in before the deadline he would have nobody to blame but himself.
For the actual judging of the baits, I think you would have to consider a few things. Larger baits that are considered swimbaits would be easy. The hard part would be the smaller baits. I would think my baits would be right about the cut off.

www.mattlures.com

I think you need to put a definition to the term "Swimbait". Once you put a definition to the term "Swimbait" you can eliminate and allow many baits.
The term "Swimbait" is so broad. Swim is movement in water, bait is to draw a fish in by smell, movement or sight. Just about every lure does that. Cast and slowly reel in a nightcrawler, am I swimming in a bait, therefore I'm throwing a "Swimbait". I think after you put a definition to the term "Swimbait" you will be able to apply your rules.
I just feel the definition is very important now the the swimbait craze is, well, crazy.
There are sure to be plenty more tournaments in the future that will be "Swimbait only". Or maybe they will leave out the term "Swimbait". The upcoming Casitas tournament is not using the term "Swimbait" or is it?

No, You can use anything. It's just ONE big fish takes all.

Don.

http://calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/bassindon69/basspics/

Nothing like fishing!

you could do it by weight restrictions. i.e. must weigh at least 1.5 ounces to qualify for a "big bait". There are probably lots of cons to this, but I figured I would throw in my $.02.

BASSTURDZ.COM!!!!!!

Damn Bill you are going to have a tough time with this.

A true "swimbait" tournament would be any bait made of plastic/rubber with a boot/vortex/wedge tail. ie. Huddleston Trout & shad, bighammers, baitsmith, Mattlures, hell even 2 inch paddletail baits would be considered swimbaits.

The hard to define area would be the hardbaits. Some are marketed as swimbaits when they are just glorified crankbaits. Here is where you might need a dedicated list of what is and is not a swimbait. MS Slammer: YES jackall mikey: NO Bettencourt shad: YES etc etc.

This way Matt is happy because his baits would be allowed (as I believe they should be):-) Just realized baits such as the Castaic Platinum soft series would not be allowed under my description for soft baits... hmmm yeah this is hard... good luck

________________________________

Pretending to be a swimbait fisherman since 2001.

If I had to come up with an objective rule for defining swimbaits for this tournament I would say any bait that displaces as least as much water as a 8" huddleston is in. That would allow the lunker punker, and even senkos if someone poured a 1 inch diameter monster. Call it a "big bait" tournament.

The one unfortunate exception this would rule out is a few bluegill imitations. The Mattlures bluegill is by any definition a swimbait and probably even a "big bait" due to the large profile, but it doesn't displace enough water to fit in above. I can't think of any other exceptions besides bluegills, though.

This would purposefully disqualify baits such as 5" mission fish, basstrix paddletail tubes, swim doctor, etc... I would make all attempts to leave out small swimbaits of any kind. When you have a swimbait shaped that close to a plastic worm this could quickly degrade into a worm dragging competition with watermelon-red mission fish.