Alternative Soft Swimbait Presentations for Mexican Bass
One of the struggles of packing for any long-distance fishing trip where you’ll be flying to your destination is making sure that you have appropriate and ample tackle. That’s particularly true in Mexico, where the fish aren’t always ultra-picky, but where under certain circumstances you could reasonably expect to go through 50 or more Senkos or Power Worms in a day, or lose multiple deep-diving crankbaits. That’s why it’s often important to pack “utility players” like soft plastic craws which can serve a variety of purposes.
One other such set of multitaskers is the group of smallish (usually 4- to 5-inches) soft plastic swimbaits – not necessarily the hyper-realistic versions, but mostly the boot-tailed or paddle-tailed models. They come in a huge range of colors and therefore work as excellent trailers on a swim jigs and chatterbaits. They’re also a staple fished by themselves – depending on how deep you want them to run and how fast you want to retrieve them, they can be fished on a variety of jigheads, weighted hooks or screw-lock hooks. They’re relatively snag-free when bounced through trees or down rocky ledges. They have enough “thump” and motion to help bass find them, but they’re also more subtle than some other options – for example, we’ve seen times where one day the bass destroyed chatterbaits, then the next day would only react to something slightly more subtle than that, like a swim jig, and on the third day they’d only eat the swimbait by itself. Same types of areas, same water level, same conditions, but after a little bit of pressure they moved down the line. If you wanted to bring Keitechs or Skinny Dippers just for those purposes, they’d likely get ample use over time – but we’ve also learned that there are other ways to fish them.
Carolina Rigging -- While a watermelon red lizard is the go-to Carolina Rig bait in Mexico, with a big worm a distant second, there are times when bass want something smaller at the end of the ball and chain. Those circumstances tend to coincide with the trips when they prefer a 5-inch Senko over the 6- or 7-inch models. I’m not sure if it’s the profile, or the darting action or the water movement, but when that happens a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper – usually in Hematoma, Penetration or Low Blow – is a deadly option.
Texas Rigging -- Perhaps for those same speculative reasons, you’d be surprised at how often a Skinny Dipper works on a Texas Rig, usually with a pegged 3/8 or ½ ounce weight. It works well on drop-offs, points and bare spots, but where I really like it is when pitching to bushes or hardwood trees. It seems to get through thick branches with a lighter weight than larger baits – and without any big ribbon tails or appendages to hang up. Once you feel the bite, it’s small enough that you know they have it, too – no more coming back to the boat just missing a tail.
Swinging Jig Heads – Several years ago we were at El Salto at the same time as Brent Ehrler and Ish Monroe, who were there testing gear for Daiwa. The fishing was ok, but not exceptional by Mexican standards, with the afternoon offshore bite producing the best quality fish. Ehrler keyed us into a presentation that he’d learned on the TVA lakes – using a Keitech Fat Swing Impact on the back of a swinging jig head (AKA, “BIffle Head”), a football-shaped weight attached to a worm hook in a way that allowed the whole contraption to wobble. They’re often fished along the bottom, but Ehrler was burning the lure for three or four turns of the handle, then letting it fall, burning it, letting it fall. It produced some hellacious bites.
Our Most Frequently-Used Soft Plastic Swimbaits
As you might infer from the section above, two specific soft plastics have historically gotten the most use for us South of the Border, both because of their quality and their widespread availability:
Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper — Oddly enough, the Big Dipper and Little Dipper have not produced as well for us. If you want a shorter version for a trailer, bite off the head of the “regular.”
Keitech Fat Swing Impact — The 4.3” and 4.8” sizes are the most universal, but we’ve used the 5.8” on occasion and own the 6.8 and 7.8. There are a wide variety of similar baits, including the Strike King Rage Swimmer and Berkley Powerbait Power Swimmer.
Other Swimbait Options for these Techniques
Yamamoto Zako – Best known as a superior Chatterbait trailer.
Gambler Big E-Z – Great for buzzing on the surface when bigger fish are around (especially good outside of Mexico in heavy grass situations).
Z-Man Razor Shadz – ElaZtech means a few of them will last a long time.
Notes
It is critical on these lures that you keep the tails oriented properly. A misshapen one can be fixed in boiling water, but that’s a pain in the ass. So are clamshells, but they’ll help you out in the long haul, especially if you store your tackle for extended periods of time. For baits that come in standard bags, like the Skinny Dippers, be sure that you keep them relatively straight upon storage.
In the Keitechs, we use mostly baitfish colors, with the occasional chartreuse accent (can also be added with a Spike It pen or dip). As noted above, for some reason when they’re eating the Dipper as a flipping/rigging bait, various shades of black and/or blue work best for us. We also carry a few in watermelon or green pumpkin for times when we’re using Chatterbaits in those general shades.
Once these lures rip – and they will rip at the head after multiple bites – they can become useless, requiring you to rerig with every cast. Glue or Mend-It will help, but the ElaZtech versions are a nice option if your bag is already crowded or nearing a weight limitation. Just don’t store them with other plastics or in extreme heat.
