Swimbaits as a Cranking Substitute in Mexico

May 19

A pre-molded Storm single hook swimbait is a good choice at El Salto for bumping over bottom structure

“It’s going to be a scorcher out there, with a warm breeze.”

That’s how I describe the daily conditions during our May and June trips to Anglers Inn. I love it that way. Besides the balmy weather, one of the reasons we go to Mexico that time of year is because the water is low and the big ones gang up. The fish at El Salto are out deep much of the day and if you ask your guide what to throw he’ll most likely say, “Crankbait.”

which is better for big bass offshore, a crankbait like a 10xd or a swimbait?

Often that means throwing a massive Strike King 10XD all day, which can get exhausting. Even though I want to use the lure that will get the most bites with the best hook up rate, let’s remember, I’m on vacation. I’ve certainly throw a crankbait all day, but sometimes I need to switch it up with something that it just as effective in deep water but doesn’t wear me out.

I stood in our garage to start my research and found that that we have a LOT of crankbaits. All different kinds --floating/diving, lipless and thin minnow imitators – ready for action. The typical crankbait has a total of six hooks. If a bass even looks at it funny they can get stuck, so why would I consider anything with just a single hook?

A strike king 10xd in chartreuse powder blue is one of the deepest diving crankbaits you can buy and is deadly on big bass at Lake El Salto

As I said above, it’s a lot of work to make sure that a crankbait is working properly. First you have to crank it down to the bottom, and then you have to work to keep it grinding against the cover or structure. Meanwhile, you have to focus so that it doesn’t get stuck in the rocks and trees. That continuous pull-and-reel motion, the fast reeling, and the constant bomb casting of the heavy lure can absolutely wear you out.

The amount of baits and lures in the garage was overwhelming so I moved on to another source of information: Pete himself. I walked into his office and asked him for some alternatives. He suggested a swimbait.

That was terrific news. I was happy and satisfied until I did a little more research and realized that there’s no one-size-fits-all swimbait. There are all sorts of different types for all sorts of different conditions, at a wide range of price points. Apparently my research was just starting, so this time I went with the one who knows it all – no, not back to Pete, GOOGLE.

Man cave with pegboard full of fishing lures

Apparently I had a LOT to learn about this realistic class of lures. They’re meant to replicate everything from frogs to shad to trout to rodents. There are single-jointed, double-joint and even triple-jointed versions. There are hard swimbaits and soft swimbaits. Rigged, unrigged and with treble hooks. Everything from 2 inches long up to models as big as a small child.

I think I may have gotten myself into something way over my head, most things are (short joke intended) but I am going to figure this out, I’m not one to give up when the going gets tough. Pete always says he doesn’t understand how I can love to fish but don’t have any interest in tackle. On this June 2021 trip to El Salto, Anglers Inn, I am going to make it my goal to fish with all types of different swimbaits while others are cranking.

I’ll be back in touch to let you know how my research turned out.

Now it’s back to the garage to load a Plano tackle box with an assortment of swimbaits. While I was in Pete’s office I found this cute like DRT Tiny Klash still in the box. It’s just like he’s been saving it for me. Maybe I’ll take that one as well?