Swimbaits defined
The difference between a jerkbait, crankbait, and swimbait can be confusing. In a series of posts we hope to help clear up this confusion. We look at the different characteristics of this lure in what we call swimbaits defined.
The quickest way to identify a swimbait is if it has a tail fin also called a caudal. If the lure has more than one fin then it is definitely a swimbait and not a jerkbait. We will talk about the different categories of swimbaits but first we need some history.
Allan Cole invented the modern day swim bait in the late 1980s. His lure was called the A.C. Plug. The lure was a realistic rainbow trout imitation. The wooden lure had a joint in the middle and a rubber tail. He went on to catch a 26 pound brown trout, a 63 pound striped bass, and a 17 pound largemouth bass with his lures.
The success of Allan’s A.C Plug swimbait quickly inspired other lure makers. Several reproductions appeared with different innovations. Now there are four categories that swimbaits are typically put into. Hard body, glide baits, paddle tail, and soft body.
Hard body
This hard body swim bait typically has at least one joint and two treble hooks on the bottom. They are usually made out of wood or plastic. The color pattern is often a realistic representation of bait fish. You can see this in the Westin lure above.
Glide Bait
A glide bait is a sub category of the hard body swimbait. A glide bait has just one joint and swims with a wider s pattern then a typical swimbait. These baits are great in.clear open water. Typically glide baits don’t have dorsal fins and if they do they are smaller than the average swimbait. Glide bait pic provided by Caymens Custom Lures.
Paddle Tail
Also called a Boot Tail. These types of soft lures are similar to a tube jig. Sometimes they come with a hook in the packaging or you can put your own jig hook into the bait. Typically made of plastisol they have a rubbery feel to them. This is an incredibly easy lure to throw and is great for beginners. These lures can further be broken up into the category of solid tail or hollow tail.
Soft Bait
soft bait uses a wedge style tail. They typically have a single hook out the top. This hook can be a jig hook or weedless hook. Soft bait is sometimes referred to as soft plastic since it is usually made from plastisol. These lures can be as small as a couple of inches and go up to 3 feet in size. You can see several examples of this lure from on Little Creeper Baits site.
We hope you enjoyed reading swimbaits defined. If you have any questions or corrections please email us at [email protected]