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A good swimbait doesn't only have a good vibration producing tail wag, it should also have a flexible, fluid body movement. There are cheap lures and good ones out there, so try and get the best you can afford. A lure that produces quality fish is worth its weight in gold. Bass Pro Shops carry a wide variety of swimbaits and other gear.
There are 3 basic types of swimbaits, Hard body, Soft body, and Combinations of the 2, producing a hybrid.
Hard body swimbaits are 2 or 3 section, jointed lures. They're made of plastic or wood and come in sizes from 3-1/2 inches to 12 inches. They're very life-like and anatomically correct with good body action.There are weighted and unweighted models, suspending types, and ones with or without diving lips.
Soft Body Swimbaits
Jighead and body type lures are probably the most familiar kind. They were the first and have caught thousands of fish over the years. The setup is a jighead ( Bullet, Shad, and Darters are the most popular) with a soft plastic body. For the best action, they have to be rigged straight on the hook. Adding a drop of soft plastic glue to the body head before pushing it tight to the jighead will help ensure proper alignment even after catching a few. When the body becomes all chewed up, it can be cut off and a new one applied the same way.
They also come in a variety of sizes, shapes ( fat, thin ), and colors. Try them with belly bladed or glowhead jigheads for extra attracting power and flash with every rod tip movement you make.
Internal Weight Swimbaits
These lures comprise a wide assortment of lures and are pre-rigged. Just tie one on and you're in business. They have additional detailing and come in more color combinations with reflective material embedded into the body for flash. They range from shad type styles to very realistic looking fish forage with large detailed eyes. Some have removable heads for body replacement. Paddletail and curly tails deliver the most action.
If you want to rig one as a spinner bait, a wire arm jig spinner is best. The safety pin wire shaft act as a weed and brush guard with the blade offering additional flash and vibrations turning the lure into a mini spinnerbait. With slack line the fluttering blade and wobbling tail imitate a vulnerable fish making the lure very tempting.
Hollow Body Swimbaits
These are the latest addition to the lineup and are usually rigged Texas style on an offset hook. Some companies offer special rigging for the best action and hook up. As the paddletail wiggles the flat sides reflect light mimicking baitfish, giving it very life-like swimming action. Another advantage is that the body collapses around the hook when the fish bites allowing for a good hookset.
Combo and Hybrids
These lures, as the name implies, incorporate hard and soft bodies. The sizes, paint patterns, and styles allow fishermen to imitate the natural forage to better "match the hatch" in clear water. They have hard heads and either a jointed or flexible soft body and tail which provides a natural swimming motion. Some are billed for increased sideways motion and diving. Most of these baits tend to be bigger and heavier, thereby allowing for longer casts, so you'll need a longer, more powerful rod and larger reel to cast and play the fish.
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