A dedicated Maine swimbaiter offers his top 10 for New England.
“Life is fulll of choices!” This mantra holds true in the life of a bass angler. Which lake, lure, or color is the right choice? These are questions you might find yourself asking every time you are planning a day on the water here in the Northeast. And when it comes to the world of swimbait fishing, it seems as though a person could spend a lifetime simply selecting which swimbaits are the best option for any given day, lake, time of year, or weather conditions. However, it’s doesn’t have to be a crapshoot when selecting baits. There are swimbaits that are readily available that take much of the guesswork out of bait selection. These baits will catch fish at any New England lake or pond, in all weather conditions, and nearly any time of year. I’ll introduce some of these baits to you here and hopefully have you on track to asking fewer questions and catching more fish.
Before getting into the specific baits, I think it’s important to understand the dynamics of targeting largemouth bass in New England. Something I have learned over the years is that the fish here in the Northeast are often incredibly aggressive and you can really stack the odds in your favor by appealing to this aggressive nature. You’ll notice, this list of baits is loaded with topwaters and erratic, fast-moving baits. These baits can easily take advantage of that aggressive nature. Of course, there are absolutely times and scenarios where you’ll need to slow down to get those bigger bites, and we will discuss a few bait options for those as well. I’ve also chosen baits in the smaller to mid-size range to cater to all fishing levels of experience. These baits can be fished on a fairly simple swimbait rod and reel setup. Also note that the following baits are not necessarily ranked in order, but they’re are all guaranteed to help you catch quality largemouth bass during the upcoming season.
Wake ‘N Bake
The MS Slammer is an absolute staple here in New England; a must have bait for all levels of swimbait anglers. The MS Slammer is a floating wakebait that catches numbers of fish, as well as trophy-sized fish. It comes in multiple sizes and is readily available. The Slammer catches fish in any water clarity and at any depth. It’s also easy to fish effectively with just a simple, slow and steady retrieve. There is also a “deep crank” model that cranks down to 3 or 4 feet. Slow rolling this bait is deadly around cover when fish don’t want to come to the surface for a wake.
The Bull Shad Bull Wake is an excellent option for someone who is looking for a stepping stone to bigger baits, but isn’t quite to go ‘all in’. The Bull Wake is a favorite of many New Englanders due to its smaller size and being known for getting a lot of bites. The 6-inch size is the perfect snack for most largemouth. Another great reason to choose this bait is that the natural shad color imitates many species of bait that we see here in the Northeast.
This next bait choice is going to be two baits combined: the Baby Wake and Wake Jr by 3:16 Lure Company. This company has been making quality baits for years, and these two wakes are no exception. These are all-around excellent baits! Measuring 6 inches and 7.5 inches, respectively, the Baby Wake and Wake Jr wake on top very well, and give off a distinct “clacking” sound due to their hard tails. This feature makes them great for calling fish from a distance or under the cover of night. The Wake Jr not only wakes on top, but is also a great option for cranking subsurface.
Be Versatile
Division Rebel Tackle (DRT) has completely taken over the swimbait world, largely due to the effectiveness of the Tiny Klash, aka the TK. This bait flat out catches fish! The appeal of the TK is that it can do so many things, and it doesn’t them all very well. It can be cranked down, shallow to deep, walked near the surface, or weighted to suspend and used to twitch like a jerkbait, which is deadly in cold water. One retrieve that is widely used is known as “dead walking” where you crank the bait down a few feet and slowly walk it back and forth around cover. Fish cannot resist it! This bait is user-customizable, in that you can change the tail and lid designs to get new and different actions. And at 6 inches in length, this bait is right in the wheelhouse for New England.
The next bait on the list is a small one that is very well known for attracting the attention to the biggest fish. This is the Black Dog Bait Company’s g2 Shellcracker. This bait has caught many fish over 5 pounds for me personally, including my personal best at 7 pounds 9 ounces. This is a 4-inch bait that weighs in at 1.5 ounces. Another feature that many love about this bait is that there’s no wrong way to fish it. You can wake it on top, crank it down, or twitch it and make it dance all over. It’s an exceptional bait in the spring when gills are around bass beds. It is also one my favorite baits on calm, cold nights in early spring and late fall.
More Favorites
I can’t say enough good things about the River2Sea S-Waver glidebait. It’s easy to fish, inexpensive, catches both numbers and quality, and is a great bait in cold water. This bait is often my go-to glide bait in spring and fall when the temperatures dip below 55 degrees. The S-Waver has methodical glide and slow sink rate, which is ideal for our cooler, New England waters. It is also available in three different sizes, 120mm, 168mm and 200mm. The 200mm is my personal favorite for drawing big bites.
Another bait from 3:16 Lure Company is the Freestyle Shad. This one is an absolute blast to fish and the swim is as realistic as any bait on the market. This is a 6-inch, four-piece bait and comes in floating and slow-sink versions. The floater is my go-to and excels being “ripped” on the surface. The motion and sound of the bait closely mimics a dying baitfish on top. This can call fish from the deep. I like to fish the freestyle in summer over drop-offs where fish are cruising the break to deeper water, as well as over humps and submerged grass in the mornings. I stick to two basic color patterns: a natural shad/shiner for summer days, and chartreuse back for low light conditions.
The PB Rat is just a cool bait. Everyone loves the thought of seeing a bass come to the surface to suck down a small rodent. Especially if that rodent is tied to the end of your line! Rat baits are just simply intriguing to most people. But the PB Rat will really blow your mind due to the sheer numbers of fish it catches. This is my confidence rat. I know I can catch fish on it no matter the lake or time of year. I really like the simplicity of the two piece. The “PB” is very lightweight, making it comfortable to fish and is a smaller rat, which should help you gain confidence quickly. And if you’re into fishing after dark, the PB is one of the best baits you can own for the night bite!
Soft Options
The next bait in line is a straight up big fish magnet: the Huddleston Deluxe 68 Special. This 6-inch, 2.25-ounce trout profile soft bait is one of the most realistic swimming (and looking) baits on the market. The Huddleston 68 has an oversized thumping tail that is made to kick at the slowest speeds, which draws in the biggest fish. This bait excels in water under 60 degrees, fished around current, channel edges, and hard cover. Its lifelike appearance and movement make it a must have, especially in waters that hold trout.
| GO FOR THE BRONZE! |
| Don’t be fooled. Smallmouth bass love a big meal just as much as their bucket-mouthed cousins. I have caught smallies with every bait on this list (and much bigger baits as well). Leverage the smallmouth’s aggressive nature when targeting them. Baits that are loud, obnoxious, and erratic can be key. The Tiny Klash, S-Waver 200, and Freestyle Shad are my top picks for smallmouth. Fish all three fast and aggressively and you’re likely to hook up with some of the biggest smallmouths you’ve ever laid eyes on. |
The second soft swimbait on my list is the Megabass Magdraft. It is available in sizes ranging from 5 inches up the monster 10-inch model, so there’s a perfect size for everyone. It also comes pre-rigged with a harness and bottom hook which is held to the belly of the bait with a magnet. This paddletail style swimbait is incredibly effective with a simple “chuck and wind” retrieve. Fish it over submerged grass and shallow flats for big results!
Many Northeast anglers are still intimidated by the idea of going ‘all in’ on throwing big baits. But at the same time, it also seems like most bass anglers have some level of desire to get into it. If you ask 100 New England guys if they own any big baits, 95 of them will probably say ‘yes’. If you ask the same 100 anglers if they’ve caught fish on them, the number of ‘yesses’ might shrink below 50%! This has more to do with mentality than effectiveness. If you put some time in with the above top 10, you’ll quickly see how effective this genre of baits is in the Northeast and gain the confidence needed to go bigger!
