There are mental, physical and equipment limitations to pitching 5-ounce, 8-inch rubber (or wood) baits around all day long. In fact, it was the words "all day" that always seemed to bother me. I like throwing my tubes, worms, crankbaits and jigs. I didn't want to abandon all of those "fun" lures in order to wield a gargantuan chunk of plastic on a hook. I'd hear all of those mind-numbing and endless clichés like, "You can't get bit unless the bait gets wet." or, "The best way to catch a swimbait fish is just to go out and chuck it all day long!" Gee thanks, Einstein, I really appreciate the depth of your insight.
As far as physical limitations go, there is not much I can tell you. Yes, it does help to be younger, healthier and stronger because you are going to be tossing large, heavy baits on big gear with this approach. However, I have absolutely, unequivocally learned that the proper gear makes a massive difference in this world. I used to try and toss an 8 inch swimbait on a flipping stick that was not stout enough with a reel that did not have enough line capacity. It was horrible.
It was tantamount to trying to eat your favorite t-bone steak with a huge serving of beans on a flimsy one-layer paper plate on your lap. It just doesn't work. You don't enjoy the experience nearly as much and eventually you get frustrated and grab the t-bone with your hand and eat it like a large slab of beef jerky. That is what I wanted to do with my swimbait. I wanted to grab it with my hand and wing it into the lake like a football.
Rods, Reels and Line
Your swimbait rod needs to load-up and be designed to actually throw the bait you are fishing. Don't think you can just use your old trusty favorite flipping stick. You will end up hating the experience and your equipment shortcoming will cause a mental barrier. Spend the $100 to $200 and buy a rod made for throwing the baits you want to wield. I use the Dobyns 806 (that is an 8-foot, 6-power rod). Gary designed this rod with the 8 inch Trout soft plastic swimbait in mind. There are other good swimbait rods out there but I do suggest you find a friend or at least go to a dealer that will let you demonstrate their effectiveness. They don't all throw the bait equally well. The rod is, by far, the most important single piece of equipment in swimbait fishing. A poorly designed rod will wear you out and you will want to start pawing that t-bone angrily, so to speak.
Reels and line are also important, but there is more flexibility in these categories. Most folks like to throw their big swimbaits on 25 pound fluorocarbon or monofilament. Some folks like to throw braid. Others will tell you they don't like the fact that braid doesn't stretch for this application. I've experimented with all of the combinations and I like to use 20-pound McCoy line. McCoy is a hybrid style of line that most closely resembles a monofilament. It is outrageously strong and limber. If there is a complaint about McCoy, I hear guys saying that it "has too much stretch." It does have a healthy degree of stretch in it, but frankly, for rip baits, crankbaits, and swimbaits I like that degree of stretch. I want that cushioning effect to keep from tearing the hooks out of the fish's mouth. And once you get up to 20-pound line, there really is not a whole lot of stretch unless you are catching fish over 20 pounds.
With respect to reels, you need a larger line capacity than the ordinary low-profile baitcasters most of us use for other applications. Generally, that means you will go to the larger circle-style reels like a Quantum Cabo, Shimano Calcutta 400, Diawa Luna 300 or the new Shimano Curado 300 (a lower profile baitcaster designed for swimbaits). If you are on a budget the Abu Garcia Ambassador reels also work just fine for less than $80. I tried putting my 20-pound McCoy on a Diawa Zillion and it just did not work. I could actually cast all of my line off in one long cast with that Dobyns Rod. There simply is not enough space for all of the line you will need.
Lastly, I prefer a 5 to 1 gear ratio for two reasons. One, it forces me to slow down and I (along with most anglers) have a tendency to fish swimbaits too fast. And two, it provides more winching power than a faster speed reel when you are reeling in your bait or a huge bass. It makes a difference and makes it easier to fish that large bait for more hours during the day. Again, anglers will differ on this issue, but for deep diving crankbaits and big swimbaits I really do prefer the comfort of a slower speed reel. Your own mind, however, operates as the greatest impediment to swimbait fishing. That talk of throwing it "all day" just haunted me as I thought about dabbling with the oversized lures. What if I didn't want to throw it all day (and I didn't). How could I incorporate it into a more ordinary style of fishing and slowly build confidence and success?
