re: Garland Itty Bit Swim 'R

Winners announced. They called my fish 14.25. Kinda bummed, but it's my own fault

That is a hybrid striper and yes they are delicious.

I like to cook them just like a redfish, on the half shell.

Filet meat off of bones but leave skin on. A little seasoned salt, olive oil or butter, and a slice or two of lemon and throw them on the grill until the meat is flaky.

IDK, I never really tried to get in the record books. I just enjoy the thrill of the catch.

You are braver than me btw. I don't like throwing baits with double trebles at those guys unless its top water. Unlike largemouth and crappie that become calm when grasped by the lower jaw "tongue", white bass, hybrids, and stripers are full on schizo. I much prefer a small swim bait. Crème makes some really good ones that the white bass can handle.

I was fishing a one bait contest kind of deal for crappie. I didn't have a bass rod or a tackle box. I just happened to have that Rapala in my panfish box for some reason. Oh, and we really didn't know the hybrids were down there. The first fish caught was a largemouth. Mixed group.

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Oh, and we really didn't know the hybrids were down there. The first fish caught was a largemouth. Mixed group.

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Awesome. Love those days.


On our local lake we target hybrids frequently. On a particularly slow morning, we started jumping from one deep hump to the next until we found a good group of fish and started casting 1.5 oz swim baits and jigging slabs.

First 5 fish caught were
6.5 lb largemouth
4 lb hybrid
1.5 lb white bass
18 lb blue cat
15" crappie


We caught a ton of fish there for about 90 min then they shut off like a light switch. They were still there on the graph but wouldn't even hit a small mepps spinner.

When targeting hybrids and whites I like to keep 3 rods rigged with 1) a top water popper or single prop bait on mono 2) a 1 oz swim bait on fluro or braid 3) a 1 oz jigging slab fluro or braid. Add a 1/4 oz inline spinner like a mepps or a rooster tail and you have all the lure selection you need.


For swim baits, a lot of guys like the Sassy Shad and look a likes. These allow a wide range of weighted heads and body types. They also allow for replacement of the body without retying the lure.

Due to movement in the water, I like the Storm wild eye swim shad in 3" and 4" sizes. The ones that are pre rigged with the weight already inside seem to have better action than the ones where you get one head and 3 bodies.

For white bass I like the slightly smaller Crème brand swimming minnow in white. I think they are 2.5" and fairly soft. Whites mouths are too small for the bigger swim baits.


Most guys throw some version of white/silver/natural/chartreuse color patterns.



To find them look for bottom changes in open water like humps, points, or old ponds or creek beds especially those that have shallow water near by. The don't really need structure like brush piles or grass though. They target gizzard shad mostly but will eat threadfin too. Look for birds working also in the early morning/late evening.

On graph ignore the completely round bait balls unless they are shallow with arcs below them. Flattened areas of bait with arcs scattered below them are fish working bait. Arcs hugging the bottom especially on hump or in a depression are often hybrids just inactive. Sometimes ripping a slab through them will get them biting. If not try jigging the in line spinner.

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I can launch almost anywhere so if I narrowed down the prime spots ahead of time hopefully I can find some schools.

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bingo.

I look at charts to locate areas of interest prior to fishing and then scout those areas with the boat and electronics. Many times we get on good fish without the electronics by predicting the spot and being in the area the fish want to be in.

For whites and hybrids, humps in 18 to 35 ft of water with changes of 3 ft or more especially those that are close to big flats are prime areas. Also shallow 4-12 ft mostly uniform depth coves with wide openings and narrow back waters make for good corral locations for baitfish. If they are close to deeper staging water that is better.

In a yak the problem with surface schooling hybrids will be getting on the school quickly enough. They usually only stay up busting the surface for 10-15 min. Whites may be larger schools and stay longer.

Many times we spot schools without birds working or fish busting by seeing the shad skipping on the surface. Similar to mullet in the surf. That is the place for the swim bait. Save the topwater for when they are busting the surface but always have one ready because those moments don't last long.