From mid spring through mid fall soft swimbaits – such as Z Man’s Swimmin’ Trout Trick, Keitech’s Swing Impact, and Lake Fork Tackle’s Live Magic Shad – excel in catching bass. This is particularly true of river dwelling smallmouth bass. Rigged on an open jighead or belly-weighted swimbait hook, soft swimbaits excel at catching bronze bass, particularly feeding ones.

Throughout this period there are details in presentation in relation to the specific situation. But there are also generalities that apply to all. Foremost, swimbaits function best when you do just that with them. Swim them. Cast and crank. No twitch and pause, no lift and fall. Granted, some days river smallies prefer an erratic presentation, which is why savvy river rats also have a rod rigged with a soft jerkbait. And this is not to say you can’t stop a swimbait. I’ve caught plenty of fish that blew up or slashed at one and missed it, only to pounce on it when I killed the bait. But as a matter of course, a steady deal is the way to go.

Another generality: Swimbaits tend to out-produce soft jerkbaits when there’s some color to the water. In ultra clear water, which often shows up around mid to late summer in many locales, the erratic action of the soft jerkbait triggers more bites. I theorize that it’s a sight thing. The steady movement of the swimbait shines when the fish can’t readily see such things as lures and real food. When the sight window expands, the variable action of a soft jerkbait triggers more bites. It’s not as easy to inspect; the action triggers more of a reactionary response than an eating one. Also, by mid to late summer there tends to be more natural food, which might also be a factor. All theory, mind you, but still interesting to consider.

On a more seasonally-focused side, island backchannels, creek mouths and gravelly, protected shorelines are the first areas to target in the warming water of mid-spring. Such potential spawning areas gather fish. The water’s still cool, so swimbaits should be worked slow and steady. And cast to within inches of shore. Use little weight (or no weight with a jointed swimbait) to provide a target that stays in the strike zone. Not that the strike zone is small at this time. I’ve watched pre-spawn four-pounders leave a wake for ten feet as they rushed to smack a swimbait thrown over a shallow shoal.

As the water warms and smallies recover from the post-spawn funk, active fish will be found in the shallows near heavier current areas. Add a bit more weight to the setup, so the swimbait can be fished faster, and begin peppering the shallows with casts. When you contact fish, pay attention to the features of the spot. At first glance it might have appeared the same as nearby water, but chances are there’s a subtle difference. Find a spot where there’s a somewhat deeper slot next to shore, guarded by a rocky bar/shoal in the river, and you’re pretty much guaranteed the place will hold bronze.

My mid-summer river smallies will hold in surprisingly fast current. I catch a lot of fish on mid river shoals that top out in a foot or less of water. These are biting fish, ones holding in shallow water due to the food sources found there.. Swimbaits can be worked quite quickly at this point, calling for the heaviest hook/jig weights of the season. By mid-summer river bass often get in the annoying habit of striking a swimbait from behind, continuing in the same direction after biting the lure. It can be tough to get hooks in these fish. Wind fast until you catch up with the fish, and then set the hook. Repeat if necessary. And expect to not get hooks in some of them. You’ll miss some bites. But there can be plenty of bites to go around.

The swimbait bite will continue throughout late summer into mid fall, as fish gradually move away from heavy current areas.

Catching river smallies isn’t a one-size-fits-all deal. Consistently taking these fish means bringing an assortment of toys to the party. But soft swimbaits are indeed an important toy to have along.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle