Tips for Bass Fishing Jointed Swimbaits Around Shallow Grass

It seems counter-intuitive to fish trebled hard baits around cover, but jointed swimbaits perform surprisingly well around a variety of grass types. Wired2Fish’s Mitch Anderson explains how to use bluegill and shad imitating jointed swimbaits on grass flats to trigger bass that often pass on conventional paddle tail swimbaits.

FEATURED TACKLE:

• Mike Bucca Baby Bull Shad Swimbait
• Lew’s Pro Ti Speed Stick Casting Rod, 7’3″ MH
• Lew’s Pro Ti SLP Speed Spool Casting Reel, 7.5:1
• Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon, 20 lb

For Anderson, it boils down to versatility. Unlike soft paddle tail swimbaits, hard, multi-jointed swimbaits can be worked with an endless amount of retrieves. You can fish them fast, slow, twitch them side-to-side, let them sink and more — they’re similar to a jerkbait in their cadence versatility but present bass with a profile and action that better mirrors bluegills and shad.

Anderson shares pointers on adjusting cadence to the fish’s mood as well as rod, reel, and line recommendations for getting hooks and extracting bass from cover with this unique bait category.