Swimbaits have really become the niche inside the niche if you will in bass fishing. A certain mystique follows swimbaits unlike any other category of bass fishing lures. Maybe that’s all in our heads, but I know it keeps me reviewing and experimenting with every new swimbait that comes on the market.
One of swimbaits I’ve been playing with lately is the Scottsboro Tackle Company swimbait. STC is located down in Scottsboro, Ala. on the shores of Lake Guntersville. They’ve been working with Rayovac FLW Series champion and BassWhacker Guide service owner Jon Henry to develop a line of swimbaits that has been a well-guarded secret of many pros on the professional tournament trails.
Henry had owner Andrea Evans send me a bunch of the colors and sizes of the STC Swimbaits to test and fish.
What you will like about it
The swimbaits are manufactured with tri-laminate colors from a very soft plastic that gives the body a great look and good tail kick. I’ve fished them on both weighted EWG hooks and jigheads and while I prefer them on jigheads, I thought the swimbaits swam equally well on both.
They are large bodied swimbaits with side wings and a flat top for good rigging and a nice planing surface for a straight retrieve with a pronounced tail kick.
I really liked the colors Bass Whacker Shad, Gizzard Shad, Natural Light and the new color OxyContin. I know the Guntersville Ayu color is very popular as well.
The baits rig well on a standard swimbait jighead. I prefer the jigheads without eyes because these swimbaits come with nice eyes already in them.
The 5- and 6-inch models were my favorite sizes this summer. I can see where the 7 inch would be awesome early on deep fish and heavier heads. And they now have a magnum 8 inch that will sure to be a hit in Texas, California and even on the Tennessee River lakes where bass feed on huge forage.
Personal Experiences
I caught a bunch of fish on them the very first time I fished them. I was fishing them on 1/2-ounce jigheads on a small school of actively feeding fish I found. They would knock 2 feet of slack in the line when they bit and I would reel up fast and stick them. When I got the fish in, nearly everyone of them had the 5 or 6 inch swimbait completely gone down their throat. I like that bite on a swimbait. There’s just nothing like it. Check it out underwater here:
The Scottsboro Tackle Company swimbaits swim well at a slow to medium-fast pace. They work well in shallow water as well as fished out deep bumping along on the bottom. But I think I probably prefer them in that in between depth ranger and shallower water. They are big profile baits and look good in the water and I think they display well to the fish in that 0 to 15-foot range.
You can find these swimbaits online at ScottsboroTackleCompany.com or from their store front in Scottsboro if you happen to be down near Lake Guntersville. They are $8.99 to $13.99 a 3-pack depending on the size you order from 4-inch up to 8-inch (which is a massive hunk of plastic for sure).
Also find them on TackleWarehouse.com.
