They look like a fish, they swim like a fish and the get eaten by bigger fish...just like a fish. Swimbaits are the 'goto' bait for many bay and inshore anglers because of their proven success and versatility. Brands like Fish Trap, Big Hammer, MC Swimbaits and Artifishables all make variations of the same bait and the array of colors available is mind boggling. Swimbaits are also very popular with the home-pour crowd because of their simple design and relatively high cost ($.79-$1.50 each).

Fishing swimbaits can be as simple as tossing and retrieving or as complex as trying to manuever it around boiler rocks in a stiff surge. The biggest pitfall to a swimbait is the exposed hook which will willingling grab anything that passes be it a fishes lip or a kelp stringer.

Size your bait according to your prey - smaller fish will more readily chomp a 4" swimbait and Big Moe might wait for the 6" or 7" versions. White sea bass and yellowtail have been known to hit a swimbait on occasion and lingcod love them as well.

Fish a swimbait any way you can think to. Most commonly they are thrown away from the kayak on a baitcaster and allowed to sink to the bottom. It is not uncommon to get bit on the drop or after the bait hits the ground. Retrieves vary on a day to day basis but the stop and go method works well most of the time. Make sure to let the bait hit the bottom again on the pause. Sometimes the fish are suspending or schooling in upper levels of the water column and will hit a rising bait - reel it in without a pause to find those guys. And still other days, when calicos are boiling on a surface bait ball nothing beats a burning fast retrieve just under the surface. Hang on tight!

One more technique that deserves mention is that of "long lining". Simply put you thrown a line out against the current or wind and leave the spool disengaged while you drift. As you move along your bait will sit on the bottom and line will peel off the spool. When you have 2/3 to 3/4 of your spool (or more) out in the water begin the slow grind back to your kayak. This is ideal for fishing 50' waters and is a deadly tactic in San Diego Bay for the sand bass.

Line size is purely up to you - lighter line will keep the bait down longer and it will have an easier time sinking to the bottom. Heavy line will ensure you protect your investments but you may catch fewer fish. Lead heads for these baits come in everything from 1/8 oz to 3 oz and bigger. For shallower waters 3/8 to 1/2 work great and anything deeper than 25' you will want to start incrementing upwards. Again - use whatever it takes to get you on the bottom and keep you there - too much weight can hurt as the fish has to be able to pick it up to get hooked.

Experiment with colors, styles and weights to find your favorites in given areas but never stop trying new things with this extremely versatile and productive bait.