Everyone knows that swim baits work. They’re catching bass all over the country, including several of the entries in the Top 25 Largest Largemouth of All Time . Then again, few anglers have a problem fishing a creature bait as a jig or a jig trailer for big bass either. But what if we get chocolate on our peanut butter? For the last couple years on New Mexico lakes, I’ve been swimming creature baits. Here’s why you should too.

Most of us agree that fish don’t only bite lures that look exactly like the forage they are currently feeding on. Good thing too, or else no one would ever catch anything on creature baits. They look funny, they have arms and legs and tentacles all over, and they come in every color under the sun. But rig one onto a jig head, and you have a bait that can cover the entire water column.

When I enter a new section of water that I want to probe for fish, I follow a top to bottom, fast to slow approach. I start off fan casting the area; keeping the lure high in the water column and moving at a pretty fast pace. At this point I fish the lure in the same basic way that I would fish a spinner bait.

Next I step down a notch. If I’ve seen any fish on the graph, then I count the bait down to that level before retrieving through the same areas I just worked. If I haven’t seen any fish, I shoot for the middle. i.e. count down 5 seconds in 10 feet of water.

If this still doesn’t produced fish, I take the bait all the way to the bottom. Now I treat the creature like the jig that it is, and work it right along the bottom; stopping to bump and wiggle around any submerged structure I find. Don’t forget to pitch to visible structure the same way you would with a tube or a jig and pig too.

Fish are attracted to lures for a variety of reasons. They use sight, sound, and smell, but they also detect vibrations through their lateral lines. Creatures don’t do much for us in the sound department, and who can say how much fish are effected by their look or smell. But there is no denying that these baits produce vibrations. Don’t expect to feel a thump like you would with a spinner bait or a crank bait, but all those waving appendages definitely move the water around as they move.

Variety may be the spice of life, but its definitely the key to consistently catching bass. If you’ve been fishing long, then you’ve already seen a few “hot new” lures go cold. And if you’ve been fishing a little longer, you’ve seen a few “cold old” lures get hot again. The fish get conditioned to the lures that trick them, and seem to bite them less and less. The great thing about creature baits is the almost endless variety of creatures you can choose. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to show the bass lots of new looks.

In most situations on New Mexico waters, I use a jig head in the 1/8 to ¼ oz range. The larger head size is more versatile and lets you reach deep fish easier. There are times though when the smaller jig head will catch more fish, like cooler water. There are almost as many different jig heads as there are creatures, but I’ve had good luck with
Bass Pro Shops XPS Round Jigheads with Gamakatsu Black Nickel Hooks.

When it comes to the creatures, you should definitely experiment with different types, but here’s a few of my favorites: Northland Slurpies Brush Beaver, Zoom Soft Plastic Baits – Tiny Brush Hog, and Yum Flavor-Enhanced Soft Baits – Wooly Hawgtail.

One last note on lure selection… I have had better luck with the smaller profile 3 inch baits than I’ve had with the larger sizes. Then again, I tend more towards quantity over quality when I fish, so your results may differ.

Till next time. I hope you have as much fun swimming creatures on your next New Mexico fishing trip as I’ve had. And for more New Mexico fishing articles.

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