hollow belly swimbaits

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Permalink Reply by bassmasterderek on April 23, 2009 at 6:32pm

good question troy, I ordered the same hooks and money minnows but haven't tried them yet so hopefully someone has some info on this other wise when I broke mine out I will let ya know.
BMD

Permalink Reply by Jon Werner on April 23, 2009 at 6:45pm

I have not tried either of those brands, but have used the 6" Basstrix for the last few years. I use the 1/4 oz Falcon hooks and like them. It bait though can't be fished very fast. I use it as a bottom bait and it has proven to be very effective. I also tie a small stinger on usinging fireline. This helps too. When beginnning to use this style of bait, my hooks did not weigh enough and the baits had a very unnatural wobble. The heavier the lead on the hook, the better keel you have. Hope this helps -

Jon Werner

Permalink Reply by David Parnicky on April 23, 2009 at 7:24pm

Ive done well with the money minnow in murky water. Haven't touched a fish on it in clear water though. I use real light (1/16 oz- 1/4 oz) falcon hooks. I have found that murky water largemouth really like that back and forth wobble while the paddle tail kicks. The main problem with the money minnow is the color patterns. The trout is the only realistic looking (but still pretty cartoonish) one which is why I think I do better with it in murky water. I do think I will catch some fish on hologram shad someday when its bright out though. As far as the basstrix goes..the colors are better for clear water than the money minnow but I haven't caught a fish on them yet. Keep in mind though I have only thrown them a few times. Also, remember that basstrix measures the bait with the tail completely extended so the actual profile of the bait you get will be 1" shorter than it says on the package. Although I haven't caught a fish on one yet, I can see the 5 incher (actually 4) on a darter heat being a hot clearwater, tough bite, bait.
* I too have had my share of frustration getting those things to swim correctly on the weighted hooks. Then when you do and the bait gets torn a bit it starts swimming funky again. Throwing out slightly torn hollowbellies adds up fast which gets frustrating! But the murky water LM still seem to bite the money minnow pretty well even if its swimming kind of funky so I try to use them for as long as possible. You will find that the money minnow is a great bait for your typical spinnerbait/crankbait LM in murky water if you give it a fair chance and play around with your retrieve speed. They violently attack this thing in the coldest water and I even had one come up and take a money minnow off the surface by the boat in 42 degree water!

Permalink Reply by troy kelly on April 23, 2009 at 8:27pm

thanks for the info fellas. i will try playing around with some different setups until i can find one that works.

troy

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on April 23, 2009 at 9:24pm

My preference is either the Basstrix or Berkley Hollow Belly fished on a Davis Swim-X hook. These are the two best performing hollow paddle tail swimbaits I have used. The Kamakazee Treats are a decent alternative. Definitely get yourself some 3:16 Soft Bait Glue or Mend-It to maximize your investment.

Permalink Reply by Brian Walters on April 23, 2009 at 9:37pm

Berkely Hollow Belly is great. I have not had any problems with it and it comes in 3-6 inch. Try them out.

Brian

Permalink Reply by Mike Lukjanowicz on April 23, 2009 at 9:46pm

There is a pretty decent article on various ways to fish them in this month's issue of the NAFC magazine. Check it out. It speaks to multiple rigging techniques. Shows multiple brands of baits , and multiple hook styles. I took one of the ideas from it out on the water Tuesday, it it definately helped.

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on April 23, 2009 at 9:59pm

The Basstrix is beyond a doubt my favorite. My favorite way to rig them is with a jighook designed by Rick Tietz (BladeRunner Tackle) especially for hollow belly swimbaits. You can check them out at www.bladerunnertackle.com.

ciao,
Marc

Permalink Reply by David Parnicky on April 23, 2009 at 10:39pm

Those jighooks look awesome Marc! That would solve so much frustration with trying to get those things to sit correctly on a weighted hook!

Marc Marcantonio said:

The Basstrix is beyond a doubt my favorite. My favorite way to rig them is with a jighook designed by Rick Tietz (BladeRunner Tackle) especially for hollow belly swimbaits. You can check them out at www.bladerunnertackle.com.

ciao,
Marc

Permalink Reply by S Hwang on April 24, 2009 at 11:24am

those spintrix heads work well for the TW swimmer/big hammer type baits too

David Parnicky said:

Those jighooks look awesome Marc! That would solve so much frustration with trying to get those things to sit correctly on a weighted hook!
Marc Marcantonio said:

The Basstrix is beyond a doubt my favorite. My favorite way to rig them is with a jighook designed by Rick Tietz (BladeRunner Tackle) especially for hollow belly swimbaits. You can check them out at www.bladerunnertackle.com.

ciao,
Marc

Permalink Reply by Jason Brown on April 24, 2009 at 3:54pm

Hey Troy,
What size line are you using. I know that with the money minnows and hollow belly Berkley shad, line has a lot to do with it. I wouldn't recommend using braid. I'd go as light as you're comfortable with and stay away from mono. Also, use really light hooks. Owner seem to be a bit too bulky for this bait. You can also throw on a small stinger and sometimes this will help balance it out. Hopefully that helps a bit..I know I haven't had any problems with them as of yet. I usually throw 10-12 lb. p line with them unless I'm fish'n open water and then I'll move down to as little as 8lb. (that's tak'n a risk though) :-)

Permalink Reply by troy kelly on April 24, 2009 at 5:34pm

was fishing them on 12lb floro. i think i will just need to do some experimenting. wanted to make sure my baits werent crap before messing with endless setup failures. thanks guys

troy

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