40 years of SW fishing

[Down The Hatch]

I have been fishing at the Jersey shore for over 40 years, and the more I do it, the less I find that I know. I saw information about Swim Shads and Finn-S Lures. I've seen them, but for the life of me I don't know how to fish them. They seem so light to be able to get them down to where the fish are. Any suggestions?

[bulletbob]

I have been fishing at the Jersey shore for over 40 years, and the more I do it, the less I find that I know. I saw information about Swim Shads and Finn-S Lures. I've seen them, but for the life of me I don't know how to fish them. They seem so light to be able to get them down to where the fish are. Any suggestions?

The great thing about both those lures is that its hard to fish them wrong... Typically they are used on a plain jig head with appropriate hook size, and weight.. The head need not even be painted They can be vertically jigged, slow or fast. They can be cast and retrieved with sweeps of the rod, again fast or slow, deep shallow or in the middle of the water column, depending on the species, how aggressive they are and what they are feeding on.
They can be used with another type of lure as a teaser, they can be drop shotted, or they can be fished weightless on light line in shallow water.. Over the years I can't begin to explain how many fish I have caught with the plastic lure laying on bottom, with NO movement... Often fish pick them up right off bottom... Swim Shads have more "built in" action than a FinS type lure, but to be honest, I catch equally on both types.. Caught everything from Blues, weaks, Fluke,Stripers to Bullheads, Carp, Salmon and Walleyes, and sunnies on them... bob

[Down The Hatch]

Thanks very much. Sounds easier than I thought. Would 2-3 ounces be sufficient?

[bulletbob]

Thanks very much. Sounds easier than I thought. Would 2-3 ounces be sufficient?

It depends.. If you are fishing in 10 feet with little current, that would be kind of heavy.. In 70 feet with a strong current, you might need more.. Keep a selection of sizes and colors on hand, and keep everything from 1/4 oz jig heads up to 4 oz...,, My personal rule of thumb is to go as light as possible for the conditions.. The more depth,wind and current, the more weight you'll need.. I regularly jig for lake trout in 70-100 feet on reasonably calm days with 1 oz..
A lot depends on what you are fishing for, and how deep you are fishing... bob

[Down The Hatch]

Thanks again Bob-
Boat is out of the water for the winter but will look forward to stocking up on that stuff and get after them in the spring.