A pro’s guide for swimming your way to a big Texas bass.

Story and photography Matt Williams

Psssst….. hey buddy. Wanna’ catch a big bass or two? Tie on a soft plastic swim bait, give it a whirl and let the thump-thump of the paddle tail do the rest as you make a slow, methodical retrieve. You might just catch the biggest bass of your life. Maybe more than one. Don’t believe me? The proof is in the puddin’. Fishing stories that sound more like fairy tales have been written around these baits, many of them earmarked by career-best sacks and monumental tournament victories. Perhaps the most famous of all dates back to 2007 when Alabama’s Steve Kennedy used a big swim bait to win the Bassmaster Elite Series “Golden State Shootout” on California’s Clear Lake. Kennedy weighed in 20 fish during that event for an accumulative total of 122 pounds, 14 ounces that for several years stood as the BASS four-day heaviest weight record of all-time.

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