How to animate a hard bait ?

Fishing is a practice accessible to most people. The best fishermen are distinguished by their analysis and their ability to exploit the potential of each lure. Many swimbaits are effective with a simple linear retrieval. However, it is sometimes very interesting to animate different hard lures to optimise their effectiveness depending on the swim we want to give them and the activity of the fish. Whether it's a floating lure, designed for bottom fishing or in-between waters, swimbaits can be animated in different ways. The ultimate goal is to trigger the attack of a predator: pike, perch, zander, black bass...

Why animate your hard lure?

Although most hard lures do not require specific animation to swim, a little help on your part can prove to be formidable to decide trailing fish. Indeed, accelerations as well as pauses in the recovery of your lures, whether they are sinking or floating, can decide hesitant fish. Pikes are particularly sensitive to changes in retrieval speed. Animating your lure is about giving it life by adding realism to its swim. Thus, you can imitate a fish that is fleeing, an injured fish, a fish that is stirring the bottom or hunting on the surface.

Surface lures

It is impossible to talk about the animation of swimbaits without mentioning the most used surface lures: the stickbaits and poppers. Without animation on your part, these lures are completely ineffective. Don't worry, animating these lures is not complicated! Simple and regular rod movements are enough to bring out the full potential of these lures.

The stickbait

The walking the dog swim of the stickbait is excellent for fishing many predators in both fresh and seawater. Bass, tuna, pike, perch or black bass are fond of this lure that mimics both a wounded fish on the surface or a small snake crossing from one bank to another. Some stickbaits are easier to swim than others. In my opinion, the Xtreme Pencil 87 from Rapala is one of the easiest to swim and the most effective. Simple twicths (rod movements) downwards are enough to make it swim from left to right. Vary the speed of animation, by making pauses and accelerations to entice those fish who are just following along.

The popper

Easily recognisable by its hollow mouth, the popper can create a lot of disturbance on the surface of the water. To do this, apply sharp twitches. In this way, the popper emits big "splashes" on the surface and causes a trail of bubbles behind it. This kind of lure is very appreciated for fishing red tuna on the chase, but also for fishing black bass and perch in fresh water. Most often, it is used early in the season and in summer to imitate an injured fish or a fleeing frog.

Tip: For fishing red tuna with the Feed Popper, make a "pop" and then wait a few seconds before reanimating.

How to give life to your other swimbaits?

Depending on the swimbait, its diving depth (floating, sinking or suspending) and its swimming action, some animations are more or less suitable. Some can tolerate accelerations or pauses more or less well.

Jerk

As its name suggests, the jerkbait is a swimbait that gets jerked. It's a reaction lure widely appreciated for fishing bass, trout, perch or pike. Give it sharp impulses with your rod so that it adopts an erratic swim that is very attractive. Jerkbaits (including jerk minnows Stunna 100) often come in floating, sinking and suspending versions. The suspending version allows for long pauses. Indeed, it remains suspended after every stop. When bass, black bass, pike or perch are hunting, the jerk minnow is a very good choice! It plays on these predators' aggression and feeding phase. The floating version rises to the surface at each pause. This way you can pass over obstacles without getting stuck. As for the sinking version, you can animate it very quickly while maintaining a correct swimming depth.

Crankbait

The crankbait is very easy to use. A linear recovery with the reel is enough to make it effective. Using nylon increases its diving depth and reduces the risk of unhooking. Most crankbaits are floating. The "stop and go" tactic is very effective with this type of lure, allowing it to rise to the surface at each pause. The "stop and go" tactic is very effective with this type of lure. For perch or black bass fishing, bottom tapping is super effective! Indeed, making the lure bounce off the bottom and obstacles raises sediments like a fleeing crayfish and attracts these predators' attention. For this technique, Mustad's BLF Deceiver Crankbait SR is great with its square lip.

Swimbait

Very popular for pike and black bass fishing, the swimbait lives up to its name. Most of the time, it's a large lure. It is characterised by its very natural swim. Merely reeling it in regularly is enough to make it attractive. However, do not neglect stops near posts to entice trailing or opportunistic fish. The BBZ-1 is a swimbait known for pike and black bass fishing with slow recovery.

Should you animate quickly or slowly?

Both, my captain! There's no magic recipe. The solution lies in multiple tests. One day the fast animation will be the most effective, the other day it will be the slowest. However, certain fishing conditions are more conducive to certain animations. As previously mentioned, some lures either tolerate fast animations better than others. So adapt your animation to your lure, or your lure to your animation.

Quick Animation

Indeed, when fish are hunting, rapid impulses are generally more effective. By animating your swimbait in a lively and dynamic way, you mimic a fish that is fleeing (natural behaviour of a hunted prey). Sometimes, a rapid animation with the reel accompanied by pauses can also be interesting. This action also called "stop and go" is used to mimic an injured fish and thus trigger the opportunist instinct of many predators. This is a technique widely used in both freshwater and sea fishing. Rapid techniques allow you to prospect larger areas more quickly in search of active fish, be they trout, pike, perch, black bass or other predators.

Slow Animation

Slow retrieval can prove to be formidable, particularly when the water is cold. Pikes are usually the target of this kind of action. They are both following and opportunistic fish that feed in summer and winter. The colder winter water slows down its metabolism. It therefore seeks to save energy. Therefore, be sure to multiply the casts and pass slowly along the obstacles to entice lethargic fish. Slow swimming is particularly suitable for swimbaits or crankbaits.

In summary,

Like soft lures, the hard lure has its own swim. Techniques such as the stop and go, the twitching or recovery without pause can be used with any kind of lure. Don't hesitate to vary the animations whether you fish from the shore, in a float tube, in a boat or in a kayak in order to lure increasingly educated predators. Play on the natural aggressiveness of the predator with aggressive swims and colour but don't forget to play on its diet. For personalised advice, find us on our social networks Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Youtube.