There’s a popular subcategory of swimbaits called glide baits, and they look like a generic swimbait, they have a much different action. Instead of the tight swimming and tail-kicking action most swimbaits have, glide baits have a much wider side-to-side action.
They have a single jointed body but don’t bend as much as a single jointed swimbait does. This limited bend is what makes them swim in a wider S-shaped pattern. This side-to-side action happens in a slow “gliding” motion, and that’s where the name comes from.
Best Glide Baits
The best glide baits will have perfect balance, and as a result perfect gliding action. Perfect balance is crucial not only for the action but also for keeping them upright in the water. This keeps them looking natural, and not rolling over on their side.
There are a couple glides that really stand out amongst the many options available. Just like all swimbaits the prices on glide baits can get up there, but you can get a really solid glides in the twenty dollar range. Here are couple great choices.
River2Sea S-Waver
These are the most popular glides going. They’re slow sinking baits with an excellent gliding action. They come in three sizes so you can cover all bases. You can even fish the smallest one on a spinning rod if that’s all you have.
But the most popular size and a must have is the S-Waver 168 made by River2Sea. This is a mid-sized glide bait that is perfect for targeting bass of all sizes. If you’re fishing for big bass then you want to upgrade to the S-Waver 200.
Savage Gear Shine Glider
Another popular glide, especially if you want a bigger profile, is the 3D Shine Glider made by Savage Gear. These glide baits have a taller profile and more flash in the water. These are slow sinking baits that come in two sizes and seven colors.
Glide Bait Fishing
To achieve the gliding action of a glide bait you need to reel the bait at a fast enough speed. Otherwise the bait is going to travel through the water in a straight line doing nothing at all.
It doesn’t take a very fast retrieve to get them swimming, you just need to increase your speed until the action starts. It won’t take much though, you can actually fish them quite slowly.
For whatever reason, glide baits draw a ton of followers. Bass will follow and investigate a glide bait more so than most other lures, so never cut your retrieve short. A bass might finally decided to strike as close as five feet from the boat.
Using fluorocarbon line will help keep followers interested because it’s the clearest option when it comes to line. It also sinks, which will make the glide perform better and sink faster if you are targeting deeper targets.
If you’re finding that all you are getting are followers then you can try breaking up the gliding action by jerking the rod during the retrieve. This will cause the bait to shoot off in one direction and sometimes trigger that bass to bite. If this doesn’t cause a reaction strike then that fish was never going to bite anyway.
Another way to fish glides is on the surface with a walk-the-dog action. You literally fish it the same way you would fish a spook, by snapping the rod and reeling simultaneously. This cause the bait to walk side to side on the surface and can trigger some tremendous topwater strikes.
