Glide Bait vs. Multi-Jointed Swimbait, Who is the Ultimate Answer for Prespawn Staging?

Introduction

As spring advances and daylight increases, when the water temperature stabilizes between 60°F - 75°F, bass begin to enter the prespawn staging. At this time, bass will become pickier than ever towards the lures we cast out. When traditional Reaction Baits such as Spinnerbaits, Crankbaits, and Vibrating Jigs fail to work during the prespawn staging, those large-sized Hard Swimbaits can frequently show their power in professional tournaments, helping anglers land big fish after big fish to turn the tide. Then the ensuing question is, as the two most important members of the Hard Swimbait family -- Glide Bait and Multi-Jointed Swimbait, who is the ultimate answer for the prespawn staging?

What is a Glide Bait

The glide baits that can be seen on the fishing tackle market all have the following two characteristics: one is having a single-jointed structural design in form, and the other is being able to present an S-wave swimming action when reeling in. Taking this SwimShad Glide Bait from the Bassdash brand in my hand as an example, besides having a flexible single-jointed design and a large appearance profile, it can also present a typical S-wave swimming action when reeling in at a constant speed. Secondly, as an elongated glide bait, it possesses a long-distance gliding action during pauses and rod twitches that other glide baits do not have, which has a stronger visual stimulation for schools of fish cruising around the spawning beds.

The 7" slender body shape and 2.2oz weight are a rare "giant prey" for those bass that are still in the feeding stage. For male fish that are cleaning the spawning beds and driving away other fish that might steal the eggs, it is also a highly "threatening" existence, and they will not hesitate to strike and bite your lure to carry it out of the spawning bed. Finally, what I want to say is that the maneuverability of this glide bait is very great, easy to control, and can clearly respond to every action in my hand.

What is a Multi-Jointed Swimbait

The biggest difference in appearance between a multi-jointed swimbait and a glide bait is that it is composed of multiple joints, having a more natural swimming action and stronger searching ability. This is a SwimPomfret Hard Swimbait, also from the Bassdash brand; its body is composed of six joints, which is a rare six-joint design on the market. Its advantages are also more obvious, possessing a smoother and more natural swimming action than ordinary three-joint or five-joint swimbaits.

The weight of 1.3oz means that you can cast further, having a larger search radius. As Search Baits themselves, multi-jointed swimbaits are suitable for searching those highly active schools of fish, and a larger search radius means you will have more opportunities than others to find those fish willing to bite. When using a multi-jointed swimbait, you do not need to deliberately add Pause and Jerk actions like with a glide bait; you only need to know how to reel your fishing reel at a constant speed.

Glide Bait vs. Multi-Jointed Swimbait

Relying on its S-wave swimming action and extremely strong presence profile, the glide bait can pinpoint and trigger the attack reaction of large bass through its high controllability. The multi-jointed swimbait, relying on its smooth and natural swimming action, can search for highly active bass within a wide range of waters. The operational convenience of the multi-jointed swimbait is also friendlier to beginners, while the glide bait requires anglers with a certain level of experience. So with many of these two types of lures on the market, how should we choose?

For glide baits, I have chosen the S-Waver from the River2Sea brand, which is a very classic glide bait. The Bassdash SwimShad also adopts a similar design, enabling the bait to produce a stable left-and-right gliding action when reeling in. But by comparison, I prefer the longer and controllable gliding distance of the SwimShad, which is an irresistible temptation for fish in the distance.

The SwimShad has also optimized the weight structure, adding multiple steel balls, and realizing a "center of gravity transfer" through a clever internal cavity design, which is a design previously only seen on small hard baits of Japanese brands. This type of design can help us cast the bait further; secondly, the sound of the steel balls hitting the cavity is also easier to enrage the bass on the spawning beds. In the muddy water color caused by spring rains, this sound also has extremely strong penetrating power.

Finally, regarding the choice of multi-jointed swimbaits, I have a multi-jointed swimbait from the well-known brand 6th Sense Trace series in my hand. What is different from the SwimPomfret Hard Swimbait is that this bait only has a 4-joint design, and is much inferior in swimming action performance. Secondly, the biggest threat to bass on the spawning beds actually comes from bluegill sunfish; in terms of form, the bluegill appearance of the SwimPomfret is more threatening than the Shad-shaped Trace, and is also more likely to be attacked by bass on the spawning beds.

Conclusion

Whether it is a glide bait or a multi-jointed swimbait, they are both good choices for those picky bass during the spring bass prespawn staging. What we need to know is that glide baits are more suitable for pinpoint triggering of those large individual bass on or near the spawning beds, while multi-jointed swimbaits are more suitable for wide-range searching to find those highly active schools of fish. Under different waters and fishing conditions, these are two types of complementary lures. By choosing those excellent performing lures tailored to your local waters, I believe you can have a great harvest during the prespawn staging.