As the Nov. 7 end to Daylight Savings Time draws near, the fall bass bite is just beginning to shift into high gear across the south. From now into the early months of winter is a special time for anglers, when the baitfish are shallow and the bass are too.

BASS Elite Series pro Kevin Short takes full advantage of the after-tournament season to “just go fishing,” making the most of the opportunities to play with new baits and learn more about the species that he pursues February through October as his job. It also doesn’t hurt to have his own test facility in his backyard; he lives on Arkansas’ Lake Conway, a good bass fishery with a variety of cover that replicates what can be found on many different lakes across the country.

In fact, when we caught up with him by phone to ask him for some seasonal fishing tips, he was as excited with anticipation as a kid on Christmas Eve because he was hooking up to his Bass Cat to spend the rest of the day on his home lake.

“The lily pads here are starting to die back now, and the decaying pads draw in shad like a magnet, as they are feeding on the plankton around the pads and stems. The bass are right behind them and it’s a fun time to catch numbers and some good fish too,” Short explained. “This Swim It is a blast to fish around the stems because it’s shallow water and you get to see the strike. Even as long as I’ve been at this game, it’s still takes discipline to wait to ‘feel’ the strike instead of reacting to the sight of the fish hitting your bait. It is so cool!”

Short went on to say that the Swim It is a new swim jig made by one of his sponsors, Jewel Bait Co. He has a personal fondness for the bait because he was instrumental in its design.

“Swimming a jig is one of my strengths, so I’m really particular about what this type of bait looks like and how it performs. Those who know me best know I speak my mind when it comes to baits. We didn’t just take a jig and call it a swim jig; we designed this one specifically for the purpose.”

Short says that when shad and sunfish come to the shallows this time of year, the bass come right along with them. That’s why “burning” a spinnerbait and tossing shallow-running crankbaits can be so effective. But the Arkansas pro explains the Swim It offers greater versatility and is a more efficient fish catcher than both of these choices.

“For starters, the Swim It is made for fishing around cover without hanging up. I don’t have to tell you how much of a pain it can be to fish spinnerbaits and crankbaits around grass, especially dead grass in the fall.”

“The head of this jig is also unique, with a shape not unlike a boat hull to give it lift and keep it on an even keel during whatever retrieve speed,” Short explained. “The skirt is made specifically for swimming, meaning it is thinned but still ample for the lifelike ‘breathing effect.’ And I was insistent that the skirt colors be consistent with those mimicking sunfish and shad coloration.”

Although the Swim It comes in 1/4- and 3/8-ounce sizes, Short has a personal preference for the heavier size because of his fishing style. Up to 75 percent of the time, he’s fishing it around vegetation or docks, and therefore on braid. The jig’s heavy-wire Mustad hook makes braid a good choice.
 
This swim jig’s versatility, according to Short, comes from its proprietary J Lock bait holder. “The J Lock feature penetrates through any soft plastic and then locks on to the hook’s shank to hold the trailer securely in place. That means you can even use a hollow-bodied soft plastic with the Swim It, which allows use with several of the hollow-bodied swimbaits on the market.”

Short considers three trailer types when considering his options: Zoom’s Fat Albert single-tail grub, a Zoom Speed Craw, and some kind of swimbait trailer, like Zoom’s Swimming Super Fluke. Each provides a totally different action, varying from horizontal motions to vertical to erratic.

“The trailer is what changes the jig’s action, but it’s up to the angler to recognize and take advantage of the differences. One thing I always do is trim the skirt length according to the type of trailer I’m fishing. If the trailer is long and straight, I leave the skirt longer. If it’s short and stubbier like the grub, I’ll trim it shorter, perhaps 1/4-inch past the bend of the hook. The idea is to get the most water on the trailer that you can so the trailer can do what it’s supposed to do.”

How long will the swim jig bite last into winter? We asked Short that exact question.

“I’ll fish it as long as I’m seeing any type of bait action, whether it be shad popping on top or shad or minnows in the shallows,” he answered. “If you’re looking for water temperature as a guide, I’d say up until the surface temps drop below 50 degrees. I’ll have it back on going into spring just as soon as those water temps start hitting the 50-degree mark again. So, I actually have one tied on more often than not. But don’t just take my word on the Swim It, you gotta try it yourself.”

The Swim It, both in 1/4 and 3/8-ounce, comes in five skirt colors: Black/Blue Flash, Jewel Shad, Gizzard Shad, Missouri Craw and Okeechobee Blue. Head construction is Jewel’s environmentally-friendly Metallulite, a specialized material that provides the bigger bait profile, but without the added weight relative to its size - meaning it’s more inclined to swim than sink like a rock (or lead). Special paint and unique scale patterns add to the lure’s baitfish illusion. The line tie is vertical instead of horizontal, another unique attribute for enhanced performance.

The Swim It comes one per package and retails for around $4.99 each.