Swimbaits & Glidebaits

Swimbaits and glidebaits at Charlie's Fishing: jointed swimbaits, glidebaits and big baits for pike

Swimbaits and glidebaits are the big-bait end of predator fishing. Where a small shad suggests a prey fish, these imitate a whole one, and you fish them to pick out the bigger fish in the water rather than to catch numbers. Most anglers cast them for pike, but a compact glidebait fished slowly also catches zander, and the smaller models take big perch. This page brings together our hard swimbaits and glidebaits: jointed swimbaits that swim on a steady retrieve, glidebaits that you work with the rod, and adjustable big baits, from brands such as Savage Gear, Rapala, Swimbait Republic, SPRO, DRT, Jackall, Kaesu and Nays. Below we explain the difference, which model to choose for your water, and the tackle you need to fish them.

Swimbait or glidebait: what is the difference?

Both words get used loosely, but the two lures ask different things of you. A swimbait swims by itself: wind it in and it works, with a steady rolling, side-to-side beat that holds its rhythm as long as you hold your retrieve speed. Jointed models flex through the whole body, so the lure swims like a fish rather than just wagging its tail. A glidebait takes its action from the rod. Each twitch or sweep sends it out to one side, it glides, slows down and turns, and the next twitch sends it the other way: the wide S-curve with a pause in every turn. That pause, with a big broadside profile hanging in front of the fish, is often the moment a following pike finally takes.

• A swimbait gets its action from the reel, a glidebait from the rod.
• A swimbait is a searching lure for covering water, a glidebait is a convincing lure for fish that follow.
• Many modern big baits do both: a straight retrieve gives an S-curve swim, twitches make them glide.

Glidebaits for pike: wide S-curves and long pauses

The Rapala Super Shadow Rap Glide 11 (14 cm with tail, 45 g including a 5 g screw-in weight) is an easy start: it swims in a slow, wide S-curve on a steady retrieve, runs 0.5 to 1 m deep without the weight, which suits polders and shallow drains, and slowly sinks with it. The Rapala Super Shadow Rap Glide 16 (18 cm, 86 g including a 10 g weight) is the bigger version on 2/0 trebles. Our own colour, the Rapala x Charlie's Fishing Limited Edition, is the 11 in a perch pattern with an orange and a red tail for coloured and clear water; read the story in Rapala x Charlie's Fishing Limited Edition Super Shadow Rap Glide. The Swimbait Republic Glideway 176 (17.6 cm, 80 g) is slow floating out of the box; the Swimbait Republic Glideway 176 Weight Stickers make it suspending or slow sinking, down to about 3.7 m. The Swimbait Republic Glideway 126 (12.6 cm, 29.5 g) is the same idea in a size for a lighter baitcaster, and a good glidebait for zander. See our Swimbait Republic Glideway 176 test & review.

The Savage Gear Wide Glide Scandal 20 cm (107 g, 0.5 to 2 m) has a hard body inside a scented silicone skin and throws a long way to the side on every twitch, then balances flat and sinks slowly on the pause; the Savage Gear Wide Glide Scandal 25 cm (190 g, 1 to 2.5 m) is the one for trophy pike on big water. Read Savage Gear Wide Glide Scandal: Two Sizes, Three Retrieves. The Savage Gear Low Glider Jerk 17 cm (112 g) is a slow sinking glider with a loud rattle and through-wire construction for 1.5 to 2 m of water, with a Savage Gear Low Glider Jerk 14.5 cm (76 g) for a lighter rod; see our Savage Gear Low Glider Review | Why this glidebait catches big pike. For smaller water, the Illex Freddy 130 CW Noisy (13 cm, 20.9 g) and Illex Freddy 170 CW Noisy (16.8 cm, 44.5 g) are two-section sinking glidebaits in a noisy version that adds sound, and the Gamakatsu Luxxe Laughin 170 (17 cm, 48 g) glides wide with very little rod input. More in Pike Hardbaits and Zander Glidebaits.

Jointed swimbaits: steady retrieve, natural swim

When you need to cover water, or the fish are hunting, a jointed swimbait on a slow, steady retrieve is the simplest big lure to fish. The ULM Lures Easy Swim 17 cm (about 67 g) from Sweden was designed to swim naturally even on a slow retrieve, which makes it a good first swimbait. The SPRO Swimbait 6" Slow Sink (15 cm) (59 g) and SPRO Swimbait 8" Slow Sink (20 cm) (140 g) are three-piece swimbaits with soft fins and tail that sink slowly, so you can count them down along a drop-off. The SPRO KGB Chad Shad 180 (18 cm, 67 g) has a wide rolling tail kick, swims true from a crawl to a fast wind and casts a long way for open water. The Nays TRN 190 (56 g) comes with two tails and two lips, so you can switch between a wide S-curve and a harder action; read Reviews and Everything You Need to Know About the Nays TRN.

For shallow water and weed edges, the floating Jackall Gantarel (16 cm, 70 g) has a three-section body, runs about 0.6 m deep and turns 180 degrees on a sharp twitch. The Jackall Dowz Swimmer 180 SF (18 cm, 57 g) swims an S-curve just under the surface and can be fished deeper with a John Weight on the belly swivel. The Jackall Swing Mikey 115 (11.5 cm, 28.5 g) is a compact floating swimbait for the top half metre, for pike and big perch. The Chasebaits Swim Dusty (16.5 cm, 58 g) adds a spinning metal belly blade for flash and vibration, and the Gan Craft X BlueBlue Limited Edition Jointed Claw Magnum Yellow (23 cm, 113 g, sinking) is a collector's edition of a well-known trophy bait, also available in black via Gan Craft.

Hybrid and adjustable big baits

Some big baits combine a hard body with a soft tail, or let you change lips, tails and weights to set the action. The Savage Gear Deviator Tail 20 cm (87 g, slow sinking) is a hybrid with a wide S-curve and a replaceable soft tail that keeps kicking at a slow retrieve. The Savage Gear 3D Hybrid Pike 17 cm (47 g, slow sinking) imitates a young pike, with a soft tail that kicks at any speed. The DRT Klash 9 Low (about 22.9 cm, 125 g) fishes like a big crankbait with the lip fitted and like a glidebait with the lip removed and the tail flipped; the DRT Tiny Klash Low (16.8 cm, 56 g) does the same in a smaller size, and the DRT Klash Ghost (33 cm, 235 g, low floating) is a three-piece giant for the biggest fish. The Kaesu KRK 165 (16.5 cm) uses tungsten weights to go from high floating to sinking, for walking the dog on the surface or sliding it deeper. The Strike Pro Guppie (22 cm, 120 g, sinking, 1.5 to 3 m) has a compact body and a screw-on tail you can swap. On the coast, the sinking BlueBlue Snecon 150S (15 cm, 40 g) swims an irregular S-curve on a straight retrieve and works for sea bass in current as well as for pike. Spare tails, lips and weights for many of these lures are in Spare Parts, and soft versions are in Soft Swimbaits and Glidebaits.

Tackle for swimbaits and glidebaits

Big lures need a rod rated for the weight you actually cast, often a baitcaster for the heavier models, and a strong main line. Always fish a wire or titanium trace for pike: the VMC Titanium Swim Leader is a 50 cm, 1x7 titanium trace rated at 28 kg with a VMC Pike Snap #3, made for heavy swimbaits. Check the trebles and split rings regularly and replace them when they lose their point. See Lines and Leaders.

Which swimbait or glidebait for which situation

• Shallow polders, drains and weed beds: Super Shadow Rap Glide 11 without the weight, Gantarel, Swing Mikey 115 or Dowz Swimmer 180 SF.
• Pike that follow but do not take: a glidebait such as the Glideway 176, Wide Glide Scandal or Freddy 170, with long pauses at the turn.
• Covering open water: Chad Shad 180, SPRO Swimbait 8" or Easy Swim 17 cm on a long, steady retrieve.
• Deeper drop-offs and cold water: Low Glider Jerk 17 cm, Strike Pro Guppie, Wide Glide Scandal 25 cm or a Glideway with weight stickers.
• Coloured water: a glider that makes noise, such as the Low Glider Jerk or Freddy CW Noisy, or the blade of the Swim Dusty.
• Zander and big perch: smaller models such as the Glideway 126, Freddy 130 and Swing Mikey 115, fished slowly.
• Sea bass in current: Snecon 150S. See also Pike, Zander, Perch and Seabass.

Why buy swimbaits and glidebaits at Charlie's Fishing

We pick swimbaits and glidebaits from brands such as Savage Gear Lures, Rapala, Swimbait Republic, SPRO, DRT, Jackall, Kaesu, Nays, Illex, BlueBlue Fishing and ULM Lures, including our own Rapala x Charlie's Fishing Limited Edition colour. Everything ships from our stock in the Netherlands with fast delivery across Europe, and we are happy to help you choose the right size and weight for your water and your rod.

What is the difference between a swimbait and a glidebait?

A swimbait swims by itself on a steady retrieve, with a rolling, side-to-side action. A glidebait is worked with the rod: each twitch makes it glide out to one side and turn, with a pause in every turn that often triggers following fish.

How do you fish a glidebait for pike?

Cast, let it sink to the depth you want and work it with short twitches or sweeps of the rod while you take up the slack. Pause at the end of each glide: many takes come when the lure hangs and turns. A slow, steady retrieve also gives most glidebaits a gentle S-curve swim.

What size swimbait for pike?

Most pike swimbaits and glidebaits are between 12 and 25 cm. A 12 to 17 cm model is easier to cast and suits smaller water and spring, while 20 cm and more is the choice for big water and autumn, when big pike are looking for a proper meal.