It’s a tale that is far too common. Influenced by regular posts on social media, anglers head out after saving their hard-earned cash to purchase their first 25cm, 200g 3D printed, handcrafted, beautifully finished swimbait.
After a few aborted attempts where it didn’t make it out of the box because you ‘didn’t want to get it snagged’ you finally tie it to your regular 2-4kg baitcaster combo.
What you quickly realise is you haven’t felt the rod load like this before. That’s even before you start your parabolic casting sequence.
After a series of birds’ nests, cautious casts, and, if you’re really unlucky, a snapped loop knot or busted rod tip. If, however, you don’t lose it on the first few attempts you soon retire it to the back of the box before you give-up your ‘paycheque sized’ swimbait.
I remember a mate who was just starting out trying to hurl a 200g+ swimbait on his ‘multipurpose’ 4kg cod combo. Suffice to say his top two eyelets, a snapped length of 30lb braid and a $130 swimbait are now safely laid to rest at the bottom of Blowering dam. R.I.P!
Now, there are two ways this narrative can go to end in a lot less swimbait heartache.
Firstly, you can up the ante and purchase a new swimbait specific combo that’s purpose-built to hurl baits as big as a SMEG microwave.
This is by far the most expensive option as you need a completely new ‘cod capable’ set up. Not saying it’s the wrong option, rather, it’s a little more costly in the short term.
However, if you do want to leap straight into the big bait deep end, make sure you buy the right big tools for your swimbait trade.
To help, we’ve taken a bit of the guesswork out of helping you find your first XOS swimbait combo.
Alternatively, you can downsize your bait selection and gradually increase the size of your swimbait as your confidence, experience and savings account grows.
This means you don’t have to break the bank to test the swimbait waters as you gather valuable skills and build your bait confidence.
Another tip is always to opt for your favourite colour when you’re first starting out with a new bait. Find out why in our Colour Cod-fidence article.
Some great entry-level size swimbaits that are able to be flung on more conventional cod combos are:
So, if you’re looking to dip your toe into the swimbait game opt for a smaller swimbait to start. However, if you want to sink your entire foot into the swimbait game, upsize your arsenal, bend at the knees and put your back into it.