HOW TO FISH:
The Swim'n Joe is a highly realistic 21st century crankbait designed to fool big game fish in clear waters and heavy fishing pressure conditions. It will catch big fish spring, summer and fall. All you need to do is get in front of a big fish. Because the Swim'n Joe is a bit heavy, it is best fished on heavyweight tackle. A larger baitcasting outfit with a heavy action rod is recommended along with lines of no less than 25 pound test.
It is almost impossible to fish the Swim'n Joe incorrectly since it has a built-in diving bill which creates the action on the lure. If you simply cast it out and reel it back with a steady slow to medium retrieve, you'll have excellent results. However, there is more you can do with this lure. Since it sinks, you can count it down and fish it much deeper. For real deep water applications (casting), simply cast it out, leave your reel in the free spool position, and let the lure sink all the way to the bottom. Then retrieve it at a very slow steady pace to keep it near the bottom at these depths.
The Swim'n Joe is also very effective on suspended big fish in colder waters by employing a stop and go retrieve. The slow sinking nature of the lure allows it to suspend during the pause, which can really trigger strikes from reluctant big fish in colder waters. Another trick to try is to stop the lure for a few seconds anytime it collides with cover such as weeds, timber or rocks. Since this cover is where a big fish is most likely to be hiding, the sudden pause after the collision often triggers that cover-tight fish to skirt out and nail the lure.
