This shows how the hook (left) is slotted in the bait. At right is a similar lure with a treblen hook. By design, the bait typically slides away from the hook after a hookup. (Photos by Brenton Roberts)
December 22, 2024
By Brenton Roberts
With endless sizes and colors of swimbaits to choose from, you can match just about any baitfish out there. In recent years, a new variation of these has emerged in saltwater: line-through swimbaits.
With these, you get the same fish-catching lures, with a few benefits that normal swimbaits don’t offer.
First, look at the profile of a line-through bait. There’s no hook eye. Instead, the line enters the head of the bait. Where did it go? There is a channel that the line runs through the bait, coming out the belly or back and ties directly to a hook. Hence the name “line through.” The hook seats in the crevice where the line exits and holds tight when fishing the bait. When you get a bite, this is when this lure shines.
The biggest benefit is the loss of leverage that a fish has with these baits. When a regular swimbait gets bit, the weight of the lure is in the fish’s mouth. When a fish jumps, or head shakes, this weight can be used to throw the lure and lose the fish. They can also wedge in the mouth, not allowing good hook penetration.
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Remember how I said that the hook seats in the bait? Well, when a fish eats, the hook is pulled from the bait, allowing the bait to slide up the leader. Now the fish only has a hook in its mouth, giving it much less chance to throw the lure. It’s nearly foolproof.
The hook is the vital piece of this puzzle and line-throughs give you options. You can pick the size hook you want to fish. Need to go to a heavier gauge hook to avoid bending it out on big fish, you got it. Most companies, such as R&R Tackle , recognize that the majority of standard swimbait hooks just aren’t strong enough, so they pair their baits with a 2x strong black nickel hook. You want to fish a treble or circle hook? You can do that, too.
As far as connections to the hook, I prefer a standard uni-knot. This small-profile knot conceals into the bait, not impeding action and keeps the hook snug in place. You have different weight options on these baits, depending on how deep you’re fishing. The Savage Gear Pulse Tail Mullet Line Thru gives two weight options. R&R Tackle has a screw-in jighead style in various weights, allowing for a quick and easy change.
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Lures nowadays look more realistic than ever, such as the Z-Man Mulletron LT , due to the incredible baitfish prints. As the bait slides up the leader and away from the fish’s mouth, that pretty paint job not only stays fresh, but it avoids the soft-plastic from tearing. That means more fish per lure and more money in your pocket.
I like to fish some of the smaller line through options, such as the 4.5-inch Z-Man, around docks, mangroves and seawalls. Fishing a 4000-sized setup, I can be a little nimbler, putting the bait up under the over hangs and in tight spots. Line-through baits on the bigger side, such as the R&R 6-inch baits, excel around bridges and deep depressions and structure where fish like to hang. A 6000-sized spinning outfit or a 400-sized baitcaster paired with an 8-foot heavy action rod is what you want, allowing you to efficiently cast these big lures and land the big fish.
This article was featured in the November 2024 issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe .
