Vern Evans
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Though the official timeline is a bit hazy, many anglers point to the swimbait revolution of the early 2000s as the kick-off of modern glide baits. As the story goes, crafty Japanese bass anglers began removing the diving lips from large, jointed baits, sealing the gap, and modifying their weight to make them glide just below the surface in wide strides left and right. In no time, an entire scene grew around glide baits. They earned a reputation for catching big bass and worked equally well on trophy pike and muskies. But, up until recently, this style of lure didn’t get much love in saltwater.
Thanks to a few East Coast lure makers, that’s changed. Jointed glide baits are quickly becoming one of the hottest lures for striped bass from Virginia to Massachusetts, and they’re even starting to take hold within circles of Southerners chasing giant snook. The ability of these lures to mimic large, helpless baitfish is uncanny, but if you’re interested in giving them a try in saltwater, there are a few critical things you need to know before you dive in.
Choosing the Right Glide Bait for Saltwater
Walk into any well-stocked shop catering to bass or muskie anglers, stroll into a big-box retailer, or surf internet tackle sites and you’ll find endless choices of glide baits in a wide range of prices. But here’s the thing — the majority of them were developed for freshwater, which does not have the same density as saltwater.
You might find that a glide that runs perfectly in the lake behaves differently in the bay. Slow sinkers in freshwater may float in the brine or drop so much slower that they don’t get in the zone fast enough. There are several ways to correct these issues.
Coastal-based custom glide bait makers, like Stride Baits and Fish Everything, build their lures specifically for the salt. They also make the weight system within them adjustable by the angler. But if you’re not ready to jump into the custom market, consider ordering a pack of SuspenDots or SuspenStrips or lead wrap used in fly tying. It’s important to maintain balance and the bait’s ability to keel—meaning it should always remain horizontal in the water. Adding SuspenDots or strips along the belly can adjust the weight, though wrapping the shanks of the treble hooks with lead wire is often a better choice.
Another option is replacing the factory hooks with trebles one size bigger or go with a heavier gauge. Just remember that any glider — custom or mass-produced — should be optimally tuned by the maker, and it takes very little to throw these lures off balance. Always take the time to test your modifications before fishing them.
Rods and Reels for Fishing a Glide Bait
One of the biggest barriers to glide bait entry for many anglers is that fishing them effectively requires a specific rod and reel combo. A “standard” medium-action outfit isn’t able to cast a bait that weighs north of 3 ounces and can measure up to 12 inches long. Even more importantly, you need extra power because these lures are heavy, awkward, and create drag in the water once pinned in a big fish’s mouth. You need to plant the hooks firmly and have plenty of leverage to counter head shakes that can throw the bait. You’ve got to keep pressure on from start to finish.
My favorite saltwater glide combo is a St. Croix Mojo Inshore 7-foot, 9-inch, extra-heavy casting rod paired with an Abu Garcia REVO Toro Beast. The extra length of the rod comes in handy for lobbing big baits, and I spool the reel with 65-pound braid. I rarely use fluorocarbon leader lighter than 50 pounds with these lures. Not only do I want the strength because I’m usually targeting big stripers, but I also want a leader I can safely grab boatside to control the fish.
Read Next: Best Swimbait Rods, Tested and Reviewed
People often ask me if you can fish glide baits with spinning gear, and the short answer is yes. However, what makes a glide come to life is the ability to finesse it via short, sometimes micro turns of the reel handle. The reel, not the rod, creates the action in this game. Spinning reels take in more line per turn than baitcasters, so, if you’re going to use one, you often must slow down to a crawl or you risk overworking the bait.
Less Is More
In both salt and freshwater, the magic of a glide bait is its ability to do a lot while doing very little. A properly balanced bait will sit perfectly still, gently turning back to “look over its shoulder” with a slight turn of the reel handle. It’s the illusion of a large meal that’s either injured, disoriented, or has its guard down that triggers fish that may not be in heavy feeding mode to attack. There are, of course, times when fish want a faster retrieve that makes the bait glide from side to side with an even cadence.
But one of my favorite things about glide bait fishing in saltwater is how just the sound of the bait hitting the water can make fish seemingly materialize out of nowhere. In the Northeast, large glide baits are primarily used to imitate menhaden — a.k.a. bunker. These are large baitfish that slap down when they jump or scatter into the air when being harassed by striped bass. When a glide bait hits the surface on its broad side, it makes a sound almost identical to a live bunker hitting the water. Because of this, it’s critical to be on guard immediately after the cast, because hits often come within a twitch or two from smackdown.
Read Next: The 7 Best Saltwater Lures of All Time
Final Thoughts on Using Glide Baits in Saltwater
I’ve heard from a couple anglers in Florida that these lures can have a similar effect for snook keyed in on large mullet, especially around bridges and shadow lines after dark. The bottom line is that you can’t think of a glide bait as another plug in your bag that you cast and reel. Don’t be afraid to use its splat-down sound to your advantage and retrieve painfully slowly.
Milk each retrieve and give the lure plenty of time to just hover. It’s often during long pauses that the biggest stripers ghost up and take their swing.
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