Swimbaits are one of the most versatile baits on the market producing fish from shallow to deep, and from heavy cover to open water. While there is a soft plastic swimbait that will work in just about any situation, trying to carry a hook for every swimbait style from 2- to 8-inches long requires a lot of sizes. Complicate that by needing different weights on the hooks to cover the water column from the surface to 30-feet deep, now you’re looking at carrying dozens of hook sizes and weights.

To streamline my hook assortment, while remaining ready for most any bait or situation, I start by carrying a basic assortment of unweighted 3/0, 5/0 and 7/0 swimbait hooks.

In addition to hooks, I pack 1/16-, 1/8-, 1/4- and 3/8-ounce tube insert weights in my boat. These specialty weights were designed to rig inside tube baits, allowing for an internally weighted Texas-rigged tube. The weights have a hole near the top that is designed to slip onto a hook shank, and work perfectly on swimbait hooks.

To weight a swimbait hook, simply run the hook point through the hole in the weight, then run the hook point through your swimbait like normal. The weight rides in the belly of the hook – the perfect location to make the lure run true by keeling it, plus you’ll get a natural gliding swim on a pause in your retrieve.

The nice thing about this system is that adjusting your weight is simple. If your bait needs more or less weight, remove the weight and quickly change to another size. With this system you can easily adjust on the fly.

Not 100 percent clear on how to rig it? Watch my video below for a look at how to rig it with close-ups at the end.

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