Choosing the right blank for pike fishing with swimbaits
While “big” lures have long been used for pike, the pace has quickened over the past decade and bigbaits have truly become big in the literal sense. In fact, swimbaits in particular—and the soft baits available on the market and tied to anglers’ rods—now commonly reach 30 cm and exceed 200 g. When you’re casting lures of this size all day—and don’t want to winch a 90 cm fish across the surface—the choice of blank becomes a crucial question.
The rise of specimen hunting, combined with the pike’s tendency to attack big mouthfuls, has led anglers to use increasingly larger lures for this species. Today, both soft and hard baits—and especially swimbaits of around 30 cm weighing from 150 to 250 g—are plentiful on the market. It’s obvious that using lures of this size brings many constraints, and that a dedicated setup is essential.
Constraints to consider
Swimbait fishing calls for a casting setup, which is more comfortable and better suited to big lures. The selected blank must be able to propel these lures—sometimes beyond 200 g—to long distances, set heavy-wire hooks effectively, keep the fight enjoyable with average-size fish (which still make up most catches in French waters), and remain light enough to fish on the move all day. In this context, it’s clear you need a combo that combines seemingly opposite characteristics: power, lightness, smoothness, and snap.
The need for length
For effective swimbait fishing, an 8-foot blank is a must. When casting big, wind-catching lures on a casting outfit, amplitude is far more effective than brute force.
What’s more, to drive heavy-wire hooks—sometimes at several dozen meters—into the powerful jaws of a big pike, you need a committed hook-set. Here again, length provides the amplitude required to be effective and avoid losing the fish of a lifetime.
A moderate-fast action
To launch lures long distances, blank progressiveness is a key asset; it’s also valuable for working large swimbaits on a steady retrieve and for minimizing thrown hooks during the fight.
And while fish over 10 kg may be the goal, they will unfortunately make up only about 1 %—or less—of your catches. A blank with some softness and a slightly rounder tip will therefore give you maximum enjoyment on pike around 80 cm.
Plenty of material—but not too much…
With swimbaits, resonance and sensitivity aren’t priorities: durability and tolerance to knocks—and to a more vigorous style of use—come first. In this light, a mid-modulus or standard-modulus carbon is ideal.
Beyond that, casting power is obviously essential. These demands require a significant amount of material, which can quickly lead to a blank that’s heavy and uncomfortable over a full day. That’s why blanks designed for swimbaits use specific geometry and construction: they rely on a comparatively substantial tip (scion) relative to the butt diameter—the opposite of other practices that call for very conical blanks.
The SWB series
If there’s a must-have range of blanks that has earned a solid reputation among big-bait anglers, it’s North Fork Composites’ SWB series.
These blanks combine power, progressiveness, and lightness, and the lineup covers the full spectrum of lures—even the truly outsized ones.
The SWB 807 IM is undoubtedly the most versatile, with a 30–150 g rating, and will suit the majority of anglers.
For those who want to use smaller lures, the SWB 806 IM will cast models up to 100 g and is ideal for soft baits up to 20 cm.
Conversely, for the biggest models such as the BALAM 300, Murias Mouse, or 30 cm softbaits, look to the SWB 808 IM, SWB 809 IM, or Rodbuilder’s Republic PPS80XXH.
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