One-on-One: 10 Questions With Gerald Swindle
From his favorite jig and rod to balsa crankbaits, heavy-cover hooks, BBQ and the importance of simply giving it a shot, Gerald Swindle doesn’t overcomplicate fishing—or much else.
If you spend enough time around Gerald Swindle, you quickly get the impression that he’s not interested in making fishing more complicated than it needs to be.
Give him a DT and enough confidence, and he’ll find a way to catch them. And while the longtime pro has accumulated plenty of knowledge over the years, his advice to the next generation of tournament anglers is surprisingly simple:
“Embrace the suck.”
In other words, get uncomfortable. Learn something new. Fail at it. Then get better.
We put Swindle through 10 questions covering everything from his ideal one-rod-and-one-lure setup to his favorite body of water, the gear he trusts around heavy cover, what he never leaves the house without—and, naturally, his favorite food.
Here’s what he had to say.
If you could only fish with one rod and one lure for the rest of your life, what are you picking up?
Swindle didn’t hesitate.
His choice is a 7'4" medium-heavy 13 Fishing Oath paired with a jig.
It’s a combination that says plenty about his approach to bass fishing. A jig can be fished around just about anything, and the 7'4" medium-heavy rod gives him the power and versatility to get the job done when a big bass decides to head for cover.
If he’s really only getting one setup for the rest of his life, he wants something he can trust and fish in any scenario.
What makes a balsa crankbait so special?
For Swindle, it comes down to one thing: action.
“Lifelike actions in all water temperatures, boiling or freezing, balsa is the way to go,” he says.
That subtle, natural movement is what keeps balsa crankbaits in the conversation even in a market packed with increasingly sophisticated hard baits.
According to Swindle, ”you just can’t beat balsa, its tried and true, and its what I’ll always have tied on.”
What are your top three hook styles—and why?
When it comes to hooks, Swindle’s choices reflect the places he likes to fish: around cover, in heavy cover and anywhere a big bass can make an angler's life difficult.
His first choice is the VMC RedLine HD Flippin’ Hook, which he calls his go-to for flipping and pitching around isolated cover such as docks and laydowns.
Next is the VMC RedLine HD Wide Gap.
When bass are buried in mats or heavy cover, that’s the hook Swindle reaches for. The wide-gap design gives him the ability to fish a variety of baits while maintaining the confidence he needs when he’s dragging ‘em out of nasty cover.
And when he goes finesse, he turns to the VMC RedLine Drop Shot Hook.
“It’s so sharp, very thin but is really strong,” he says. “It’s my go-to hook for pretty much all my drop shot fishing.”
Three hooks. Three different jobs. And a pretty good snapshot of the way Swindle approaches bass fishing: have the right tool when it matters.
Favorite—and least favorite—body of water in the U.S.?
There wasn’t much debate over the favorite.
Guntersville.
“It’s my home pond and the fishing is incredible,” Swindle says.
But his least favorite is a little more complicated.
Lake Fork.
Not because it doesn’t hold fish. The problem is what’s just underneath the water.
“Lots of stumps to hit,” Swindle says. “It’s just a minefield and hard on my equipment and ME.”
That last part might be the most important.
What advice do you have for kids getting into tournament fishing?
Swindle’s advice is less about finding one magical technique and more about becoming a complete angler.
Once you get comfortable with a technique, he says, move on to something else.
“Don’t keep doing the same thing,” he says. “Keep learning and mastering new techniques.”
And then comes the part every young angler—and probably every experienced one—needs to hear:
“Embrace the suck.”
Getting good at something means being bad at it first. Tournament fishing is no different. There will be tough days, missed fish, bad decisions and techniques that simply don’t seem to work.
Stick with it.
Keep learning.
Keep improving.
Spinning rods have become a critical part of a bass fisherman’s lineup. What’s your go-to all-around spinning rod?
Swindle’s pick is the 6'10" medium-light 13 Fishing Myth.
For him, it’s the ideal all-around spinning rod, capable of handling everything from light drop-shot presentations to over-sized jighead and minnows.
But versatility isn’t the only reason he likes it.
“It has the sensitivity to feel the bite, but also the backbone to keep them hooked,” is how he describes it.
That distinction matters. Getting a bass to bite a finesse presentation is one thing. Getting it into the boat is another.
Anything new and exciting coming out at ICAST that you can talk about?
There’s a new size of a bait Swindle has been enjoying all summer: the ClapTail 90 (Coming Soon to Retail Stores.)
He’s already had plenty of fun with the 110, but the smaller 90 has quickly become his favorite.
“The 110 has been a blast to fish, but for me, the 90 has become my go-to this summer,” he says.
And apparently, the bass agree.
“There’s something about that bait that makes fish come unglued.”
That’s about as strong an endorsement as a bait can get.
Outside of a pack of Pall Malls, what does Gerald Swindle never leave the house without?
This is where things get very Swindle.
Dude Wipes and a pocket knife.
“A man in the South don’t ever leave home without ’em.”
No further explanation necessary.
All-time favorite food?
Southern BBQ.
Honestly, there may not have been another acceptable answer.
Any parting words for your fans?
Swindle saved one of his best pieces of advice for last.
“It is better to have tried and failed than to have sit around and talk about how great you could have been.”
It’s a fitting way to end a conversation with an angler who has spent his career competing, experimenting, learning and adapting.
Fishing is full of uncertainty. Sometimes the pattern works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the big one gets away. Sometimes you make the right cast and everything comes together.
But you have to make the cast.
You have to try.
And if it doesn’t work?
Well, as Swindle would tell the next generation of tournament anglers, embrace the suck—learn from it, get better and make the next cast.