This Day Changed Swimbait Fishing Forever (10 Year Anniversary)

New June 16, 2026 5 views
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*My Swimbait Sale Here:* https://googansquad.com/zaldain

10 years ago today, I made a cast on BASSLive that changed my career and the tournament swimbait game forever. At the 2016 Bassmaster Elite on Norfork Lake, the American public saw the Megabass Magdraft in action on live competition for the first time — and a whole category of fishing exploded from there.

In this video, I walk you back through that tournament, share what I was feeling and thinking as those giants came up on the bait, and break down where the 6″ harness-style swimbait category came from, why the Magdraft caught fire when dozens of copycats didn’t, and where I think this category is headed next with the new Bass Mafia Warden.

I’ll also share my 3 biggest tips for anyone who hasn’t thrown this style of swimbait yet:

1. Chase the wind
2. Target the most obvious cover on the lake
3. Fish it slow and low — never pop, jerk, or pause it

Huge thanks to Megabass for being the OG on this one, and to every one of you who’ve come up to me at shows over the last decade telling me you remember that tournament. It means everything.

*My Swimbait Sale Here:* https://googansquad.com/zaldain

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00:00 10 Years Ago Today
02:38 First Big Bite On The 6″ Magdraft
02:55 Why I Stayed On Main Lake Clear Water
03:14 California Roots & The Truth About “Big” Swimbaits
04:24 The Megabass Magdraft Backstory
06:54 Real Talk On Swimbait Bites & Conditions
07:31 The One Thing I Didn’t Like About The Magdraft
08:59 Bass Mafia Daingerous Swimmer
11:00 Top Three Tips for Swimming This Bait
13:04 What’s Next: The Bass Mafia Warden
14:35 Final Thoughts