River2Sea S-Waver Swimbait

The Glide Bait That Made Glide Baits Mainstream

The River2Sea S-Waver is a two-piece hard glide bait built around River2Sea's exclusive pin-and-tenon hinge and finished with a soft PVC tail. That combination produces the wide, unhurried S-shaped swimming motion the bait is named for. It comes in two sizes — the 120S at 4.75" and the 168S at 6.75" — and both run sub-surface at roughly a foot on a steady retrieve.

Why Anglers Reach for the S-Waver

Most hard baits announce themselves. The S-Waver doesn't. The hinge lets the two halves swing wide and glide on a straight, slow retrieve without any rod input at all, so the bait covers water with a big, lazy profile that reads as an unhurried baitfish rather than something fleeing. On pressured fish that have refused everything faster, that difference is the whole point.

The Problem With Working a Glide Bait Too Hard

The most common way to fish this bait badly is to fish it like a jerkbait. Hard twitches kill the glide and collapse the S into a stutter. The hinge is doing the work — your job is mostly to reel slowly and stay out of its way. A twitch is for changing direction and triggering a follower, not for generating the action.

What Sets It Apart

• River2Sea's exclusive pin-and-tenon hinge — the source of the S-action
• Soft PVC tail that keeps swimming when the body pauses
• Two-piece hard body in two sizes, 4.75" and 6.75"
• Sub-surface runner at roughly one foot on a steady retrieve
• River2Sea BN treble hooks fitted from the factory
• Twenty-two size and color combinations in stock, including trout, bluegill, and shad patterns

The Right Pick If…

• You're fishing clear water where fish get a long look at the bait
• You want to cover water without burning a lure past fish
• You're targeting bigger-than-average bass and willing to trade bite count for size
• You've watched fish follow and refuse faster presentations

Choosing Your Size

• 120S — 4.75", 1 3/16 oz: The approachable size. Throwable on a heavy bass rod, fewer refusals, and it still draws quality fish. Start here if this is your first glide bait. Fitted with #4 and #6 trebles.
• 168S — 6.75", 1 5/8 oz: The big-fish size. More water displaced, more commitment from the fish that eat it, fewer bites overall. Wants a proper swimbait rod. Fitted with two #2 trebles.

Best Techniques

• Straight slow retrieve: The default. Cast, let it settle, and reel slowly and steadily — the hinge generates the S without any help
• Pause and glide: Stop the reel mid-retrieve and let the bait coast sideways. Most strikes on the 168S come on the glide, not the pull
• Twitch to trigger: When a fish follows without committing, one sharp twitch turns the bait ninety degrees and often converts the follow
• Count down over structure: Both sizes sink slowly, so you can count them down to a specific depth before starting the retrieve

Best Conditions

• Clear to lightly stained water — the action is visual, and fish need to see it
• Pressured lakes and reservoirs where fast reaction baits have stopped working
• Open water, points, and the outside edges of grass and timber
• Pre-spawn and fall, when bigger fish are actively hunting larger forage

Best For

• Species: Largemouth and smallmouth bass across both sizes; pike, musky, and striped bass more commonly on the 168S
• Techniques: Slow straight retrieve, pause-and-glide, twitch-to-trigger, countdown
• Environments: Freshwater lakes, reservoirs, open water, points, grass edges, timber

Key Features

• Two-piece hard glide bait with pin-and-tenon hinge
• Soft PVC tail
• Available in 120S (4.75", 1 3/16 oz) and 168S (6.75", 1 5/8 oz)
• Sub-surface running depth, approximately 1 ft
• River2Sea BN treble hooks — #4 and #6 on the 120S, two #2 on the 168S
• Eight colors in the 120S, fourteen in the 168S
• Trout, bluegill, shad, perch, and bone patterns available

Models & Specs

120S colors: Rainbow Trout, Lite Trout, Party Crasher, Baby Bass, Warden, Bluegill, Abalone Shad, Bone.
168S colors: Rainbow Trout, Lite Trout, Hitch, Party Crasher, Baby Bass, Warden, Bluegill, Abalone Shad, Bone, Yellow Perch, Crystal Minnow, Powder, Terminator, You Know It.

Tackle Express Tips

• Slow down, then slow down again: Nearly everyone fishes this bait too fast the first few trips. If you think you're reeling slowly enough, take another turn per second off it.
• Match the color to what they're eating: Rainbow Trout and Lite Trout on trout-stocked reservoirs, Bluegill around spawning flats and docks, Bone and Powder when the water is stained or the light is flat.
• Don't undergun the 168S: At 1 5/8 oz it's a genuine swimbait rod bait. Throwing it on a standard heavy bass setup costs you distance and beats up the rod.

FAQ

Which size should I start with?
The 120S. At 4.75" and 1 3/16 oz it casts on gear most bass anglers already own, it draws more bites than the larger size, and it still catches quality fish. Move to the 168S once you're confident in the retrieve and specifically hunting bigger fish.

How do I actually fish a glide bait?
Cast it, let it settle, and reel slowly and steadily — the pin-and-tenon hinge creates the S-action on its own with no rod work. Pause occasionally and let it coast sideways; that glide is when most strikes happen. Save sharp twitches for turning the bait when a fish follows without eating.

Is this a topwater bait?
No. The S-Waver is a sub-surface glide bait that runs roughly a foot down on a steady retrieve. If you're after a surface walking bait, that's a different category entirely.