If you are fishing in rough water, you may need to add some weight to keep your hook down in the water.  Don't try to weigh your hook, just use a sliding sinker or a dropper loop, to help the presentation stay more natural and keeping the swimming action more natural in appearance.
 
When it comes to choosing colors for your soft swim bait there are some rules of thumb to follow.  The darker the bait, the more contrast, or silhouette it will create.  If the water is clear or the day is very bright, add some glitter for the flash it will create.  It grabs the bass' attention.  Vibration is another important element of an effective swim bait.  When the bass are lying in cover waiting to ambush their prey, many times, they feel the vibration and strike well before they ever see the prey, so be sure the vibration element is there when you choose a soft swim bait for catching bass.

To get the full "Effective Bass Swim Baits" article you'll need to download it here.