Welcome to the Board. I am not a huge swimbait fisherman but I can tell you that they can be rigged several ways depending on the conditions. You can rig them weightless with just a hook. You can also rig them with a weighted hook. Your local tackle store will carry special swimbait hooks.
Generally the best time to throw them is in the summer. Say on KY/Barkley when fish are feeding on shad on the ledges. Or in the fall, when fish are schooling and feeding in the backs of creeks.
Personally I prefer a crankbait, but to each his own.