View Full Version : Advice needed; triggering following fish
fishpoop
11-18-2001, 01:30 AM
I have been raising a lot of fish in the last couple of weeks. They all seem to follow gliding jerkabaits. I can't get any of them to hit. The fish won't hit or follow other types of lures, bucktails, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwater all draw blanks. The only response is on glide jerkbaits. The will slowly follow up to the boat, go around once or twice on the figure 8 then slowly sink out of sight. I'm fishing pressured water so I figure that's part of the problem, I have even tried trolling and fishing at night. Just can't get them to hit.
Any advice would be great! I don't know what to do execpt to keep throwing glidebaits and being frustrated. Also I have tried changing sizes and colors of glide baits, no help there either.
Hi,
I’d try a couple of things. First try not to move much when doing the figure 8, you don’t want to spook the fish. Keep doing the 8 AFTER they sink out of sight, do about 10 more (seems like a waste of time until you actually catch one that way). Sometimes they move off and reposition themselves to strike. Try doing a deep figure 8, put your rod in the water up to the reel if you have to. If you see a fish coming in with your bait speed up your retrieve or pause the bait for an extra second. You want to do something a little different. Sometimes they are just plain not going to eat no matter what you do.
Good luck,
Brian
tomyv
11-19-2001, 12:56 PM
I would always have a bulldawg rigged for a pitchback, and you also may want to try having a sucker out when your fishing.
I had the same problem earlier this year and I solved it two ways ... one I changed my figure 8 pattern. Now if I get a follow I figure 8 or loop a couple of times very very rapidly at the surface or just below, this seems to freeze the fish, I then plunge the lure at or behind the tail of the fish. The fish almost always turns on the lure at that point, though occassionally I've needed to figure 8 underwater for a few more turns. I work on pulling my body back from the boat edge to avoid spooking the fish and I try to get the lure deeper if the fish is deep.
The other thing I've noticed if I'm getting follows, it's a good time to speed up my retrieve, esp. with glide baits; I smack 'em back as hard as I can jerk with short fast pulls. Drives musky nuts up here in Canada.
fishpoop
11-22-2001, 12:56 AM
Thanks for all the advice. I know that one of the things I need to really learn to get good at is my figure 8 techinque. I'm sure that it is part of the problem. I haved tried useing the bulldawgs and haven't had any action on them. I know a lot of you like the bulldawgs,but I can't seem to get them to work for me.
I like the idea of trying to stay away from the boats edge so the fish don't see me, but I will have to figure out just how to do that. I will be going out some more before ice up and will see if I can get anything to work.
divani
11-22-2001, 06:21 AM
One thing I can advise you is to use slowsinking or suspending gliders. Being able to let that glider hang in front of its mouth is a pretty good trigger.
Als, add a small spinnerblade to it. the small flash sometimes convinces fish to take. Or simply reduce the size (if possible) of that particular glider (say from 7" to 5") and throw that back after a while. Don't give up to soon because that fish was active and interested.
About the figure eight. Don't gliders loose their action?
Gliders lose action ... As long as the lure doesn't stop moving the fish don't seem to care. What I try to do if I see a follow or suspect one, is speed the lure up as it approaches the boat, then I loop or 8. A fast moving lure seems to be key. Also, I have never caught a small musky (under 36") on a figure 8. They all seem to spook, so fishpoop, wait for the big boy!
I too have had little luck with the bull dawgs ... but the darn thing is, when it works ... I could show you the picture: 49" and over 30 lbs of musky!
Fishpoop,
If you have a hard time doing a figure 8, try making a big circle/oval. It gives those big girls more room to turn the corners too.
Good luck,
Brian