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Posts: 12
| Did anyone else have really good success in downsizing lures this year? Personally I had a ton action and I downsized almost all year. And had a good average of bigger fish. I’m just wondering if anyone else had this tactic work for them as well. |
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Posts: 368
Location: On the River | Got a new PB by down sizing this year |
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Posts: 20178
Location: oswego, il | I keep a flippin stick with a curado 200 in the boat. I can cast lures up to 6" with it. There are plenty of good baits you can throw with it. My biggest is a 48 1/4 throwing a crane 104 with that combo. |
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Posts: 46
| Since I'm only a few days away from being 70 years old, I've had to downsize for the last couple of years. I carry three flipping' sticks at times and rarely use anything longer than 6" or that weighs much more than 5oz. I truly enjoy that approach though I carry heavier stuff and use it when it seems appropriate. I didn't have a great year, but I did get a 45" fish on a river. Rivers are what I fish 90% of the time. |
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Posts: 365
| If you don't have any luck ,,, we are always told to downsize by the "experts" ,,,, I have been down sizing for the last few years and got lotsa fish and big fish for the last few seasons ---- don't own a pounder ------ go figure ??? ------ jim |
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Posts: 556
| I also have downsized for years-- especially If I have not moved anything with my go to lures.... I always get more action with the smaller lighter stuff--- Lots of Pike-- sometimes a Bass or Walleye & of course smaller active musky... I always carry a smaller lighter rod setup all the time..... |
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Posts: 50
Location: Southern Indiana | My 3 biggest fish this year all came on the same #7 KB Revolution bucktail. I’ll be downsizing again next year for sure. Smallest fish of the year came on the biggest bait. 24 inch behemoth showed that big homemade glider who was boss. |
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Posts: 574
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | This is a picture of my son Kenny''s 49 1/4 caught while downsizing. Behind him you will see a Berkley Cherrywood bass rod and an Abu Garcia Black Max with 50Lb PowerPro. Caught on a good old Mepps Number 5 Musky Killer.
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 Kenny 49 7-29-2017.jpg (393KB - 360 downloads)
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Posts: 1220
| There’s a two-edge sword to the whole subject of downsizing. It’s the unmistakable, unarguable truth of its effectiveness opposed to the political incorrectness of using equipment likely to result in fish mortality. You’re going to lose fish with terminal tackle remaining in the fish, but you are going to get bit more often. For me, it’s a time and place choice. If I’m at LOTW going for a personal best, I’m going to have the rod, reel, line, leader and hooks that guarantee the fish gets in the net. If I’m in a spring tournament on the Eagle River chain where two or three 35 inch fish can win the day, you might find me holding a bass rod, light floro leader tied with no hardware. Or, maybe not! The old story that’s likely still true is that more musky are taken on a jig’n minnow by accident than caught on purpose with the “right” equipment. |
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Posts: 46
| Junkman - 11/27/2017 11:31 AM
There’s a two-edge sword to the whole subject of downsizing. It’s the unmistakable, unarguable truth of its effectiveness opposed to the political incorrectness of using equipment likely to result in fish mortality. You’re going to lose fish with terminal tackle remaining in the fish, but you are going to get bit more often. For me, it’s a time and place choice. If I’m at LOTW going for a personal best, I’m going to have the rod, reel, line, leader and hooks that guarantee the fish gets in the net. If I’m in a spring tournament on the Eagle River chain where two or three 35 inch fish can win the day, you might find me holding a bass rod, light floro leader tied with no hardware. Or, maybe not! The old story that’s likely still true is that more musky are taken on a jig’n minnow by accident than caught on purpose with the “right” equipment.
Maybe there's different levels of downsizing. I downsize my rod/reel and the size of the bait I'm using. I still use heavy line (50-80#) and heavy leaders. If I'm using a bait small enough to be considered a large bass bait I usually replace the hooks with something a bit bigger. Probably still smaller that what one would find on a pounder, but definitely bigger than the originals. I don't feel I'm compromising the fish at all. |
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Posts: 253
| In europe, thin titanium leaders are used when people targe zander (euro walley but bigger) and perche in pike waters.
You end up with gear small enought to use for lures for other species but you can still quickly get a pike out witout putting it at risk |
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Posts: 20178
Location: oswego, il | Junkman, i will disagree. You don't fight them as hard. Don't tax what you are using over it's limit. The fight isn't that much longer either. |
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Posts: 8716
| 50 years ago guys would laugh at the crap we throw today, and they caught their share of fish. True that you'll spend more time unhooking what is basically table fare in between muskies, but to some that's not a bad thing at all.
I shudder to think of the number of "crap it's a pike" that went back in the drink when they would have been put to much greater use on the table... |
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Posts: 300
| I guess I have a different view of downsizing than many on this forum. I never turn to bass baits. If I am not getting anything on a regular medussa I will switch to a mid medussa or a mini medussa. Still far too big for a typical bass rod, but much smaller than that I "typically" throw. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | time and place for everything... don't get stuck in a rut throwing one size the whole year, at times they want a big double 10s, others maybe 7s get the hit... I personally don't downsize much except in the spring when water temps are under 70... it is more about what we are throwing when the fish get active, than the size of the lure, I personally don't think they care too much if it's double 8s or 9s, or 10s...for every story guys can post of having their pb on a small bait, I bet there are 2 to 1 stories that are 10s tho..but then are 10s thrown 2 to 1..  |
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Posts: 46
| jvlast15 - 11/28/2017 8:41 AM
I guess I have a different view of downsizing than many on this forum. I never turn to bass baits. If I am not getting anything on a regular medussa I will switch to a mid medussa or a mini medussa. Still far too big for a typical bass rod, but much smaller than that I "typically" throw.
Actually, some of the bass baits I throw are larger than a mini Medussa. They're probably marketed as bass baits as that market is so much larger. 6"-8" swimbaits would be one example. I throw a lot of micro Medussas and mini Medussas but only rarely throw the larger one. I don't even own a monster Medussa. I use Spring Dawgs way more than that the larger sizes and don't even own a pounder. I own the smaller Phantom, the smaller HellHound, etc. and don't even think about throwing the bigger ones. It's amazing how many of those can be fished well with a GOOD flippin' stick without compromising the fish. Of course, I'm not fishing Mille Lacs or the big Chip either. |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | Copper Thunder - 11/28/2017 11:00 AM
jvlast15 - 11/28/2017 8:41 AM
I guess I have a different view of downsizing than many on this forum. I never turn to bass baits. If I am not getting anything on a regular medussa I will switch to a mid medussa or a mini medussa. Still far too big for a typical bass rod, but much smaller than that I "typically" throw.
Actually, some of the bass baits I throw are larger than a mini Medussa. They're probably marketed as bass baits as that market is so much larger. 6"-8" swimbaits would be one example. I throw a lot of micro Medussas and mini Medussas but only rarely throw the larger one. I don't even own a monster Medussa. I use Spring Dawgs way more than that the larger sizes and don't even own a pounder. I own the smaller Phantom, the smaller HellHound, etc. and don't even think about throwing the bigger ones. It's amazing how many of those can be fished well with a GOOD flippin' stick without compromising the fish. Of course, I'm not fishing Mille Lacs or the big Chip either.
The Big Chip??? I can't say I have heard the size quality of fish compared between Mille Lacs and the Chip. |
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Posts: 612
| Due to shoulder issues My biggest are (3 to 4) oz. Depth-Raiders or DDD's type baits. I always keep 2 or 3 rods ready to throw different baits at every spot I stop at. On another rod I throw smaller stuff (3/4 to 1.5) oz. Rapala's, spinners, etc. I've gotten bass-walleye on ~ 4 oz. Depth-Raiders and 40"+ on the small stuff. Ya never know? In general I get more fish of descent size on the bigger baits but not by that big a margin. |
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Posts: 46
| 14ledo81 - 11/28/2017 2:42 PM
Copper Thunder - 11/28/2017 11:00 AM
jvlast15 - 11/28/2017 8:41 AM
I guess I have a different view of downsizing than many on this forum. I never turn to bass baits. If I am not getting anything on a regular medussa I will switch to a mid medussa or a mini medussa. Still far too big for a typical bass rod, but much smaller than that I "typically" throw.
Actually, some of the bass baits I throw are larger than a mini Medussa. They're probably marketed as bass baits as that market is so much larger. 6"-8" swimbaits would be one example. I throw a lot of micro Medussas and mini Medussas but only rarely throw the larger one. I don't even own a monster Medussa. I use Spring Dawgs way more than that the larger sizes and don't even own a pounder. I own the smaller Phantom, the smaller HellHound, etc. and don't even think about throwing the bigger ones. It's amazing how many of those can be fished well with a GOOD flippin' stick without compromising the fish. Of course, I'm not fishing Mille Lacs or the big Chip either.
The Big Chip??? I can't say I have heard the size quality of fish compared between Mille Lacs and the Chip.
I was actually choosing the size of the water for comparison, rather than the size of the fish. I was going to use Lake St. Clair as the comparison, but honestly couldn't get that lake's name into my mind. I've had a bunch of serious MN fishermen tell me they use the largest baits on the largest waters more often than not. It might be a good thread to see if anglers believe that giant baits are used according to the size of the water or the fish, or both. |
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Posts: 2004
| Did the big bait revolution coincide with increased numbers of big fish being caught due to the increasing numbers of bigger fish due to CPR and stocking? Hmmm The biggest I have seen followed a 6 inch bait, but ignored a mag double dawg the cast before. My biggest in 3 years hit a double mag 8 with a 3 inch skirt. Again ignoring a larger profile bait before mine. |
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Posts: 607
Location: S.W. WI | I rarely downsize anymore, (other than 1st month of season) way too much evidence in my boat of bigger lures getting bigger follows and bites. When I do, it just isn't as effective. Sometimes after a long trip of mostly pulling big blades I have to downsize, (physically spent) but other than that, not very often. Even then I try to keep a larger profile- just smaller blades.
When I throw anything smaller than say an average sized muskie lure, I see mostly smaller fish. I fish for the chance at bigger fish, not just to catch one.
I know downsizing works for some - but has rarely for me.
..also- there is the confidence thing. I feel more of that throwing larger stuff. |
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Posts: 2274
Location: Chisholm, MN | I pretty much only threw double 8's for bucktails all season, with a few exceptions. |
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