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Posts: 261
| Howdy,
I ask this somewhat tongue in cheek so set down the flamethrower, but am I the only person who misses the days before double 10s and magnum bulldawgs?
Their success is undeniable and I always have them in the boat, but I truly miss the days where I purchased reels because of their smoothness instead of their ability to out pull a monster truck, and when my rods didn't have to be 10 feet long in order to cast a toaster oven.
Again, I'm not sure I am capable of swearing them off because they work so darn well and I have plenty of them, but its frustrating when my entire collection of rods and reels feels like its ruled by these two specialized baits.
For example, every time a new reels comes out my first thought is "can it handle 10's"? Its the most frequently asked questions on the forum when it comes to equipment. Same with rods, before I never asked if I needed highly specialized equipment to cast my Crane baits, Eagle tails and giant gliders, but now if a rod series doesn't offer something in the pounder class it seems incomplete (Legend Elite for example).
Again, the baits are great, they catch a lot of fish, and we all have the pictures, carpel tunnel, tuna reels and pole-vaulting poles to prove it. However, I do miss the days when MY muskie fishing experience wasn't so dominated by the impact these baits have on MY equipment.
I've thought about liberating myself from them and going back to the way it used to be, but I know that the moment I do l'll be three days into a trip with no fish to show for my efforts while my double 13 casting, pounder tossing ogre partner in the back of the boat has five in the boat already.
Take care,
Ruddiger |
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Posts: 897
| I like fishing out of the back of the boat as much as I can for exactly that reason. I get bored throwing bucktails all the time. Gliders, topwater, and cranks still catch plenty of fish. It just doesn't make much sense to have the person up front throwing the slowest moving bait.
That said, when the bucktail bite is on it is tough to argue with it and I find myself moving fast and throwing all tails because that's what will get the most fish.
I have a dedicated set-up for gliders/cranks/topwater. 8' HF Compre with a Revo Toro 61HS. Feels like a snoopy pole after using the 8'6" XH with 401TE all day. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | my right shoulder misses those days! no denying the success of big blades but burning them days on end w a tranx hg is a lot of wear and tear on the wrists/shoulders... both my labrums are torn already so there will be a day I will be relegated to trolling or throwing topraiders.....  |
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Posts: 386
| I'm definitely in that crowd. When I lived in Fargo and fished DL, Pelican and West Battle the vast majority of our fish came on Dawgs. Now I never throw them, because I hate throwing them. I don't mind throwing 10's but I usually only throw them on really good weather days or after dark, otherwise I'm burning a smaller bucktail. Been going back to the ole' standbys a lot the last few years and guess what....fish still eat them. I've learned over the years that hype is just that. Yes, 10's and Dawgs produce a lot of fish but so do other baits. |
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Posts: 470
| Not really..
I don't use either one, I've had great luck with double 8 spanky's and jerk/crank baits.
I'll freely admit I'm gonna try both more this year tho..
RandalB |
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Posts: 1080
| No one says you HAVE to use those baits and those rods and reels and no one says you HAVE to be caught up in the main-stream popularity of what's "in" right now. Sure...those baits catch fish. But so do a LOT of other baits. Sure...those reels and longer rods help to fish those baits for longer periods of time without so much fatigue.
Do what YOU want to do. Who cares about what everyone else is doing?
If you're a person that HAS to catch fish every single day you're on the water, then...yes...go with what the internet claims to be the best producing bait. But if you're on the water to relax and enjoy life and get away from the stresses of every day life...then why add in the stresses of feeling like you HAVE to fish this or that bait and if you fish this or that bait you HAVE to have this or that rod/reel combo?
ESPECIALLY when remembering back to the basic facts: If it's in the water and if it moves...it's food. Doesn't have to be a double-10..doesn't have to be a dawg. If presenting a moving bait in front of an active fish...you stand a good chance of getting bit.
I think the internet Hype drives people to fish certain baits. And when everyone starts throwing the same exact baits as the next guy...guess what bait is going to produce the most fish.
If everyone that muskie fishes put down the big blades and the soft plastics/dawgs for a season and started throwing ye 'ole traditional red/white daredevil spoons again...guess what bait is going to produce the most fish.
It's up to you as to what you do...what type of lures you fish...what type of gear you think you need...and if you want to follow the crowd. Or...set yourself apart from the rest of the followers and set off to go do your own thing....for who? For you.
There's people out there that have given big blades plenty of chances and opportunities to help catch them catch fish....by keeping those blades in the water, yet, they still haven't caught a single fish on big blades. They get frustrated, take the blades off...turn around and put a different bait on, turn around, cast out and catch a fish. Was it the bait switch that helped catch that fish? Or was it the speed the bait was retrieved, depth, color, vibration, sound? Or was it the timing and/or location of when/where and how that bait was passed through the water at that given moment, in front of an active fish, that maybe just entered into that area at the same time? Yes. Possibly all of the above or any one or two combinations of those possibilities. One will never know. That's the fun of fishing. Just as soon as someone creates some "rules" as to what one thinks they should be doing and how they should be doing it...someone can dispel those "rules" within the next cast.
If you have those thoughts in your mind already of putting down the "in" products that are popular today....do it. Try it out. Can't hurt ya. Ask yourself what is most important to you...then follow your own instinct in what you want to do...do what will make you happy. Forget everyone else.
Edited by MACK 3/30/2016 10:04 AM
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Posts: 1080
Location: Aurora | Try re-reading some of the old classic books if you need validation for yearnings of the gear of yore.
Going by memory, you'll read vignettes from legendary guides/bait makers about how musky fisherman "handicap" themselves by using tackle that would handle a 60 pound fish when the reality is that they're not going to hook one anyway, and some that hold no stock in the "big bait, big fish" axiom; believing instead that it evolved from the desire to keep small pike from hitting & tearing up their baits.
You'll have new perspectives fer shore after reading some of the classics so it's definitely worth yer time but take it all in context with respect to the era and where most of them were fishing at the time of course. |
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Posts: 20179
Location: oswego, il | I miss the days when people posted what's the best reel for a mepps #5? |
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Posts: 255
| Geez Mack, settle.
I don't miss those days because new lures are effective, just as they always were when they came out in the past, but I miss spending much less per bait and not having to research a reel purchase like I was buying the right camera, boat, or car, or computer. Found it funny to watch a guide on Madison on Keyes with an old Abu Garcia.
Used to buy a rod, reel, line, and start fishing. My biggest struggle used to be selecting line until I found the right braid back in the late 90's. |
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Posts: 1080
| muskidiem - 3/30/2016 12:32 PM
Geez Mack, settle.
Found it funny to watch a guide on Madison on Keyes with an old Abu Garcia.
No settling needed here. I'm all good. Thanks for the concern though.
What's all wrong with "an old Abu Garcia?"
Properly maintained and cared for it could last a good long time and still function as a reel when attached to a fishing pole and reel in fish. Ha! 
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Posts: 5129
| No |
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Posts: 430
| I want the days before GoPro and Face book. |
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Posts: 20179
Location: oswego, il | I want to go back to the days when I knew everything and nobody else knew anything as well.:-) |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | MACK - 3/30/2016 9:50 AM
No one says you HAVE to use those baits and those rods and reels and no one says you HAVE to be caught up in the main-stream popularity of what's "in" right now. Sure...those baits catch fish. But so do a LOT of other baits. Sure...those reels and longer rods help to fish those baits for longer periods of time without so much fatigue.
Do what YOU want to do. Who cares about what everyone else is doing?
If you're a person that HAS to catch fish every single day you're on the water, then...yes...go with what the internet claims to be the best producing bait. But if you're on the water to relax and enjoy life and get away from the stresses of every day life...then why add in the stresses of feeling like you HAVE to fish this or that bait and if you fish this or that bait you HAVE to have this or that rod/reel combo?
ESPECIALLY when remembering back to the basic facts: If it's in the water and if it moves...it's food. Doesn't have to be a double-10..doesn't have to be a dawg. If presenting a moving bait in front of an active fish...you stand a good chance of getting bit.
I think the internet Hype drives people to fish certain baits. And when everyone starts throwing the same exact baits as the next guy...guess what bait is going to produce the most fish.
If everyone that muskie fishes put down the big blades and the soft plastics/dawgs for a season and started throwing ye 'ole traditional red/white daredevil spoons again...guess what bait is going to produce the most fish.
It's up to you as to what you do...what type of lures you fish...what type of gear you think you need...and if you want to follow the crowd. Or...set yourself apart from the rest of the followers and set off to go do your own thing....for who? For you.
There's people out there that have given big blades plenty of chances and opportunities to help catch them catch fish....by keeping those blades in the water, yet, they still haven't caught a single fish on big blades. They get frustrated, take the blades off...turn around and put a different bait on, turn around, cast out and catch a fish. Was it the bait switch that helped catch that fish? Or was it the speed the bait was retrieved, depth, color, vibration, sound? Or was it the timing and/or location of when/where and how that bait was passed through the water at that given moment, in front of an active fish, that maybe just entered into that area at the same time? Yes. Possibly all of the above or any one or two combinations of those possibilities. One will never know. That's the fun of fishing. Just as soon as someone creates some "rules" as to what one thinks they should be doing and how they should be doing it...someone can dispel those "rules" within the next cast.
If you have those thoughts in your mind already of putting down the "in" products that are popular today....do it. Try it out. Can't hurt ya. Ask yourself what is most important to you...then follow your own instinct in what you want to do...do what will make you happy. Forget everyone else.
so 10's are a product of internet hype?
...speaking of things you shouldn't believe on the internet... |
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Posts: 32786
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I think his point was much broader than that.
Obviously. |
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Posts: 2004
| Not to some...
I want to go back to Sept 26th, 2012 first bite on a dawg and I didn't react to the little tick fast enough and missed my chance. As a bonus, the Tranx wasn't as popular yet, so there must have been much more debate about what the best reel for 10s was. I'm a rebel, I prefer hardheads over dawgs anyway. |
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Posts: 255
| Keyes Abu: I respect he still used one since he likely has all the latest and greatest gear. I used quite a few of them myself, and never took care of them. Seemed ironic that a 2016 episode would have that reel used by a tried and true guide. That's all. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | latest equipment doesn't mean it's 'better'....I still use Abu 6600 Morrums from the late 90s? and they are as good or better than any of my other reels like Tranx, Conquest TEs etc... the Sweden made Abu 7000s were as good as anything mass produced today as well.... with mass production comes the bean counters trying to shave a few pennies off the price, which in turn can make the latest and greatest worse than the tried and true from an era long gone.
as far as double blades... anyone that thinks they are getting as many hits over the course of the season not using them is fooling themselves... ah well, more fish for the rest of us that use them...
Edited by BNelson 3/30/2016 10:41 PM
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Posts: 397
Location: Wisconsin | Many of you have more years of experience than me, I have only been dedicated to musky for 7 years; going on my 8th season. Personally, I started fishing after both dbl10s and dawgs were the norm, but I love throwing these large baits. It gives me more confidence tossing these big baits when they produce nice fish, and I found it harder to consistently catch bigger musky when I don't throw dawgs and dussas, or 10s. I still throw mepps, suicks, and other "classic" musky lures, but Im much more confident with larger profile baits. Just my opinion! |
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Posts: 20179
Location: oswego, il | Morrums sell on ebay for what they cost new. It is they're bait casting version of the cardinal 3-7 spinning reels. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I sold a couple of my morrums for 225 to some dudes in Sweden or Norway a few yrs ago... still have 3 or 4 of em... best reels Abu made
Edited by BNelson 3/31/2016 8:46 AM
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Posts: 109
| What were some of the classic baits you guys are talking about? I've only been musky fishjng for 4 years now |
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Posts: 58
| I'm just getting back into Musky fishing. When I started and did a little bit of it 15 years ago- I had a 6'3" rod that could barely through my monster Depthraider. If I had the opportunity to get out every other weekend or so, it would probably be different. I've upgraded my setup, but I still only have one rod and reel for throwing Musky lures. I only plan on carrying 15-20 lures- 9" Double 8's, Regular BullDawg, 8" Jake's, 7.5" Phantoms are as big as I plan to go.... |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | the original baits we did well with were:
- top kicks
- crane
- cobb
- bobbies
- reef hawgs
- jackpots
- hawg wobblers
and i remember when an eagle tale was considered huge ...
Edited by jonnysled 3/31/2016 12:26 PM
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Posts: 32786
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Adding a few to sled's list:
Topper-Stopper, Snodlow, Mudpuppy, BL Whoppertail, Tallywacker. |
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Posts: 222
| Yes Yes Yes Yes. Throwing that big stuff is getting tougher every year.
I throw Suicks now 90% of the time. |
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| I know there are a whole host of other factors but, the "modern" numbers are hard to argue with, even on natural, traditional fisheries! |
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Posts: 688
Location: Already Gone | Creek Chub Pikie Minnow |
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Posts: 1126
Location: Minnesota. | I might be the only one here who's never tossed a Dawg or a Dbl10 /C.G. (cause I have severe elbow tendonitis issues)..plus I'm a bit of a whimp!
I got stuck on Suicks a couple years back and have some personality probs. b/c of it... I can't seem to change it up!!
I should branch out a bit I suppose. Maybe. sometime. I guess. ;))) |
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Posts: 1260
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | Some more oldies: globe, eddie, teddy. |
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