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Posts: 32
| Assume mid-summer, warm stable weather, low fishing pressure… when / why are you not using them? |
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Posts: 46
| Good topic. Fishing deeper? |
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Posts: 357
| topwaters are more fun |
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Posts: 1196
| I'm a crank bait guy! As stated above fishing deeper but also the stop and go and the slow floating up. The depth control of a countdown also. All my big fish come on cranks. |
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Posts: 206
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota | If it is non idea weather conditions, not on a moon phase, high fishing pressure, I’m usually reaching for rubber or a crank. I personally have more confidence in a bait I can work when it’s less than ideal conditions instead of just casting and winding a bucktail in. There aren’t any hard set rules but that’s personally what I have more confidence in. |
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Posts: 608
Location: S.W. WI | No wind- no bucktail for me.
Also after turnover in fall.
Edited by Rudedog 7/19/2022 9:56 AM
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Posts: 386
| I'm almost convinced I could just use bucktails from now on... almost |
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Posts: 8721
| Personally, I think one person in the boat should always be throwing blades. It's the best way to cover water locate fish and establish a pattern. When do I NOT use them?
Fishing deep structure: Ripping a deep running crank for example or working a dawg over humps and deep bars.
Shallow weeds/evening/still water - anywhere where topwater is more appropriate I'll do that instead. Way more fun!
Late fall: Gliders or suspending crankbaits
Sucker time!
Or simply when blades just aren't moving fish, or I'm getting a lot of low and slow follows.
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Posts: 596
Location: Duluth | I became a much better fisherman when I realized no water is really too deep for bucktail fishing |
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Posts: 267
| If I go out and there is a ton of boat traffic, I'll probably start with rubber or a dive/rise jerkbait and fish off the edge in deeper water. |
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Posts: 166
| Never my first choice, fish have seen enough bucktails. |
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Posts: 53
| Always start with blades. At least in northern wi. Early morning and before dusk topwater. Swing and miss constitute a handmade glide bait or suick thrown back. |
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Posts: 572
| In my boat, in summer months it is quite rare that first bait through isn't blades. Especially on LOTW. Only exceptions are early am or late pm when straight-retrieve topwater is followed up by something erratic. Once in the fall months, while blades can still be effective, often times a crank or jerk is better.
Fact is that active to semi-active fish will almost always show on blades. As a first bait through, it's tough to beat since it's the best-hooking bait bar none while also being most versatile and effective boatside in the 8. |
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Posts: 20180
Location: oswego, il | It depends on where and how you are fishing. On a big body of water where you run and gun shallow water spots in summer temps it's the best choice. Same with other lakes when fish are shallow and extremely aggressive. On smaller lakes I will pick apart areas with a glider or twitch bait. You are not searching as much fish are usually there. Many times trolling is the best option to putting fish in the boat. My option for bucktails is much narrower than most. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Best I can figure I started musky fishing in 1973 and have caught less than 6 muskies on bucktails. Many hundreds on Rob Dey spinnerbaits and Suicks but I cast in the slop. Now legs I can no longer stand on for long periods and worn out shoulders have turned me into a open water troller. Pretty much into the last chapter.
Edited by horsehunter 7/20/2022 7:36 AM
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Posts: 1203
Location: Walker, MN | 1) Nearly topped-out weeds = Topwater
2) Deeper open-water = Rubber, Crankbait or other large profile lure
3) Thick reeds = Spinnerbait, Buzzbait or weedless rigged Swimbait
4) Lethargic fish = Something that doesn't come in a straight line like a Glider, D&R or Rubber
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Posts: 371
Location: Northern Illinois | Not my first choice when going back to a spot where I've located a fish or know the exact location of a fish. In that case, I try to give it a meal it can't refuse like a suick, hardhead ripped to the side upon landing, twitch bait that barely moves forward, hawg wobbler etc.
Edited by mm3 7/21/2022 6:58 AM
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Posts: 51
| Disclaimer, I’m no expert. I’ll use blades early and late and at night. I usually reach for a jr royal orba before a bucktail tho. Most of the time I leave the blades to my fishing partner, I throw flies, tubes or DnR 90% of the time. When my buddy starts out fishing me with blades I’ll consider switching tactics lol. But I’m always batting clean up in the back so I prefer pull pause and it’s been producing for me the last few years. I have only caught 3 muskies on blades (unless you count a ninja tube with a blade trailer then I have 12 on blades) despite throwing only blades for the first 10 years of my musky fishing. I have multiple 3 fish days on the other presentations I mentioned so for me it’s a confidence thing. I’ve never had enough success on blades to make me a believer in them. |
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | EllusiveGoose - 8/30/2022 10:27 PM
Disclaimer, I’m no expert. I’ll use blades early and late and at night. I usually reach for a jr royal orba before a bucktail tho. Most of the time I leave the blades to my fishing partner, I throw flies, tubes or DnR 90% of the time. When my buddy starts out fishing me with blades I’ll consider switching tactics lol. But I’m always batting clean up in the back so I prefer pull pause and it’s been producing for me the last few years. I have only caught 3 muskies on blades (unless you count a ninja tube with a blade trailer then I have 12 on blades) despite throwing only blades for the first 10 years of my musky fishing. I have multiple 3 fish days on the other presentations I mentioned so for me it’s a confidence thing. I’ve never had enough success on blades to make me a believer in them.
How are you working your orba? I like the bait, but haven't picked it up this year since it didn't produce for me last year |
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Posts: 51
| I haven’t caught any on it yet, just started using it this year. Jon bondy said in a podcast that he prefers slow to medium straight retrieve and 54 or bust (glen mcdonald) said the same thing. It looks amazing coming thru the water, I like that it runs a little deeper, I pull pause it twice at the beginning of my retrieve then straight retrieve with some speed changes. Quite a few lookers so far on pressured clear waters. |
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Posts: 601
Location: Michigan | Bucktail is almost never my first choice on the lakes I fish simply because it isn't the best option on those lakes IMO. I fish some deep/clear lakes where weeds come out to 20' and a dawg or deep crank seem to do better. Other lakes have a very distinct weed edge where fish seem to be right on the edge and you need a bait the hangs in that zone for a long time. Weighted suicks and gliders do better in that situation as a bucktail wouldn't be in the strike zone for long enough. A lot of the newer stocked lakes in my area seem to have a good suspended bite so trolling cranks is the way to go. Not everyone fishes lakes with large weed flats or shallow rock structure where bucktail is king. |
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