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Posts: 199
Location: Nebraska | Because I only get to Canada once a year for the past 12 years, I do a lot of reading in my 11 1/2 month "off season". One thing that confuses me more than anything is what to do after a follow that doesn't hit on a figure 8. Each time I read something it tells me another method. The question is three-fold. Probably the only thing that I am sure of is that the answer will contain the words "it depends".
We fish the Winnipeg River system at Minaki. We always go up mid- September. We do 10 days, so usually see all kinds of weather with at least one or two fronts that come through. With that in mind:
If you get a follow that doesn't hit an 8 do you:
A: Cast again with the same bait or change up?
B: From the same spot or move to hit 60-90 degrees off where you cast and got the follow?
C: Immediately, or move off the spot and come back 10, 20, 30 minutes later?
Thanks,
John | |
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| good question, i'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions on this one.
there's an article by Joe Bucher called "Anatomy of a Trophy" in Oct/Nov 2004 issue of MHM on this question.
he advocates an immediate cast back with the same lure to the exact spot the fish came from, then a progression through lures with differing speeds/actions taking 3 casts per lure, then casting swimbaits for a bit, and finally "machinegunning" spinnerbaits throughout the area.
it's a good article that details something that's easy to remember and apply. | |
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Posts: 2024
| Here's how I approach it (this is just one man's method):
If the fish follows one particular bait I will almost always take another cast or two back with the same lure. After those one or two casts I'll clip on something I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN! Also, pick something that hooks up well and/or has the ability to induce strikes maybe moreso than other lures (i.e. in this case a glider or zig-zag topwater tends to move fish when other things don't). I haven't had much success throwing back at a fish with only a SLIGHTLY different bait. For instance, if a fish follows a bucktail I probably won't cast a spinnerbait back to it. Typically, I'll go with a bait that has totally different action.
Fish follows:
Bucktail = crank bait twitched and ripped back (usually an Invader) or depending on time of year (summer, most definately) a topwater
Glider = crank bait or a bucktail burned back
Spinnerbait = glider or crank
Tail rotating topwater = slow topwater, zig-zag topwater, bulged bucktail
Opposite for zig-zag baits
Crank bait = gliders or chop baits usually get the nod.
This is just a rule of thumb I try and follow to cut down on the, "Hmm-what-might-work-here" time factor. I'd rather just have something already planned out than sift through lures trying to find "the one." More times than not, Shallow Invaders get the job done. They worked especially well on LOTW this summer.
Good luck, hope this gives you some idea of how to go about thinking this issue. | |
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| I usually will finish fishing the area and then go back to where I had the follow, and use the same type of bait, but a different one. EX.-Get a follow & a fiqure 8 on a pacemaker,then I'll go back with a top raider.
This happened to myself and my partner numerous times on LOTW, and we had an 80% success rate on the second time witha different make, but same style of bait.
Everett | |
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Posts: 572
| Does size make any difference? I would think casting back a smaller version of lure might help tigger a strike.
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | I read somewhere that sometimes if people have a hot follow that turns off that if they pick the bait out of the water fast enough and slam it back in near where the fish is swimming off to that the fish turn back and drill it....anyone ever do this?
Mike | |
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Following Up Follows