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Posts: 313
Location: On your favorite spot | Curious how long you've ever messed with a fish next to the boat.
My buddy had one last fall that went around on his Rad Dog for at least 90 seconds. He was new to musky fishing and even lifted his bait out of the water for a few seconds, slamed it down when I yelled at him, and the fish was back on it. All the while we're drifting out to deep water.
Small fish, but I've never seen one go around that many times - never hit the bait although if it wouldn't have been my friends first follow he probably could have gotten her to eat. At least it was enough to get my buddy hooked! |
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| I messed around w/ one about 45-46" last summer over some sand grass on a big flat for about 5 minutes...it would leave and come back multiple times, I finally got bored of messing with it, would cast out and it would come in again! I drifted about 100 yards and it never fully left the area of me or the boat....
We named her "Scarface" as she had a scar on the top of her head that was easily recognizable..had her up 3 or 4 more times last summer and she never hit....
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Posts: 574
| We had a fish about 45" or so follow a bucktail around for near 10 minutes this fall. After a while we were even handing the pole off to each other going up and down the whole side of the boat.
I swear the thing was laughing at us. Wouldn't leave........Wouldn't bite |
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Posts: 331
Location: Stevens Point, Wisconsin | I think it is entirely dependent on the mood of the fish. But I guess that's pretty obvious. LOL If I have a hot fish that darts off say 10 feet from the boat I will continue figure 8'ing until I’m certain the fish is for sure gone. I have had several fish that were hot and turned off come flying out of know where on about the 15th turn of an 8.
If the fish is lazy and doesn’t react to a speed change or direction change at boat side, I will give it about 4 good 8's and then move on. If I see the interest level increase with a change in direction or speed during the 8, I will keep 8'ing until she hits or swims off.
Ed
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Posts: 32
| I've had both things happen...last summer, was fishing with Josh Ebersole of Chad Cain's Guide Service...had a musky come up behind my jointed Swim Whiz, it kept darting and missing, darting and missing...I figure-eighted 'till I was pooped...I laid down on the deck, still doing the eight...time after time, the fish lunged at the bait, but missed...Josh was standing at the back of the boat watching (I couldn't see much over the rail...just kinda 'stirring the soup' to keep the bait moving...when the friggin' thing left my bait and hit his Hellhound. Shouldn't I get credit for the fish?? I did all the work, he just stood there and watched?!?!? LOL.
Also, several times I've looked down several seconds after someone has finished figure-eighting, only to see a fish cruise under the boat. I've taken to smacking a lure into the water, and going into the figure-eight, and many of these fish convert and strike...sometimes from out of nowhere!
But the longest figure-eight I have seen was by Chad himself, in the fall of '95...hadn't seen any fish after a long day of pounding the water, and then he gets a lazy follow. I know he figure-eighted the fish for several minutes...I smoked a cigarette, finished it, and was about ready to light another when he decided the fish wasn't going to bite. I'm positive it had been at least 7-8 minutes...just as he gave up and went to lift the bait from the water (and keep in mind we hadn't seen the fish at all during his effort) it smashed the lure at the surface!! The only fish of the day!
So how long is too long? Guess if you're still doing it after the boat is on the trailer that may count, but otherwise, keep the bait moving!! Do it until you can't...literally!!!
Al Nutty
Kinkaid Lake Guide Service
Been Nutty all my life...the insanity is a recent affliction!!!
Edited by nutty4muskies 2/17/2007 6:31 PM
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Posts: 1237
Location: South Portsmouth, KY | Up on LOTW a couple years back, i had around a 48 incher going on my eight around 25 times before she drifted out of sight. Had her up numerous times after that but couldent connect.
Edited by muskie_man 2/17/2007 10:31 PM
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Posts: 572
| at least 12 minutes.....
one of my first muskies on a figure 8 - fishing a spinner bait on Lake of the Woods.
It would follow around 2 or 3 times, disappear, and then re-appear after a couple more figure 8's. Then, after 4 or more blank figure 8's, I let the spinner bait drop and gave it a quick lift up....and the 38 inch muskie hit.
It seemed like it should have been at least 20 minutes or longer, but I had just checked my watch before the cast (finished a snack break). After allowing for a couple of minutes to release the fish and laugh about the experience, I checked my watch and figured it had been at least 12 minutes until the time the muskie hit.
Needless to say, I've improved on my figure 8's.....never want to bend over again for 12 minutes....
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Posts: 20270
Location: oswego, il | I had one this year that I figure-eighted for about 5 minutes. Reelwise was in the boat with my he can attest. The fish followed everything I did breaking the eight, tight circles, up and down, it mattered not what I did, it would follow. We were laughing so hard. The fish finnlay gaveup and left.
Had another fish follow three times on the eight, go under the boat, I took the lure around back of the boat and back to the front, came back, two more rounds, under the boat again, did the same thing with the bait and came back again, one more go round and ate the bait and in the net. |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | my dad had one for about 10 seconds then went away and he kept figure 8ing and about 30 seconds later it came out from under the boat and he caught it |
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| I have caught muskies after 10 or more figure 8's going deeper and deeper and then working my way back up, trying to change the angle and rapidly speed up on inside turns. I have also stopped the lure dead and had muskies hit, but in general speeding up the lure works best to the point you are burning it. First try tossing back that same lure and then a soft plastic if the fish doesn't hit. Then come back on the spot after some sort of condition change or prime time opportunity
Edited by muskyboy 2/18/2007 11:09 PM
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Posts: 484
Location: St. Louis, MO., Marco Is., FL, Nestor Falls, ON | Several years ago I had a young man fishing with me from Duck Bay Lodge. It had been a pretty good day and I had several muskies in the boat. I felt bad for the guy with me as he had none. We were up in Stony Portage Bay when I had a follow from a 46" fish. I went into the "8" and led the fish to the back of the boat and told the guy to start figure 8-ing. We drifted to the East about 75 or 80 yards with him 8ing all the way. As we were about to run into some rocks on a point, I kicked the trolling motor into high and made a sharp left turn to avoid running aground. On his 26th figure 8 the fish ate the lure and it turned out to be a personal best for the young man. It's an experience I'll never forget. I have an idea that the sharp turn of the boat along with the added speed of the 8 triggered that fish. Never give up too soon. |
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Posts: 785
| I typically won't do more than 8 passes + or - after the fish dissappears but my boat partner had one he seen follow in then disapear, I stopped the trolling motor and we ended up drifting about 60 yards from shore. I was kind of getting impatient and was about to tell him the thing was long gone and he should give up when the fish shot out from under the boat and smoked his lure.
He also had one near a beaver house where I got one to follow and then as mine was swimming off he had one follow in. He kept working his tiger tube around and the fish just layed on the bottom. It seemed like he worked the fish for an hour but realistically it was probably just a few minutes. We drifted into shore where I was staring into the woods waiting for the call to go back to fishing when I instead got the call that the fish was on. He let the bait sink to the bottom then he jiggled it and the thing ate. He caught three more fish that trip and lost another by bouncing the bait off the bottom on real lazy follows. I was so impressed I tried it on a 42"er this year and low and behold it ended up in the net.
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How long on the 8?