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Posts: 282
Location: north west wisconsin | im sure this has been covered before but the search option is not working for me after two days of trying,
what do you guys do when your getting a ton of follows but fail to hook up???
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Posts: 38
| Downsize or upsize my lure, if that dont work come back at dark or after a change in the weather. |
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Posts: 646
Location: In a shack in the woods | How are they following? Where in the water column? |
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| I would move to Ohio after getting a ton of follows. Then after seeing no fish I would move back to Wisconsin and be glad to have follows. |
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Posts: 282
Location: north west wisconsin | that is funny!
Some fish are hot. pushing the lure.
they are coming out of about 18 fow to about 6 gin clear water low light conditions with a decent wind, my movements are kept well contained, im wearing grey, I've went threw the checklist over and over and can't figure out if I am missing something or if it is just going to be one of those seasons. past 4 days i have seen 18 fish with 4 pushing 48 or better so I must be doing something right. |
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Posts: 1287
Location: WI | Did you try reeling your baits in faster? And not just when the fish are following. |
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Posts: 723
| seems the last 2 years, I have been trying to keep my baits a lil deeper
for the last 10 ft or so near the boat, thats when I change direction, speed,
and maybe even change the action right at the boat. I tell you I have been having a lot more hookups on the first turn at the boat, pretty much coming into an "L" is where Ive been getting smoked. I used to keep my retrieve the same all the way back to the boat, and would see the fish follow, and turn off, very few would ever even come into the 8.
I really feel its all about that sudden change, that "holy crap, something is onto me, I gotta get outta hear, and mr. musky is like, oh no you dont!"
(thats just my little scenario of dialogue that is going thru my baits head when its being followed)  sorry, been at work since 4, and my coffee is just finally kickn in.
I didnt start to figure this out till I was throwing mag dawgs over open water, getting a ton of follows, and no takers, turn on the nitrous, get a little crazy, and it made a world of difference.
But if you are getting a ton of follows, maybe re-think your
style before it ever gets to the boat? super super slow, lots of pauses, little speed bursts.
Im gonna burst from all this coffee. |
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Posts: 95
| Sometimes I figure-8 for up to a full minute or more once a fish has followed and then shot off - I have hooked many fish that at first you would think left the area but in fact were really just readjusting themselves to strike. Figure-8ing for a minute is a long time but the results speak for themselves. I try to vary the depth of the lure in the water as I figure-8 and also swith from 8's to circles. You can also try switching lures right away and start figure-8ing with for example a bull dawg instead of the bucktail that it followed. Another big thing that can spook fish is the movement of your own body during the figure-8. If you are "dancing around" and doing a workout while figure-8ing I think the fish can see your shadow and will be less likely to strike. My last tip, try fishing at night. Fish can't see at night and can only react by using their senses.
Good luck,
Chas Martin
www.muskymastery.com |
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Location: Oswego, IL | I had the same issue two years ago, tons of follows no strikes. I relized I was doing the same thing every time, same speed, same turns, same depth. What sometimes that means is the fish are a bit pressured and have seen the same thing over and over. You have to change up speed, and movement, sometime erratically to get them to know its not the same bucktail moving this time. if you have that many follows have another rod ready with a different bait /aka glider as soon as that fish turns off drop the rod and get the othre bait and throw out right away, maybe they didnt want the straight retrieve and wanted something sliding back and forth. You will pick um up. |
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Posts: 390
Location: Ohio | Guest - 6/1/2009 11:29 PM
I would move to Ohio after getting a ton of follows. Then after seeing no fish I would move back to Wisconsin and be glad to have follows.
Sad but true! |
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Posts: 8781
| that depends on a lot of things...
If the fish are coming in way under the bait, I'll change up and throw something that runs a little deeper. If they're coming in pretty far behind the bait, lazy? I'll switch to something slower. If they're chasing pretty agressively and just not eating I'll experiment with short bursts of speed, changes in direction, trying to create those little "triggers" along the way.
If you're failing to convert follows on a regular basis, though, I'd suspect your figure 8 skills leave a bit to be desired. As others have said, changes of speed and direction are key, but what you really have to do is learn to read the fish.
General observations about the figure 8:
1. Make your 8's as big as possible -- if that fish can't turn with your lure, it will be much more likely to give up.
2. Don't be afraid to go deep, especially on those fish that come in low or go under the boat. I'll get down on my knees and bury the rod in the water up to the cork on a figure 8 if I have to.
3. Make your 8's as smooth as possible -- it's easier than you think to scare a fish off by leaning down or making abrupt movements.
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Posts: 1237
Location: South Portsmouth, KY | Guest - 6/1/2009 11:29 PM
I would move to Ohio after getting a ton of follows. Then after seeing no fish I would move back to Wisconsin and be glad to have follows.
Haha! Now thats funny! Theres nothing good about ohio! |
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Posts: 282
Location: north west wisconsin | I feel my 8's are good as I have caught my fair share of fish on the 8 and tried the throwback method, ive burned em in and slow rolled the next cast tried short bursts of speed and to no avail i have come to the conclusion that the fish are just giving me the bird.
stupid fish |
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Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | More speed. |
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Posts: 159
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Floydss, i feel your pain. I've watched 6 too many muskies nip the back end of my eel or bucktail the past days without ever taking any hooks in their maws. I finally got a few to eat after using depth changes in my 8, going from way up on top of the water down to the cork of the handle and back up again while in the figure 8. They're hitting on the way down. I know this sounds stupid too and is contradictory to what everyone else is saying, but i had to slow my figure 8 way down as well after burning the bucktail in. Hope they get hungry for you! |
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Posts: 169
Location: Houlton, WI | well if it is a clear lake they are probly flaring because of the boat. come back at night and try that |
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Posts: 131
| I agree with the suggestions on speed. Try and get a reaction strike by burning your lures as fast as you can reel. Mix it with up snaps of your rod tip during the retrieve or just change direction of your bait by re-positioning your rod tip.
If that does not work, a less used trick is to slow way down with slow rising jerkbaits like Suicks or Big Daddy's. Slow sinkers like The Lundberg Custom Stalker or Red October tubes work great to just keep it in their face as long as possible.
Edited by kyle@bigwoodmuskylur 6/13/2009 8:51 PM
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