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Posts: 49
Location: Waconia, MN | Do you figure 8 every time you bring the lure back to the boat or just when you see a fish follow up?
Edited by Maverick 7/29/2009 8:58 PM
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Posts: 547
Location: Oshkosh | Everytime, you never know if one is following that you dont see.
Peter |
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Posts: 395
Location: NW WI | Everytime |
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Posts: 25
| Overall, probably less than 30% of the time because I do most of my musky fishing on the st. lawrence river.
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | T_Musky - 7/29/2009 9:15 PM
Overall, probably less than 30% of the time because I do most of my musky fishing on the st. lawrence river.
Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but why does that matter?
In answer to the question, I figure 8 after every cast. I haven't caught many boatside, but I've had plenty hit just a little ways from the boat that came from nowhere, or came after the bait after taking it out of the water after an 8, or have followed in late enough where leaving the bait in the water the few extra seconds allowed the fish to see the bait in the water by the boat.
curleytail |
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | EVERYTIME |
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Posts: 1243
Location: Musky Tackle Online, MN | I at least do an L at the side of the boat after every cast. Although I should do an 8 after every cast, I definitely get lazy at times and only do an L quite often. It's hard to convince myself I need to do an 8 in spots where I can clearly see bottom and no fish in site. But I've also had times in these same situations where a fish shows up out of nowhere when I take the bait out of the water. That's when I tell the dummy holding the rod that he should have done an 8!!!
Aaron |
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Posts: 25
| That's not a dumb question and I hope this doesn't seem like a dumb answer, but I have fished the larry for more than 6 years and never seen a musky stay commited to a lure at the boat. I never even heard of a musky caught on the Larry on a figure 8. They just turn away and go back down to the depths. So, there's no reason to figure 8 in my opinion, just get your lure out there and keep on trolling or casting.
Someone please prove me wrong....
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Posts: 425
| Every time!! Before last year I only did a L turn everytime but last August I had one come from right out under the boat and crush my bucktail. Never even saw it, now I ALWAYS do a full figure 8 every time! |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Motion Commotion! |
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Posts: 2361
| Some of you guys are killing yourselves.
You better get in muskyshape. |
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Posts: 135
Location: Irvine, KY | Every time. Sometimes two or three 8's if the water is muddy or very stained.... you never know whats down there. |
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Posts: 392
Location: lake x...where the hell is it? | everytime atleast once and 2,3,4 times at night |
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Posts: 35
| Everytime, normally two of them too. Can't tell you how many fish I've seen come from under the boat even in good visibility. Mysterious creatures they are. |
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Location: Twin Cities | Everytime and multiple's at a minimum. Too many fish have come out of nowhere doing so. That way when you KNOW there's a fish there, muscle memory wins the advantage and you do a better 8 under pressure, it's CERTAINLY mattered for me being able to go on autopilot! |
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Posts: 1287
Location: WI | I usually do an L or at least a half circle. On really dark water I will do at least I full oval (I like the oval better than the 8). |
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Posts: 1030
Location: APPLETON, WI | I figure-8 every. single. time.
I've gotten ditched too many times when I've pulled the bait from the water, only to see a musky show up out of nowhere just moments after the fact. After seeing too many fish... I now figure-8 after every cast and I usually do at the minimum two full figure-8's. |
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | Seldom when fishing suspended as if I don’t trigger them by that time they don’t eat. My boatside maneuver takes the place of the “8”. I usually do an L-turn though. I have yet to catch a suspended fish on the “8” (yes I do them when a fish is seen following). Different breed of fish out there!
Don’t see the need for an “8” in the clear waters I fish, and my way of fishing. I just end up spending energy on the “8’s” that doesn’t produce any results for me.
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Posts: 131
| always,always,always |
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Posts: 2024
| curleytail - 7/29/2009 9:19 PM
T_Musky - 7/29/2009 9:15 PM
Overall, probably less than 30% of the time because I do most of my musky fishing on the st. lawrence river.
Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but why does that matter?
30-40' water clarity might have something to do with it, too (i.e., you can see EVERYTHING, including muskies LONG before they're within figure 8ing distance). |
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| How many fish are you guys catching on the figure 8 each year? |
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | L turn for clear lakes, full 8 on dirty. |
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Posts: 265
Location: McGuire AFB, NJ | I eight at least once, with a strong L at boatside. Most of the time I rarely complete the entire eight though. Have only caught two ski's boatside. One I never saw coming and it scared the #*#* out of me when it hit, the other I was able to trigger after a couple eights. Always room for improvment in this department though!!! |
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Posts: 468
Location: Not where I wanna be! | it depends on the water clarity for me, some of the lakes i fish are stained and green most of the year, so I figure 8 EVERY Time, but some of the northern lakes I fish you can see 10-12 feet down, if you no fish is chasing, pull up and cast again.
however..... One time i didnt figure 8 and after i pulled the lure out and was about to cast, a fish came out from under my boat... i have no idea where or how..... but needless to say, i missed him
cant hurt to do it almost every time! |
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Location: Apple Valley | I fiqure 8 after every cast. I don't even think about it anymore. I just do it automatically. Only time I don't use the 8 is when throwing jerkbaits. than I use the L. I say 15-20% of my muskies come on the fiqure 8. This year I'm at 20%so far.
Brian |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | Don't be lazy! It will definitely nip you in the butt! Geez, I even do figure eights in my cereal. |
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Posts: 1030
Location: APPLETON, WI | I think water clarity is important... but as someone else mentioned, if there's fish directly UNDER the boat... I don't care how far down in the water you can see, you're not going to see the fish directly under the boat... or the ones coming up behind you. Just because they aren't in your direct line of sight in ultra-clear water certainly doesn't mean they aren't there. |
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Posts: 2015
| I always L and transition into "High-outside" (About 1/4 of an 8) if nothing is there - smooth transition into firing the next cast. The only time I use full 8's after every cast is at night or dirty water. As far a success in the 8 it definately makes a difference what lake you are on. |
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Posts: 199
Location: Nebraska | Every cast. If I'm not confident enough in a cast that it wouldn't have justified an 8, why would I throw that cast? While I wish it were less (and more hits on long line) I am at about 30% on the 8. Makes it easier for me to stay committed to it. |
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Posts: 229
| One more thing- Figure eighting at night is much more important than during the day. If you are fishing at night and not doing a real good figure eight every time, you are missing out on fish.
John |
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Posts: 169
Location: Houlton, WI | every time, alot of times there will be a deep fish that you dont see a first or if your in a river you wont see them right away |
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Posts: 171
Location: indiana | after several years of little success on the 8, the past three years from indiana to canada better than 50 percent caught on the eight. this year in canada, 5 out of 6 in the boat on the 8. lost about 8 others with 50 percent of those on the eight. it becomes so natural of a movement, i do it 100 percent of the time. the fifty i got this year was on the l turn and didnt have a clue she was there. no 8, no fifty. food for thought. todd |
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Posts: 158
| I do a full figure 8 everycast except if I am fishing in very shallow, clear water and nothing is chasing. After dark I like to do a big slow oval and be prepared to hang on! I probably catch about 30% of my fish on the 8.
You never want to be the "It was the only time all day I didn't figure 8" guy! |
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Posts: 580
| Depends. I'll almost always do an L and up into the oval, basically exactly what IAJustin describes....the only time I'll do a full 8 consistently is in low-light.
If I'm trying to cover water and I'm having success targetting specific shallow structure, I'd much rather maximize/utilize my time by getting in as many extra casts as I can, rather than wasting time doing multiple figure 8's. The way I see it, when I'm running and gunning, the odds are better that I'll catch a fish during the cast, so I'd rather get in more casts....
But again, if it's low-light and I'm fishing more slowly, trying to really pick apart a specific piece of structure, I'll finish with a full 8. Also, if fish seem to be showing up late, then I'll do a full 8. |
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Posts: 2015
| Right on Matt - you can get 100+ casts in each day without doing a full 8 everytime. I catch a ton of fish on 8's but if you are fishing water with 2+ feet of visability and you cant see a fish by the time you have come past the first " high corner" - your wasting your time IMO - If 70% of your fish come on the cast don't you want to make another cast?
Edited by IAJustin 7/30/2009 4:05 PM
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Posts: 53
Location: Stillwater | just about 1 full figure 8 everytime |
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Posts: 53
Location: Stillwater | just about 1 full figure 8 everytime |
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Posts: 8781
| I'll usually do at least an L turn unless I am somewhere where visibility is low or fish have been coming in late. Suspended fish clear water, for example? If you don't see them coming it's because they just aren't there. I'm not saying you should be lazy about figure 8's. Probably 80% of my fish in the last few years have been on the 8. But I also think you can waste a lot of time and energy doing figure 8's for a fish that just ain't there. |
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Posts: 699
Location: Hugo, MN | EVERYTIME!!!! Can't count how many I have seen come in late and nab a bait on the turn or come from under the boat. Always, always, always figure 8 or L Turn. |
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| Everytime! I caught a 51" last week on a figure 8 second time around. |
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Posts: 264
| every time, because a fish can all of a sudden come from anywhere that you didnt see, like from deep water below you or behind you. |
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How often do you figure 8 and when?