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| I was wondering how you guys fish your 6" and 8" reef hawgs. I've had lost a lot of pike on the 6" ones and quite a few following pike as well. I usually fish it with continuous twitching with twitches of 6" or so or I use short, 1 foot long pulls. Most of the ones I have sink but the tend to stay in the upper 2 feet of the water column.
I fish the 8" ones I have with long strokes of the rodtip of 2-3 feet long. Really slamming them down and making them move erraticaly (you know the results). Somehow I can't get this erratic action with the small ones. The 8" one that has been producing lately rolls on its back when I use long pulls and it has a wobble as well. But talk about some resistance in the water! The weird part is that even tiny pike of 40cm grab this bait without hesitation! I never quite saw such a thing before!
So I'm curious: how do you fish your reef hawgs. Probably this has been dealt with before but still, opinions change over the years. |
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| Interesting... I fish my Reef Hawgs almost exactly the same way you explained. I prefer the 8"er. The 6" one seems to work best with the short twitches as you mentioned. One thing, if you want to play around with getting the baits to go deeper add a screw-in weight system such as the JB weight system. That way you can decide on the amount of weight you need as it applies to your fishing situation. I often will soak the hawg for an hour or so in my livewell when I'm out so that it is waterlogged before I use it. Some guys keep the hawg wet all the time. The water adds weight and also seems to make it work more erratically as well. If you want to take a chance on something more permanent, drill holes for some lead just behind the front hook hanger and epoxy them over. You will be stuck with the result, but the results can be good. Good luck with those hawgs, they can move fish when nothing else will!!!! [:bigsmile:] |
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| thanks for the reply cast-n-blast. I am getting a weight system soon (that tool sure is handy for screwing in the inserts). I have weighted one of my 6" ones the way you described (insert behind the front treble) but it doesn't work better than without the weight, it just sinks a bit faster.
Do you notice any difference in action when you use a splitring on your leader instead of a snap? I've been using a splitring on the nose eye and a wide round-shaped coastlok snap. |
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| Yes, the split ring seems to improve the glide somewhat. Also, I've noticed an increase in action overall when you have the ring positioned so it is vertical, not horizontal. Try it out and see what happens! |
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| Dirk, for sure don't you dare do any drilling, weighting, painting, or anything to that 8 incher that rolls over. Those Reef Hawgs are rare indeed. If this is one of the ones I sent you please send it back........LOL I think you know I am just pulling your leg a bit. Seriously, don't do anything to that Reef Hawg that turns over. Sounds like you have the rod action about right. I work mine fairly "hard". Sharper jerks than with a true glider. |
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| mike, that's the one! Now you wish you had never sent it, right?? LOL I'm not going to change a thing about it unless I have to (like cut the hooks to release a fish).
I fish them the same way as you do. They do have a lot of resistance in the water though! Maybe that's why I miss some strikes. There are teethmarks on the head as well (top and belly). |
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| The reason you miss some strikes is because of the bait rolling over. Sometimes they bite where the hooks aren't, likeacross the back etc. But you get more strikes with these lures that have a good roll and belly flash. |
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| mike, that's true! In the beginning I always thought a pike followed and turned back behind my lure but it was actually white if the belly and silver of the sides that I saw. |
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reef hawg techniques