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Posts: 89
Location: East of muskie country | One of my favorite methods of muskie fishing is trolling the big artillery during late fall / winter, probably my least amount of success throughout the year, however, something about dragging big chunks of wood (or plastic) with huge hooks gets me pumped up. I missed 2010 due to a little fire mishap that got the best of all my baits. So I'm looking to restock now and was wondering if I could get any feedback on anyone's favorites and why. I particularly enjoy trolling deep and shallow reefs when I have access, otherwise it's open water. In past my favs have been plows, big grannies and Ferris. I'm checking out the following which I have no experience with - Custom X, Big reef digger, any aluminum lip Hosebait, Newman big m, Grunts, Deep Threats, Supernaturals, Dancyk C10/DS12s.....any comments on these or others will be appreciated |
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Posts: 68
| Mike's Deep Threats are built like tanks and the quality is awesome. They pull like a freight train so you better have a rod and rod holder that can handle it. My 16" Grunts are well built and have a nice wide wobble to them.Both lures have run great for me up to 5 mph( I dont usually troll them that fast however).
Good luck!!
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Posts: 374
Location: Bemidji | I have used quite a few large cranks. I really like 14in Jakes/Squrrely Jakes, Deep Threats, 12in Big Games, and the large custom X's. The Supernaturals are baits that I have used but havent gotten bit yet. I am sure it is just a matter of time before it happens though.
I troll alot of open water early in the season and typically the bigger the better.
This fall I did better on smaller cranks such as small Perrywinkles, 8in Frankies and Slammers. The smaller baits did well making contact with the bottom. |
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Posts: 512
Location: Appleton | 10" Slammer Deep Diver would be a good bait to run both deep and shallow. Looks much bigger than 10" and built to last. The new 10" cranky Nitros from H2O Tackle look great and I know they catch fish. Another option is Pearson's 10" minnnow. All of the above have top notch service and great paint jobs on baits built to last. |
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | The Custom X and the big games are my two go to wooden baits, for plastic, I still employ the 13" grandma. The Custom X baits are going to blow up though - One they are mass distributed and find their ways to some of the giant waters you will hear a ton about them. They have a really super wide wobble with a nice belly flash + no rattles, which I think is crucial when targeting giants in clear water... IMO. Also, the True Glide Headlok is pretty sweet. I also spent some time surface twitching the big X's and the Headloks. They are both pretty insane baits. |
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | I will have 15 inch Dragon Claws, 8 inch Claws, 12 inch Deep Threats and 7.5 inch Magnum Rippin Shads in Chicago at the show. We will be in the Pastikas booth, also Guides Choice will be carrying our 9.5 inch Magnum Claws. Im bringing a bunch of big stuff this year. Mike |
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Posts: 89
Location: East of muskie country | Wish I could be there Mike! Thanks for input all. I cannot find anything on the Headlok, don't think it's featured on the True Glide site.
Interesting Jerry that you prefer no rattles in clear. Would you say banging baits off reefs in clear have the same results as rattles in your experience? Thanks |
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Posts: 480
| Hi, I make the headlocks from the supernatural bigbaits lineup. The headlocks have been sold from behind the Trueglide booth in recent years is where confusion may have started.
Also, Joe Peterson (owner of Trueglide) on occasion paints up a few cranks for me
for untold favors. I produce a bait for Bigwood Muskie lures as well in honor of a dear friend who recently pasted. My headlocks, liplocks and piledrivers are well beyond the development stage and now just entering a production/commerce phase. It's a one man operation with limited advertising budget. I hope to have a announcement soon on how and where to purchase supernaturals.
Supernaturals are like Christmas cards...not everyone gets one. Duff Thury
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | Always try one of my Grunts. They have about a 24-30" wide wobble. Blanks and painted in PA, USA with final assembly by me.
http://www.gruntmuskielures.com/muskytrollinglures.html
Video (crappy but you get it) Running next to a 9" Grandma bait: Big wide almost unstable wobble but they do not role until you get them past 5mph.
http://www.youtube.com/v/vKuq5dKNFwE
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James
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Add another vote for the Deept Threat. Thhe standard lip will take some rock banging but if you want a rock crusher get the metal lip version with reinforced head.
I would also agree no rattles in super clear water seems to be better. There's enough noise coming from the hooks already. |
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| if you cant get a parry imho nothing came close to the franky baits
4 size,and he also do costum paint job
price is honest considering the round profile of the baits,thruewire
see for yourself
http://www.niagarasportfishing.ca/CUSTOM-FISHING-LURES/
if you dont want to pay that much get a plow. |
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Posts: 906
Location: Canada | pepsiboy - 12/22/2010 10:23 PM
if you cant get a parry imho nothing came close to the franky baits
4 size,and he also do costum paint job
price is honest considering the round profile of the baits,thruewire
see for yourself
http://www.niagarasportfishing.ca/CUSTOM-FISHING-LURES/
if you dont want to pay that much get a plow.
^^ Nice |
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Posts: 1290
Location: WI | The 12" Big Game's are pretty sweet. |
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Posts: 1530
| my big favorite is the woodie bottomfeeder. 11 inch wire thru. 40ft out gives 29ft at 2.9mph.. we dont build hundreds, just specialty orders for detroit river and st lawerence guys.. then the nils masters for shallower applications. |
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Posts: 180
Location: Kinkaid Lake, IL | 12" Big Games, 14" squirley Jakes and 13" Grandmas are my go to baits. The supernaturals are built like a tank! Legend Plows have put a few in the boat too, but I seem to loose them on snags easily when I'm digging them deep. |
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| I live and die by the Big Game baits!!!
My biggest fish have been on these baits!
F.B. Outdoors |
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Posts: 380
Location: Michigan | I have Deep Threats, Mag Ripping Shads, 13" G-ma's, Plows, 10" believers, and a couple 10" Moski Deep runners. They all have different action and different running depths. I like them all for their own qualities. I have one supernatural, but I have not fished it yet, and I don't know if I will. It is just too pretty... Thinking about picking up some Franky Baits for next season.
Deep Theats - Pull hard, run deep, thump like a mother... I run these late fall at slower speeds
Mag Rippin Shads are my new favorite - Pull hard, run pretty deep ~16-20', tighter wiggle, erratic action, med profile - No problem to 5 mph
13" G-mas - nice wide wobble, gives a totally different presentation/vibration than prior two
Plows - run deep with slow wide wobble, runs true with little to no wander
10" Believers - Early fall, very erratic - hard to run with other baits close by, sometimes a true fish magnet
Moksi - similar to the larger tuff shads, big lip, pull hard, run 16-20', med wobble
I also run perchbaits a lot, and even though they aren't "big", they run great and catch fish. |
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Posts: 47
Location: Québec, Canada | my 10 inch YG Perch, straight or jointed
http://i467.photobucket.com/albums/rr31/Yvon371/100_2618-1.jpg |
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| i have seen lures like that before |
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Posts: 432
Location: mpls | Capt Bigfish's "Supernaturals" have an Aluminum Girder beam internally running the length of the bait. All of the hook hangers are permanently attached the beam. SOLID!!
There have been some really big fish caught on the Headlocks and the new Liplocks ( pictured).
There will be a bunch of the Captain's baits at my booth in Chicago ( I get nothing for this promotion- The capt is my friend  ) Joe Trueglide.com
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 liplock.JPG (14KB - 258 downloads)
liplock3.JPG (18KB - 351 downloads)
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Posts: 380
Location: Michigan | Anyone have pics of the headlock? Joe or Duff? |
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Posts: 131
| Callin' Big Mo is a pretty new bait and there are literally just a handful of people who have seen what they can do. The wide lip makes this bait run hard and can achieve depths of 30 plus feet. Super tough construction on these.
Hosebaits are quickly earning a reputation as one of the toughest baits made. I have reports of customers having 6 fish days on these baits when the other line being trolled caught nothing...More comments here:
http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=61...
The Bigwood Supernatural has an mean, aggressive thump that is not mechanical or even. Instead, it's erratic and unlike the rhythm or cadence of any bait I've ever seen. A nice feature of the Bigwood is that it has three depth setting options that allow you to put it in the zone you want. Also some comments here:
http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=59...
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goldensucker1.jpg (132KB - 375 downloads)
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| Just wondering why you think a big wobble is the ticket....had to kill the wobble on the big custom x baits to catch fish....seems to be a pattern over the years... |
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Posts: 131
| Hey Rick, you bring up a valid point with the wide wobble vs. tight wobble action and maybe it leads to another whole side topic...Although I don't personally have the skill or patience to make nice crankbaits, I think some body shapes and lure designs lend themselves better to one action over the other.
I have a strong preference for a wide wobble in the spring and fall and think this style really shines in colder water, but may lean towards a tighter action in the summer or in warm water situations. But that's just me and it seems to work in the lakes I fish. Hate to bring up the old cliche's, but "let the fish tell you what they want" and different tools for different situations" may apply here. There is room for both extremes and everywhere in between in my tackle box.
Take the Bigwood Supernatural, for example. This bait is really unique and not only has a wide wobble, but a head shake to it that I have not seen in any other bait. It's been available for retail for less than 8 months, not a lot of people are using it yet, but it's been responsible for a lot of big fish in a very short time. Here are just some of the photos sent to me in recent months. The results speak for themselves for this bait and it's wide wobble. Those Custom x baits look great by the way!
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bigwoodpig.jpg (25KB - 711 downloads)
52Rory.jpg (31KB - 225 downloads)
47net.jpg (29KB - 269 downloads)
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Posts: 50
| Hosebaits are really good if you can get over the 75 dollar price. I have used the 14 inch model. Responsible for 6 fish in one day on Eagle, and countless on LOTW in October. |
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Posts: 202
| Custom X, Big Games and Jakes |
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| Supernaturals Headlock and Wishmasters. Both built really tough and they have completely different actions than anything else out there.
I want to pick up a Bigwoods Supernatural, I know of a slob 55 caught up by my summer place on one of those. Looks like a wide version of a Headlock?
I do use cheaper plastic baits like Jakes and Grandmas, but the big fish seem to prefer the wood baits without rattles.
Custom X looks nice to, haven't tried them yet. Goota have something to buy at the shows!
Beer ski |
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Posts: 104
Location: Grantsburg, Wisc | I love the action of my Supernatural "Headlock" |
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=87...
This video of our new 12 inch Shallow Threat is turning some heads. The lure is built off our old 12 inch Deep Threat line up using the same .078 Stainless Steel Wire through construction. So far testing has gone well. 50 feet back 7 feet down. It is Truly a Threat in Shallow water. Going to be some hogs pinned to this bait. Mike |
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Posts: 358
| I like 13 " Believers Jtd. and straight, Legend Perch Baits and ALL Wiley Lures |
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Posts: 134
| I love my pricey stuff too but a work horse for me are the 706,707,708 cranes. Lovem and cheap compared to the other stuff.... |
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Posts: 15
| When it's time to go big or go home Team Eddie Fitz likes to troll the Wishmaster. Nobody makes them like Rolf did. Huge wobble and a bill that flashes like a strobe light. The big girls can see them from a mile away!
The Reverend |
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