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Posts: 205
| How do you wok a softail like a WTD bait or more of a jerk or pull action kinda like a jerk bait? |
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Posts: 411
Location: Waconia,MN | I use them like a jerk bait with a lot of slack in the line and quick little taps of the rod. Use a real erratic retrieve, three jerks them pause followed by 4, 2, 5 and so on just mix it up a lot. |
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Posts: 177
Location: ON | Twitch rod down and to the side slightly, and turn the reel handle at the same time, almost more of a reel action than a rod action. |
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Posts: 12
| I believe a straight wire leader is also recommended. A straight wire leader with NO barrel swivel. The barrel swivel adds extra weight and makes it sink faster. |
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Posts: 205
| I will say I was surprised on how much it did sink the first time I tossed it, I just couldn't see the action till I got it close to the boat so I wasn't sure if I was working it wrong or not. |
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Posts: 64
Location: Crystal Lake, IL | Phantoms can be a bit tricky to get the hang of. And sometimes you just get a dud that doesn't work properly. I absolutely love working phantoms, but I do have 1 of them that just will not, for the life of me, dance. Like Muskie tamer said, slack line is your best friend and it's short quick taps. They aren't pulls, just quick taps. It took me a while to get it, but there will be a point where it just "clicks" and you say WTF, why wasn't I doing this the whole time. At that point, you will begin to love your phantoms. I can work a phantom in the top 1-2 feet of water if the situation calls for it. Keep at it and practice with short 25 ft casts so you can see the lure the whole time and figure out the cadence of the lure. |
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Posts: 210
| Gentle quick slack line taps. Easy bait to overwork. When you overwork it, you'll probably be underwhelmed by it. |
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Posts: 294
| Can anyone else comment on the No barrel swivel on the straight wire leaders? I have been hearing conflicting opinions on this and would like to hear what you have to say. |
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Posts: 115
| I think that the swivel vs no swivel debate depends on how youre working the bait. If youre just quick hopping it in without a lot of long pauses then a swivel is fine, but if youre working it slow with lots of long pauses, then the swivel will act like a splitshot and drag your bait down head first...
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Posts: 463
Location: Sw Pennsylvania | Personally I don't use swivels. I don't see anything wrong with them I just don't feel a need to use them. |
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Posts: 115
| I think that the swivel vs no swivel debate depends on how youre working the bait. If youre just quick hopping it in without a lot of long pauses then a swivel is fine, but if youre working it slow with lots of long pauses, then the swivel will act like a splitshot and drag your bait down head first...
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Posts: 265
Location: Manitowish Waters WI | I have a dozen phantoms in different sizes and 10 of them run like I want them to and two of them are bunk. I don't know what it is but they just will not glide like the others and in my opinion they are faulty. Not to say they don't serve a purpose because I caught a fish on one of the bunk ones last fall but it is really frustrating not to be able to get them to run the way you want. The ones that do run well I fish my normal flouro leader with nothing special, they run awesome and are a fish magnet. |
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Posts: 39
| Painting a bright colored dot on the front, just above the eye, will help you see it and work it. I've found that the softtails don't work well unless the tail is on just right. They are usually good from the factory, but when I've replaced them I don't seem to get it quite right. For that reason, and because there is a hook on the back, I've come to like standard phantoms better. And warlocks. |
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Posts: 54
Location: Minnesota | Rods in the 7' 6"- 8' not overly heavy with a fast tip. 12" or less wire leader with welded rings on both ends then couple the lure with an appropiate split ring. Next take short casts working the bait with short taps of the rod tip near the surface of the water giving slack and a pause. Doing this with slow retrieve or a stop start on the reel works well. Judge the strenght of the taps and lenght of the pause by the width of the side to side action. Once you perfect that candence same short cast try throwing in a double tap and pause at irregular intervals. Master the rythm with the irregular taps and pause you'll hook more fish giving them a better target than just the plain side to side gliding. Working a phantom is a skill that pays off once mastered. Start with a hellhound if your not patient enough to work a phantom a little more forgiving. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | i make my own 10", 180 lb fluoro leaders for side to side baits like phantoms..welded ring on both ends with a split ring...those work very well... i work them fast w short taps and slack line to get em to really dance and dart left to right...i also prefer to work the rod more to the side, i believe it allows for better hooksets and less slack in the line than guys that work them w the tip down |
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Posts: 1760
Location: new richmond, wi. & isle, mn | I use the same leaders I use for all my baits. Swivel on both ends, but I split ring my baits on. Phantoms are tricky and some are better than others. Short taps and pauses. The best way for me to describe it is that the action comes from your hands not your arms. Like others said, start with short casts and find a cadence you like. |
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Posts: 205
| I had a nice calm night on the water and could really see the bait work and was really able to make it walk my only concern is I was working it to much but its a start, now if I could only get my weagles to work I would be happy. |
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Posts: 392
| I think a lot of fisherman overwork phantoms. I use a an 8-10" solid leader and I find it only requires a short soft jerk to get it to jerk back and forth under water. I use a high speed revo toro reel to reel in the slack line in synch with my short soft jerks. This works if you want to work them quickly or slowly. |
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Posts: 968
Location: N.FIB | you don`t work a phantom,it works for you,lol |
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How to work a Phantom Softail