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Posts: 346
| This subject has come up numerous times, but its a new year with new thoughts and opinions. Do you figure 8 if you don't see any fish? Does water clarity determine previous question? I've only watched Jim Sarics "Muskies on the Move" and Jim repeatedly says that 40% of his fish come on 8's. Anyone else get a lot of fish on 'em? How big is your figure 8 if you don't have a following fish?
Thanks,
MJB |
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Posts: 1294
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | 12 out of 19 fish this year have come on boatside hits, yes it pays...Several have been unseen until the hit. |
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Posts: 480
| This year my goal was to catch a fish on a figure 8, I started early in the year ending each cast with one. It payed off the second week. Now I make sure I pack an extra pair of underwear in case it happens again. Even if you have a pile of weeds still do it (I know it looks and feels stupid). Capt bigfish |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | Several factors can come into play here. It seems the more pressure the more fish that will follow and possibly ambush your lure boatside even though you do not see them. Clear water, a fish can come from nowhere and smack the bait on the 8. How good is your partner? Does he keep a close eye? Watch for your partners fish to come from under the boat if not. |
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Posts: 364
Location: in the white boat | I would guess about half of the fish that get they're picture taken with me have been caught at boatside. I don't do a full fig-8 on every cast, but I make sure to do a very sharp "L turn" as the bait approaches the boat. If I see a fish, or even suspect something I will do a full 8. Many times the fish will be following quite a ways behind the bait and if you don't do a change of direction you won't trigger it.
At the end of the cast with a topwater such as the Topwalker, or Topraider I'll stick the rod tip in the water and make the bait go under on the L turn, even though I've never triggered a follower doing this. Has anyone else got any good methods for turning topwater followers into biters? |
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Posts: 1294
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | This has been a very odd year for me with all the boat side hits. One thing I have been doing a little differently than in the past is actually slowing down the bait as I start into the L/8. For some reason this has caused more hookups than in the past when I would increase my speed in the 8. One fish even hit when I completely stopped a topwater at boatside. The more I learn, the less I know! |
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Posts: 938
Location: NeverNever Lake | Probably one of the toughest disciplines to the sport of muskie fishing.
It did take a few of those, pull my bait out of the water only to see a pig swimming around looking for its meal, to convince me that it was worth my time to 8 my bait. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who has pulled their bait out of the water only to have a fish practically jump in the boat trying to get it(especially at night)Makes ones heart flutter. I realized if I'm too tired to do this, I be better off just going home.
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Posts: 346
| Its seems that quite a few of you like to figure 8 after each cast no matter what. If a fish is not follow, does the size and depth of your figure change compared to when a relatively large fish is following?
Thanks,
MJB |
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Posts: 466
Location: Pittsburgh, PA | i always stay at the depth that the lure is coming in at and maybe change it abruptly after a couple turns. those fish that you dont see that come from under the boat are heart stoppers. |
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Posts: 7123
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | I've had too many fish stop at a point in an 8 when I cut an angle too sharpley, so I've gone to doing one big oval. I pretty much do one after every cast, force yourself to do them right and repetitively, and it will become second nature (in the musky innovations videos on site I'm doing 8s....just in case I can entice ToddM to dive in after them). If I don't see a fish after that first over, the next cast comes....MY belief (meaning it could be wrong or right, only based on MHO) is that if a fish is following that slow and low (I fish pretty slow anyways) she isnt going to bite regardless of the 8 or oval. |
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Posts: 492
Location: Lindenhurst, Illinois | Another thing to try after the figure 8. Don't be afraid to dump you bait back in the water if a fish comes up after you have done your 8 and taken the bait out of the water. I had a fish come up last year on a bucktail after I had completed the 8. I pulled the bait out of the water and up she came. I fired the bait back in the water about two feet from the boat and she hammered it. |
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Posts: 622
Location: Seymour, WI | The last muskie I caught hit a small crankbait after I finished a full 8 and was lifting the bait out of the water. I never saw the fish until it was thrashing around at boatside. The fish was hooked deep in the corner of the jaw. The hit scared the crap out of me.
Grass, |
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