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Posts: 100
| I've grown to love throwing bulldawgs. I can make fish bite when nothing else interests them. But I'm struggling to keep fish hooked up all the way to the net. Hooks are sharp and I'm using appropriate equipment. Any advice on keeping more fish pinned? |
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Posts: 2327
Location: Chisholm, MN | What equipment are you using? If it's a high speed reel and a solid rod, then set the hook hard and reel harder. Otherwise it's probably just bad luck. |
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Posts: 400
Location: North/Central WI | What rod are you using? Make, length, and action please. Curious if the rod isn't heavy enough to bury the hooks or it is too heavy and they are ripping out?
As Kirby says a high speed reel is critical for good hook-ups. Slack line is bad and will cause you to miss and lose more fish. You also need to be in position to set the hook at all times...have your feet and body positioned correctly so a big fish doesn't knock you off balance when you set. Always rip the bait ACROSS your body...never to your weak side. 95% of your hits occur during the pause and the fish will be there on your next rip. Ripping the bait to your weak side (in an effort to change bait direction during the retrieve) is asking for trouble and I seriously doubt it will result in more bites. I always try to set the hook low and to the side with rubber....seems to work best for me. If you are fishing rubber in shallow water then you will most likely be ripping the bait with your rod tip up...and will most likely set the hook with the rod tip up. I try to drop my rod tip for the hook set but sometimes it's just not possible. Best advice I can give is to get your rod tip down as fast as you can after hooking up...they almost always go nuts and start jumping. |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | I agree with Kirby.
I attended a seminar by Lee Tauchen and he discussed this topic. He said (unlike a lot of other baits) it is nearly impossible to move a rubber bait that is clamped down in a muskies mouth. His thoughts were to keep a lot of pressure on the fish right away in hopes that as the fish tried to let go of the bait the hooks would penetrate. |
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| i don't believe that at all. make the test grab a dawg without hooks in your hand and squeeze it really hard and ask to a friend to set the hook you will be amazed to see the power that could be generate whit a hvy rod. the story of the musky that could grab a wooden lure or a rubber lure that tight that it'S hard to set the hook is real BS. it's not a pitbull i would be surprise if they can do 10 psi.(german sheppard is over 200 psi) . if their jaw would be that powerful they would been able to easily puncture 1/8 of epoxy but it's something that rarely happen,of course they will do some scratch but rarely more than that. imo bigger treble could not hurt,fish hook themselves lot of time and sometimes they bite during lil slack and you lose it .sometimes even 5 trebles would not be enough to get them.we can't catch them all.
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Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
In years past I believe Dick Pearson did a seminar where he had someone grab a lure (without hooks of course) while he set the hook (or vice versa...I cannot recall as that was a long time ago) using monofilament line. The lure was unable to be moved in the hand due to the amount of stretch in monofilament line.
Today's super lines that would be a whole different story. I would consider the slack line issue, though... Slack line makes it very hard to get a good hookset, so being sure to have a cadence on your retrieve that allows you to stay in touch with the lure on the fall is a good thing before the next rip/pull.
On older bulldawgs, I would cut off the top single hook as I felt that did not allow good hook-ups, so they all got cut off. I think most if not all are made without that hook now as well.
When I retrieve, my first couple of cranks of line are a little slower as I drop the rod toward the water and the lure begins to fall, then the next 3 are faster all the while, staying in contact with the falling lure, getting my rod tip down toward the water line. Once at the lowest point in cadence, I rip it again up about 3 feet. If a fish hits, you'll most likely feel the bump on the fall, but being a rubber lure, you can crank down quickly lowering your rod tip just like bass fishermen do using jigs or worms keeping line straight as you reel down, then set the hook.
Sometimes, when you start your next rip you will feel the weight and you rip it hard... Being a soft lure, I feel the fish are more apt to hold onto it, whereas a hard bodied lure not so much. The biggest thing is to ensure you can feel the lure as you begin your next rip, and your rod tip is low to the water. Also, instead of ripping up, make it a habit to rip to your strong side(across your body). Then, your motion of fishing matches your hook setting.
I have also replaced hooks with ones that are wide gap and a shorter shank that also have a smaller barb overall. I usually am using a round bend 7/0 or 8/0 as a replacement. I feel this can help penetration as I do feel when a fish has clamped down on a rubber lure, teeth embedded in the lure it takes more "umph" to get it moving, and having any extra bit of assistance helps.
Steve |
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| that's why i will never stop telling mono is true useless junk ! so funny when you ear guys that suggest a good stiff rod for noobs troller but in the same time they will told them to use mono because of the stretch it provide. i don't know for you but stretch is the enemy. best way to lose fish is to use mono |
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| I have had days/weeks where I hooked up on every bite with bulldawgs and other times where I missed or lost 90% of them. I lost or missed 11 fish in 6 days during a Canada trip in August on mag dawgs or medusa's. My boat was one of the only ones in camp that week contacting fish on a consistent basis and the fish just seemed off. Only thing we were moving fish on was HARD ripped rubber. Watching the way several fish we caught boatside bit, we realized a lot of the fish were barely nipping or swiping at the baits and we were hooking them in less than ideal spots. The harder we worked the baits, the more bites we got but that also resulted in more poor hookups. Sometimes things just happen. When fish are fired up, my hookup rate is close to 100%, but if you have to make them eat you're gonna lose some here and there no matter what you're using. |
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Posts: 2269
Location: SE, WI. | supertrollr - 9/25/2019 10:21 AM that's why i will never stop telling mono is true useless junk ! so funny when you ear guys thart suggest a good stiff rod for noobs troller but in the same time they will told them to use mono because of the stretch it provide. i don't know for you but stretch is the enemy. best way to lose fish is to use mono Heh Superman; Fished a tournament 10 days ago. Only one guy doubled. He was using mono. How I know? It was me!!! Send me all your mono;) The stretch in the mono holds fish, and buffers the violent head shakes! This has been hashed countless times. The big rubber baits is a cause of many lost fish. The load in the Rod is what holds the fish. Use a rod that loads up well, preferably longer is better. Many good points already mentioned. Try out the Hellkats. A flatter profile, thinner bait, that I rarely loose a plastics fish. Take advice from Mr Osfar....he's a rubber master....wins many tourneys/$$$! JD |
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Posts: 8782
| Here's my take: Yes, long rods. Yes, high speed reels. I've got dawgs that came back full of holes without me ever knowing the fish was there. (operator error) As far as moving the bait enough to drive hooks home? Boatside, maybe. Out on a cast with the lure down 4-5 feet? I think we'd all be surprised how little force you exert on a lure in that situation. And I don't care what anybody says, you're not getting the job done with a mouthfull of teeth buried in all that rubber I think the ones that do get hooked well hook themselves when they head for the hills. Like with any other lure, slack line is not your friend. Think about how many fish you catch that "come off" in the net. If you fight them well, keep pressure on the fish and a bend in the rod, that's your best shot. Mono over braid? Haven't tried that, but there's a reason saltwater guys stay away from braid. |
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Posts: 1267
Location: E. Tenn | VMS - 9/25/2019 11:03 AM
I have also replaced hooks with ones that are wide gap and a shorter shank that also have a smaller barb overall. I usually am using a round bend 7/0 or 8/0 as a replacement. I feel this can help penetration as I do feel when a fish has clamped down on a rubber lure, teeth embedded in the lure it takes more "umph" to get it moving, and having any extra bit of assistance helps.
Steve
Care to share which brand & model number?
Thanks |
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| supertrollr - 9/25/2019 8:38 AM
i don't believe that at all. make the test grab a dawg without hooks in your hand and squeeze it really hard and ask to a friend to set the hook you will be amazed to see the power that could be generate whit a hvy rod. the story of the musky that could grab a wooden lure or a rubber lure that tight that it'S hard to set the hook is real BS. it's not a pitbull i would be surprise if they can do 10 psi.(german sheppard is over 200 psi) . if their jaw would be that powerful they would been able to easily puncture 1/8 of epoxy but it's something that rarely happen,of course they will do some scratch but rarely more than that. imo bigger treble could not hurt,fish hook themselves lot of time and sometimes they bite during lil slack and you lose it .sometimes even 5 trebles would not be enough to get them.we can't catch them all.
Hahahahaha, this is the worst take I have seen in a long time. How much do the muskies you catch weigh? I ask because it isn’t as if you are setting into a creature with weak jaw pressure that weighs 200 lbs. Set hard enough and the entire fish will come at you and the bait won’t budge a millimeter. This is the first time I have EVER heard someone say they can slide a Bulldawg in a muskies mouth. Be better. |
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Posts: 489
Location: Northern Illinois | I agree. Sometimes the fish is already coming at you at the hookset and if you don't set hooks hard again, you've got nothing. Even if the bait is T-boned, it is not necessarily a done deal. |
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Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | miket55 - 9/25/2019 5:56 PM
VMS - 9/25/2019 11:03 AM
I have also replaced hooks with ones that are wide gap and a shorter shank that also have a smaller barb overall. I usually am using a round bend 7/0 or 8/0 as a replacement. I feel this can help penetration as I do feel when a fish has clamped down on a rubber lure, teeth embedded in the lure it takes more "umph" to get it moving, and having any extra bit of assistance helps.
Steve
Care to share which brand & model number?
Thanks
Hiya!!
To be honest, I don't know the model or brand. Thorne Bros has packages of them they sell (or sold at one point in time) that are short shank, round bend hooks that were I believe 7/0. The tip of the hook was rounded, the barb is smaller as well, and the coloring was definitely darker and somewhat more brownish than typical bronzed hooks like mustads.
I'll try to contact them today to find out. I looked on their website and I didn't see them there. I believe they sold them in packs of 15 or so if memory serves me correctly.
Steve |
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Posts: 2269
Location: SE, WI. | VMS - 9/26/2019 6:42 AM miket55 - 9/25/2019 5:56 PM VMS - 9/25/2019 11:03 AM I have also replaced hooks with ones that are wide gap and a shorter shank that also have a smaller barb overall. I usually am using a round bend 7/0 or 8/0 as a replacement. I feel this can help penetration as I do feel when a fish has clamped down on a rubber lure, teeth embedded in the lure it takes more "umph" to get it moving, and having any extra bit of assistance helps. Steve Care to share which brand & model number? Thanks Hiya!! To be honest, I don't know the model or brand. Thorne Bros has packages of them they sell (or sold at one point in time ) that are short shank, round bend hooks that were I believe 7/0. The tip of the hook was rounded, the barb is smaller as well, and the coloring was definitely darker and somewhat more brownish than typical bronzed hooks like mustads. I'll try to contact them today to find out. I looked on their website and I didn't see them there. I believe they sold them in packs of 15 or so if memory serves me correctly. Steve The popular hook for the Dawgs is the Plazma treble. Moores carries them!!! JD |
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Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Those look like they are the ones!!
Good call JD!! Thanks!!
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Posts: 1267
Location: E. Tenn | jdsplasher - 9/26/2019 8:07 AM
VMS - 9/26/2019 6:42 AM miket55 - 9/25/2019 5:56 PM VMS - 9/25/2019 11:03 AM I have also replaced hooks with ones that are wide gap and a shorter shank that also have a smaller barb overall. I usually am using a round bend 7/0 or 8/0 as a replacement. I feel this can help penetration as I do feel when a fish has clamped down on a rubber lure, teeth embedded in the lure it takes more "umph" to get it moving, and having any extra bit of assistance helps. Steve Care to share which brand & model number? Thanks Hiya!! To be honest, I don't know the model or brand. Thorne Bros has packages of them they sell (or sold at one point in time ) that are short shank, round bend hooks that were I believe 7/0. The tip of the hook was rounded, the barb is smaller as well, and the coloring was definitely darker and somewhat more brownish than typical bronzed hooks like mustads. I'll try to contact them today to find out. I looked on their website and I didn't see them there. I believe they sold them in packs of 15 or so if memory serves me correctly. Steve The popular hook for the Dawgs is the Plazma treble. Moores carries them!!! JD
Thanks guys! |
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| jdsplasher - 9/25/2019 12:28 PM
supertrollr - 9/25/2019 10:21 AM that's why i will never stop telling mono is true useless junk ! so funny when you ear guys that suggest a good stiff rod for noobs troller but in the same time they will told them to use mono because of the stretch it provide. i don't know for you but stretch is the enemy. best way to lose fish is to use mono Heh Superman; Fished a tournament 10 days ago. Only one guy doubled. He was using mono. How I know? It was me!!! Send me all your mono;) The stretch in the mono holds fish, and buffers the violent head shakes! This has been hashed countless times. The big rubber baits is a cause of many lost fish. The load in the Rod is what holds the fish. Use a rod that loads up well, preferably longer is better. Many good points already mentioned. Try out the Hellkats. A flatter profile, thinner bait, that I rarely loose a plastics fish. Take advice from Mr Osfar....he's a rubber master....wins many tourneys/$$$! JD
ok |
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| Cfollow - 9/25/2019 7:57 PM
supertrollr - 9/25/2019 8:38 AM
i don't believe that at all. make the test grab a dawg without hooks in your hand and squeeze it really hard and ask to a friend to set the hook you will be amazed to see the power that could be generate whit a hvy rod. the story of the musky that could grab a wooden lure or a rubber lure that tight that it'S hard to set the hook is real BS. it's not a pitbull i would be surprise if they can do 10 psi.(german sheppard is over 200 psi) . if their jaw would be that powerful they would been able to easily puncture 1/8 of epoxy but it's something that rarely happen,of course they will do some scratch but rarely more than that. imo bigger treble could not hurt,fish hook themselves lot of time and sometimes they bite during lil slack and you lose it .sometimes even 5 trebles would not be enough to get them.we can't catch them all.
Hahahahaha, this is the worst take I have seen in a long time. How much do the muskies you catch weigh? I ask because it isn’t as if you are setting into a creature with weak jaw pressure that weighs 200 lbs. Set hard enough and the entire fish will come at you and the bait won’t budge a millimeter. This is the first time I have EVER heard someone say they can slide a Bulldawg in a muskies mouth. Be better.
yes you are right |
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| First off, MN guy so yeah plenty of 50 inchers feel free to browse the BiG Fish entries if you get bored.
The reason for the shredded Bulldawg is that I was gashed during the multiple open mouth headshakes after it was hooked. It was hooked trying to spit the dawg because you presumably had a great amount of pressure on the fish when it opened its mouth. Any more questions? |
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| i no more want to play in that game. sry |
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Posts: 2327
Location: Chisholm, MN | I think you can move a pounder bulldawg in a fishes mouth. What about those figure 8 bites when you can see it happen? Seems like a myth to me. |
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| supertroller seems like a hoot, never change buddy! |
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Posts: 100
| Sorry for the late reply, this thread really blew up.
Using a Cabelas Predator Musky 8'6" XH with a Okuma Komodo 473ss (7.3:1 ratio).
Seems like a lot of these lost fish are being made to bite. When they want to eat, we catch them.When it's tough and we make them bite, it's 50/50 or sometimes 90/10 bites vs caught. |
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