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Posts: 466
Location: Pittsburgh, PA | hey guys, when youre brining in a surface bait like say a jackpot or top walker, and you have a following fish, do you put the bait under water or keep it on top in a figure 8 so its still making commotion on the surface? |
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Posts: 1
Location: downers grove, il 60516 | underwater
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Posts: 2061
Location: Belgium | it's better to go under the surface because a fish can get spooked a lot easier when it's close to the surface. I think it is more focussed on the lure it the lure in underwater. |
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Posts: 2378
| When figure eighting a jackpot subsurface what kind of action do you impart to it? I generally just throw in a few twitches like I do when eighting a jerkbait. Is this pretty much the common practice?
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Posts: 956
| Jackpots - glide around on a 8 Hawgwobblers - figure 8 like a bucktail! |
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Posts: 149
| I never figure 8 a surface lure. As it approaches the boat, I give it a small angle change about 15 feet away. Then as it gets up to the boat, I give it a 90 degree turn and simply extend the rod as far as I can reach. If anything looks out of the ordinary or I see a fish, I walk the lure around the whole perimeter of the boat until I am comfortable that nothing is there or until the fish hits. If I don't see any follow and everything looks normal after I extend the rod, I go right into my next cast.
These are techniques I learned from John Dettloff's book "Surface Bait Subtleties". His big thing is that the reason a musky keys in on a surface bait is the noise and vibration it's making. When you get the bait back to the boat, you want to keep that exact same vibration and pitch that the musky is keyed in on. So never take the bait under the surface as that disrupts the sound, and whether you do a huge figure zero, a large figure 8, or walk the lure around the boat doesn't really matter, just try to keep the exact same speed going the whole time so the sound of the lure doesn't change. Only use a slight twitch here and there or an angle change to try to entice a strike. |
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Location: Illinois-Indiana | Mike,
It all depends on what type of lure you are throwing. I agree with esoxcpr, with the jackpot I like to keep it on the surface. You can keep the bait moving by going around the front of the boat with it. A longer rod lets you start your 8 a lot sooner and lets you extend out and around the boat. If I'm working a prop top water, I will take it sub surface as they will still send off vibration and trigger a strike.
Another "KEY" technique is if you see a fish coming and it swims off as it gets to the boat, take your lure and throw it in the direction that the fish swam away in. This will often result in a strike, that hungry fish won't let the bait get away a second time.
Give it a try, it just might boost your hook ups. |
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| I am a firm believer in taking the topwater underwater. But if other fisherman on the board keep it on the surface and catch fish. This tells me it may not make a difference. Do what you have confidence in. JJ |
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Posts: 355
Location: Silver Lake, WI | I think it definitely depends on what you are throwing. Not all baits react the same way at the side of the boat. Here's my reccomendations:
Prop baits - surface - These bait styles react well to quick sudden movements at the side of the boat and figure eight on the surface well.
Creepers - surface - I like how a creeper looks on a surface eight as opposed to under the surface. You have to keep it fluent in order to maintain the action.
Globes - surface - like prop baits - they react well to surface eights.
Hawg Wobbler - underwater - This bait will have a tendency to roll over on the eight. Taking it sub-surface it looks like a crankbait.
Jackpot - underwater - You have more options sub-surface. I use the rod to impart action on it sub-surface like you would with a glide bait.
Buzz Baits - underwater - just like a bucktail.
There certainly isn't a surefire method. Sometimes they go......sometimes they don't.
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I agree with Scott. I use a Turd alot, and 8 that as far under the water as the rod allows. |
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