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| I hear everyone talking about how great of a glider the reef hawg is so I bought one at chicago. I bought one before I heard only 1 out of 5 hawgs are good! [:blackeye:] So my questoin is after testing my reef out this weekend and it was not working properly, I was wondering if there was any way to fix this bait so it would glide like a reef hawg. Any ideas or am I "screwd"? |
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| Have faith young Esox14!
Before last year I to thought that there was such a thing as a "dud" Reef Hawg.
While fishing the PMTT last year, my partner (who is a Reef Hawg nut) told me that there is not a Reef Hawg made that he could not get to work. After laughing at him for a few hour's I gave him a few to try. He could get them ALL to work. It is all in the way you twitch them. Some of them needed a softer or harder twitch. If the were really buoyant, you'll need to add some lead to the belly. If this is the case, try to get them to sink slowly tail down.
Play around a little and they all work! |
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| No way bill! [:bigsmile:] I could of swore I tried the hardest to the lightest twitch. I got all my new gliders in my box working like a charm. From the viper to the manta to the phantom. Maybe I didn't give ol' reef enough time. Thanks a lot bill. |
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| 14.........some guys will tell you to soak them to get them a little waterlogged so they glide better. I've taken the screw eye and turned it 90 degrees and I've added split rings to the nose to get better success. The truth is some will glide alot and some will glide a little. I always liked the 'walk the dog' ones that I had and didn't use the spazzy ones very much til a 42 "er hit one as it was spazzing straight forward with an occasional sideways twitch. Now I throw them all. Keep the rod tip low and keep the twitches short and sharp. They work best for me when I'm snapping the slack in the line.
Beav |
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| Have faith in the Reef Hawg my man!!! Look at fav musky photos and that is my third ever reef hawg fish!I'm hooked now). Turning the screw eye vertical will help, and not using a snap and using a split ring for attatchment will help too. All hawgs are not gliders, and most don't glide perfectly side to side9I think the perfect ones are more errattic).
Feel free to email me and we can get into a few more specifics.
[email protected] |
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| I use the split rings on my leaders like you suggested and will make the modification to change my nose 90 degrees. As far as the slack line slap how is that done? I guess I don't pay much attention when working gliders but do you get the slap when your working a manta? |
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| Hi David,
Bill's right - no such thing as a 'dud' reef hawg. I have friends that will sort through a rack of 20 Reef Hawgs looking for one that's "right." Never have figured out that they are looking for, but as near as I can tell each of them is looking for something different. I just grab the first one and don't worry about it.
Three things (IMHO) to understand about Reef Hawgs:
Point #1 is that Reef Hawgs were never meant to be pure gliders. When Tom Fudally created them, he wanted a cross between a Suick and an Eddie Bait, or in other words, a bait that both dove and swung side to side some, or in other words an erratic bait, which is exactly what most Reef Hawgs do. People that are expecting Reef Hawgs to glide side to side perfectly are asking the bait to do something it wasn't intended to do.
Which leads to point #2...
Almost all Reef Hawgs act different. The main reason - each piece of wood is a little different in density and buoyancy. Same is true of baits like Suicks but with the tune-able tail and less wood overall (minimizes differences in the particular hunk of lumber) it's less noticable. Some Reef Hawgs will glide side to side, others won't. I have some that glide like you can't believe, but I couldn't get my favorite one (which I've had for ages and have caught many fish on) to walk the dog to save my soul. The ones lots of people would call a 'dud' (one that won't glide side to side consistently) are the ones I use most often, because the erratic action is exactly what I want out of a Reef Hawg. If I want a pure glider, I'll throw a Phantom or a Jerko, or one of the Reef Hawgs that happens to glide well if you treat it right.
Which leads to point #3...
Every Reef Hawg ever made will work, and catch fish. Every one is different. Some people throw screaming fits when their Reef Hawg cracks. I throw some of mine in a bucket and hope they DO crack and soak up some water. The key is getting to know your tools - spend time with the bait to put it through its paces and see how it behaves when you try a variety of speeds, retrieves (long vs. short pulls, sharp snaps vs. gentler taps, etc.) and variations. When you geta feel for them, you'll have a lot more confidence in them. Same goes for just about any bait really. Don't want to get too Zen here, but really, just mess with it till the bait shows you what it can do, because all you need to do is find a way to work it that looks good enough to you to give you the confidence to keep throwing it. The fish will do the rest. :)
Cheers,
RK |
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| I have three, all sink tail down and glide like the best. I like that they sink because it allows you to fish every depth you like. My mate has done really great on them (I still have to catch my first fish on them but I haven't fished them that long) but all on the 6" sinking ones. He believes they should sink for optimal use.
I keep reading that when they don't glide side to side and they seem like they don't work, keep throwing them. These are the best.
If it floats, add a JB weight behind the front hook or insert a leadshot in the tail for the best gliding action.
And no, I won't trade these for anything!!!! [;)] [:bigsmile:] [:bigsmile:] [:bigsmile:] |
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| if they don't glide and you are avbout to give up on them, keep throwing them. The most irregular action is the best.
My mate believes they should make them sink all the time. These can be worked from just below the surface to deep water. He loves them. I have three tail-down sinking ones in 6" and Ilove them. I still have to catch a pike on them but I only used them for a short while when conditions were bad.
For anyone who wonders: I won't trade these for my life!!! [;)] [:bigsmile:] [:bigsmile:] [:bigsmile:] |
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| aaaaaaaaaaw darn, it happened again. that $*//! computer is so slow that I don't see when it is loading and when it isn't. Sorry! |
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| I second what RK says!!!! EXACTLY. |
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| RK hit the nail on the head.A couple keys to buying Reef Hawgs.Try and make sure the hook hangers are in line.A "rounder" head also seems most desirable.Now the big one:Make sure the "V" comes to a point. I was shown this by a Reef Hawg master on LOTW.We stood on the dock several years ago and I was amazed at what a few simple modifications could do.This individual also turned the screw eye vertical.I feel every Reef Hawg works but we as anglers must modify the bait(if needed) as well as our retreive.Muskies cannot handle a properly presented Hawg.I carry 27 6" ers and each one has a special place. Good Luck. Steve |
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| I sell Reef Hawgs with Mike(owner) at the Expo's and have been asked this same question time and time again. RK said it all. Hawgs are not, were not, and never will be a pure glide bait. They all do different things, they all have to be retreived in different ways. Make them act erratic and you will catch fish. I spend a lot of time on my dock in the Summer experimenting with baits. Work with your baits, see how they react to different presentations and you will catch fish. Adding the weight system makes the bait versatile, it can be fished deep or shallow. Hope this helps. Mike would respond himself but he is still in the cave period and doesn't have a computer.
Good luck Murph! |
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| I have some great 6 inchers but I havent ever had an 8 incher that works at all,,comes straight ahead like a torpedoe,,The cracked ones are the best and the 6 inchers you can get to crack sometimes but I havent found a way to get 8 inchers to crack,,Im thinking put it in a vise and keep tightining,,,somebody sell me an eight incher that works whatta you want |
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| Ah hah thanks everyone! Very informative posts. DO any of you guys use hawgs with pulls like a traditional suick or bobbie bait? |
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| Do any of you have any methods of cracking the wood or do you suggest i just log them with tons of water? |
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| I use pulls for greater depths and then I use short pulls to make 'em glide. Just brake up that predictable retrieve style! I have printed ouit all the previous discussions on how to fish these lures and I have gathered at least 20 retrieve styles that were suggested then. You just can't go wrong. I also like the continuous twitching retrieve. Just keep twitching it with twitches of 6" long, don't stop. For my sinking ones that makes 'em dance up and down and side to side in the same retrieve. It's all in the way you twitch them.
I have one 6" suspending one that has a cracked back (fine crack along the entire back) and it soaks up water when I fish it. It gllides better and stays longer at the same depth |
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