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Posts: 159
| Doing some fascinating reading today pre--cowgirl circa 2005 and before....related to favorite Musky lures--and favorite fish catching lures....Absolutely compelling reading...
Reading about favorite fish cathcing lures and not seeing Cowgirls on the list was a great reminder to me that all these classic lures of the past have been super productive and stood the test of time----Reef Hawgs, Suicks, Bobbies, Creepers, Hawg Wabblers, Top Raiders, Single blade Mepps Musky Killers, Eagle Tails, etc.....you fill in the blanks.......
But the dominating effect of twin 10s, for the last ten years is almost a freakish phenomonon....My boat included....to the point where its been hard for me to throw other baits in good conditions....
My question----Do you think the "Cowgirl" cycle is past its prime related to popularity, production, and guys using this as their go to lure.? Or will this continue and we are just at the beginning of this--
---My guess is they have already passed their prime--and the novelty for fish and fisherman will begin to wear off to the point where guys will throw "other" baits in prime conditions on their big trip of the summer--and the other baits will begin to produce again---self fulfilling prophecy---what you throw most in good conditions on good water is what you catch most fish on...
Its seems smaller single blade bucktails, showgirls, Mepps Maribues, Buchertail 700 etc.....are already becoming more popular again (whats old is new)
Along with classic Jerk baits--or newer jerbaits for that matter....and topwater for night fishing....
Has your use of Cowgirls--(twin tens) decreased in the last couple years---or is it still your best prodcuing most used lure when conditions are good? Do you feel they have already passed their prime as the dominating Musky lure? Or will this craze continue?
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | I don't think they are a fad.. they are widely accepted as a staple in the musky world. |
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Posts: 155
| Here are some stats according to Muskies Inc Lunge Log
# of fish caught
Suick 11,500
Mepps 7,955
Cowgirl 6,281
Reef Hawg 6,062
Eagle Tail 2,854
The big difference here is the Cowgirl has only been around 10 years, all the rest have been around 30+
Pretty impressive!!
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Posts: 815
Location: Waukee, IA | As a new muskie fisherman (3 years) I feel the fad has passed. They still do get used... a lot, but used as a piece of the whole picture. They have their time and place and I for one don't use them any more than needed due to them being a bugger to fish fast. I think the Lunge Log figures are skewed and dont exhibit efficacy, rather they reflect the glut of hours fished since their conception and the expansion of muskie fishing since the heyday of some of the other lures. All said, they work but are not a magic bullet. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I remember when they came out and it was sometimes just stupid how fish responded to them. I think it was something they hadn't seen before, coupled with straight-line speed, it was just successful. But I do think there's something about that resonance, or frequency, or vibe or whatever that the fish respond to on a basic biological level, so they'll always be useful. But I think the novelty for fishermen themselves isn't as strong as it used to be, or maybe just not as much hype since people have figured out how to make their own pretty easily.
I do think the blades have been responsible for the rapid increase of new muskie fishermen. It was the bait that a guy could go to Cabela's, buy a rod and reel, and two DCG's and fish all day and have a decent shot at catching a good fish. No need to know how to work a WTD, tune a pounder, rip something for hours, or control sink rate. Just cast and reel, or put it out behind the boat and troll and fish will hit the net. And of course there's technique to the blades, speed, burning, changing speed, size, etc...but my Mom (who's never seen a muskie in real life) could cast one from a dock in MN and have a shot at a 50. |
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Posts: 159
| esoxfly agree very well said....
But Im surprised not much feedback on how all the harder core guys are still using or not using the bait....
For me I want to make the resolve to try to use some other baits during good conditions this summer----but something about that bait that calls them up for sure----perhaps like no other bait ever invented......which engenders confidence---which prodcuces fish, which perpetuates the cycle---
It will be interesting to me to see if this cyle continues in my boat and others as well....
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Posts: 20212
Location: oswego, il | Maybe to be outdone by the triple ten? It's a bucktail and as long as it is the popular bucktail it will remain so. The double ten reinvented the most popolar musky bait. It will stay unail another bucktail like the triple 10 eclipses it. |
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Posts: 386
| I think it's prime time has already come and passed, but, it is one of those baits that is a staple of a musky fishermen's box. Up there with Suicks and Depthraiders. Personally, I've had more success with double 8s in the past two or three years and they're less taxing on my equipment and body. I won't be putting my 10s on eBay anytime soon though, there are those windows that for some reason they produce better than anything else. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | I'll take the ones from those who are done with the fad. |
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Posts: 246
| I caught a fish on a double 8 today. I told it that it shouldn't have bitten until I threw a double 10 and as a thank you, it gave me a full tail fin's worth of water to the face when I released it. |
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Posts: 1168
| I have an article from 1982 that discusses double 10 bucktails for pike and muskies. The gist of it was that they work but line and reels were getting destroyed by them. So they've been around more than 10 years it's just that more durable reels and the advent of superlines have made them a more practical option.
When more people are using a certain type of bait than any other type of bait the one being used the most is going to get bitten more often.
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Posts: 400
Location: Metro | I think they are a very consistent bait and will be around for a long time. I say this because as a musky fisherman I get very frustrated with a lot of the pike that bite your lures. One of the lures that I use a lot is a suik and it tends to get destroyed by not only musky but hundreds of small northern. I have noticed in most of the spots that I fish that pike unless they are very big, don't go after the dbl 10s as much.
Nobody likes getting excited about a small pike ha ha. |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | Musky952 - 6/6/2016 3:17 PM
I think they are a very consistent bait and will be around for a long time. I say this because as a musky fisherman I get very frustrated with a lot of the pike that bite your lures. One of the lures that I use a lot is a suik and it tends to get destroyed by not only musky but hundreds of small northern. I have noticed in most of the spots that I fish that pike unless they are very big, don't go after the dbl 10s as much.
Nobody likes getting excited about a small pike ha ha.
I get excited about small pike...... live bait..... |
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Posts: 705
Location: Alex or Alek? | 14ledo81 - 6/6/2016 3:21 PM
Musky952 - 6/6/2016 3:17 PM
I think they are a very consistent bait and will be around for a long time. I say this because as a musky fisherman I get very frustrated with a lot of the pike that bite your lures. One of the lures that I use a lot is a suik and it tends to get destroyed by not only musky but hundreds of small northern. I have noticed in most of the spots that I fish that pike unless they are very big, don't go after the dbl 10s as much.
Nobody likes getting excited about a small pike ha ha.
I get excited about small pike...... live bait.....
We don't have the luxury of using game fish as bait here in MN  |
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Posts: 1000
| considering that's only the cowgirl and there's another dbl10 fad that's been going strong for about 3 years, I'd say the double 10 craze is still going strong.
I use mayhems for shallow fishing and spanky's for deep. it's a tool, and a very good one at that |
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Posts: 558
| tolle141 - 6/6/2016 4:54 PM
considering that's only the cowgirl and there's another dbl10 fad that's been going strong for about 3 years, I'd say the double 10 craze is still going strong.
I use mayhems for shallow fishing and spanky's for deep. it's a tool, and a very good one at that
100% agree and if someone in your boat is not throwing a double blade of some kind at all times i think your missing out on some fish. My $.02. |
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | I think people who don't like to use dbl 10's wish they would pass on. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | Pointerpride102 - 6/5/2016 7:42 PM
I'll take the ones from those who are done with the fad.
I will too, but only if it's a Dadson. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | tkuntz - 6/3/2016 8:10 PM
As a new muskie fisherman (3 years) I feel the fad has passed. They still do get used... a lot, but used as a piece of the whole picture. They have their time and place and I for one don't use them any more than needed due to them being a bugger to fish fast. I think the Lunge Log figures are skewed and dont exhibit efficacy, rather they reflect the glut of hours fished since their conception and the expansion of muskie fishing since the heyday of some of the other lures. All said, they work but are not a magic bullet.
Disagree strongly.
There's probably a different set of rules in more urban fisheries, where fish can get conditioned a bit more. But if you take a trip up to some water like LOTW, Eagle, etc and relegate big blades to " they have their time and place" then you are probably missing out on some big fish. I have been Musky fishing for 17 years and big blades and big rubber were absolute game changers for putting big fish into the boat. |
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Posts: 815
Location: Waukee, IA | Musky Brian - 6/7/2016 8:42 AM
tkuntz - 6/3/2016 8:10 PM
As a new muskie fisherman (3 years) I feel the fad has passed. They still do get used... a lot, but used as a piece of the whole picture. They have their time and place and I for one don't use them any more than needed due to them being a bugger to fish fast. I think the Lunge Log figures are skewed and dont exhibit efficacy, rather they reflect the glut of hours fished since their conception and the expansion of muskie fishing since the heyday of some of the other lures. All said, they work but are not a magic bullet.
Disagree strongly.
There's probably a different set of rules in more urban fisheries, where fish can get conditioned a bit more. But if you take a trip up to some water like LOTW, Eagle, etc and relegate big blades to " they have their time and place" then you are probably missing out on some big fish. I have been Musky fishing for 17 years and big blades and big rubber were absolute game changers for putting big fish into the boat.
Wow, your assumptions about where I have fished are only slightly less accurate than your reductive reasoning about big fish. Have you ever delved into politics? |
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Location: Contrarian Island | double 10s, 9s, 8s etc are all the same to me, ie, anything w a double blade is in that category.... and no way in heck have they passed their prime... imo they never will...as others have said, they are so good I have come to believe they should be in the water by at least 1 angler 95% of the time... at times I love to hate them but the big fish they produce can't be argued .... |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | they aren't a bugger to fish fast if you have the tools to do it ...
agree, would add that the ones that have a wobble or a tick are even better than the good ones ...
2 man team, twin blades and either a body bait or rubber in combination are a capable combination proven over and over again. in the smallie game i would add what the shadow rap has done for production. some baits come along and just simply appeal to what the fish need to come out. |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | I don't think it's a fad and I don't think it will pass.
I AM a person that's DOESN'T fish double blades the majority of the time, BUT my two biggest fish came on double 10's, and a couple others in the top for me have been on blades of some sort. It's hard to argue their effectiveness if the fish are in a depth where they can be targeted by double blades. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | Sled when was your last double blade fish like 2013? you smallie lover you....  |
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Posts: 897
| tkuntz - 6/7/2016 9:46 AM
Musky Brian - 6/7/2016 8:42 AM
tkuntz - 6/3/2016 8:10 PM
As a new muskie fisherman (3 years) I feel the fad has passed. They still do get used... a lot, but used as a piece of the whole picture. They have their time and place and I for one don't use them any more than needed due to them being a bugger to fish fast. I think the Lunge Log figures are skewed and dont exhibit efficacy, rather they reflect the glut of hours fished since their conception and the expansion of muskie fishing since the heyday of some of the other lures. All said, they work but are not a magic bullet.
Disagree strongly.
There's probably a different set of rules in more urban fisheries, where fish can get conditioned a bit more. But if you take a trip up to some water like LOTW, Eagle, etc and relegate big blades to " they have their time and place" then you are probably missing out on some big fish. I have been Musky fishing for 17 years and big blades and big rubber were absolute game changers for putting big fish into the boat.
Wow, your assumptions about where I have fished are only slightly less accurate than your reductive reasoning about big fish. Have you ever delved into politics?
Easy dude, you're misreading something there. I'm with Brian for the most part. There are times when other lures work better, but in my boat there is always a double bladed bucktail going in front to start the day/trip. I've been fishing muskies for 17 years, double 8's 9's and 10's are a tool that deserve to be used a lot. There will always be other lures that work but there is no doubting the continued effectiveness of big blades. |
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Posts: 1937
Location: Black Creek, WI | I feel that double 10's are past their prime, as a big part of their success was due to the "self fulfilling prophecy". I believe it is now just another bucktail. Bucktails, however, will remain a staple item for all musky fisherman. Bucktails are my #1 favorite lure and see the most playing time than any other lure by me. Do I grab a Double 10 first anymore? Nope. 10's are part of a lure progression for me... but not where I start. My opinion, of course. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | JLong, I 100% disagree...there are soooo many nights in league with 19 teams of 2 that the only fish that get caught are on 10s... even when a high % of the boats are NOT throwing them what bait still gets bit... I do believe in the SFP theory but not with double blades... put boat A on LOTW with double blades at peak season, and boat B on the same lake, same water without double 10s ... Boat A with the same skill level of anglers will imo always get more hits.. and that is what we are after, hits... doubles trigger fish to move on baits way more than single blades....same cast, with both a single and double the double will get more fish to move/hit ...
no other bait that I know of triggers fish like they do...that is not SFP that is simply from spending 400+ hrs on the water year in and year out....to see the power they have. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | tkuntz - 6/7/2016 9:46 AM
Musky Brian - 6/7/2016 8:42 AM
tkuntz - 6/3/2016 8:10 PM
As a new muskie fisherman (3 years) I feel the fad has passed. They still do get used... a lot, but used as a piece of the whole picture. They have their time and place and I for one don't use them any more than needed due to them being a bugger to fish fast. I think the Lunge Log figures are skewed and dont exhibit efficacy, rather they reflect the glut of hours fished since their conception and the expansion of muskie fishing since the heyday of some of the other lures. All said, they work but are not a magic bullet.
Disagree strongly.
There's probably a different set of rules in more urban fisheries, where fish can get conditioned a bit more. But if you take a trip up to some water like LOTW, Eagle, etc and relegate big blades to " they have their time and place" then you are probably missing out on some big fish. I have been Musky fishing for 17 years and big blades and big rubber were absolute game changers for putting big fish into the boat.
Wow, your assumptions about where I have fished are only slightly less accurate than your reductive reasoning about big fish. Have you ever delved into politics?
I'd wager to guess you have never seen the power of big blades when the bite is really on....or how often they can take you from zero to hero in comparison to a lot of other baits.
You pretty much already said you don't have the right equipment to effectively fish them so I'm not quite sure why you even feel the need to speak on the matter....
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | BNelson - 6/7/2016 12:35 PM
JLong, I 100% disagree...there are soooo many nights in league with 19 teams of 2 that the only fish that get caught are on 10s... even when a high % of the boats are NOT throwing them what bait still gets bit... I do believe in the SFP theory but not with double blades... put boat A on LOTW with double blades at peak season, and boat B on the same lake, same water without double 10s ... Boat A with the same skill level of anglers will imo always get more hits.. and that is what we are after, hits... doubles trigger fish to move on baits way more than single blades....same cast, with both a single and double the double will get more fish to move/hit ...
Agree 100% with this /\ |
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Posts: 815
Location: Waukee, IA | I didn't say I don't have the equipment, another assumption. I said I prefer not to, but use them as the tool that they are. I pulled 10's almost all day Saturday after it warmed up because I felt they were the right tool for the job at the time. I hit a cold front on LOTW last year (a lake YOU ASSUMED I had never been to) and 10's failed miserably. Yes I used them, in fact, they were my first choice, but after not seeing a fish pulling 10's I wisely switched to something else. Thus me saying originally that they aren't a magic bullet but a part of the whole scheme. I mean no disrespect, I just think assumptions make fools of us both.
As far as efficacy, it's really hard to argue for or against when 50% of fishing hours across the muskie range are spent pulling cowgirls. Of course they will catch fish, they get the most use by 10X the next closest bait. |
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