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Posts: 305
Location: Illinois | Board name: husky jerk, which is pretty fitting since I am husky and when it comes to the figure 8 I am a jerk. Once upon a time I was a pretty decent figure 8 fisherman. I have a huge glitch in my figure 8 that I can't seem to overcome. When I get a late follow, my knees buckle in some sort of spasmic attempt to get a deep figure 8. The motion is so herky jerky, muskies, pike, bluegills, and golden shiners flee like gangbusters. I have a sense of humor about it but it really is a problem. Has anyone ever had this problem and if so how did you overcome? I have repeated to myself.smooth 8, smooth 8, smooth 8 and when it comes to game on....knees buckle. I would equate it to the yips in golf or a pitcher that suddenly loses the strike zone.Help me. |
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Posts: 7119
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | try a big smooth circle. fish seem to be ale to folow the corners bett and its more relaxing |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | Try not doing a "deep" figure eight, keep your lure at the depth it is at when it comes in. I have seen several times people sticking the rod way down into the water when there is no need to.
Keep about 18 inches of line out, and go into the eight!
Try not going so deep and see if that helps.
Mike Hulbert
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Posts: 240
| I second Mike H's post. Also don't be afread of speeding up on the figure eight. I have seen this work many times. The fish thinks the bait (prey) is getting away and slams it.
Cory |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I agree with Slamr on the circle technique, I have been using it for the last few seasons. |
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| I have found that eratic figure eights or j's trigger more strikes, and my biggest fish on a figure 8 came on the third one each worked progressively deeper until she couldn't resist. She is the 43" in my picture book! |
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Posts: 294
Location: Suspended | Good suggestions so far. If you still feel the need for depth and all else fails try kneeling down on one knee before you start the 8, can't buckle then. |
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| Actually, Web, I used to go to one knee but I was spooking fish. I am 6-3 and 235 and it isn't easy for me to be discreet. Great info guys. I think my zest to get deeper has made me a spooker. I will try the circle next year and I am happy and surprised to see that many good sticks (yep, that's you guys who have responded) don't feel the need for extra depth. Web, your suggestion might have actually made me figure out that the knee buckle is me stopping myself from taking the knee. Thanks guys. |
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Posts: 93
Location: Waukesha, WI. | I do some thing that I don't see many do. I use the boat, when the bait comes to the side of the boat I turn and follow the side of the boat out and around the front. Once on the other side I make as big of a turn as I can and come back around the boat. I Have a bad back and am 6'2" 240 I can't do a good 8 so this works for me. The fish will tuck under the boat so be ready it will fire out and smack!!! I love fishing |
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Posts: 1023
Location: Lafayette, IN | A great suggestion I heard (and agree with) is use the long rods (7 1/2' or longer) on baits that you typically figure 8 with. It's much easier to complete a smooth 8 when you don't have to reach out so much. I used a borrowed 8 footer this season and loved the difference. I will be buying one this winter for myself. |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | Another thing to consider Husky, is not to move too much when you see the fish. They see and hear what you are doing/saying, and that can spook them as well. Long rods ROCK for figure 8's!
Good Lungen,
Joel |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | About the moving and spooking muskies....
I had been working on my fig 8 a lot but wasn't having the greatest success because I would wait till the fish got near the boat to drop down and do a shallow or deep fig 8, typically a deep one. I think I too was spooking fish.
However, this summer a mighty fine muskie fisherman named Don Hunt got me thinking about getting involved in the 8 sooner rather than later. Up on Eagle you typcally see them coming a mile away. Donnie suggested to get the rod down into the water as soon as you see them pop up behind the fish. Do this in a smooth motion. What this does is SLOWLY starts to drive the bait deeper, taking the following muskie deeper, his eyes go more towards looking at a downward angle as he angles down after the bait...and not looking up at your ugly puss.
THink about it, going deep is good, changing depths is good. But going deep fast, say with 18" of line out, sometimes causes the fish to loose the bait. And typically going deep fast is what a lot of us do when we go OH SH*T theres one!
Then as the fish is going deep and coming you make the turn, here I bring the bait up and into a high corner. Then if it doesn't eat it here (Had a 44 inch eat right here shortly after Donnie showed me the light) I bring it back down deep as it comes around and back towards the boat, again getting those eyes looking down and not up. then again going back out into the next turn I go high again and here is where I have really turned on the speed...I figure if the fish is going through a turn and a half the speed will get her tripped. I have seen this work many times for myself now and for others.
The other comments above are good ones though for those late comers that catch you with your pants down. Little movement until you get them turned and then going out away from the boat. THEN you can kneel down and take them deep as they make the outside corner coming back. I also like the round the front of the boat move, never used it but may this next year.
Another tip that I tried this year and it paid off twice on fish that were going round and round is the pause. I have done the speed high in the corners then dive deep then back up high and fast in the corners, round and round we go. What I have had work, especially with like a triple D or other Crank/twitchbait is to go high and VERY fast into the corner then pause at the top. Twice this year for me the fish have eaten here, one was a 42 that went round EIGHT full figure 8's on a triple D.
Give it a try!
Cory
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Posts: 4266
| When my wife first started muskie fishing I told her to make sure and keep the lure moving if she had a follow. Well a half hour later, I hear..."Fish,fish......nice fish." Followed by a dead stop in the retrieve when the leader hit the rod tip.
I told her again...."You have keep the lure moving."
Not 10 minutes later she gets another fish coming in, and this one is mid 40's and pretty hot.
"Fish....fish...big fish....
"Keep the rod tip down and keep the lure moving." I told her.
Well, she kept it moving alright. She stuck the rod tip in the water and walked down the side of the boat. If she hadn't hit the motor, she would have walked right in to the lake.
Now that's what I call a flaw in your figure eighting.
Beav |
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Posts: 305
Location: Illinois | Thanks again guys. I am sure you can imagine how frustrating it is to work so hard, put yourself in the right spot with the right presentation, and blow it do to hacking a figure 8. Great comments, great site. I will definitely use this advice. If you see a big guy in a green navigator doing a figure 8 like a robot stop by and say hi. Seriously, I will definitely try to start early, go with a wide circle and limit my movement. Think my knees will buckle? |
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