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Posts: 371
Location: Northern Illinois | I realize that seasons and conditions can influence this, so maybe specify find that if it influences it, but what is your most productive bucktail speed?
6 burning
5 fast
4 medium-to-fast
3 medium
2 slow-to-medium
1 slow
Edited by mm3 8/3/2022 6:47 PM
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Posts: 32
| For me, this time of year it starts at 6 unless conditions dictate slowing down and/or running deeper to give the fish a closer or longer look. The slowest is about a 3. Below that I am switching baits instead of slowing down any more. |
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Posts: 156
Location: Alexandria, MN | right now - 4 or 5.... accelerate if I get a follow. 3 when the temps drop to low 60's or below. |
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Posts: 20179
Location: oswego, il | The whole point for me to throw a bucktail is to cover water mach speed otherwise I'm throwing something else. |
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Posts: 523
| Depends on the bait I'm throwing. Smaller stuff I reel at 5 or 6 almost exclusively. Super Models I run a lot slower, especially after dark...somewhere in the 2 to 4 range at max. |
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Posts: 8719
| That's really depends on conditions. Cold front, high pressure, bright East wind kind of days I've had some luck slow rolling weighted double 10's, just enough speed to keep the blades turning. Early spring and late fall a slower presentation is in order as well. Mid summer I fish them as fast as I can without the blades blowing out of the water unless I'm working over and around stuff that requires a varying speed. I guess I'd say 4-5 until a fish shows up and then it's bat outta hell going into that first turn and alongside the boat. Like Todd mentioned though - If you have to fish them slower there's probably a better bait choice than blades IMO. |
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Posts: 3776
| There's a speed below "slow". If you roll/snap the line back at a Hirsh's Original Ghosttail (100 Series) and then give it slack it will dive with the blade still lop lopping around. Perfect way to stick the bait into the face of a low, lazy follow. |
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Posts: 371
Location: Northern Illinois | I have had success with a fast retrieve to keep the lure high over cabbage and then slowing down to drop into open pockets. It can get hit when it drops down into the open pockets.
I also notice when bass fishing with a mepps #3, which I have well over a 100 fish on - so lots of data, that there seems to be a speed that produces the most vibration (like medium slow) that gets bit the most. It might be the combination of speed and vibration though. I was wondering if any of you have experienced this with muskie. |
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Posts: 2277
Location: Chisholm, MN | 4 in the summer for me but just increase speed as it gets to the boat. I think slower moving big blades draw out bigger fish sometimes. |
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Posts: 408
Location: MN | 2-3 for me, but note
- My time of day productivity is ranked twilight > night > day and I spend a lot of time on the first two. During day, I generally retrieve as fast as I can sustain physically with a slow and medium retrieves mixed in.
- I use bigger bucktails, 12s probably 75% of the time, nothing smaller than jr cowgirl size. |
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Posts: 479
Location: Northern Illinois | mm3 - 8/9/2022 6:30 AM
I have had success with a fast retrieve to keep the lure high over cabbage and then slowing down to drop into open pockets. It can get hit when it drops down into the open pockets.
I also notice when bass fishing with a mepps #3, which I have well over a 100 fish on - so lots of data, that there seems to be a speed that produces the most vibration (like medium slow) that gets bit the most. It might be the combination of speed and vibration though. I was wondering if any of you have experienced this with muskie.
Two of my favorite spinnerbaits have a definite "sweet spot" speed that produces the magic vibration. |
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Posts: 1202
Location: E. Tenn | In Northern WI, more muskies have been caught on Mepps Musky Killers, Comets, #5s, and #4s than any tackle shop would admit..
Having enjoyed more than my share of success with these, and still do when things are slow, there seems to be a speed where you can feel just the right vibe through the rod blank.
My first keeper was a 41", back when anything over 30' was bonked and eaten (It was the last one kept as well). I was mindlessly throwing a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait, on a 5-1/2' rod and one of the original Diawa Magforce reels, from shallow to deep, and had one of those "WTF" moments. The retrieve speed was for the maximum "thump", on that #5 blade.
Edited by miket55 8/9/2022 10:03 PM
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Posts: 1186
| miket55 - 8/9/2022 9:51 PM
In Northern WI, more muskies have been caught on Mepps Musky Killers, Comets, #5s, and #4s than any tackle shop would admit..
Having enjoyed more than my share of success with these, and still do when things are slow, there seems to be a speed where you can feel just the right vibe through the rod blank.
A lot of us who caught our first Muskie in the 1970's was on a Mepps Musky Killer or Giant Killer. I remember bring my in at a pretty good clip (so I thought) Abu/Garcia 5000 with a 3 to1 gear ratio and a narrow spool. As far as what I do now Slow in the spring, on the slow side in Wisconsin for big fish in summer, or burn in fast over the bare sand when nothing else is working trying to get a reaction strike. Also in summer I like to grind a spinnerbait thru the weeds. In the fall count down a spinnerbait along the bottom. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I would disagree with ToddM on the point of a bucktail. Yes, it does cover water fast and efficiently but slow rolling is nothing new and something that many were doing long ago with bucktails and many of the biggest fish in my boat have been slow rolling blades.. I prefer either burning to cover water running the boat fairly fast, or slow rolling once you have some pinpointed. I don't do much in the middle. It's either burn em, or slowwwwww. Anyone not slow rollling them is missing out , at times it is deadly.
Edited by BNelson 8/17/2022 10:50 AM
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Posts: 1186
| Put ball bearing swivel on your single blade spinnerbait. |
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Posts: 711
| Ummm...the speed they want it at. Everything else is personal preference. Personal preference can work but is rarely the best answer. |
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Posts: 452
| I run bucktail type baits usually either bulging the surface over weeds or down where they just start to become invisible to me. Water clarity, type of blades and weight will dictate what speed that would be. I will keep adjusting until the fish show a preference. |
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