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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | What are some of your tips for those who do not toss Bull Dawgs enough?
I for one would like to use them more but need the confidence factor.
What is some of the tricks we should know when working the Bull Dawgs?
Colors and sizes would also be nice if you like to share info with others. |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | Mike, Kly gave a shallow dawg a great workout this past weekend. He popped 2 fish and missed 1 one other. All he did was work it almost like a suick, but it would pop up instead of down. I am definitely picking up a couple of those baits. They are easy to keep shallower than a regular sized bulldawg. I personally like the cisco, walleye, and black colors.
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Posts: 743
| #*^@, mike, sitting here on friday, i need an excuse to post on M1.com. thanks!
I throw the bulldawgs quite a bit and share a little of experieces that seem to help put a few in the net.
One thing, I only throw the Magnum dawg. To throw this bait, you need to right rod and reel. a Medium Heavy rod will NOT do it. I throw all my mag dawg with long, extra heavy rods. If you want to fish the magnum dawg shallow, then you have to have a big tuff rod and good heavy reel.
The new dawgs come w/ straight wire construction, not braided. So, if you want to fish the mag dawg shallow or on the top of weeds, you can put a slight bend in the wire(that runs thru the thick rubber body) (it will happen anyways from just casting it). with the slight slight bend, the lure will not sink as fast. it won't drop like a jig, it will "flutter or fall" much much slower. So, if you want to fish it shallow, put a slight bend it in and it will not sink as fast.
Get the right rod and reel for magnum bulldawgs. I know this is about all bulldawgs, but i dont throw the little ones, muskies of ALL sizes will take a mag dawg.
Get your bulldawgs follows to committ. You have to think about getting them to committ before you even see your follow. Muskies follow all baits, including bulldawgs. So, when you are bring it in a straight retrieve, bump it up in the water column a few feet ( 1/3 way thru your cast's lenght) with your rod and start to retrieve even faster. Get that fish to committ.
if you have the right rods and reels for magnum dawgs, they are pretty sweet glider/jerk baits. I used to be a beliver on just the straight retrieve until i got better rods and reels now i'm constanting pumping, jerking my dawgs.
WHen my boat is in more than 8 feet of water (and most time it is) and you get a follow on your bulldawg, you can just hit your free spool and let the biat sink a little. you can let out 10 feet or 4 feet, depending on what is your situation. but, w/ extra line out, you can start to jig that biat RIGHT IN FRONT of the muskie's fact. you can start to jerk it around and as it glides around the boat, you'll figure out how to "figure 8" you bulldawgn boat side w/ 8 feet of line out. it's different, but this is what i do to that has put fish in the boat for me.
i think color of the bulldawg is more important that what retrieve you give. There is all types of action you can give the bait, but right color for your lake is CRUCIAL for beings successfull bulldawg/musky fisherman. but that's where i stop!!!! you know what colors work on your lake, same applies for this big fish bait.
things to love about the dawg. 1. fish CRUSH it. it has many hooks and high hooking percentage. 2. one of the best figure 8 baiits out there, and who doesnt' like to catch them boatside?
good luck this weekend to the weekend warriors!! may the musky be whackin' your baits.
tomcat |
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | Good post Tomcat.
I like the walleye and white because thats what I have had action on.
A tip I was told is to bend the top big hook up slightly to help in hooking percentages and keep the hooks very sharp.
Oh ya, set the hook hard, very hard with Dawgs.
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Posts: 239
Location: Madison, WI | I love Bull Dawgs!! As with all soft plastic lures keep a tube of super glue handy. They rip'em up pretty good. You can extend the life of a dawg with a little super glue. Especially the hard to find or discontiunued colors!
My favorite colors are walleye and black/orange.
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Location: Athens, Ohio | One other question: I have one of the unweighted, shallow dawgs. It seems to twist or roll over during anything but a very slooooow retreive. I've tried adding a lead weight on the solid leader just above the bait, that helps a little. Any other ideas? thanks, m |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Hey Mike I have a couple things to add to Tomcats response. First, I think he fishes Indy a lot and Mag dawgs work well there. Where we are I have had better luck with the medium dogs, have caught them on the mag in the fall vertically jigging in deep water (ahd have caught then casting too) but prefer to cast the Meds in the Southern WI lakes. Black and orange, all black and walleye. A couple of dog afficianotos (yeah, can't spell!) Named Craig Eversoll and Donnie Hunt showed me one trick that brought up a LOT of muskies for me. When the bait gets close to the boat I change my rod tip from one side to the next with each little pull. The bait starts to come up in a "S" fashion, kind of side to side. Now a little wrinkle I threw in, the final move once the bait gets to the surface and you have just the right amount of line out for a fig 8. Give it a HARD rip to the opposit side of the "s" that its on. I mean hard. You know that up and over escape method that muskies HATE...well that is what you are doing. If done right the dawg literally rolls up on its side and curves over, just like an escaping fish, I have done this manuver MANY times with not a muskie in sight (I am talking clear, Eagle Lake type water) and I do this rip and WOW up they come screaming...then your all in a set motion to continue the fig 8. A great triggering move.
Give it a try!
Cory |
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Posts: 2378
| Mikie, try adding a weight to the front treble. |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Hey Mikie I have only thrown the shallow dogs a little but you may want to check to see if your thru-wire is bent badly, that could cause it to roll over...personally I like a little side to side roll and I think the wire helps this versus the older models.
Cory |
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Posts: 391
| Joel is right on, I finally found confidence in a dawg. I was working it like a suick with some long pulls that got it down if wanted, then shorter snaps to get it going a little side to side. Thing looked awesome and I could keep it from 4 feet down to the surface. The more it got chewed the better it seemed to work as long as the wire was straight. Could be curved from top to bottom but not side to side. MIKIE that is when mine would just do the aligator roll. I was using the ciscoe colored one, think I can get a few more fish out of her before serious surgery is in order.
QUESTION- when you guys do repair your dawgs with heat do you prefer to melt in another bait to fill the holes or melt together the cuts and gashes? I am worried I will lose the action I have obtained if I melt together one side or another and cause a kink or some strange dawg phenomina!
Kly |
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Posts: 202
Location: Angola, IN | I'll add a few comments here as well:
There seems to be no right or wrong way to work the ol' Bulldawg. Straight retrieve, jerks and/or pulls, jigging, trolling....they all catch muskies. In fact, if you throw the dawg enough, you'll get the occassional "fouled bulldawg"....some call it the "Dawg Ball", my brothers and I like the term "Trick Dawg". I've caught several muskies on fouled bulldawgs. The more water it pushes and rolls through the water....the better the Trick Dawg.
Fast Retrieve, slow, high, low.....just throw the dang thing and hang on. I've never lost a fish once it ate this lure.
If you are wanting to really work the lure.....Tomcat is right about having the right sticks in your boat. He's got an old school Abu 7000 Big Game and a Calcutta 700TE that makes working the Mag Dawgs a lot easier.....and you need a stout rod, like the Hughes River Lamiglass rod (6'10" I think) or something like that. |
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Mike,
I on some of my older ones with the 7-wire I used a razor blade to cut a concave dish out of the nose of the bait. Gives it a nice side to side walk...
I jerk'em, reel'em straight in, tap/twitch'em .. mix it up....
Agree with Painter on the medium size comment though... Especially on your home water where you get them on DB-4's and other small baits....
Good luck dude.. |
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Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | #1 I prefer the old dawgs (the seven strand never bent, plus the colors were better)
#2 anything with orange in it for stained water (but walleye works too)
#3 I was digging the lead out of them and melting them shut 3 years before the shallow dawg came out
#4 shallow ones roll on a medium and fast retrive, but to combat this I use the teasers (if you can rebuild a bucktail, you can make your own for a fraction of the cost) |
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | Good tips on the dawgs boys.
I raised a couple of nice muskies last night and tossed back a Bull Dawg with no responce. I will usually toss back a crank if its a deeper weed line but thought I would use a Bull Dawg this time.
I worked it very suttle the first cast and twitched it up and down the second cast.
The fish came up on a Suick so I worked it like a Suick the third cast.
Oh well, I hope my clients tonight will stick one or both tonight.
Thanks for the tips, keep them comming, if anyone has any more please post for all to see.
How about where and why you like to use them?
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | Mike, have someone throw it first tonight. Work it similar to a suick. It is awesome to see how they inhale those things.
The shallow dogs can work where ever, but the regular dawgs I find working from 8 or 9 feet and deeper works well. On a regular retrieve, you can get it down 4-6 feet. You can always let them sink more if needed.
Stick a piggy!!! |
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| Bull Dawgs are great lures, and the Shallow Dawg is the easiest to work on just a straight retrieve.
The regular sized Bull Dawgs and the Magnums should be worked in deeper water, either vertically jigged like a Fuzzy Duzzit, or straight retrieved like the Shallow Dawg or retrieved and paused.
I like white and walleye the best for Dawgs.
Also check out the Twin Fin (Walleye...I just started to use it) and the Shallow Invader (Black/Orange). The Shallow Invader can be worked as a twitch bait or straight retrieved.
You can even troll Bull Dawgs and Shallow Invaders with great success.
Experiment with every possible presentation scenario until the fish tell you what they want! 
Steve |
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | I work my dawgs the same as my cranks. A slow retrieve with rips thrown in. Almost every fish I have hit this thing has come right after the rip, and I didn't start getting fish till I did rip the bait. Like C.Painter mentioned, the rip(s) at boatside are an awesome trigger.
I fish almost exlusively with the magnum dawgs. I was told that when fishing northern WI you don't need the magnums, but I disagree. The magnums for me are the ticket.
Colors I prefer and have success with are:
All black
black/clear glitter
blue/clear glitter
For repairs I just melt the body together with a lighter. For heavier patches I will cutt chunks of plastic off old, un-repairable dawgs and fuse the plastic together.
I like the dawgs because the fish like the dawgs! For the amount of time I use these things I have an unbelievable fish reaction to them. However, unlike Tomcat I have terrible hooking success with them. Not sure if it is my erratic retrieval or what, but my hooking percentage has got to be less than 50%. I keep using them because they simply work.
It's a great bait for working:
deep, mid lake humps
suspended
milfoil edges (any weed edge for that matter)
rock points
cold front conditions
FALL!
All I can say is the fish better look out once I figure out how to keep them buggers on once I hook them!
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Posts: 236
| How about using them in dark stained mesotrophic waters? |
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