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Location: Contrarian Island | So the last 3 evenings I've been out chasin some ski's...I've had at least 8 fish up 42" and Bigger..all have lazily followed everthing I have thrown at them, some numerous times with different baits......I've had them look at Triple D's twitched and cranked erratically, Hughes rivers, Mag Dawgs, Medium Shallow Dawgs, Big Joes, Spinnerbaits, Bucktails, TopRaiders, even Baby Depthraiders twitched and they just follow, and look, I've tried J-Mac jigs, Grandmas, and even the WEAGLE..those didn't even bring a response! So it's post turnover, temps around 55-56...What else can I try to trigger these fat girls...or is it just a case I have to wait for a weather change to get them going? They must be eating something!
Thanks in advance! |
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| Come back under prime conditions, and work those fine baits again. Also try a Fuzzy Duzzit if you know right where the fish is. Soak a sucker on top of that spot as well. Magnum Bull Dawgs, Delong Killer Eels, Tiger Tubes, Shallow Invaders, and Big Game Twitch Baits are some other lures I would toss in that situation. |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | MEAT!! |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I have had meat out as well..they look at it..or I've had 2 instances where something took it for a few seconds then dropped it..another guy is having the same thing happen....I even downsized my sucker to about 9" thinking maybe they wanted a smaller one....nope!
They have lockjaw! |
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | Not sure how you are working your mag dawgs, but give them rips during the retrieve if your not already. I fish my dawgs quite erratically, and have had pretty good results. Don't just give the dawg a pull, but a jerk.
Good luck at triggering those fish.
Edited by CiscoKid 10/21/2004 7:19 AM
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Posts: 135
Location: Elgin, IL | Experienced the exact same thing a few weeks ago in MN. Saw lots of fish, but no takers. Threw everything at them. We ended up fishing the same spots about an hour after sunset and caught two within 15 minutes of each other on big spinnerbaits. Different fish? Maybe. But they were definitely eating for a short period. Conditions would be less than optimal this time of year (for the fisherman), but if you can get out after dark, give that a shot.
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Posts: 1938
Location: Black Creek, WI | Sometimes there is just nothing you can do. Stomp your feet. Curse a little louder. Switch baits faster. Helps... but doesn't get the job done. If your lake truly did just turn.... you may just need to wait for things to settle down... and possible even cool off a little bit more. But, who has time to wait... so I'd just hang the suckers and start rippin' the snot out of your lures followed by some hang time... in hopes of triggering a reaction strike BEFORE they are ready.
Another thing to try is to locate some OTHER fish in different locations (deeper or shallower) that might have a little different attitude. It will at least help you kill some time while you wait for those you already located to "turn on".
Good Luck and enjoy the CHALLENGE.
jlong |
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Posts: 333
Location: menasha wi 54952 | All GREAT ideas. Another thing to try would be to make a few trolling passes at different speeds and see if any of them react!!!
Good luck!!!! I hope you are on em when they really turn on.
MR |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | mreiter, that is a great idea. I almost forgot about that. Definitely try that Brad. Last year, I was having the same problem. Lots of follows, few hits. You know where they are, so just keep the baits in their faces and they will eat.
Edited by tuffy1 10/21/2004 9:15 AM
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Posts: 100
Location: Blaine, MN 55449 | Speed! and Top Water!!!!!  |
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| MSKY HNR - 10/20/2004 9:58 PM
So the last 3 evenings I've been out chasin some ski's...I've had at least 8 fish up 42" and Bigger..all have lazily followed everthing I have thrown at them, some numerous times with different baits......I've had them look at Triple D's twitched and cranked erratically, Hughes rivers, Mag Dawgs, Medium Shallow Dawgs, Big Joes, Spinnerbaits, Bucktails, TopRaiders, even Baby Depthraiders twitched and they just follow, and look, I've tried J-Mac jigs, Grandmas, and even the WEAGLE..those didn't even bring a response! So it's post turnover, temps around 55-56...What else can I try to trigger these fat girls...or is it just a case I have to wait for a weather change to get them going?
They must be eating something!
Thanks in advance!
You are wrong thinking this a little. You are missing your key piece for your attack.
It is simply, THEY MUST BE EATING SOMETIME!
When they are actually feeding they will be more general in their acceptance of a decent bait, well worked. The more time on the water the more chance your offering will intercept their feeding time. Stay on good spots, throwing good baits you know how to work, and eventually you will score big. Dusk is still a great time to catch fish, even in cold water. Be there even if it stretches your manliness to do it. Worth the effort. When they feed it will be the result of weather influences or light influences almost every time. In cold water, cold front despair, you still have that 20-30 minute window at dusk to make a bad day into a good one. Use it, maybe you have been already, keep pounding it and remain optimistic.
I would suggest one other approach to these fish that MIGHT work if you know the fish location pretty concisely. Get your bait really close and contact either the bottom or the weeds in their face. That can overload neutral fish more than any other trigger, imo. |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | Next time you head out, holler, I'll put a call into my old 2nd Grade Teacher, Sister Anna Marie, she beat the lazy out of me, I'm sure she can take on any deadbeat musky! |
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Location: Contrarian Island | All good points guys...I have tried topwaters to no avail, (sp?), I have tried speed..trust me,,,I have tried it all...Trolling where they have been showing themselves would be difficult at best...I have tried dusk and even stayed out the last 3 nites until 7:20 pm..last nite I thought I had one ..but it turned out I snagged a 25 lb carp..crap!
After going thru my library of Esox Anglers and MH's last nite..I have come up with a few ideas...I might work the structure casting out and retrieving in rather than the norm, in, retreiving out...erratic twitches, pauses etc is the only thing that seemingly has been getting them 1/2 fired up as I did get a small one last nite doing that..and I did have a 47" or so , come up and "mouth" my bait on the pause..gets your heart going when they do that! There is a front coming tomorrow with possible T-Storms I am going to try and be out there for! thanks for all the advice/suggestions! I'll be sure to post a pic if I nail one of these fatties! |
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Posts: 699
Location: Hugo, MN | I would recommend a small #*#*zhu or maybe a kitten? |
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Posts: 146
Location: Wayzata, MN | Yeah, now you're talk'n... rig a floating collar for Fluffy ;}
Cast..... jerk, jerk [yelp]....jerk [yelp].............jerk, jerk,jerk.... [yelp]..... pause...... jerk, twitch, [YELP] jerk....
Could work, match the hatch, die your dog!...
"Honey, don't trim the dog this week...." (snicker)....
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| I often gone thru spells with the same thing - follow-follow-follow, usually beacsue there's some I'm doing to encourge a follow. It seems to me that if you are getting follows with all those different techniques, then it would seem the fish are interested enough that some might eat. I'd get real agressive with manuevers just before the bait reaches the boat. I like to twitch a crank then rip it when it gets 10-15' from the boat - no pauses - right into a big circle. Sometimes they are following so far behind that the bait is on the outward side of the circle by the time you see them and the bait is in agood position to zip right in front of thier face. With this technique I don't get follows - they will either chase it down and eat it, or I don't see anything, but I'm not looking for follows - I want a strike.
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Posts: 723
| have you tried any topwater? I have had some days when a slowmoving fast action bait(creeper hawg wobbler or jackpot) has turned some lazies into crazies
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Posts: 216
Location: Belleville, WI | "but it turned out I snagged a 25 lb carp..crap!"
Speaking of carp, they seem to be all over the spots I like to fish on Monona. Is this a sign that I should move, or should I continue to fish these spots?
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