"Ethan" wrote in message
oups.com...
I watched that episode too. Pretty cool.

Does anyone know why after they made a cast and were stripping the fly
back in, they had their rod tips in the water? Was that to give the fly
the right action? I suppose I imagined the fly moving in a more or less
parallel motion to the bottom, when stripped in that manner, in stead
of it being brought to the surface?
Is this the correct assumption?

Anyway I'd never seen that technique before, any thoughts?

Muskies are known to follow a bait right up to the boat. Like other
predatory fish, they will frequently single out prey that is injured.
Dragging the lure around in a figure eight or a circle near the boat (the
only place you can do this) is intended to imitate the erratic behavior of
an injured baitfish or other critter. Noise and motion are both believed to
be effective triggers. Sticking the rod tip in the water helps to create a
bigger ruckus, so it probably helps, but it is also necessary to keep the
bait under the surface.....otherwise it would simply hydroplane on top.

Wolfgang