Interesting observations

I've always wondered how many bites I never detected, and even thought about
the size of the fish... it's very interesting.

When I fish a Fluke, I usually keep it in view so I can see the fish take
the bait. Very seldom do I ever feel anything with any floating plastic, so
being able to see it is critical to me. Smallmouths can be tricky anyway.
Either they'll slam the bait, or just do the inhale/exhale thing and unless
you watch your line, you'll never feel anything.


"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..
Hey all,

Just had some observations from a Canada trip a couple years ago. A friend
and I were fishing a small lake that was gin clear. Just packed full of
smallmouth. Plus this lake had a slot limit , so we caught and released
over 80 smallies in one day between 14-17". Now that is not what this
post
is about. I just wanted to share some observations I had while catching
these fish. I started using a zoom super fluke. I could watch smallies
inhale and exhale my bait without my line even twitch. I saw this happen
easily over a dozen times. It was interesting, because I feel I pay
pretty
close attention to my line , and feel of the bait, and do not have a lot
of
slack. I couldn't believe how fast they could hammer the bait and exhale
it
without me even feeling it at all.
I also decided to pull out my fly rod and throw #8 Teeny Nymphs for
smallies, and they really bit well on those, but same thing, fish would
inhale and exhale without so much as make my line twitch. It was pretty
crazy, and made me think of all those dirty water tournaments that I
fished
a fluke in , and the possibility of fish spitting my lure without it ever
even registering.
Just thought I would share.

Chris

Charles wrote: "and unless you watch your line, you'll never feel anything."

To add to Charles's instruction for newbies:

Watching that line means a whole lot more than looking for side movement.
It's knowing how your line looks as the lure is sinking and what it looks
like at rest, or more importantly, as it comes to rest. So that if you are
in 12' and your lure comes to rest at 10-feet (assuming you know your lure's
fall rate), that you need to make a very quick weight check & hopefully a
hook set.

Flukes and other soft jerkbaits are very difficult to do this with, because
they are designed to drift in different directions at varying speeds. Which
is the reason why they are more of a sight bait - meaning you fish them at
depths where you can see the lure and the strike. Otherwise, be prepared to
make a number of false hook-sets, and it is always better to set the hook
into nothing, than miss a fish.

I remember setting the hook every time I felt a tap, thud, or weight until I
learned the difference between what was cover & structure and what was a
strike. Hell, I still can't always tell the difference and set the hook
when in doubt.


--
Craig Baugher (Bower)

This story reminds me of the Bigmouth video series when Glen Lau films a
large bass inhale Uncle Homer's crankbait and spit it out and he never feels
a thing.
Charles,if you are not letting your Fluke,trick worm or whatever fall
through the water column a bit you are missing out on some bites.I catch a
lot more fish when that bait is 3 ft. down and deeper than when I can see
it.

Only time that I can fish a Fluke out of site is weighted. A little nail
weight in the nose makes the bait fall a little faster, and the fish seem to
hit it a little harder. (me thinks anyway)

"BassMr." wrote in message
ink.net...
This story reminds me of the Bigmouth video series when Glen Lau films a
large bass inhale Uncle Homer's crankbait and spit it out and he never
feels
a thing.
Charles,if you are not letting your Fluke,trick worm or whatever fall
through the water column a bit you are missing out on some bites.I catch a
lot more fish when that bait is 3 ft. down and deeper than when I can see
it.

Try using part of a suspend strip on the hook shank in different size pieces
to make it fall flatter depending on the rate you want it to fall.It looks
more natural that way. (me thinks anyway)

I can see someone wanting a senko to fall flat, but is it not the erratic
action of the fluke and other soft jerks that draw more strikes? The slight
spiral, nose dive, turn-up, backward tail dive, etc., that gives it the look
of dying prey.

I personally twitch them, pause (where during the pause they may suspend and
then do a nose or tail dive or they may glide in a spiral, etc.) My
favorite is Mann's Shadow Minnow (pearl white/black back) using a 4/0 hook,
20-pound mono or Fluorocarbon in clearer water, and a 6'6" medium, fast
rod. Rarely to I let them sink deeper than 9-feet, even in gin clear water.
Typically I work them just above the weeds and may let them settle just into
the seed tops before I twitch it into action.

--
Craig Baugher