I have many lures hanging on the wall that just don't seem to catch Muskie. I've fished them over and over in many different ways and still…..no action!!!! I know these lures catch fish for some, what do I have to do to these lures to make them work. Lets start with Suicks!!! How do you quys fish them, tune them and change them?????? [smilie=brickwall.gif] Queenfisher
"queenfisher" said:
I have many lures hanging on the wall that just don't seem to catch Muskie. I've fished them over and over in many different ways and still…..no action!!!! I know these lures catch fish for some, what do I have to do to these lures to make them work. Lets start with Suicks!!! How do you quys fish them, tune them and change them?????? [smilie=brickwall.gif] Queenfisher
Well, even as a newbie I know they're NEVER gonna catch anything hanging on a wall… 🙄 🙄 🙄
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Yea, I would also like some tips doctoring lures. I just don't get why these companies don't make lures that work right straight out of the box. I'ts like you gotta know some one that knows someone that does this or that to there lures. Then when you find out what it is, you have to get it just right, or you just blew 20-35 bucks. I am to scared to start messing with my baits anymore, unless I know exactly what angle to cut the lip or the tail or the exact amount of weight etc. The only way I am willing to do that is if I got some incredible deal on several of the same bait, then start tinkering untill I get it right.
To adjust my suicks I usually bend the tail flap down a little bit to give it more depth. I also will bend one side down more than the other so that the bait turns on its side at the end of the pull. They will catch fish anyway you mess with them or anyway you fish them, but people tinker with them to get the baits to what they think will catch the most fish for them. Modifications are different for different people so just mess with a couple and see what works best for you.
Lure doctoring can be addicting! We used to make our own wood lures, even some plastic ones, and lotsa blade baits…then a revelation – starting with something somebody already made en masse (and painted), and tinkering can be extremely effective, and saves a buttload of time! Now I'm almost embarrassed to say that I basically can't stand to wet a lure unless it's been properly molested, and spent a few hours floating in my fish tank. Almost every body bait has to be exactly neutrally bouyant, all backs have to be beaming white, yellow or orange, lips/heads have to be tweaked just so and some kind of rubber something is usually added.
I will say that when you first get started, TINY tweaks and a swimming pool are a must! (Or at least some real clear, still water). Then after a spell you invariably will find a real humdinger – like that grandma that alternates left and right on the twitch, kicks to the side an extra few inches, hangs in the strike zone, and belly rolls when going into the pause. Then you take THAT lure, yank off the hooks, locate the center of gravity (balance it longitudinally and laterally, see where the lines intersect), and ideally weigh it on a digital scale. In place of a $2000 scale, you can also use a postage balance, or your kitchen sink and compare the good lure's 'floatiness' (or 'sinkiness') to the next lure you're messing with. Once a dandy is identified, the real research is over, and it's just a matter of some epoxy gel, weight and something to hack away at the lips or head (I like dremel tools and wood carving exacto blades) to duplicate – or better yet minutely tweak – from there on. When hooks go on, use the same size and weight (same goes for split rings) as the chosen target lure.
As for suicks, most need weight somewhere front of middle, and a bent tail. I've seen several tail bending strategies work, but I am by no means a suick guy and have only minimal dated personal data. I know it pains the King to hear, but I have a real pet peeve against wood jerk baits…mostly because I can't stand it when they take on water and have their action change, even a little bit. Maybe I need to spend more time diligently sealing them, pre-tinkering. Of course wood has its advantage if you find one that behaves its best when it's fully saturated (this is actually pretty dang common). Then it's just a matter of a good soak prior to tossing. Talk about simple tinkering…wish I could do that with my squirrley burts – instead it can be up to 20 hours of shaving, weighting, epoxying and re-weighting before it's how I want it. The results are worth the pain though!
I was thinking, the best suicks I've seen alternate left and right and have a smooth little 'swoop' 90 degrees left (and alternatively right) after the end of each rod snap. Quite a thing of beauty actually.
I have the same pet peave that Pete has about wood jerkbaits… too many lost fish (due to teeth sinking into baits) and having them soak up water. Adding a heavy coat of Envirotex to Suicks gives some better hooking percentages, a little added weight, and can keep the water out. I would recommend using a longer rod and not giving a huge hookset on the strike. Let the rod load up a little and apply heavy pressure so you make sure the hooks will find their mark when the lure moves in the fishes mouth. I lost a lot of fish by setting the hook when the fish had nothing but wood in its teeth.
I like the weighted models and will make sure that they are neutrally bouyant for fishing slow (I do like the rising version for fishing fast though). I found that adding a little weight to the top, above the front hook hanger, will give the side to side that you are looking for. Sometimes adding Envirotex to the top and sides is all the weight that you will need to get a little glide going. If you can get one that goes up and down with slight swings to the side and hangs on the pause… look out!
I take off the rear hook to prevent bad fowl hooking and to make the center of balance go farther forward. I 'T' the two front hooks so that they lay flat on the belly of the baits. This makes the hook points stick out from the width of the body of the bait and improves hooking chances. Add a split ring to the front and you are ready to go.
I dont like Wood jerk baits either [smilie=biggrin.gif] . I like wood twitch baits that dont leak until they get so chewed up I have to recoat them. Im not a Suick fan. My wife has an obsession with regular baits that others use. I see now how the rest of you have been able to catch fish on production lures. Its like I thought ,you have to tweak them until they work. This is why I built the Little Claw and its new brother The Claw out of Oak. The wood is so hard that it doesnt give under the epoxy like Cedar and Mahogany or in the case of a suick, Pine. They are neutral bouyant right out of my shop. They dart and turn to the side in very erratic diaplays of side to side presentations while hanging right where they were left on the pause. But its a shallow running lure and if you want to get down below 2 feet its not your lure. Will and I are working on a deeper version that will get down and stay down. Not ready for sale yet. Kingfisher
I have my very own computer at work with special permission to "educate" myself and my patients on any subject at any time. HA!!!!!!! [smilie=coffee.gif] My patients find muskie fishing very interesting and we often surf the MMA site together having open discussions on slot limits for all species and muskie catching seminars including lure selection, reading the weather, lake structure, conservation and especially the proper catch and release of Muskie. I've educated some pretty important people with lots of fishing "friends" who generally don't surf the web for information r/t fishing. These guys are bored at 3am, can't sleep, and make really good students. I've already saved some huge Pike on the Muskegon River system. Queenfisher
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