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What would you do ?

Okay Bass Pro's the rookie needs some suggestions on Topwater baits .. Okay so i spent 5 days on banks over the last two weeks and i missed some really nice smallies on my LC sammy ! There were two fish that i was able to catch after the miss strike by just re casting again , but there were atleast three fish that didnt seem to care about the re cast 3lb+ .. My question is that in your opinion , after the miss strike has taken place what is better . Recast again and hope for the splash or pick up a plastic like dropshot or stickbait on the recast ? Im sure this has happen to many of you before and im looking for what has been the better response to those feeding fish ????

When LMB fishing without dout i would throw a plastic back at them , but im not sure if this theory hold true to smallies !!

DEZ "The Rookie"

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tim Bartle on June 29, 2009 at 5:15pm

Dez -

Were the misses scattered throughout different days of fishing? Were the misses only associated with a certain retrieve speed?

I can't speak for smallies but I've had cases where I could catch spotted bass on topwaters left and right for a couple of days straight and then the next day they would only slap at the bait. I've rigged up a 1/8 ounce hair jig below a saltwater style popping cork to go after the fish who won't commit on the surface. I think you could rig up something similar with an existing topwater bait and use a small trailing plastic bait or a streamer fly. You need to check the WA regulations to see if you would need to remove the hooks from the topwater bait.

Another thing to think about is switching baits. The fish may be telling you that your choice is close but they might prefer something different. Go with a bigger/smaller/louder/quieter/different color walking bait or maybe a different topwater like prop-bait or a popper.

Tim

Permalink Reply by Eric DeLay on June 29, 2009 at 9:23pm

I like that for SM too Marc. If they don't get a hold of it (and I didn't freak out and set hook) then I speed it up to imitate an injured fish that is desperately trying to get away. If the fish hasn't grabbed it within 4'-6' then I kill the bait for a few seconds. I have had SM take 3-4 shots at it before they finally get a hold of it. I want to emphasize that when I say speed it up I mean as fast as I can walk it, you can't walk a bait too fast for a SM.

Marc Marcantonio said:

The most important part when fishing topwaters for smallmouth is to do the opposite as largemouths on the strike. For largemouths on a missed strike I prefer to leave the topwater in the area like it is stunned.

For smallmouths I learned to do the opposite...I keep working the lure, often even faster, when they are hitting it but not hooking up. Keep working it until they pull it under and your rod tip loads up, then set the hook. As Tag said, smallies lose interest fast; and if you stop the lure after they miss it they usually lose interest and move away.

ciao,
Marc

Permalink Reply by Josh Potter on June 29, 2009 at 9:47pm

I will third that. My PR Small Mouth came from the Columbia River last fall while pre-fishing for the NW cahmpionship. It hit a Sammy 4 times on one retrieve. Normally I would freak out and srew it up but I thought it was a rat messing with it and I just kept walking the bait. It finally ate the bait about 10 feet from the boat and by then it was hooked and I couldn't screw it up. It weighed 5lbs. 9oz. I have to say that until that occasion I would have most definitely picked up a senko and I may not have caught the fish.

Eric DeLay said:

I like that for SM too Marc. If they don't get a hold of it (and I didn't freak out and set hook) then I speed it up to imitate an injured fish that is desperately trying to get away. If the fish hasn't grabbed it within 4'-6' then I kill the bait for a few seconds. I have had SM take 3-4 shots at it before they finally get a hold of it. I want to emphasize that when I say speed it up I mean as fast as I can walk it, you can't walk a bait too fast for a SM.

Marc Marcantonio said:
The most important part when fishing topwaters for smallmouth is to do the opposite as largemouths on the strike. For largemouths on a missed strike I prefer to leave the topwater in the area like it is stunned.

For smallmouths I learned to do the opposite...I keep working the lure, often even faster, when they are hitting it but not hooking up. Keep working it until they pull it under and your rod tip loads up, then set the hook. As Tag said, smallies lose interest fast; and if you stop the lure after they miss it they usually lose interest and move away.

ciao,
Marc

Permalink Reply by BigBass Dez on June 30, 2009 at 8:27am

T dizzle , Thats kinda what my situation was out there , Those fish that i miss were good ones for banks this time of the year 3+ .. And they didnt give me the impression that they were in the chasing mood .. Now that i think back on it , i could have very easily casted on top of a bed that provoked her into the strike .. Reason i say this is because there were on three different occations that i was just able to re cast to the same spot to get bit again 2lb's, but the bigger fish didnt want anything else to do with it anymore .. Maybe had i just threw a senko back i could have got those fish .. but i didnt have one tied up , Taggy sends me mean emails if have a senko tied up prior to launching ..P.D.T.S. I only have permission to use it for skippn only !...

T Dot said:

ok answer me this...

has anyone caught a quality fish on a follow up? with more than 1 in the boat, its often easy to do, but has yet to be successful.

ive noted the smaller fish ALWAYS come back for more, and that you only get but one chance at a good one.

so with that, stick'em the first time.

Permalink Reply by BigBass Dez on June 30, 2009 at 8:35am

Thanks for the advise tim ,
But trust me when i say that i was dailed in on the top water bait and retrieve .. I out topwater fish three different boaters on three different days , and the crazy part to me is that they all threw the same thing using the same retrieve and yep they all kept getting the same 1.5-1.6 smallies ... the smallest fish i got over 5 days on top water was a 1.6 and thats because i saw the fish first and made it bite ... im talking mainly about the best re cast choice of bait that i could have used instead of simply re casting my sammy ..
Tim Bartle said:

Dez -

Were the misses scattered throughout different days of fishing? Were the misses only associated with a certain retrieve speed?

I can't speak for smallies but I've had cases where I could catch spotted bass on topwaters left and right for a couple of days straight and then the next day they would only slap at the bait. I've rigged up a 1/8 ounce hair jig below a saltwater style popping cork to go after the fish who won't commit on the surface. I think you could rig up something similar with an existing topwater bait and use a small trailing plastic bait or a streamer fly. You need to check the WA regulations to see if you would need to remove the hooks from the topwater bait.

Another thing to think about is switching baits. The fish may be telling you that your choice is close but they might prefer something different. Go with a bigger/smaller/louder/quieter/different color walking bait or maybe a different topwater like prop-bait or a popper.

Tim

Permalink Reply by Josh Potter on June 30, 2009 at 9:22am

Is a 5 plus pound SM a good one?

T Dot said:

ok answer me this...

has anyone caught a quality fish on a follow up? with more than 1 in the boat, its often easy to do, but has yet to be successful.

ive noted the smaller fish ALWAYS come back for more, and that you only get but one chance at a good one.

so with that, stick'em the first time.

Permalink Reply by S Hwang on June 30, 2009 at 9:47am