Favorite Method for catching…

OK, lets assume that you can catch fish no matter what method you try…it is one of those perfect days..what do you chose?

For me-either cranks or rigging gets the nod. It is tough to beat that aggressive hit where they just rip the rod out of your hand on a crank. Once trolling downriver on Pool 2 I had a 38″ cat hit my crank and immediately start running upriver. Talk about an arm jerker.

Lindy rigs are so fun because you really get to play the fish. More finesse-you feel that first bite, do you give it a little or a lot or time, then you take out some slack-does he have it or not? Is the fish solid on the other end of the line? During the wait you are thinking…did it bite like a little perch or a nicer fish, then WHAM-you give set the hook and know. The other fun part is watching inexperience fisherman trying to learn to catch fish on rigs.

So what methods does everyone else like? What is the favorite? How about least favorite? Hey ECNOOK-what is it the feeling of getting fish handling?

Favorite? Pitching a 1/8th ounce jighead on a calm morning to shallow water and feeling that “whuump” and setting the hook…. followed by a couple powerful and LONG headshakes!! Hands down…

Least favorite? I guess I kinda like catching fish however I can catch them but I’ve not enjoyed handling too much or vertical jigging. But either way is MUCH better than a sharp stick in the eye any day.

I am with James on this one with the light jigs in real shallow water. What more could a guy say when you feel that “THUNK”.Second would be slow rolling pitched cranks on the wingdams and third would be open water board trolling for big eyes….something about watching that board getting dunked has a facination with me, I guess kind of like watching a bobber go down as a kid?

All in all, whatever is working for the day seems to get the nod for me, but light + shallow ==== big grin.

I’d have to say exactly what Mr. Holst said . Slipping Quietly on too a shallow sand flat in low light conditions and pitching small jigs.Theres nothing that beats the way they slam those little jigs.I dont mind casting hours on end for just one big girl! In my eyes its worth it! Its only my favorite because I have had LOTS of sucess doing this!
Least favorite would probably be probably trolling, Even though I do it a lot because i’ve got a lot of confidence with it!

DeeZee

The winter lay-off had removed casting cranks on dams for eyes from my memory. It’s not the equal of pitching the jigs but it sure is cool to be INCHING that crank along the face of a dam and have a walleye about rip the rod out of your hands! And then they turn sideways in the current and a 20″ fish feels like a 6 Lb’er.

Just thinking about it makes me smile big!

In consideration for Mr. Holst, I’ll put my sticks away so there won’t be any accidents!

Being a toothy critter chaser, I personally have to say my favorite way to catch ANY fish is topwater. Panfish are a lot of fun this way, as are bass, but to me nothing beats the agression of a pike or muskie as it explodes the surface to inhale your presentation! I haven’t seen this technique too successful for walleye or cats, but no matter the fish, my favorite experience in catching them is topwater action! Doesn’t work good with ice though.

Is it May yet??????

My #1 favorite way to fish is on a lake , on a absolutey calm night, anchored off a mid-lake hump in early June, the cabbage is only 3-4′ high. Cast out a 1/32 oz. jig under a lighted slip bobber. Crack open a cold one and gaze off into the stars.

My #2 way is, handlining in the spring with a sharp stick sticking out of my eye

LMAO

this line of inquiry is always a good one for winter (or summer) doldrums…. funny how you really see the different strokes for different folks get flashed here…. my new thing this year has to be trying the casting shallow for eyes… its something Ive done very little with.. but I know there are times it works wonders…. so Ive done more vertical jiggin than any other thing… and Ive been successful with it and had a lot of fun… so thats still my #1… but I really DO love to cast its always been my favorite… Ive just never really combined it with fishing eyes…. except in my early days fishing clear lake Iowa… I caught TONS of eyes wading and casting… mostly at night… but even during the day…..

Hey Dave, BFD and I have often discussed trying that sharp stick thing on the Big D

Good topic…for me…SPOONPLUGING!! My biggest smallie, an honest 23″, was caught kickin’ butt speed trolling up stream pulling a #250 plug. What a blast!! The guy in my boat nearly had a heart attack watching me fight that fish. Great technique for locating fish and there are times that it produces the most fish and not just bass.

Ahhh….summer fishing on the river.

A close 2nd, pitching jigs to current breaks such as timber or rocks. If it’s shallow and I feel that the fish are active, then quickly POP baits along. If the fish are deeper, slowly pumping the bait along. Jon

I’m a troller so I’d have to say either long lining crankbaits or trolling 3-ways with live bait or cranks. Bottom bouncers and spinners are great too.

My favorite style is to Side-Slip wing dams ! Many factors are involved but when the rod tips stops twitching the adrenalin level hits the roof !! All four lines at once is a real thrill !!!

Richard (Smitty)

Keep a tight line !!!

The feel of a hit at the end of a long cast, be it a jig or a crank is tops!

Second place (or and even tie) would be watching a lighted slip bobber on a shallow rock pile at Mille Lacs….shortly after midnight on the May opener….Down Baby! That’s fun!

J.

I will have to follow suit with James and DeeZee on this one. Even though I agree with Mr. Holst in that my favorite presentation to get bit is what ever is working at the moment.

All kiddin aside, their is no better feeling than to pitch a light jig in to 6′ of water then having a huge walleye “THUMP” that sucker. It feels like you just got struck by lightning but a lot more fun

Second for me would be casting cranks to shallow shoreline current breaks when the water is high. When the river gets high this is when they get all bunched up and you can have a hay day with a whole school of shallow eye’s when you find um’

My 3rd favorite presentation is to crack open a cold one, sit back and watch with anticipation as ec fishes along side me with that sharp stick in his eye

That “THUMP” when jig fishin is the “second best feeling in the world” but I also love watching a bobber go down.

Pitchen jigs at any depth. And a hot vertical hair bite.

In reply to:

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a hot vertical hair bite

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I had to stare at that for at least five minutes (no kidding) before I realized it wasn’t what I was thinking it meant. You’re talking about jig-fishing, right?

Personal favorite has to be casting cranks or jigs. Second is cracking open a cold one and jabbing a stick in ecnook’s eye.

Me too! Stopped me dead in my tracks but I figured I’d keep quiet and hope nobody else noticed.

[Shaking my head]Nobody but Rob Stevens…lol

what….. THAT was a fishing reference?? hmmmmm ah well…..!

I couldn’t be more proud,and I don’t even know the guy!!!

For me it has to be running a pair of 7′ glass rods with 3 ways & raps on a 6 to 12′ sand flat w/ George Thorogood blasting.

Musky- surface propellor bait – there is nothing in the freshwater fishing world like watching a submarine surface and Gator your bait, or drive thru it like an underwater rocket

Walleye- riggin/jiggin anywhere

Northern- dragging a silver spoon-lightweight gear and 6# with a leader along the walls at the dam… I used to do it 5-6 days a week

Smallmouth- pitching and flipping 1/16 and a fluttertail to rocks, followed very closely by trapping the rocks.

Largemouth- Slop, slop, slop for fun, tubes in creeks for numbers.

Gills and P erch- 2# line,redworm,cane pole,tiny split shot, lifting them out of the water quickly before musky can steal them.

That’s it I’m going fishing…………

OK I get it walleye,Muskie,Bass.
How about a hot Summer night when ya got the old Mississippi all to yourself, a cold brew and the yank of a big old flathead on your line. Not fancy but it triggers something almost primal in me If there is a full moon with all the reflections on the water,so much the better.

Redneck,

I am by no means a CAT-CHASER, but you do paint a pleasant thought (picture) in my mind.

SPOOKS…BIG SPOOKS = BIG BASS. In my book nothing compares to spring smallies on spooks and late season Big mouths on spooks. I refer to it as pulling the bait through a minefield you just never know when you are going get an explosion. I have to agree w/ mountain man. Slop is the way to go also.
I love to fish panfish through the ice @ Black Deer on Brice Prairie for sunnies. All you need is a plain hook and a worm. No weight needed. Just sit back and watch the spring bobber slowly go down. They rarely hit it hard. Most just suck it it and slowly meander off. I had one mounted by a friend who has a taxidermy shop. He needed it for a competition. It was 9 1/2″. I have seen and caught fish over that length up there also. It is just fun to catch those bruiser sunnies on real lite ice gear. I can’t wait for last ice.

For river fishing , the feel of a bite while pitching jigs or casting cranks to wing dams. If I am on a lake like Mille Lacs , slip sinker rigging and feeling a light tap on the line gets the heart pounding.

You guys have all got a lot of good , even great ways to fish …but you really must try all of your tecniques with a sharp stick poking out of you eye , And i’m sure that,,,,I’m going out on a limb here but …….<<<< limb ???

Butt…. it really won’t matter which eye you choose

I hope every one has a prosper 2003. And may all your biggest wishes come true….This won’t happen sittin on the couch, so get your tails out there !!

I’m out !!

Excellent!
We catfishermen are starting to come out now. I chase walleye most of the year but my nights catfishing are special to me.

Topwater lures without doubt for Northerns and Largemouth.
The best fishing days from last year were catching 38 largemouth on topwaters in a span of about 2 hours. The second best was catching a 19lb norhtern on an old Jitterbug I had in my tackle box.

I an not as seasoned as you guys (James and Dustin) although older and have caught a few 10lb + Walleyes but the above was simply great.

Ironically the morning I caught the Largemouth there was a tournament and I figured I would have won hands down even with my flat bottom alumacraft and 15 HP Evenrude.

Perhaps it is time the touraments end but that is another subject.

Best Regards