Northwest Fishing Reports

anybody ever use a spook topwater bait (walking the dog) i think its called heard about them and searched it on youtube looks pretty cool just wondering how many people use them and how they do

I use it now and then. Sometimes you get awesome strikes. You going to be at the picnic Sat.?

A few years ago, Aug. of '02, I had a 4-5 pounder jump and clear the water by a foot, then land ON the spook. He got off, but I cast a spinnerbait into the reeds close to where I had been running the spook, figured the fish went back into the reeds. Probably the same fish jumped again TWICE and landed on the spinnerbait twice that had 'crawled' up a reed. The third cast with the spinnerbait went between the reeds and caught the fish. Weighed 4.5 lbs.

i used em at my secret lake at dusk and caught 20 smallies all over a lb on em

I do believe bassmasterderek has...and done well. Might wait for him to chime in

Great choice for night fishing

It's a cool topwater bait that can cover water vs your poppers. Works well with smallies too. You can use it with theres a little chop on the water as well.

Yes,..BassMasterDerek uses them alot and has turned me and BassFanatic on 2 them,..fun bait 2 use,..just Dinks so far on them for me but BMD has nabbed a few Lunkers on them!

BB

I've been trying to do this technique for a while using a sammy and just can't get it down right. Must be one of those things you gotta see first hand to really get the rhythm right.

The rhythm changes as the fish's mood and desires change. Ya have to know at least 3 different ways to fish and work a spook.

Besides Kermit , StickBaits are my second favorite top water baits ..
I have a nice variety of different styles ,shapes and colors too pick from . What i have come to learn over the years is that if the fish are in the jumps an angler can catch a ton of bass in just one outing . This is a bait that can be fish all day long or as some mentioned during the night hours as well , Whats really important to pay attention too while fishing sticks baits is "How" the bass are relating too your plug .

Look for common things like shortstrikes , latestrikes, follows , These are all tell~tell signs too possibly making a few minor adjustments to your bait or in some cases your retrieve . No different than other reaction baits also pay attention too what hook is in the bass mouth , if they are taking your front hook or choking that bait (Your Dailed) !!

LC sammys are one the most popular go to stick baits in the nation , The main reason IMO is because they offer that bait is so many different sizes and colors, when matching the hatch comes into play the LC sammy can become a dynamic Plug . One tip , one of the first things i do with these baits right out the package is replace that back treb with a owner feather Hook !!

One last word of advise , after you witness the "splash" , freeze and await to your line startes too run before setting the hook , this can sometimes be hard based on the anglers reaction to the fish reacting to your plug , Patience will be most rewarding aspect because that will increase your landing ratio every time ...



BBD

In other words, "Wait until you feel the weight of the fish before you set the hook". Pretty much the same for all top waters. The fish can splash and you may not SEE the lure, so if the fish missed and you set the hook 2 or more things can and WILL happen,

1] you WILL jerk the lure away from the fish and they probably won't know where it went so they can't come back to try again to eat it.

2] you just MAY have the lure come flying back at YOU and so get a couple trebles in you face, or back of the head if you can spin around fast enough to avoid hooks in the face.

If they miss, just keep working the lure and there is a good chance they'll try again. I had 1 largemouth try 4 times before he finaly got my Devil's Horse.

This might be a good time to ask about the retrieve. I understand the 'walk the dog' retrieve and that the tugs need to be on slack line, but can anyone offer any other advise or tips on this type of retrieve?

I can typically get a good walking action for about 1/4 of my retrieve, the rest of the time i just seem to be making a splash on the surface.

Takes practise. Smooth and timing of the rod, crank, ect. Can't explain by typing, I'd have to show.

what colors seem to do best?

bullfrog, black, 'clear'.

baby bass, natural frog, shad.

bone, white red head, chrome.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/store ... 00_100-5-3

Amx wrote:bullfrog, black, 'clear'.

baby bass, natural frog, shad.

bone, white red head, chrome.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/store ... 00_100-5-3

So every color made?

Pretty much. Take into concideration the color of the water, sky, forage base, and go from there.

Since we're on the subject of topwater color...is it really necessary to have that many colors of topwater? Why not just have one light and dark? Does a red head really matter? Or bullfrog as opposed to natural frog or baby bass? Just wondering

Red head can make a difference during the day. I don't know if it would at night as what the fish usually see at night in just the silowet of the lure, unlss it's shallow enough for moon light to reflect off the bottom, provided the bottom color is light enough to reflect light.

edit: Silhouette. --- I like my spelling much better. lol

White with a red head, you are trying to imitate the forage known as bobbers.