07-11-2003, 12:30 PM
[cool]I'm sure you realize that with Senkos it is not an "either-or" situtation. They are one more bullet in your ammunition belt. And, while there will be times, places and circumstances where Senkos will outperform other baits, there will still be those trips where your old friends will still work best.
That's one of the big appeals of fishing to me...to try to figure out in advance what the hot pattern for the day will be, and then have it hold up. But, the fish have a way of humbling me, just when I think I might be getting smarter than they are. I've been fooled more times than I would like to admit.
There will always be a place for twisters, tubes and other jigs in my tackle box. And, while I am sure there must be a muskie or two out there that will munch the "do-nothing" Senkos, I think you will do better with a lure that has some action. Unlike bass, muskies do not respond to offerings that ain't moving. Even the live bait boys, that chuck out live suckers and other fish for bait, will not keep fishing a bait that has died or become inactive. They know that a frisky bait gets more attention from the predatory muskie.
Northern pike, a relative of the muskie, can be readily taken on dead minnows, left suspended below a bobber or laying on the bottom. But not their more finicky big cousins. So, if you wanna score on tigers, throw big active hardbaits or plastics with some wiggle...like twisters or swimbaits.
There are whole new lines of special hooks and sinkers for dropshotting. The good news is that technique is more important than tackle. You can use a split shot (or two or three), a bell sinker or even a leadhead jig as the weight to help you maintain feel of the bottom and keep tension on the rod tip. The hooks can be anything from weedless worm hooks to plain old bait hooks, like you would use to fish a crawler.
Most experienced drop shotters seem to favor a thin wire hook with a super sharp point. And, unlike rigging Texas or Carolina rigs, you don't need the really big hooks. You will only be hooking the worm, Senko or other plastic lightly through the nose...or through the middle for wacky rigs. Since you aren't pitching into cover or dragging through weeds, you don't have much concern about snagging. But, a thin sharp hook, with an exposed point, will get more hookups without you having to "cross their eyes".
There are many good articles and websites that can give you the basics of tackle and rigging for dropshots. Be sure to check the articles available on the BFT main board. I seem to recall a couple on dropshotting.
I reiterate, that this is a very deadly technique...ideally suited for the stealthy approach of float tubing. You can fish it in much shallower water than from a boat, without spooking fish. If you haven't already experienced it, pay attention and you will...that sometimes fish will actually congregate under your tube, when you are not kicking and making a fuss.
On Willard Bay, I once harvested a large number of crappies from directly out of my shadow, where they were gathering in the shade of my tube. I just dropped a rod length of line and a small tube jig right straight down in my shadow and lifted out a fish every time. It was driving my fishing buddy nuts. He was a hundred yards away, casting frantically and not getting bit.
On the lakes I fish down here, most of the action is in water less than 15 feet deep. I have taken fish directly below me in water only six feet deep. Wait until you have a six pound largie snarf a jig and hit the surface right next to your tube, if you need a jump start on your heart.
[signature]
That's one of the big appeals of fishing to me...to try to figure out in advance what the hot pattern for the day will be, and then have it hold up. But, the fish have a way of humbling me, just when I think I might be getting smarter than they are. I've been fooled more times than I would like to admit.
There will always be a place for twisters, tubes and other jigs in my tackle box. And, while I am sure there must be a muskie or two out there that will munch the "do-nothing" Senkos, I think you will do better with a lure that has some action. Unlike bass, muskies do not respond to offerings that ain't moving. Even the live bait boys, that chuck out live suckers and other fish for bait, will not keep fishing a bait that has died or become inactive. They know that a frisky bait gets more attention from the predatory muskie.
Northern pike, a relative of the muskie, can be readily taken on dead minnows, left suspended below a bobber or laying on the bottom. But not their more finicky big cousins. So, if you wanna score on tigers, throw big active hardbaits or plastics with some wiggle...like twisters or swimbaits.
There are whole new lines of special hooks and sinkers for dropshotting. The good news is that technique is more important than tackle. You can use a split shot (or two or three), a bell sinker or even a leadhead jig as the weight to help you maintain feel of the bottom and keep tension on the rod tip. The hooks can be anything from weedless worm hooks to plain old bait hooks, like you would use to fish a crawler.
Most experienced drop shotters seem to favor a thin wire hook with a super sharp point. And, unlike rigging Texas or Carolina rigs, you don't need the really big hooks. You will only be hooking the worm, Senko or other plastic lightly through the nose...or through the middle for wacky rigs. Since you aren't pitching into cover or dragging through weeds, you don't have much concern about snagging. But, a thin sharp hook, with an exposed point, will get more hookups without you having to "cross their eyes".
There are many good articles and websites that can give you the basics of tackle and rigging for dropshots. Be sure to check the articles available on the BFT main board. I seem to recall a couple on dropshotting.
I reiterate, that this is a very deadly technique...ideally suited for the stealthy approach of float tubing. You can fish it in much shallower water than from a boat, without spooking fish. If you haven't already experienced it, pay attention and you will...that sometimes fish will actually congregate under your tube, when you are not kicking and making a fuss.
On Willard Bay, I once harvested a large number of crappies from directly out of my shadow, where they were gathering in the shade of my tube. I just dropped a rod length of line and a small tube jig right straight down in my shadow and lifted out a fish every time. It was driving my fishing buddy nuts. He was a hundred yards away, casting frantically and not getting bit.
On the lakes I fish down here, most of the action is in water less than 15 feet deep. I have taken fish directly below me in water only six feet deep. Wait until you have a six pound largie snarf a jig and hit the surface right next to your tube, if you need a jump start on your heart.
[signature]