The guy I fish with more often than not throws a shakeyhead quite often, as do I when we fish one of the lakes nearby. It's one of the more effective baits there but I got to wondering if I'm not being as productive as I could be from the back of the boat since I'm throwing the same thing as he is from the front. What would be a good complimentary bait to a shakeyhead? Mainly, a 1/4oz head with a trick worm is the go to.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, thanks in advance!
Might be as simple as a different style bait. Beaver, speed craw, etc.
Or darker color.Originally Posted by TableRock55
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Same presentation but a different bait you mean...? Hadn't thought about that, I'll try that next time we're out.
I've played around with color a bit and have had success throwing a different color than what he's throwing but that hasn't been the rule, rather the exception.
Think casting a drop shot to shore then working it back at a similar pace might work...?
It might. Bottom line is whichever one of you is catchin em, throw that. If the guy in front is fishin "slow," it's kinda tough for the guy in the back to have a different approach unless you're good with multiple casts to same target with power baits.
Ned rig
Could try a Neko Rig too.
I would say drop shot with a 18" or so leader. I have had plenty of days they hit one better than the other. He i catching bottom fish feeding down, for the most part. With a decent leader on your drop shot you are still targeting bottom fish, but you will also get the ones that are not inclined to feed down or are feeding up.
Or scrap that all together and throw a jig.
Joe
It sounds like you guys take a finesse approach primarily, so I will throw a few ideas out.
Z-Man Micro Finesse Jig. I've been doing really well with this jig this year. Small enough to be a finesse, but a jig profile. Most people tip with a Finesse or Big TRD, but I've been using a Scented LeechZ.
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z_Man...age-ZMSMJ.html
Split shot rig or light carolina rig: Use the same trick worm as your partner, but different presentation.
Ned Rig, as mentioned: 1/4 ounce shakyhead with a Trick Worm is on the big side of finesse so maybe you're fishing deeper. Maybe try a 1/6 oz weedless Finesse ShroomZ with a Big TRD
Wacky Jig: Again, depending on depth and cover you're fishing. I fish a lot of rock banks/sparse brush with an 1/8 oz wacky jig rigged with a Trick Worm, 4" Yum Dinger, Big TRD, etc. I use ACT Lures Stupid Tube jigheads for wacky jigs. They work better for me than all the true wacky jigs I've tried.
Since most “Finesse” type patterns could be used as the follow up bait to something else, you may want to consider throwing a reaction bait and covering water to locate fish. And if you miss one on say a crankbait, jerkbait or spinnerbait, then your partner in the front can follow you up. Might be worth a try. If the lake produces well with shakeyheads, they likely don’t see reaction baits very often. Something to consider that puts you in the realm of thinking outside the box so to speak.
Case and point, look at how the 2005 Classic was won on 3 rivers. If my memory serves me correctly many of the anglers in the field was throwing finesse (including the runner up Martens who was drop shotting), but KVD won it on a Jerkbait.
3/32 shakeyhead with a zman elastech finesse worm.
Or
Dropshot
All around excellent advice.
On the Micro Finesse Jig: I've only just started using it in the last couple weeks or so as it is new and we're just now out fishing in MN. I caught a LOT of fish on the Ned last year, but fought the small average size thing a lot. I had some success just using bigger stuff on them (Hula StickZ, Big TRDs, etc), but it still wasn't all that satisfying. At least with my limited experience so far, I've definitely found that I catch bigger fish on average with the Micro Finesse than with the Ned, and this is just tipping it with a regular TRD. I'm a big fan to this point and am really excited to put it through its paces as the season goes on.
Aside from the catching success so far, maybe my favorite part about them is the weedguard! Much more robust than what you see on the weedless ShroomZ jigheads and their copies so they do much better in keeping it out of snags/from getting fouled, but somehow still flexible enough to allow for the standard drop shot/wacky/Ned rig hookset. Z-man hit it out of the park on that one.
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Next time out I'm going to take my dropshot and jerkbait rods with me and see what happens. The water drops off quickly where we fish: 40' out from the bank it's already 20' deep. I would guess we're catching them in 8-15 FOW. I went and bank fished from a spot and caught a couple on a shakeyhead with a magnum finesse worm, then tried to catch a couple more in that same area but with a different bait on the shakey head. No dice... I didn't try a bunch of baits though, but I will either today or tomorrow. I'll also bring the dropshot and jerkbait rods to try out.
Thoughts on a swimjig...?
Thanks all!
If its a buddy tourny if my partner is throwing small baits i do the opposite trying to get the kicker fish.
I was going to suggest dropshotting. Don't ever (never!) try a lizard on either a Shaky rig or Dropshot.
Tube and a finesse jig!
Yesterday, we got out on the same lake and I was trying a bunch of different things to see what might work in conjunction with my partners shakeyhead. It was pretty windy and I was able to get some really good bites on a weightless fluke, similar colors to the shakeyhead worms we use.
A couple of things I didn't try but will next time are a tube, drop shot, finesse jig, and a jerkbait.
Thanks!
Drop Shot, Wacky rig senko or try throwing a tube.
Dawnpatrol.
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Drop shot, or do something totally different. Swimbait, jerkbait, etc. Try to catch a different fish until one proves to be better that day.
2021 Caymas CX21/Mercury 250 Pro XS
The problem with a dropshot is that it's really snaggy where we're fishing, but I haven't tried fishing away from the bank on the other side of the boat towards the middle of the lake. A weedless presentation is pretty much a necessity fishing towards the bank unless you want to be retying every other cast. A lazy jerkbait might be a good one to try as well as a weedless tube. Both are already rigged up. A wacky senko isn't much further down the list, though I haven't had any luck with it the previous few outings.
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