Shakyhead with 5" GP Zoom Lizard Strikes Again!

[Walkabout7781]

OFB and I went fishing Lk. Washington last Wednesday (May 8) and found water temps at 60-62 degrees in our usual areas. Fish were in the pre-spawn "cruising mode". OFB caught one SM (1.5-ish) on a jerkbait early. Later in the day, I caught a SM and then a LM, both in the 4.5 lb bracket (didn't weigh either and no pictures were taken). I've caught and weighed a fair number of 4.5-ish LM and SM, and there's no doubt in my mind that these two were in that range. The LM was far from a PB, and the SM took awhile to get unhooked and it was more important to me to get her back in the water. Bottom line is, if you fish a Shakyhead, try the 5" or 6" GP Zoom lizard...killer combination for me over the last 3 years!

[Empty Livewells]

Hard to beat a Zoom lizard!!!

[1fejj]

Never tried one on a shakeyhead. Do you drag it?

[Walkabout7781]

Never tried one on a shakeyhead. Do you drag it?

Sorry for the delay...haven't been on the confuser much lately.

Drag...yes, I guess so, until it comes to a stop against a weed or rock, then hop it over the obstruction. I don't often just jiggle it, which I surmise is correct Shakyhead etiquette. Seems to me like shaking the bait will make it harder to feel a bite, so I generally don't. A little, once in awhile, maybe, if it seems stuck on something in a place where I have high hopes!

I pitch it a lot and always use 1/4 oz, since it's a baitcaster (Chronarch 7:1, Denali Attax 7'MH, 10 lb Sniper FC). I think my basic intent was simply to combine the hook and weight and see if it was better or worse than Texas rigged. I think it's better, but found there is definitely a reason for different head shapes. Will probably be going back to Copolymer, tho.

[DrewFlu33]

Sorry for the delay...haven't been on the confuser much lately.

Drag...yes, I guess so, until it comes to a stop against a weed or rock, then hop it over the obstruction. I don't often just jiggle it, which I surmise is correct Shakyhead etiquette. Seems to me like shaking the bait will make it harder to feel a bite, so I generally don't. A little, once in awhile, maybe, if it seems stuck on something in a place where I have high hopes!

I pitch it a lot and always use 1/4 oz, since it's a baitcaster (Chronarch 7:1, Denali Attax 7'MH, 10 lb Sniper FC). I think my basic intent was simply to combine the hook and weight and see if it was better or worse than Texas rigged. I think it's better, but found there is definitely a reason for different head shapes. Will probably be going back to Copolymer, tho.

Awesome post. Same goes for football jigs, swing heads (e.g. Biffle Hard Heads), and especially Carolina rigs. I love having something start to get stuck when I'm dragging it around. Lifting that rod tip and "jiggling" it over whatever it was stuck on is usually when you get bit!

I've never thrown a lizard on a shakey head, might be something I'll need to try! I have had quite a bit of luck throwing Z-Craws on them which works very well.

[Walkabout7781]

The craw I tried was a Zoom "speed craw", and it was no bueno. I suspect that a more realistic claw design might work better. I'll look at the Z-Craw and see what that's like. I have been meaning to try a plastic craw rigged opposite direction from normal. That is the direction they actually crawl, IF they're unaware of a predator being nearby. They don't move fast in that direction, but a slow crawling with a football head might work real well in the right circumstances. Unfortunately, Lk. WA has so much milfoil that a football head isn't very practical.

There are definitely crawdads in Lk. Washington...I actually caught one on a Venom SuperDoo...it just grabbed it and didn't let go. Felt like a blade of grass, so I just reeled in and swung it aboard. My FB opened the livewell and gave it a thwack as I held it over the livewell with 2-3 Smallmouth inside. It was kinda fun, seeing the craw cowering in the corner of the well with claws up, and several SM nose down, watching it intently. Free boat ride PLUS entertainment!

Strangely, I have never seen a plastic craw in colors anywhere close to the one I caught. It was "battleship grey" with pale red and pale blue splotches.

I'll try a craw some more, but it will have to work very well to displace the lizard from my Shakyhead arsenal! Definitely, give it a try....

[Walkabout7781]

Went fishing today and started with the Shakyhead/lizard. Thanks to the question posed by 1fejj, I paid a little attention to just what I do. I drag it with the rod, as I do with a Splitshot, Dropshot, or Carolina Rig. I should have known! Drag with rod, reel up slack, repeat! If you gotta hop it over something, do it.

Today I had one of the screwiest things ever happen. The fish were not committing to the bite. I was getting a nibble for awhile, and finally hammered it. Pulled like crazy, I was stoked! But it didn't move around at all, so I thought the fish got me stuck on an old cedar shake (those fight like crazy!). Got it up to where I could see it, and it was sideways. WT? Swung it into the boat and was amazed to find out that the fish was lassoed around the middle. The hook had grabbed the line and formed a loop, with the fish entrapped. It was a keeper sized SM. BASS would not count it in a tournament, of course...should get extra credit, IMO!!!