Help with Spooks!

[doughboy]

I have been fishing topwater for awhile. Recently i have started using spooks. I have only got strikes but never landed a fish. Any tips? and what colors seem to work for you guys best?
thanks
matt

[lowrider]

you gotta wait on the hookset, just like any other topwater. as far as colors, best catch has been on the baby bass. but there are alot of spooks in my box.

what do you think doc ?

[BigBassin144]

I agree with lowrider, wait a bit before you set the hook. It is just like other topwaters, don't set the hook immediately out of excitement, wait till you feel the fish. As for colors, I just started using htem this year, and the topwater bite isn't on up near me yet, so I won't be able to help you there.

Another thing is if they are just boiling around the bait and not actually striking it, try changing colors. Really the only way to figure out what color works best is to try what you've got and see what works. One more thing I just though of: Try changing your retrieve if the fish don't seem to be interested in taking the bait. walk it fast, or slower. The slower you walk it, the wider it will go.

Good luck and hope this helps.

BB

[doc]

Spooks are my Specialiaty!


I like the baby bass or bream colored spooks. The warmer it gets the slower I work mine. When you see a blow up, reel up your slack and count to 3 then set the hook. Be wary of the bite where you spook just gets slurped under and disapears. My biggest top water fish came from a bite that looked like a bream sucked it under.

[Lancer6]

Pillsbury, I mean "Doughboy", sorry.

I'm a great believer in the Spooks, especially the Super Spook Jr. This lure was intended for the salt-water market, judging by most of the color choices, but there are some very bass-friendly colors as well and some that "cross over". For example, the bone-with-chartreuse head model is pretty effective, especially in more stained water.
The other fellows have been dead on with their advice re waiting a second or so before attempting a hookset. Also, IF you miss the hookup, try to keep the lure in the strike zone. A bass will often make a second, even a third, attempt at the lure.
Are you using a split ring on the lure? Many folks use a loop knot but I prefer the reduced vulnerability of the split ring. That said, I do NOT use the traditional round ring. Instead, I use the Excalibur pear-shaped ring, tying the knot at the "top" (Smaller end) of the "pear". This type of ring is easier to tie on without the problem of the knot being on the dividing portion where the ends of the wire meet...which can damage or weaken the knot. Tying a standard knot directly to ANY "walking" bait will severly impede the action of the lure.
Line: Never use fluorocarbon or fluoro-coated lines (like P-Line FloroClear) to fish topwater plugs. It sinks readily and will affect the action of the lure. It's OK for other "topwater" lures, such as rapidly retrieved toads and buZZZZZZZZZbaits, since the retrieve is generally constant. For my topwater PLUG fishing I use P-Line CX OR CXX (in heavier cover) and almost never exceed 12 Lb test for the heavier lures, or 10 Lb test for smaller lures...Tiny Torpedos, Pop 'Rs, etc.
Just a few ideas and experience-based observations.

L6

[lowrider]

L6
big yep on the split ring and line advice. look at the time of my post this morn...not awake enough to think of all that needed to be said

[doughboy]

The thing is all i have really fished it is really slow. All the strikes i have got they missed the lure. The hits i have got the fish would strike maybe a inch behide it. Any ideas to help with that?

[doc]

as a genera rule in fishing. "When you think your fishing slow enough, slow down some more".

[BigBassin144]

I actually caught my first topwwater bass of the year tonight on my pond. He hit a bluegill colored Rapala Skitterwalk. Got a couple more short strikes too. I've found the XCalibur Jimmy easier to walk than the Skitter Walk though.

BB

[Bob Smith]

A great big ditto to everything Lancer6 said. That was about as complete as it gets for "Spook fishing" including the white with chartreuse head suggestion (dynamite color!).

[BigBassin144]

Lancer, after tried all my spook type baits and found the Jimmy ot be the easiest to alk, I put split rings on the Spooks and Skitter Walks, and it does help a lot. thanks for that advice man.

BB

[bassnman30]

Don't use a snap. The line will get hung up on the bait hooks. This is from experience.

[3dkicker]

Small fish will bite at big baits. The usually miss and will frustrate you. As a friend of mine says "They don't have mirrors and don't know how big they are." Small bass have to learn what size prey they can eat. Practice makes perfect.
You just need to continue fishing it until a good size fish sucks the bait.

[Lancer6]

Add-on: Use the minimal sized (if ROUND) split ring you can. This prevents the weight of the ring from lowering the nose of the bait; Spook, SpUk, Spewk, Jimmy, Slimmy, Shimmy, Gymmy,...whatever the Hell, when at rest, thus causing more drag and impeding the "walk".
The Excalibur pear-shaped comes in two sizes. I DO use the larger on SuperSpook Jr. (my fave!) and the larger Spook variants. Anything smaller gets the smaller ring. These things are great!

That will be all. Book reports due Friday!

Lancer6

[BigBassin144]

I used size two split rings (round), and did not seem to have any problems with the nose of the bait being lower.

BB

[Captmikestarrett]

Sometimes they miss and I swear they need glasses.. Those days all the LGMouth miss the baits.. Other days they inhale them.

Capt Mike