01-17-2004, 02:31 AM
Here's an option where you can have your cake and eat it too. Use a kastmaster or sweedish pimple with short dropper of about 3 inches or less. Remove the treble hook from the kastmaster and, using some thicker line, say 8 lb test, carefully tie on a #10 straight eyed fly hook to the end of the dropper. Any similar hook without a bend at the eye will work, but it should hang straight down. The short dropper allows you to detect strikes, and avoids line tange on the drop. A "teardrop" type panfish lure instead of the hook will work but the plain hook is a better option as it allows you to pack on wax worms or maggots. A rat finke also works, but, after a missed strike, the jig knot must often be repositioned so the lure hangs properly. The weight of the kastmaster allows you to get down to perch depths quickly which is helpful when schools are on the move and you only have a short period to intercept them. Gotta maximize the number of bites, ya know.
I've used this system for years and it puts perch on the ice. The kasmaster acts as a weight and attractor, while the baited hook triggers the bite. I also catch plenty of trout while using this lure set-up. When fish are picky, you may have to go with a smaller, slower presentation, but for most deep water situations, this system is hard to beat.
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I've used this system for years and it puts perch on the ice. The kasmaster acts as a weight and attractor, while the baited hook triggers the bite. I also catch plenty of trout while using this lure set-up. When fish are picky, you may have to go with a smaller, slower presentation, but for most deep water situations, this system is hard to beat.
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