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Whizzle and I went back to Willow this week. We had some new tricks up our sleeve and wanted revenge for the cruel treatment we received on our last trip.
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/Nevada_Fishing_Forum_C39/Nevada_Fishing_General_F42/gforum.cgi?post=698975;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;page=unread#unread"]Willow is a Mean Mistress[/url]
We didn't find his plug but we did manage to find some fish. This one nailed the plug 3 times, I got to see two of the blow-ups. NICE! It left some gnarly teeth marks on my trout colored bomber [  ].
[inline willow_stripe.jpg]
[inline "fish horizontal.jpg"]
We released it successfully shortly after getting him in the boat. He took off for the bottom within seconds of hitting the water. Biggest striper I've caught at 11lbs [ ] They always look bigger than they weigh.
We had a couple other blow-ups but didn't manage to hook anything else.
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Nice!!!!!!!!!!! ]
Any willow trip that produces a fish is a good one. That is a nice fish. I agree they always look bigger in the water and in the boat until they hit the scales.
Stripercraze
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[cool]Way to go! Always nice to catch a DD. I'm sure you will get some more battle scars on that plug soon.
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Excellent! It's nice to break in a virgin lure.
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It's a good thing you landed that fish, cause after all of the motor problems we had, the rod of yours I broke in half, all the line in the trolling motor, and multiple other screw ups, it could have been a seriously bad day. Saved it with a pig.
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Great Report, nice pics! I'm gonna try to play that game soon.
BaySport
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hey i have been there 5+ times still no fish... good job and congrats!
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Haha, you're right. Without that fish it would've been a crappy day. [:/] I hadn't even thought about it that way... that pig still has me smiling. [ ]
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Hey Whizzle / Erawk -
Question....when your trolling that area how far back are you running your lures? Do you run shorter because of the trees and rocks? I tend to stagger mine any where from 500 to 700 ft back, less if its night time then i will run shorter. We ran through those coves this weekend and had a nice fish on but couldnt get it to the boat, my buddy may have panicked a little and not regulated his drag well enough. That or the fish took him into the trees and snapped his line.
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I like running back as far as I can stand it. I've got about 250 yds on my reel, and I usually go back around 200yds-ish. If it's a clear day, I for sure will run as far back as possible.
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500 feet is longer than i run for any species of fish when i'm trolling. Longlining for trout in clear lakes i may go as far as 400 feet, but usually around 100 yards is plenty. At willow, i have had my best luck from 200 feet to 300 feet. Too much line out and your plug might get down further than you want it to. I stagger like you said, usually one about 220 and the other around 275 and truthfully i've had more hits on the short line, usually because it keeps the plug on the top....If you've ever seen Allan Cole down there he trolls a short line, about the equivalent of a really long cast......
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Not a problem when your lure doesn't dive at all. [fishin]
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that plug in his picture will dive, depending on speed, line size, and drop back. All of your ac plugs, and wooden swimbaits will dive. 500 feet is a long ways back, as many trees and reefs are down there i would hate to do any more reeling than i had to with a big one on the line.
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They only dive if you don't know how to fish them properly. Pick up the speed, and they will dive down, then spin and resurface on their side. You must not know much about the plug in the picture.
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whizzle i guess you could say i know how to fish them properly, and if you properly fish them at the right speed they dive. Don't know where you come up with your physics... Sometimes thats a good thing sometimes not, as in the case of the stick ups at willow.....i run 9 and 12 inch ac's for mackinaw on lighter line at a slower speed and can get them down to about 18 or 20 feet. How do you figure that isn't fishing them right????
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Hello Everyone,
Maybe I will call Allan and he can give the truth about his lure in question. It is an AC Minnow.The lure is available from 5 to 15 inches in length. I have fished this lure for many years and caught many fish. I agree with the other comments you do not need to go more than 300 feet Back. If you hook a pig and your reel holds 250 yd and you have 200 yd out which is 600 feet you do not have much line left on reel to play with when the fish runs.
If the lure is trolled About 1.8 mph it will stay on the surface and create a wake. This is when the name wake bait came about. Trolled any faster dependent on speed and line out i think the lure will dive down 4 to 8 feet. All AC plugs will dive if the lure is traveling over 2 mph. I have never had one spin the float to surface unless the speed is varied. Do you have a secret technique? If so please tell.The same goes with casting.
Bottom line is different strokes for different folks. What ever works for an individual they should stick with it. Allan has more Large Striped Bass caught and more records than all of us combined. Go to willow and watch him and you may learn something or check his site there is a lot of great info there.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year To Everyone.
Tight lines and blue skies for everyone in 2012.
Stripercraze
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If you fish the baits that are in the 9-12" range, yes they will dive. The baits we are using are 14" and 15" long, and circumference of those plugs is much bigger than the 12"ers. That much wood = a super buoyant lure. It's a wake bait, and that's what it does. And for me, it wakes 100yds back, or 200+yds back. You can see it doing it's thing wayyyyyy back there.
@Stripercraze- Yes, you are right about not having much line left to play a fish. I try to have enough left to accommodate a good run, if the opportunity arises. At the same time, with all those trees down there, I'm gonna button down my drag on my 50lb outfit and pull like hell.
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[quote stripercraze]. I agree with the other comments you do not need to go more than 300 feet Back. If you hook a pig and your reel holds 250 yd and you have 200 yd out which is 600 feet you do not have much line left on reel to play with when the fish runs.
If the lure is trolled About 1.8 mph it will stay on the surface and create a wake. This is when the name wake bait came about. Trolled any faster dependent on speed and line out i think the lure will dive down 4 to 8 feet. All AC plugs will dive if the lure is traveling over 2 mph..
Stripercraze[/quote]
damn whizzle what school did you go to? AC himself will testify to this if you want to get cocky.... i guess the people that actually fish alot rather than talk fishing know what i'm talking about.....
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You're a crack-up.
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[quote TheWhizzle]If you fish the baits that are in the 9-12" range, yes they will dive. The baits we are using are 14" and 15" long, and circumference of those plugs is much bigger than the 12"ers. That much wood = a super buoyant lure. It's a wake bait, and that's what it does. And for me, it wakes 100yds back, or 200+yds back. You can see it doing it's thing wayyyyyy back there.
@Stripercraze- Yes, you are right about not having much line left to play a fish. I try to have enough left to accommodate a good run, if the opportunity arises. At the same time, with all those trees down there, I'm gonna button down my drag on my 50lb outfit and pull like hell.[/quote]
Hey Whizzle,
How hard do those big stripers pull? Is 50lb for the fish or for the snags they might run into?
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