Deadasticking

[Lucas]

The Shaun Bailey interview got me thinking. How many of you deadstick? If so, how long do you let the bait sit? Twitch? Slow roll? Personally, I don't have the patience but after reading the article I've been thinking of a couple offshore humps that would probably be ideal for it. I have a couple Born Agains that would probably crush it but damn if I'm not thinking about how great a floating 10" Freestyle would be.

 

Thoughts? Opinions?

[Jmkiernan]

If your not already doing it...DO IT!! I think every guy has their own style of deadsticking. Personally I do it when I know where a big girl lives and where I've seen her recently. It's her territory, she knows it's there. I cast out and let it sit for about 30-45 seconds then give it a slight twitch. If that doesn't work I'll let it sit 3-4 minutes then give it a few good twitches. Make sure to keep all the slack out of the line because when you least expect it she will blow up on it. Deadsticking doesn't always have to be topwater either. You can cast out an ROF12 or 16 hudd and just let it sit on the bottom. Then pop it and hold on!! Hope that helps a little. Good luck

[DMac]

If your not already doing it...DO IT!! I think every guy has their own style of deadsticking. Personally I do it when I know where a big girl lives and where I've seen her recently. It's her territory, she knows it's there. I cast out and let it sit for about 30-45 seconds then give it a slight twitch. If that doesn't work I'll let it sit 3-4 minutes then give it a few good twitches. Make sure to keep all the slack out of the line because when you least expect it she will blow up on it. Deadsticking doesn't always have to be topwater either. You can cast out an ROF12 or 16 hudd and just let it sit on the bottom. Then pop it and hold on!! Hope that helps a little. Good luck

Would you ever deadstick a bait in an unfamilair area or over structure you've never fished before? Or is it only where you know a big fish is? And just to add to this thread is winter an ideal time to deadstick a bait?

[CombatWombat]

Everyone has their own rythm when dead sticking. It's all based on your past experiences and your willingness to experiment. I deadstick up to about 10 minutes. Anything longer than that i go crazy! It also depends on the water conditions. For me, the colder the water the longer I deadstick and my twitches are less agressive.

[Lucas]

Btw, I apologize for the typo in the title. The virtual keyboard on my phone is to blame.

[swimbaitrookie]

As my name suggests, I'm really just getting started with the big baits this year and although I've had some success, I think it's mostly due to using very good baits in good places. I've caught some fish on the FS shad and Wake Jr twitching and slashing, but also some good fish when not moving the bait. I'm not sure I can call it deadsticking because I've only let the bait sit for maybe up to a minute without moving it. But still, I hadn't moved it intentionally.

 

So.... Do you guys make a cast or two on the structure / cover fishing the bait with rips/slashes/twitches/slow-fast retrieve first and then, if no takers, deadstick the bait. Or do you start out with a deadstick on the first cast?

 

I guess the bigger question is how do you know when to try deadsticking vs another retrieve?

[echoedd]

For me, I will deadstick a spot that I know for a fact holds fish. I may have already gone thru the spot with other retrieves had a few follows but no takers. So I may come back and deadstick at that time or a later time. It does take a lot of patience, I stuck fish while soaking a Born Again for 30 min. Fish kept coming up looking and going back down, even nipped at it a few times, finally ate it at the end. I think it's one of those things if you have no visual of a fish it can get really get to you, it test your patience while you feel your confidence might be falling. With everything, once you stick a fish doing it, your confidence goes up in the technqiue and you will always carry that with you.

[spooky007]

I hate deadsticking but deff a producer!! Patience is the key!!

[flyforfish21]

I just recently started dead-sticking more frequently. It is definitely hard to do if you don't have patience. First few times i did it, couldn't handle more than a few minutes. One day after trying EVERYTHING else, I tossed a born again out there and let it sit. 28 minutes later, there's a BIG fish under it. It looked a few times came up under it and some dude in a paddle boat spooked her...oh well. Tried it again at a different place and after 15 minutes, gave it a small twitch, and BAM! huge blow up. Missed her, but it gives me confidence that when i know a big fish is lurking, it's a definite technique that will piss off some big fish. Longest i have done it is just short of 40 minutes, but i don't recommend starting that long...

 

Geoff

[SPEEDBEAD]

I hate deadsticking but deff a producer!! Patience is the key!!

 

I'm with spooky on this one.

 

Most of the time, I will fish a jig or something else while the swimbait is soaking. Between casts, I will pick up slack and make adjustments as needed. Will only usually do it with a floater.

[flaswimbaiter]

For some reason here in Florida they will not hit a floating swimbait unless it is deadsticked, well not at least for me. I have to leave it there for at least 30-60 seconds or longer, sometimes a slight twitch will encourage the bite.

 

This goes the same for poppers and stick baits, they only seem to want to hit them while they are still, especially when it is cold.

[Arden Hanline Jr.]

I love to deadstick! The keys to deadsticking are patience and knowing the spot has fish. Knowing the spot is important. Where the fish setup on it. You can deadstick anything. Points, walls, humps, tules, submerged trees, docks, buoys; etc. Anywhere that bass are. I have a lot of patience, so deadsticking isn't a problem for me. I've deadsticked a spot for about a hour straight; ONE CAST! Only to have a 11 pounder follow my bait in as I wake it to the boat ! LMAO I don't believe there is such a thing as "too long"; if you feel fish are there. There are lots of variables. Maybe the fish isn't hungry and no matter how long that bait sits there; it won't eat it. But throw in another fish, maybe another fish shows interest in the bait; now you have competition. That competition may trigger that other fish to bite. I don't typically deadstick spots that long, but 15 to 30 mins is common if I feel fish are there. If there are fish there, you'll see them come up to the bait if the water is clear enough; or they'll follow your bait in. What I like about deadsticking is when you get a few fish to rise up to the bait and you can see it happen. You can watch how the fish react, twitch the bait; and figure out how to get them to bite. And when one blasts it; it's just awesome. I rarely start the day off deadsticking...........more like never...................but if I don't get bit fishing faster; it might be the way to go. Awesome way to catch them sometimes.

 

Couple tips if you can do this! Keep the wind at your back. This is not always doable; but prefered. It's a lot easier to keep the bait where you want it and keeps the slack out of your line. Also, maintain the slack in your line if you're using mono. Nothing like just sitting the rod down, getting blasted; and you have a HUGE bow in your line cause the line is sinking.

 

 

Arden

[JohnMarino]

I used to always throw a big floater in the back in the boat and throw it in the rod holder, and then go up front and toss a 10" Triple trout slow sink. It was amazing how many strikes that bait got blew up on in the back of the boat just sitting still, alot of missed ones (as I call em bonus bites) But If it did get blown up on that I seen I put the trolling motor on high to set the hook and basicly fight the fish for about 10 seconds and then run to the back of the boat and hope I have a chance. I have landed fish like that and dumped fish its the nature of the game, but it has caught some BIG ones, and gave me lots of confidence in long lining / deadsticking. When that bite was good then i stopped what I was doing and just deadsticked in good areas, I had a spot where I know multi. double digit fish was coming through and I anchored up and deadsticked a floater for a few hours, only to get lazy and miss a bite

 

Also line plays a big factor I have had great luck deadsticking on P Line PF 30lb, and 80# samurai braid . 25lb big game sank after 30 min.

 

Heres a technique posted on Don's website Swimbaitcity.com

DEADSTICKING TECHNIQUE, USED FROM A BOAT OR SHORE

I use this technique when I have seen large bass in a particular area. I will throw a Huddleston, ROF 0, with the hook tied to the top to hide it from the fish" or any floating swimbait, far past the target or ambush point and slowly swim it over the spot. When I say slowly, is just that. Make a mental note on the current or wind. Then t wait. This is a patience game. It is tough even for me but I have success with this method. Let the bait float over the spot and just twitch the bait every minute or two ever so slightly. I use braid with a 5 foot fluorocarbon leader. The braid floats and will not pull the bait down, as mono would, after being in the water for a few minutes. When you get a bite, you will know it from the splash. After the bite you have to wait, as if you were working a top water bait. Wait for the rod to load up, then swing. If you get a solid hook up reel the fish in as fast as you can and try not to let it jump. Remember, the more it jumps, the more of a chance for it to become unbuttoned.

 

[johnnnydukess]

I used to always throw a big floater in the back in the boat and throw it in the rod holder, and then go up front and toss a 10" Triple trout slow sink. It was amazing how many strikes that bait got blew up on in the back of the boat just sitting still, alot of missed ones (as I call em bonus bites) But If it did get blown up on that I seen I put the trolling motor on high to set the hook and basicly fight the fish for about 10 seconds and then run to the back of the boat and hope I have a chance. I have landed fish like that and dumped fish its the nature of the game, but it has caught some BIG ones, and gave me lots of confidence in long lining / deadsticking. When that bite was good then i stopped what I was doing and just deadsticked in good areas, I had a spot where I know multi. double digit fish was coming through and I anchored up and deadsticked a floater for a few hours, only to get lazy and miss a bite

 

Also line plays a big factor I have had great luck deadsticking on P Line PF 30lb, and 80# samurai braid . 25lb big game sank after 30 min.

 

This is gold. Thanks for sharing. Will be giving it a shot for sure.

 

Heres a technique posted on Don's website Swimbaitcity.com

DEADSTICKING TECHNIQUE, USED FROM A BOAT OR SHORE

I use this technique when I have seen large bass in a particular area. I will throw a Huddleston, ROF 0, with the hook tied to the top to hide it from the fish" or any floating swimbait, far past the target or ambush point and slowly swim it over the spot. When I say slowly, is just that. Make a mental note on the current or wind. Then t wait. This is a patience game. It is tough even for me but I have success with this method. Let the bait float over the spot and just twitch the bait every minute or two ever so slightly. I use braid with a 5 foot fluorocarbon leader. The braid floats and will not pull the bait down, as mono would, after being in the water for a few minutes. When you get a bite, you will know it from the splash. After the bite you have to wait, as if you were working a top water bait. Wait for the rod to load up, then swing. If you get a solid hook up reel the fish in as fast as you can and try not to let it jump. Remember, the more it jumps, the more of a chance for it to become unbuttoned.

 

[SethB]

Good thread. With lots of great input. Most places I fish have a pretty healthy population of osprey and eagles. Deadsticking a floater not an option. Very first Hudd I got was rof 12 and I had no idea how to fish it. I kept trying different stuff. I had a few rocky banks that I knew held fish and I knew I could go throw a jig up shallow and get a bite. But wanted to get bit on my new swimbait. I tried bombing it in there and got a few follows. Then I tried fishing those same spots deadsticking it on the bottom. sure enough I started getting bit. I could Pretty much go down any of my previously productive spots throw the hudd up in there bounce it along the bottom a few feet and just let it sit there on a tight line and get popped. Had a real hard time hooking those fish. I started noticing the tail was getting toar up. I added a 1/0 stinger hook behind dorsal fin and started hooking a few of those fish. Which turned out to be 2's and 3's. I eventualy stopped doing it cause my baits were getting so toar up buy smaller fish that it wasn't worth it.