After a follow

[AaronM]

I thought there was a topic on this before, but the search didn't get me any hits. After a follow, how soon do you come back and hit the spot? I've always guessed it depended on the fish's mood, whether or not it was aggressive on the follow or if it was just a lazy curious type of follow, but I'm sure there is a better way.

Also, I throw bucktails a majority of the time. If I get a follow but no taker, do I come back and hit the spot with the same bucktail, or do I snap on something else like a suick or something slower?

Thanks for any tips!

[10,000 Casts]

It depends on the fish, time of day conditions ect.. If the fish is hot, we will go right back and see if it follows again, then wait a little while and come back again. The first time back, I throw the same bucktail and work it at different speeds but mostly as fast as I can. If that fails, then I come back later with a hellhound or a bulldawg or a topwater. If someone is with me they are probably throwing something different and I take that into consideration.

[FLnick87]

I usually give the fish a half hour or so to settle down if i know that no one else will pressure the area. sometimes i switch baits and sometimes I change, but I always try to increase the speed of the retrieve. But there is no 100% guaranteed way, just what i have had luck with

[JRedig]

Gotta read the fish and conditions, no set rules.

[Hoffer]

Not a Muskie expert by any means...but go back with something small profile - or if there is 2 in the boat continue to have one throw something larger- and the other something small profile...

[AaronM]

Thanks for the replies guys. I know it really depends on the conditions, but more than anything the throw-back seems to depend on the confidence bait of the fisherman. I've talked to people who'll come back and toss a creeper or weagle, others who'll comeback with a twitchbait, and still others will come back with a tube.

Does it really matter what you come back with, as long as you come back with something different than what you got the follow on? EX. If you're burning bucktails, try something slow. If you're slowly twitching something in, come back with some speed. Trial and error.

Any thoughts?

[Dkoy]

This season i have been able to pick up a couple of follows by coming in and tossing from the shallow side out with plastics. I have had fish right after follows and coming back 15-30 mins later. The only problem with this is you really have limited room to work a hooked fish in shalower water.

[JRedig]

First thought, fish just followed a bait, why would you change it? I'd start with speeding that bait up. IME, it's just not as cut and dry as you're asking for unfortunately, you really need to read each fish and how it approached the bait etc to have an idea how to proceed. Keep practicing, you see enough, you'll develop a pattern for dealing with them accordingly.

[RK]

Hiya -

Yeah, there's no right answer to this. What works on one fish might totally fail on another...

Generally speaking though, if I can I rest fish for a little while. If the fish was fairly aggressive I won't wait long. If it's a big fish but was slow and lazy, I might not come back for hours - until conditions change in some way, whether that's light conditions, wind, sundown/sunrise... Sometimes it'll be the next day before I come back.

If I'm coming back to a fish in a short amount of time I usually throw what I had them up on in the first place unless my gut really tells me to do something different. If more time has passed I put on something appropriate to the conditions at the moment. I've caught a lot of fish coming back to them with a walk the dog topwater or hawg wobbler though.

Coming at the fish from a different angle, fishing a spot from shallow to deep (as Dkoy mentioned) or drifting in to a spot are all wrinkles you can try. All of them work some of the time. Nothing works all of the time. Shoot - nothing works even most of the time.

Basically though - try to judge the fish's mood, then go from there.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[urban cowboy]

Circle the wagons, change your casting angle. Nothing, leave and come back later.

[urban cowboy]

Obviously there are multiple ways to go about this.. multiple situation and a number fo different theory's... Here is something that I do.

I like to burn showgirls to find fish. Once I move one I mark the exact spot on my gps. Then change my casting angle, same bait. If she doesnt bit, I will leave, come back later and slow roll a cowgirl. For some reason this works. I have repeated this multiple times. I go from a small fast lure to a big slow lure... If you catch a fish doing this you have to post and let me know.