Phantom teeth marks on plastics

[nater]

Just wondering how often you guys have pulled up your dawg or tube only to find teeth marks but didn't feel any slack line or anything irregular that indicates the strike?

It's happened twice this year on a dawg and a jimmy. Looks like it got chomped but didn't hang on. Maybe its happening on the fall or after the sweep and a bit of slack line but I typically don't give them a lot.

[mainbutter]

Not just with muskies, but anytime I'm fishing, I wonder how often there are strikes that are just not felt, how many more fish I could have caught..

I read a while ago some estimated figure of like 80% or more of fish bites are on the fall of a lure, even more so and ESPECIALLY with vertical jigging, but any other fishing as well.

I've fished waters that at various times of the year hold trout, pike, and musky, and been casting a plastic of some kind(usually smaller than a dawg though) only to come up with a tail missing and no bite felt.

[HugoBox]

I have a pretty beat up bulldawg that's NEVER hooked a fish. I figured I was just really crappy at detecting bites.

[JRedig]

Put me down on the bulldawg list, except add about 10 of them to it.

[HuntBigFish]

I absolutely HATE that becuase you work so hard to get one of em to bite and then you don't feel it, drives me nuts! i had that happen a fair amount a few years ago, but now i think ive finally gotten the key to feeling them, thankfully only had it happen once last year.

[AnglerX]

Could be phantom hook marks

[JRedig]

Could be phantom hook marks

Definitely not. Inch wide gash over 1/2 inch deep? Or maybe a dawg coming back without a tail having never felt a tappy tap? Had that happen too.

[beatuplund]

This happens to me all the time. No hits all day but then I look over the soft plastic and there's the tell-tale marks: 3-4 gashes about 1/8 inch or so apart. Deep and clean like a razor blade cut, not rubbing like hook rash.

[goblueM]

i think they purposely make bulldawgs out of crappy plastic so they can make more money...

i switched over to super d's and I think their plastic is a little tougher. At least I haven't had a tail just fall off yet...

[hunterjoe]

goblueM,

Are you from MI? If so, where? I grew up there and moved out here in Jan. If you ever need a fellow MI fan to go fishing with, let me know. [email protected]

[goblueM]

yep, i grew up in Ann Arbor. email sent

[JRedig]

i think they purposely make bulldawgs out of crappy plastic so they can make more money...

i switched over to super d's and I think their plastic is a little tougher. At least I haven't had a tail just fall off yet...

Go try the new one's, they're awesome. Superd's are good too, but IME they just don't work (sink rate, hop, etc) the same...neither do curly sue's, more tools in the tool box!

[goblueM]

i just got a pair of new super d's online and they have rattles in them. very cool.

might have to check out the new bulldawgs - they have tougher plastic? hmm...

[smeese]

Catching on the Jimmy yet?

[Zelmsdawg]

Hey smeese,

You ever get out on either of those 2 lakes we talked about earlier? Kinda curious if you've had any luck or not

Zelmsdawg