Fake Decoys - Fat or Skinny?

[merkman]

What profile brings in more fish?

Fat fake decoys or Skinny fake decoys?

[buckhunter21]

Dont think it matters as much as the color and the action of the decoy.

[mnspearingguider]

All I can say is match the forage, if you got this 4" wide decoy and the main forage in the lake is perch and sunnies, I would tend to stray away from the wide ones, But I have to agree with buckhunter21, action is equally important.

I also stray away from the blocky looking decoys, such as the MN Decoy, Don't get me wrong they work, but I have much better success with a side profile that looks like a fish. Bait fish in particular.

The times I have found the blocky, wide, or weird looking decoys work is when the pike are not agressive, they tend to slide in more just to look, when they are not aggressive that is the time to go to the different look.

[bassNspear]

i dont think its a big deal! Its all about the auction that the live has! The more action you have, the more fish you will see!

[Spearing Machine]

I don't think anything matters. I have been spearing since I could walk with my grandpa and dad. From them I was taught to NEVER touch the decoy once its in the water. Often times moving it will bring in small ones but seldom larger ones. I don't think shape matters. Pike are all about checking things out and just curiosity has them looking. We have used bananas, golf balls, collared pieces of lead that rotate, wood decoys of all shapes and colors and they have all worked.

[Huey]

I don't think anything matters. I have been spearing since I could walk with my grandpa and dad. From them I was taught to NEVER touch the decoy once its in the water. Often times moving it will bring in small ones but seldom larger ones. I don't think shape matters. Pike are all about checking things out and just curiosity has them looking. We have used bananas, golf balls, collared pieces of lead that rotate, wood decoys of all shapes and colors and they have all worked.

Really? Never touch the decoy?

That would be hard to do. I try to be more patient and leave the decoy alone, but it's not easy. It's always tempting to start playing around; switching decoys, swimming them erraticly, etc. especially when the pike action is slow.

I agree about the big fish coming in when nothing is moving.

IMHO, I don't think it matters either. I've had my best luck with small decoys so maybe small/skinny is better, at least in my experience.

[Gordie]

sometimes its all about the flash and other times its about the color there are also time when a live decoy is all that they want then again it can be oppisite if that. There are guys that use only the decoys they carve and thats it no live decoy and do very well I have seen this myself this year. other guys will only use a spinner with spoons and I personally know 2 guys thats all they use and they do very well and lets just say they are very experienced spear guys( I hate the term old timmers) last season the spinner was hot for me this year not as productive.

Lets see what am I forgetting, Oh yea golfballs,popcans,beercans,apiece of liecence plate,daredevils,bucktails,cylomue light sticks and like I said SOMETIMES its all about flash other time NO flash is required.

I feel that you have to let the pike tell you what they want and as for the size of the decoy it dont matter to me. I also use the fake decoy to try and entice that pike that will not commit and is staying just outside the hole and it doesnt always work.

[Craigums]

elwood, do you think it matters about the type of water your in? I mean if its a darker or more discolored water that in my rational the flash would be needed to attract the fish, In clearer water maybe a more suttle decoy would sufice?

[mnspearingguider]

I think it does, the clearer the water I'm on, the more natural colors I use, The darker the water the brighter the colors I use, I want to say that is where spinning a spoon works well. Of course there are days you can throw out all your educated guess's out the window.

[Gordie]

elwood, do you think it matters about the type of water your in? I mean if its a darker or more discolored water that in my rational the flash would be needed to attract the fish, In clearer water maybe a more suttle decoy would sufice?

YES as a matter of fact I do think along those lines last year my lake was some what murky and they loved the flash of the spinner this year its clear and for me no decoy only live has been working but I know of a guy that has been getting them on this lake and the only way he has been getting them to come in was jigging his decoys agressivly so may this lake dont count but I do belive that flash is needed in dirtier waters. I have also used rattlen raps for sound in dirty water with some good results.

[Capt'nMorgan]

I usually will not touch the decoy once its in the water, i spin it up then line real good so it spins in the water and that is all it takes to bring in the fish