To tip or not to tip - your bucktails that is

[Cooter]

Several years ago I made a point to have a twister tail on the end of pretty much every bucktail I threw. Now days not so much. Not that I didn't get fish when I tipped bucktails and not that I'm getting more when I don't - probably just laziness!

Anyways, so are you a tipper or not? Always, never, sometimes, and why?

I've heard the theories that a twister can be just enough extra to get a fish to bite and also that its a good way to get short strike nippers.

Probably another certain times/situations decision, and one that like so many other aspects of musky fishing will never fully or partially make sense all or half the time....etc, etc, etc, but is still worthwhile and fun to chew on for a while.

[Nick Kuhn]

Depends on the bucktail. If it's a DCG I doubt tipping does anything. On smaller bucktails I do still tip them occasionally, particularly on lakes where I've had success with tipped lures. I'm not sure it helps the muskie bite, but a tipped small bucktail catches a lot more small pike than a non-tipped bucktail.

[Meat-Run]

I have to chime in on this. Sometime a go a local guide came to one of our chapter meetings and suggested to put a white twister tales on all your musky candy bucktails and this will increase your success rate. Well three years later and white twister tails on most of my bucktails....still no muskie catch increase or a muskie at all for that matter. Coincident, maybe just poor luck but haven't seen one bit of improvement in follows or catching, the only thing that has changed is the mess it makes in my tackle box when they melt, I have since removed all my twisters.

Now don't get me wrong I'm just one guys experience I'm sure it works for most but not for me...theres my .02.

Good luck,

mr

[rugbymn]

The good thing about a twister is that if you get your lure wrapped around your leader on the cast, the tail will still spin on the way in.

I was tossing a funky chicken this weekend and it got wrapped around the leader. I wasn't paying any attention because I figured it was a wasted cast and got a boatside strike on the action of the tail alone. Not sure if it was a ski or a little gator though, because as I said, I was staring at girls or something instead of watching my lure.

[smeese]

I have read a lot about people putting crawlers or leaches on their bucktails, generally I would guess it would add a live scent. I tried fishing a Raiser bucktail under a bobber once with a sucker on it......no luck but would it work sometime? Maybe...just depends on how much time you try it.

[Zelmsdawg]

I always tip my bucktails, spinnerbaits too. One positive I feel is that it will entice a neutral following fish into nipping and possibly getting a snout hook, on the negative side though, is that fish will nip a lot of tails off as opposed of possibly grabbing the bait and hooks.

Zelmsdawg