Hatchet blade

[Dano2]

which do you prefer for wallys, the hatchet or just your ordinary one?

What colors do you like to use?
I read that silver, copper, for sunny days, or something florescent for lower lite conditions

how about your entire rig combination,
from hooks, to beads to spinner.

thanks

[guts]

Most fisherman I know including myself prefer colorado blades and under certain conditions a willow blade. The hatchet blade has been short lived and I think it has been discontinued by Lindy as a very slow seller.
Blue is a good walleye color, however last week I didn't do anything with blue and hammered nickle was the trick.

Gold and nickle, plain and hammered are the most popular and chartruse probably the next most popular followed by flourescent orange. Me, I'll try blue first.

I like chartruse beads, red hooks and small spinner blades. Hope that helps, guts

[Dano2]

thanks, colorado seems to be the most popular from what i hear so far.
I caught a couple nice wallys this morning, and had a yellow spinner, yellow hook and red beads, but I'm going to make some up with the other colors you speak of, as i do hear red hooks seem to be hot.
What size hooks do most of you generally use for your spinner rigs and crawly harness?

[Borch]

I use a bit of everthing. Colorado, Indiana and hatchet blades. They all work fine. I like the Indiana for slower presentation and the Colorado and hatchet for moderate to fast presentations. I rarely use willow blades on spinner rigs.

Color really depends on the lake and conditions. One lake I fish is hammered nickel or brass, Another lake it's strictly chartruese. Another lake it's blaze orange or nothing.

Also the bead colors are as important(probably more) than the blade color. As the blade spins it becomes translucent. The beads show up more than the blades.

Good Luck!

[can it be luck?]

Dano, To buy all the components you'll need will cost very little. A few bags of beads, interchangable clevis,variety of spinners,barrel swivels,hooks, and a springed holder or rack to keep your completed harnesses. I'm not sure of hook sizes because I know by looking at what I need, buy I'm thinking #2, the largest eagle claw makes(?). I use 14 or 17 lb. mono, stiff to keep it straight. Tie on a single #2 bait grabber hook. The barbs on the shank keep the crawler from slideing down and a single hook runs straight. Dont worry about short strikes, you dont want that caliber of fish anyways and the single hook will be inhaled if a fish decides to chase down your harness. Spinners do little good unless they're moveing, so only agressive fish will chase down yor bait. Add beads, yellow,red,green, this is users choice, experiment. Add your clevis, the clevis has a slot that you can attach a blade in a jiffy. Add a single bead after the clevis. Leaders can vary, 10"-2' is about what I use. Attach a barrel swivel a your ready to fish. Blade colors vary from day to day, buy all colors and sizes, they're cheap. The reason I use willows are that they can be used at very slow troll or drift speeds, colorado is my # 1 choice. Wont and dont like hatchets. And 2-3 hooks on a harness looks and acts like dump in my book. Lots of spin,crawler "sag",and wasted bait. can it be luck?

[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 08-05-2003).]

[Dano2]

Thanks, for the info. again.
I just started making my own this summer and am still alittle rusty on the differentknots,, that size hook with the barbs makes good sense for the crawlers, but what about leaches, I have used those size plus a smaller one and have caught them on both, but it seems the bigger one is a little better to keep the small sunnies off.
I'm just curious though, if its better to use something a little smaller for leaches so there isn't so much hook, maybe I'm putting my leach on wrong too, who knows.

thanks again

[Borch]

On my single hook spinner rigs I generally use #2 or #4 Octopus hooks. When I tie a crawler harness I'll use the larger hook up front and a #6 as the trailer hook. Use a bigger hook because in this setup hook size isn't something that is gonna spook fish. With the beads and spinner basicly hiding the hook. Plus the larger hook gap will increase your hooking percentage. I store my rigs rubber or velcro cylinder snell holders. But I know several guys who use the foam pipe insulation and stuff the snell end(with or without a barrel swivel) in the precut slit and wrap it arounf until they can stick the hook into the foam. Other have used the foam noodles(swim toys) and cut it into 6-12" chunks, cut a lengthwise slit and done the same thing.

As far as leader length goes it really depends. Most of my spinner rigs are 3-6' in length. And I almost always pull them on bottom bouncers. The camming action of the bouncer adds additional action to your spinner and helps keeping the spinner rig in the strike zone and keeping it from snagging or fouling with weeds. If the fish are more than 2 feet off bottom I'll switch to a 3 way rig and vary the dropper length based on how far there are off bottom.

As far as how to hook the leech. I usually hook them once through the fat end. If there are a lot of perch or sunfish(bait robbers) I'll hook it through the very tip of the smaller end. This end is much tougher and the panfish with have a tougher time stealing your bait.

"Can it be luck" has given you a lot of good info already.

You should be ready to go.

Good Luck!

Borch

[Dano2]

Hey, great info. I just told myself the other day i need to start learning how to use bottem bouncers, but not sure about size, i was also looking at thise no snag sinkers that i believe lindy makes, but there abit pricy.
I wonder if the kids will get mad if i go steal one of their water noodles and start cutiing it up, HEH!
great idea though, as i found out fast when your in a hurry to chage, and take the one off, wrap it around your hand, stuff it in a small baggy, the next time you go try an use it, you end up untangling it, then the lines about shot.

[This message has been edited by Dano2 (edited 08-05-2003).]

[Borch]

AS far as the bottom bouncers go. Ther general rule is 1 oz for ever 10 ft of depth. But a lot depths on your trolling speed. Try to keep you line at approximately a 45 degree angle.

When you get a hit drop a bit of rod trip(no need to let out any line) and set the hook.

Good Luck!

[can it be luck?]

Dano, As Borch said, 3-6' is the length of leader you'll want to run. My referance to 10"-2' was for leader on the pre-assembled rigs, once out on the water tie your extra leader on then attach to the barrel swivel. I keep them short when I make them because of the tangling you would have with the extra line. Not to mention the "memory" that mono has, the line gets all coiled up too. If your fishing leeches, go with the smaller hook. Makeing spinners is sort of fun, it's like craft makeing for fisherman. Make up a bunch of different ones to cover all your applications. I fish a lot of Great Lakes walleye with spinners, and the only problems I've ever had when the fish hit are...is it fish or am I snagged on a rock? The poles doubles up, no tapping on the bait, just a lot of weight and shake. Large flats, even over deep water(25-50') can be good areas to try. It's also less frustrating without lots of weeds. The bottom bouncers I use are heavy 2-3 oz. I like the vertical presentation, and it makes for easier depth control, but a standard rule is 1 oz per 10'. The no snag bait walker sinkers have wood int them for buoyancy, they have applications, but not here IMO. can it be luck?

[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 08-05-2003).]

[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 08-05-2003).]

[Dano2]

thanks again, I did get the #4's as the 2's just seem too big for leeches, just my own weird feeling I guess, .
Well time to go tie a few, your right about the kraft thing, the first time i made up a couple, I was so frustrated with the knot tying, i swore i would never do it again, but now it aint so bad and i'll just get quicker with the knots in time.

[Guest]

Ya i started tyeing my snells with #2 hooks then i started to think that was a little big and now i tie all my snells with #4 Gamakatsu, Daiichi, or Eagle Claw hooks. Which ever i can get the cheapest at the time. If I am fishing with a crawler i will not use less than 2 hooks, i almost get enough short bites the way it is with 2 hooks sometimes. I havent tried 3 hooks b/c if a walleye swallow the whole thing I would not want to get in there and dig them hooks out. If i put a minnow on snell line I might use 2 hooks but normally I will only use one. With leeches I only use one hook.
I think the biggest bottom bouncer i got is 2 oz and i use that when im fishing deep or when it is really windy out.

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Fish ON!

[Guest]

Ya the general rule of thumb is oz for every 10' but i like to stretch that a little. Ya and keep ur line at 45º angle dont just drop your bouncer down to the bottom and let it drag. When you drop it down let it hit bottom then normally one crank on the reel will do it. Keep ur rod tip UP, its very important so you can feel the bite and give the fish line when you drop back. To check to see if you are on the bottom just drop ur rod back and it should hit. If it doesnt then let out more line. If you feel bottom then reel up a crank or so. Ive been doing this for bout 7 years, so after a while you get a hang of it and start to understand things lil better.
When I have gone fishing sometimes I have dragged fish around for 150' or minute or so before i set the hook. Make sure you have the fish on the line before you set the hook. Some fish will come and hit it like they want to commit suicide and other will just slowly come up and grab it and go for a lil ride before they are dragged in.
After a while you will get to tell the difference between different fish and the difference between a soft bite and a weed.

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Fish ON!

[92python]

I tie standard one hook spinners then add a Northland stinger hook (with the orange plastic stuff over the loop knot) to the single hook when using crawlers. That makes it easier and faster for me to tie up spinners and change baits.