Figure 8's

[Capt'nJosh]

This may be a dumb question, but I'm new to musky fishing and have heard quite a few people talking about working your rod like figure 8's. How/when do you work a figure 8? When you have a bunch of line out, or just the last few cranks on the reel? Rod tip up high, down low??? Any lures work better than others with this presentation? Lots of questions here! Any/all advice is appreciated.

Capt'n

[DUCKJ]

you will do a fig 8 when a fish follows you into the boat and turns from your lure at the boat. do not stop your retrieve, go strait into your fig 8. you also want to keep your rod tip as far down in the water as poss, drop to your nee's if you have to, but get your lure down there. also make the fig 8 as big as your rod will let you. if you have a big fish follow, they cant turn as fast as a smaller fish can.
alway's end your retrieve with a L pattern. i have pulled my lure away from a fish many times before, by not doing a L with my line at the end of my retrieve. make this a habit.
as for the lure, what ever lure you are using is the right one. the fish is either interested or wondering what the heck it is. if the fish is in a lazy mood , doing a fig 8 could trigger a fish into hitting even if she's not in the mood to do so.
i do a fig 8 once in a wile even if i dont see anything follow me in. just because you dont see a fish follow, dose'nt meen there's not one there.
i do all this with about 12 to 18 inches of line past your end eyelet.
hope i helped you with your ? @ A.
happy hunting
duck

[This message has been edited by DUCKJ (edited 09-25-2002).]

[Steve Foss]

Two things to add. You can vary the speed of your figure 8, which can trigger fish, and move your rod up and down to vary the depth of the lure. That can trigger fish too.

[TG]

Don't forget you need to be on freespool,
and your thumb down tight on the spool. When the fish takes it, she is doing whatever she wants to do. The fight begins!

Good Luck
Terry

[Fish-n-Freak]

Good Points Duck, and good secondary items added guys.

I learned the need to figure8 the hard way, first time out, pulled my depth raider out of the water and watched a 50" class fish surface and swim away.

Now I do the L and always ready to "drop and roll" If I even think I saw a shadow, I will drop down and start rolling the lure in big loops, better safe than sorry.

My biggest fish 57" off Leech Lake, came on a figure8 in the dark, couldn't see just playing it safe and it worked out.

Practice the figure 8 and learn which lures work the best. Some lures don't turn well, some crankbaits will roll to their side and some bucktails will stop spinning if your turn too sharp.

Good Luck, and welcome to our "nightmare".
Freak

[Guest]

In short, try for long sweeping motions. Don't try to make it tight. Sweeping....

[Guest]

Another tip: if you lose sight of the fish or see it turn off at the boat, give it another 6 or 7 more figure 8's. Have had fish swim away on my right and come in after a few seconds from the opposite side and hit my lure!