Live or artificial decoys?

[ducksnbucks]

My buddy and I just started spearing this year and have started off by using live suckers for the decoy. In two outings we have gotten 3 and missed one. Do you guys do better with real or fake decoys? Just curious who does better with what. Thanks -Tony

[psegriz]

Tony do you have relation (sp) in belgrade.

My experience is you see more with a live decoy, but wood ones offer a better shot. With live decoys they tend to hit without coming in to look 1st. Wooden decoys they usually come in to look just for curiosity if nothing else. With live decoys fish come into without hesitation if interested so you must be quick with the spear, if they aren't interested you won't see them at all. My advice is use live decoys and get used to making quick shots. Bigger lakes in my opinion don't have fish as agressive as smaller lakes. Personally I use both at the same time but the red/white never gets a tug, it's just there for color. That goes back to an incident that happened 15 yrs ago. The biggest fish I've seen got spooked when i pulled on the red/white. I didn't know he was there until I seen him bolt away, he was hiding underneath the weeds when I tugged on the red/white.

Look at the what you use for spear and decoys topic for more info.

[dojigger]

In my experience spearing, 7 years, ive come to the conclusion in clear water use live and in mirky water use artificial. But thats my opinion

[Bruce Mosher]

I think it works great to have a Live sucker Minnow and have a Teaser with a colorful spoon barely spinning. Best of both worlds! The Sucker Minnow will usually tell you when to be ready - meaning the Northern is coming!!

I use the Mini Teaser. You can check it out on this site. It works great, runs a 1- D battery. Bruce Mosher

[spearingboy]

I've used both live and artifical. With live decoys when the northerns hit them a lot of times they'll hold onto them and you can pull them back into the hole and spear them vs. artificial decoys a lot of times they may come in quick, hit them, and then swim off too fast. For that reason I like live decoys. But, I spear more often with artificial because I like the fact that you can swim them and when you get bored and when you get tired of looking at the same thing you can switch to a different style and color. So it's really a preference thing.

[spearchucker]

I have used both. I normally use artifical decoy, but if I use live bait I put it down along with the artificial decoy.

[Quillback Sucker]

I like to use both at the same time but I dont use the wood ones. I actually found the best use for those huge Musky spoons that are about the size of small salad plate. I couldn't imagine actally casting one of those things!

Most of my fish to come into the spoon first as it slowly turns on a electronic spinner that my Uncle made. For me, the sucker is just window dressing and acts as secondary target once the fish is drawn in by the constant motion of the large spoon.They usually come in slow because there is no erratic motion.Every once in a while I will quickly raise it and let it flutter back down to get the flash. I've had them come in like a freight train and get a mouth full of metal, but mostly they just creap up to it put their nose about 2" away before they get it right behind the head.

[Mike89]

As you are seeing here using both is a good way to go. I use both and at times when I'm in my permanat house will have both down as said above. When using the portable I can only use one or the other. I have seen days when only decoys work and then the next only suckers work. Go figure!! Good luck!! Mike89

[Jackpine Rob]

I've never used live bait for spearing, and use only my own homemade decoys. We have a bunch of old decoys made by great-uncles, grandpas, etc., but most of those are retired now.

Making the decoys is really half the fun of this sport. Mine start off as limbs on a cedar tree, get cut, carved, sanded, drilled, "finned" with chunks of coffee can, and painted with model paint. The initial swim usually finds me holding my breath - to see if the thing will swim nicely or if modification is necessary. They're not fancy, but seem to get the job done.

[Mike89]

Jackpine Rob, do you ever go to the decoy shows?? Was wondering if we might have meet before. It would be interesting seeing your decoys if you haven't gone to them. Mike

[ducksnbucks]

Thanks fellas for all of the input. Went out again tonight, got two nice ones, and released one that hit the minnow, didn't let go so I brought it up the hole and let it go again, fun to see. So far we are doing well, might have to try artificial sometime though. psegriz, I am from st.cloud, my dad grew up in cold spring, but I think some distant relatives live out there. Good Fishin, Ding

[rossthefisherman]

Where is everyone spearing way up north or what? You don't have to give the hot spots away just wondering where there is ice.

[ducksnbucks]

There are quite a few smaller lakes frozen over, Big Turtle has a lot of people fishing/spearing on it. There are also 3 or 4 houses on the East side of Lake Bemidji, they have a lot more guts than I do, considering 3/4 of the lake is still open. A buddy of mine went to Red Lake yesterday and said there is 6 inches there.

[mille lacs muskie bum]

What are the best colors for artificials?

[Jackpine Rob]

Mike - I have not been to a decoy show in over 10 years. Seems like I am either hunting, fishing, or doing kid activities. Maybe when I'm old and decrepit I'll finally have time!

Best colors? Oh boy, that's a tough one. My "go to" decoy is gold and red - one of my first creations that sports a wooden tail. It runs slowly, with a slight up and down wobble. Recently, my son's first painting effort has seen quite a bit of use - we refer to it as "The Santa Decoy" because it has Christmas colors of green, red and white. That one runs at a medium pace.

"The Cisco Kid" is silver with black flecks, swims extremely fast, and has numerous toothmarks.

"The Clown" was a pathetic effort at perch colors that in spite of its gargantuan size seems to attract small northerns, and when things are slow we clip that monstrosity onto the line and work it for a awhile - even if no fish come in we are entertained by the sheer ugliness of the decoy.

Rounding out the cast of characters currently in the tackle box is a small white decoy with red accents, that has not yet acquired a name. Another medium speed decoy - but has not seen much use yet. It replaces a similar color/shape decoy that met up with an untimely fate in the garage, after falling onto the floor and making acquaintance with a truck tire.

[Mike89]

Jackpine Rob, if ever cross paths I sure would be interested in seeing your creations!!! As you can see I live in the Osakis area, if we can sometime get together I would think I would enjoy seeing your decoys. Mike

[psegriz]

I got to agree with you guys on making your own decoys. It's fun to get a fish on a decoy youmade yourself. Some don't want to swim woth a hoot then once in a while I surprise myself and am impressed with it.