What's with the Bulldawg???

[RuKiddingMe]

I put this thing on everytime I'm out, it's kind of one of those have to try things and have never had a bite, strike or follow on the thing. Now on the flip-side people are frequently saying it is one of their top 5 baits, is there something I'm missing? I use it a number of different ways, jerking, gliding, jigging and straight retrieve.

Just curious what others sucess rates are with the Bulldawg.

RU

[gundy89]

I haven't figured them out yet either. I have had a bunch of follows and only one taker. I ended up losing him at the boat. Just a little guy, but he destroyed the plastic. I've been treating it like a jerk bait, but we'll see if we can't figure it out this summer.

[lots of luck]

Jim Saric at the Muskie Extreme Show explained that there is no one way or correct way to work it.

His take was that as long as the tail is fluttering and working you will have a chance with a fish. The tail in his opinion was the mechanism that did most of the triggering and work for the Dawg. So don't get frustrated when you go into the figure eight and your Dawg decideds to swim upside down, just keeping figure 8'ing. He also explained that we should not get hung up on using the Dawg as a jerk bait. You don't have to wear yourself out trying to get a perfect jerk and glide pattern going. He actually touched on using the Dawg with a straight retrieve, never actually stoping the reel. Of course you can throw some twitches into the retrieve.

I have not used the Dawg much also, but with Saric speech i came out of the seminar with a lot of confidence and some ideas on what/when/how to use it.

[Esoxmn]

I have tried different methods with them without so much as a follow. It's hard to stick with a bait you have no confidence in.

[MuskyBrian]

Guys I was in the same boat as you prior to last year. I had the thing, had no confidence in it, didn't know how to use it, and never had a follow. Then I had my breakthrough using it one Sunny Afternoon in a sandy shallow bay...Saw a giant "log like" shadow suck it up from the sand, things have never been the same since!!

The bulldawg NEVER leaves my side, it's not the ideal lure to throw in many situations, but I can't even tell you how many ski's I caught this past year on a 'Dawg after initially drawing one out with a different lure and then tossing the dawg back at them. Also, sometime I will just randomly throw it out in a deeper spot and bring out a Muskie from seemingly out of nowhere. I don't think they can resist at least checking the thing out, I call it my "awaker" cause I will toss it out and if i don't get a follow I believe nobody is home.

My suggestions would be to try it out bouncing over weedbeds, or as I said earlier drag it through some sand and have it kick up dust as if it were actually crawling. Another note, down south it works great this time of year, I know guys catching them in IL rivers as we speak and they use nothing but dawgs.

[Muskydanno]

Cant even tell you how effective it is at pulling fish out of the weeds on these metro lakes. I rarely used it until last year some fishing buddies of mine started hammering the fish in the foil on them, ripping them through the weeds. To this day i have only caught one fish on the bait but have had multiple blowups and follows on it when nothing else was working. My only hangup is how easy it is to trash the bait.Ripping them through the weeds is pretty tough on them.

[cjac]

A couple of mine have some good teeth marks on them!

I second the approach of working thru or just above the metro milfoil lakes. Think about how many bass guys get hit by the big 'skis while throwing plactics in the foil pockets.........

Yes, a straight approach can be just as effective. Just saw in In-Fisherman where Doug Stange was working a J-mac jig and trailer on a straight line approach. The tail is the trigger.

Another tip, keep a super glue in the box for repairs if needed.

[ARMAN-21]

You gotta LOVE the Dawgs! Also, Danno the custom HellHounds will be at my door shortly! What day are we going to the Blaine Show?

[AWH]

Add me to the list of those that have never caught a fish on a Dawg. But I'm not giving up. I used to throw only the regular dawgs. But I started using a longer rod for my dawgs late last year and I really like how much better I'm able to work them, especially the magnums. I like the mags so much that it's going to be nothing but magnums for me from here on out. And I think I'm ready to break the trend this year and put one in the boat on a dawg!

Aaron

[MuskyBrian]

Well.. For the guys with little Success, I have found that colors/sizes do matter. Last Summer I was Killing them on the Mid Sized Black Dawg, My buddy only had the smaller Grey Colored Dawg and the results were night and day, only the larger black would work. I also have purchased the smaller version in black with an orange tail and have had only minimal success at best. Definetely would suggest to try and work around sizes/colors to find one that works. I'm telling you, these things are MONEY and you don't have to worry about action on them, it seems so many different ways work.

[Muskydanno]

Gonna have to go to the show on friday Scott. I have to go up north that weekend. Probably best for me anyway we both know how much cash i dropped there last year!!

[Random guy]

I will admit when the Bull Dawg first came out I made fun of it and called it a waste of money. That was also one of the years that the early season musky on Leech would not open their mouth for nothing...except a Dawg. That tail and the unpredictable action really seems to trigger fish. I like to rip them hard then stop them dead then rip em again. This seems to produce strikes on the pause, you go to rip the bait and all of sudden it gained 20+ pounds.

Another trick I like to do for fish holding deep is work them like a jig. I let the dawg settle to the bottom then pull it up 10', tightline the lure until it "swings" back down to the bottom. This is very effective after a cold front when the fish are hanging off the drop down low.