Deadsticking?

[CrappieAttitude]

What is your favorite technique for deadsticking. I have heared people clipping the tail fin off of their minnow which allows for more movement. I am looking to experiment with this more this winter. Any thoughts?

[marine_man]

My favorite is to deadstick with a Throne Bro's deadstick rod.. which has basically got an ultralight type of rod in the first 3-4 inches and a stiffer, heavier backbone throughout the rest of the rod. Just the minnow by itself is enough to make the rod twitch.

Then I put the deadstick on a deadstick rod holder like a Rod Rocker 2 or a Rock N Reel that allows you to physically see the bite and offer very little resitance (and in my case more time to realize I've got a bite since I'm a little slow sometimes) to the fish taking the bait.

I'm sure it seems like I'm pushing gear here, but the deadstick rod is like no other on the market... the combination of the ultralight tip and heavier rod was more than enough to put the 10 lb walleye in my avatar on the ice last year...

marine_man

[CrappieAttitude]

Are you tail hooking your minnow while you are doing this? Do you use a regular hook, or a jig of some sort? I soppose each has their moments. Which route have you had the most luck with?

[harvey lee]

I will second the Thorne Bros deadtick.It is one of the best,most sensetive rod I personally own.You can watch your minnow wiggle the end of the rod.Very good piece and well worth the money.

I usually use a minnow with a clipped tail or I hook it up side down for more action.I use a regular red Gamagatsu hook.

[Matt Johnson]

I like deadsticking both live-bait and plastics. It's actually amazing how much a plastic will still move even when you try your hardest to keep it still. Sometimes that's the ticket on finicky fish.

I also like deadsticking with the Thorne Bros Power Noodle when gills and perch and feeding off the bottom. Just let the jig sit tight to the bottom and pay close attention to the rod tip. When that baby dances or quivers then it's time to set the hook!

[slick814]

I like to use a slightly stiffer rod than I'd normally use for whichever species I'm targeting as a starter, maybe a med. action as opposed to lite. Then just put it in one of those classic red rod holders.

Technique wise, though...

Drop-shot hook, between 6"-2' off the bottom, depending on how deep the fish are holding, with a minnow tail hooked upside down. I don't generally clip the fins, but sometimes I'll clip a bit off the tail for a slightly different look/presentation.

Ice buster bobber, open bail, let the fish take it for a few seconds, pick up the rod, close the bail, slowly reel in and set the hook when there's tension.

worked great for Walleyes last season. I think that the Angel Eyes jig I was jigging in the next hole worked as an attractor to the deadstick line, because I caught about 1.5 to 1 on the dead stick rod.

[marine_man]

Quote:

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Are you tail hooking your minnow while you are doing this? Do you use a regular hook, or a jig of some sort?

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I usually hook the minnow one of three ways... tail (like mentioned) near the dorsal fin (but on one side of the dorsal fin so I can point the point of the hook toward the head of the minnow... so you insert the hook from the back to the front of the minnow, parallel to the dorsal fin, kind of in the "back strap" of the minnow). The other way is in the bingo hole... it's amazing how much they move when they're hooked that way... they constantly fitting to stay upright... but in the end it all depends on how the fish (in this case walleye) are respoding.

Regarding hooks... believe it or not I've had the best luck in most situations using a plain size 6 or 8 gold kahle hook on my deadstick line. I'll try other things if it's not producing, but it seems to me that about 80% of them time I've got a Kahle hook on and am catching fish. I put a heavier splitshot up about 1' or so to keep the minnow from swimming around too far and to get the line down quicker, but a gold kahle hook has been the ticket for me.

marine_man

[Quickstrike]

I really like using a light float on one of my lighter rods. I like either a plain hook with a minnow or a gem-n-eye style jig with a minnow. The key with the gem-n-eye is to hook it parrelel along the spine with the hook going towards the head, it has made a huge difference for me since learning this technique.

[CrappieAttitude]

Thanks for all the responses gentlemen! I am really going to put my time in doing this. It sounds like it can really be productive.

[Reynolds]

What size rods are you guys using for your deadstick? I am contemplating buying one but see that they range in length from 28" to 36". A shorter rod I would assume would be more conducive to indoor use, whereas a longer rod is more suited for sitting outside on the ice.

[marine_man]

I believe I've got a 28". I wish it were a little longer (mostly since my deadstick hole is the furthest from me) but I got a heck of a deal on one in the for sale forum a year or two ago...

marine_man

[iffwalleyes]

I have 3 thorne deadstick rods due to the fact that I live in ND and can fish 4 lines in the winter. 3 setups like marine man mentioned. I personally like the 32" I have 2 28" and they are nice when in my permanent house but like marine man mention in a otter I typically have mine set at the hole farther away from me so the longer rod works better in the situation. If I buy more of these rods though they will be the 32" model. It is amazing what they can land. I have caught some pretty large fish on these rods. The 12# eel pout had to be the most fun.

[hanson]

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It is amazing what they can land. I have caught some pretty large fish on these rods.

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Pretty large fish? Like this one!

42" Lake Sturgeon on a 32" Thorne Bros. deadstick rod, shiner minnow on a perch colored Angel Eye, Jr.

[Matt Johnson]

Deadsticking can really be the ticket some days. When the bite takes a turn, just hanging a bait in front of a fish's face for minutes at a time can be what it takes. I've witnessed days where it takes several minutes of a bluegill staring at my jig before it decides to take it, same goes for other species.

For some situations, deadsticking will out-produce any other method. It's a technique that should be a part of every ice angler's arsenal. Drop one line down as a deadstick and another as a jigging set-up. Even somedays I'll drop down two deadstick lines with different presentations to see which one triggers the bite. Scented plastics are a great way to work a deadstick set-up.

A technique that I've become very fond of is deadsticking for pannies and perch off the bottom. Let your presentation sit on the bottom, but keep your line tight, and then pay close attention to your sensitive rod tip and your line. Use crushed maggots so there's no movement, that way anytime you see movement in your rod tip or in your line then you know it's a bite. Oftentimes pannies and perch will feed heavily off insects and organisms that stick in the bottom, and this technique can really pay-off somedays...