Suicks

[DaveFromMO]

I'm finally ready to buy a few of these for our trip to Shoal Lake in Ontario after seeing everybody talk about them all the time (it's not a lure you see much of around St. Louis). I remember hearing you control the depth they run at by bending the tail up or down, down making it run deeper but I don't know how deep the different sizes will run. Also any tips on favorite sizes and colors (especially around the LOTW area) and the best ways to work them (slow/steady vs jerks vs??) would be much appreciated. We'll be casting our arms off around the islands and rocks the last 2 weeks of September. Also, I see the discussion in this forum is almost all about muskies but we haven't seen one yet in 3 previous trips to Shoal Lake, we're kept very happy going after the 10-15 lb northerns the lake is full of so that's what we'll be targeting.

[cjac]

I can't comment on the LOTW area for pike but I've caught some nice pike on Minnetonka using Suicks, so it may not be a bad option. I use the 9 & 10 inch for muskies, but they also make a 7 inch, which might be a good option. I personally like the weighted models, but I don't know if they have those in the 7 inch.

Work them with the downward rod jerks, that will really get it diving, depth depending on the tail bend as you mentioned. I typically try to get them taking about a 1 foot dive on each pull, a nice but varied downward arc. Key is to mix up the cadence on the retrieve to trigger the fish. "T"ing out the hooks to save on the hook rash on the bait is also a good idea.

One more thing, on a retrieve like this, every strike isn't going to be a freight train, so when you do feel something make sure to set the hook hard.

Enjoy the trip, Chris

[DaveFromMO]

Thanks for the tips, now I just have to work up the guts to tell the wife I'm going to pay about $15 each for a lure, especially considering my philosophy is if you buy one you gotta buy 3 just to be prepared for bad things happening to leaders/line etc, not to mention having a few different colors... I'll report back on the trip when we get back.