# Tips for Dead-Sticking???



## UtahBassKicker (Apr 17, 2010)

I just started cold water bass fishing this year and have been trying to master the art of dead sticking. I've had mixed results so far and was wondering if you fellas had any must-do's or dont's for me. Thanks.


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## russ010 (Apr 19, 2010)

I dead stick alot man...

I normally do this with Senkos... all I do is cast it out and let it sit for about 30sec.. I'll pop it straight up a time or 2 then let it sit for about 2 min on slack line. Then I'll barely twitch my rod tip and let it sit for another 2 min or so. Then I'll fish it like a regular senko back to the boat trying to figure out where they are actually sitting at. If I get a bite closer to the boat, on the next cast I'll again cast past it, but slowly fish my lure close to where I got bit, then let it sit.. and sit... and sit - close to 3-5 min. Then I'll twitch it a few times and let it sit for another 2-3min. If they don't bite - I'll pick up and throw a different color or add some garlic smell to it before I switch to a different bait.

Dead-Sticking is a patience process... in a normal hour I might make 10 casts - but that one fish in an hour might be the 10lb'r you are waiting on. I dead stick a lot during the first week of post-spawn... then after that it's right back to the normal routine of texas rigged lizards (which caught me 11lb's of spots during this weekend's tourney)


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## txneal (Apr 19, 2010)

I wasn't really sure what dead-sticking is, so I did a little research and I think that it is a method that I've been using for about 40 years now...with much success. For me, I use it with topwater lures.

As a kid, fishing was serious business in my family, so I spent a lot of time on the water. I've always been really into nature, whether it be plants, birds, reptiles, mammals, or especially fish! In fact I was always so intrigued by wildlife, that I went on to get my masters degree in biology. Anyway, as a kid, I used a lot of grasshoppers as bait...excellent for almost any species! I would catch hundreds of them and have them crawling all over each other in jars. Sometimes, just for fun, I would throw them into the water to see how long it would take for a fish to grab them. What I would observe is that sometimes the grasshopper would remain motionless after landing on the water. It was probably a survival instinct as they would get quickly snatched up by a fish if they moved. Anyhow, if the grasshopper remained motionless, it could sometimes sit on the water's surface for a couple of minutes or more before a fish would grab it. Usually, as soon as they made an attempt to go for the shore, they would get gobbled up.

When topwater lures became one of my favorites, I kept those grasshoppers in mind and will often make a cast and then just let the lure sit motionless where it hits the water. I've watched fish before and have seen how something hitting the water will get their attention and they will move in closer to examine it. Sometimes, they will just go for it and other times, they will sit and watch it and wait for it to move. What I like to do is let that topwater lure just sit there for at least a minute or two and if nothing hits it, I'll give it a quick little twitch. Many times, that is all it takes to get a strike. If nothing goes for it within a few minutes, I'll go ahead and work it back to me and either catch a fish on the retrieve or try again. 

I've been doing this for many, many years and have caught a lot of bass with this tactic. My favorite lures for it are Heddon Torpedos and Smithwick Devil Horse. Just last spring, I caught over 100 bass during two days of fishing and was strictly using the dead stick method with these two lures. I have those grasshoppers from my childhood to thank for teaching me this technique.


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## UtahBassKicker (Apr 19, 2010)

Thanks guys, you provided a lot of good info. I have a problem with detecting the bite with all the slack in the line. What's your secret (if you don't mind me asking)?


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## wasilvers (Apr 21, 2010)

For myself, I use braid with a flouro leader. I keep it JUST slack. Like pressure and drop the rod tip an inch. Any tugs/movement on the line, I drop the rod tip a food or so, and watch for movement, any movement or tugs and I set the hook. If there is nothing else, i pull up a bit and any resistance, set the hook.

I've had good practice on lots of bluegills. Put a 1/32 weight on a 1/2 crawler and cast it next to a dock. After you dig a few hooks out, you'll learn to set the hook earlier.


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## russ010 (Apr 21, 2010)

UtahBassKicker said:


> Thanks guys, you provided a lot of good info. I have a problem with detecting the bite with all the slack in the line. What's your secret (if you don't mind me asking)?



I don't leave slack in the line.. as soon as the bait touches bottom, I'll slowly real it up to where there is barely an arch on top of the water to the end of your rod tip. I also keep my rod tip up to about the 11 or 12 o'clock position - this forces you to be a line watcher..

If they catch it on the fall, 9 times out of 10 your line will start running. 

I don't use anything but fluorocarbon line, and you can almost feel the fish look at it because of it's sensitivity.


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## WhiteMoose (Apr 21, 2010)

I've never heard the term dead sticking, but I was guess thats what I was doing Sunday night, with good results. I was using a large senko hooked weedless style w/ no weight, and I would cast it out and let it sit, giving it a couple twitches as it sinks. Then, I would pick up my ultralight and make a cast with my crappie jig, watching the line on my other rod out of the corner of my eye. When I got the crappie jig back to the boat, I'd pick up the rod w/ the senko and give it a few cranks and a twitch, then let it sit again and repeat. I only found a few small crappie, but almost every cast w/ the senko produced a bass or at least a strike. 
It seems like the time it takes to make a quick cast w/ the crappie jig was just the right amount of time to let the senko sit.


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## russ010 (Apr 21, 2010)

WhiteMoose said:


> I've never heard the term dead sticking, but I was guess thats what I was doing Sunday night, with good results. I was using a large senko hooked weedless style w/ no weight, and I would cast it out and let it sit, giving it a couple twitches as it sinks. Then, I would pick up my ultralight and make a cast with my crappie jig, watching the line on my other rod out of the corner of my eye. When I got the crappie jig back to the boat, I'd pick up the rod w/ the senko and give it a few cranks and a twitch, then let it sit again and repeat. I only found a few small crappie, but almost every cast w/ the senko produced a bass or at least a strike.
> It seems like the time it takes to make a quick cast w/ the crappie jig was just the right amount of time to let the senko sit.



that is the way to master dead sticking! Casting 2 rods at once... only thing is, in a tourney you can't do that. Most rules only allow one rod per person being used at a time.


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## WhiteMoose (Apr 21, 2010)

....and I know its not legal to use 2 rods at once in Canada when we go up there, so I bet it is not legal in a few other states as well.


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## russ010 (Apr 21, 2010)

it's legal in the states as far as I know - just not during tournaments


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## UtahBassKicker (Apr 21, 2010)

I know two poles is legal in Utah but you have to buy a two pole license which cost and extra $5 or so. How does it work in other states?


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## WhiteMoose (Apr 21, 2010)

Here you don't need a different license. Your really not allowed to fish with more than 2, but theres actually a loophole in the regs that if your fishing from shore, you can use up to 7 rods. 5 of them must be tagged with your name and phone number to be considered bank poles, then you have your 2 traditional poles. Personally I would drive myself crazy keeping track of more than 2.


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## crazymanme2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Here in Michigan your allowed 3.No special permit.


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## perchin (Apr 21, 2010)

crazymanme2 said:


> Here in Michigan your allowed 3.No special permit.



There are a couple minor perks to Michigan.........just not many :LOL2:


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## russ010 (Apr 21, 2010)

wow.. does that count for crappie fishing too?

We usually have 10 rods or more out at a time when fishing like that


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## wasilvers (Apr 21, 2010)

russ010 said:


> I don't leave slack in the line.. as soon as the bait touches bottom, I'll slowly real it up to where there is barely an arch on top of the water to the end of your rod tip. I also keep my rod tip up to about the 11 or 12 o'clock position - this forces you to be a line watcher..



That's what I meant by just slack, not holding the bait off the bottom, but not enough so your boat rocking picks it up either. 

One time I was out and got a phone call from the wife. I cast out in 15 feet of water and laid the pole down. After 5 to 10 minutes I hung up and reeled in. Sure enough, there was a nice bass on the line! Of course, I didn't think to set the hook so he got off at the boat. But it opened my eyes to being more patient.


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