Walk The Dog

[moguy1973]

Some are definitely a lot easier to walk than others.  I like the Sexy Dawgs, Damiki Dolphin (no longer made), and the Sammys.  I usually get the Sexy Dawgs just because of the price them is better than most and they are pretty easy to walk.  They also sit flat in the water when they are still instead of nose up like some.

[Al Agnew]

There are differences, and some walk better, or just differently, than others.  They all work.  In my topwater box right now, I have Sammys, Sexy Dawg Jrs., Gunfish, and several of my homemade ones.  I also have three or four lesser known Japanese brands that I'm trying out this year; time will tell whether they make the cut to become permanent fixtures of my box.  I have at various times used and later retired Super Spook Jrs., Zara Puppies, Giant Dog Xs, Chug Bugs, and probably a dozen others.

I like swishy sounding rattles, not loud knocking ones, but once in a while the knockers work better.  I like ones which float at a shallow angle, not nearly vertical.  I'd rather have those that taper gradually to the rear rather than those that are fat all the way to the rear, though the Sexy Dawg Jr. is pretty fat all the way back.

In my opinion, if you're seriously into walking the dog, you need three size classes (smallest about the size of the Sammy 85, largest about the size of a full size Spook--the size that's about halfway in between will get most of the work).  You need some that have the swishy rattles, one or two knockers, and some that have no rattles at all.  You need some that sit high in the water and are very splashy when worked, and some that sit low in the water and are almost like a wake bait when worked.  You need some that can handle a feathered rear treble.  And you need a few that walk so well that you can almost make them zig zag in place.

Or you can just pick one or two you like and fish the heck out of them.

[fishinwrench]

The thing is, it would take all day to determine which one is the best one for that day, and by then..... it's another day !

[Quillback]

Picked up an Evergreen Shower Blow 125 (kind of a kinky name), walks very easily and has a cupped face so it is pretty splashy, similar to a Gunfish except I believe it is a better walker.  It's heavy, casts a mile, and comes out of the box with scary sharp hooks.

Yellow Magic Havana is another good walking bait, it will also roll when walked and all the colors have reflective sides, so you get some flash thrown in the water with the rolling action. 

[top_dollar]

Not mentioned yet is the heddon spittn image.  Those are spotted bass killers on table rock.

[Al Agnew]

13 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

The thing is, it would take all day to determine which one is the best one for that day, and by then..... it's another day !

Yep.  Fact is, I do have a bit of method to my madness when choosing which one to start the day with and where to go from there.  If I'm fishing bigger, murkier streams, I'll probably start out with one of the big ones, like the Sammy 115, in an opaque color, just because it makes more noise and has a bigger, easier to see and "feel" profile.  If it's a clearer stream but still good sized, it'll be one of the medium size ones like the Sexy Dawg Jr.  If it's a small, clear creek, one of the smaller ones like the modified Sammy 85, or I may go with one of my small homemade ones which are non-rattling and don't make much splash.  In bigger, murkier water, my second choice will, at this point, be one of the Japanese ones that can be almost walked in place, so that I can keep it in the strike zone longer.  In the other waters, second choice might be a Gunfish, just because it has a different sound and splash factor.  If it's cool weather and water temps of 60 degrees or below, I'll start with one of my homemade ones, that can be fished slowly and quietly.  If I'm getting a lot of short strikes and blow-ups that miss, I'll go to one that has three trebles, or a smaller one.  If  I've gone through a couple and still haven't gotten much action, it's time to start trying bigger, louder, smaller, quieter, maybe even my homemade Subwalk.  I'm convinced that 90% of the time in warm weather, one or more WTD lures will work, it's just a matter of trying them until you find one that does.  I'll be throwing other lures if the WTD lures aren't working, but I'll still have one tied on and periodically try it again to see if the fish have turned on to it.

[joeD]

Poor buzzbaits. Shunted aside and neglected.

(Don't worry. Your time will come again).

[Mitch f]

8 hours ago, joeD said:

Poor buzzbaits. Shunted aside and neglected.

(Don't worry. Your time will come again).

People who give human emotions to inanimate objects is the first sign of........?

[joeD]

Psoriasis? Lameness? Milquetoastness? 

DOH!

[Mitch f]

5 minutes ago, joeD said:

Psoriasis? Lameness? Milquetoastness? 

DOH!

Tetter