advise using suspending hb lures

[Matty mckrill]

need some ideas on retrieves using suspending lures, i normally fish a slow roll with my hb's, but latly havnt been fishing very well and need to try somthing differnt. havnt had any luck with the twitch twitch pause retrieve. how long should i let it sit there between twitches? just got back just a trip deep south of w.a and didnt do very well. so need to try somthing else.

some lures im using...
sx40
daiwa double clutch75sp
khamsin DR tiny

[Exile182]

I havent used suspending on bream yet but some retrieves Ive used on bass with suspending jerkbaits and cranks have been the burn and pause, slow retrieve and pause, and a slow retrieve twitch pause. Two I like a lot though, not so much just because they are effective but because I feel confident using them is a constant twitch and pause style, Ill twitch it 3-4 times and let it sit for 10-30 seconds and repeat, another is a variation of the slow retrieve and twitch but before I start the slow retrieve I do 1-2 small twitches again. I dont see how these can hurt to give them ago, ill be trying these on bream myself anyway and see where it leads.

Hope theres some more experienced advice coming for you though

[Sloth]

I think most answers will be around the "figure out what works on the day" principle....

I'm very much a novice with hardbodies but what has worked for me:

Cast out. Crank quickly a couple of times with rod tip low to get lure down to operating depth. Pause. short draw of maybe 10 - 15cm. Pause. Draw. pause etc to feet.

The draw is just quick enough that i feel the vibration of the lure through the rod (I'm fishing pygmys).

My pause has been anything up to a minute. In fact I've had more success with suspenders fishing them slow like a plastic as opposed to slow rolling them. Seems like less is more

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Sloth

My pause has been anything up to a minute.

Setting a new highs Dave

Must have been working for you on the day

[tobymcclure]

Originally Posted by Sloth

My pause has been anything up to a minute. In fact I've had more success with suspenders fishing them slow like a plastic as opposed to slow rolling them. Seems like less is more

did you take a phone call for a minute dave

[Sloth]

I know

... was getting nothing by working the lure so just figured I'd go as slow as I could stand, which has worked for me on plastics

It was pitch black and I just left it sat out there after the first short draw..... then slowly I saw the line moving away .... was an extremely gentle take. Generally though I have found that I've got hit on the pause more than anything .. might be atypical results - don't have much experience or many fish to my name on hards but certainly at the moment fishing slow has had better results for me than working them.

Caveat: I'm not bank fishing and bashing it into the bottom .. but working and pausing it over a drop-off and weedbeds.

[The G factor]

I consider myself a novice with HB's for bream, however I have found some success when the line is slack and just shaking the rod tip to 'flick' the line. Not sure why it works but it does.

I think more importantly, if what you normally do is successful, then it might not be an issue as to your technique as opposed to how your fishing and where your fishing. The fish may be out of range of a HB or down deep, so changing lure and implementing your usual technique may prove successful.

[Partizan Fk]

http://berkley-fishing.com.au/product/fatdog/

What the video on this page maybe this will help i use most of thses retrives

[FTP]

Just as there isn't just 1 colour or size or shape or depth for bream lures (or any for that matter) nor is there a right or wrong retrieve. Bream don't grow old by being stupid, so you need to think a whole lot more when chasing them rather than flathead for example.

When I fish sand flats I keep the lure moving more but that also is because the tides and currents are moving and I want to maintain contact. I have no idea if this appeals to bream or whether they are a bit faster than flathead and swim shallower than tailor as to why I get more bream on flats. With snags the fish are at rest so the retrieve needs to be slower and more jerky with pauses.

Just keep trying different retrieves and different lures until it works. If you can cast into a swimming pool you can really get a great idea of what the lure looks like, I find this to be invaluable practice.

[Pistol]

For me, same as Sloth, but 1-3 seconds rather than a minute (!?)

[Sloth]

Did I say a minute? I meant a few seconds. Yes, yes that's it a few seconds.

[CK]

Fishing structure with some good water movement about it, i like to cast the lure up current. One or two solid rips to get it down then pause as its carried into or under the gnarly home. A subtle twitch or three doesnt hurt. The hit will be soon after a twitch usually.
With less flow, longer pauses of up to 15-20 seconds can be the catalyst for a hit.