Advanced Retrieves

[lure_muncher]

Ok, Ive got the basic retrieve down (Lift, Drop, Reel in slack, Repeat) but I havent been getting very much attention from teh big bream wehn I get the lure close to their nose. I've tried mixing it up by twitching the lure around, like a darting bait fish. Still no luck. So I was wondering what otehr kind of retrieves I could use. All help/hints will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Rohan

[swoffa]

If you know the fish is following the lure, then implement the "do nothing" approach if they won't take it. Just leave it sitting on the bottom. Often a fish will pick it up just to see what it is.

This method works best with the lightest head you can use in the spot so the fish doesn't feel to much weight to the bait.

Keep an eye on your line and pick up the weight and hook the fish if the line moves.

[lure_muncher]

The fish dont follow, they eye ball it and go back to munching on mussels, dirty bastards! I'll use that though, thanks swoff

[Drewy]

Have you tried hard bodies, they seem to work ok for me for fish like that. They either get spooked and leave or take the lure as asoon as they see it. If you are only using plastics try cutting the bodys down so its a bit smaller and sometimes that does the job. l more suttle approach is needed for top feeding fish as they spook a lot more easily.

good luck
drew

[swoffa]

HB's will be a good option.

Also, try a really little SP like a Nymph or Craw. They'll often take them without thinking twice.

[lure_muncher]

Cheers

Ive got two hardbodies (Scorp 35 Gold/Orange and Firefin) have yet to give them a good bashing.

[lure_muncher]

Im also ggt SX40F in June in 301 and 307 aswell as getting a Halco Laser Pro 45 in Crawdad.

I might aswell get a Tilsan bass I was thinking Dynamite colour. Should go well on flatties.

[NIZ]

my main retrieve goes something like this - twitch twitch, reel in slightly leaving slack line, twitch until i just feel lure, pause, & then repeat. Seems to work ok for me.

[Shortlite]

The standard lift drop with the rod tip up sometimes has too much action. The fish come and have a look, but the next hop may ahve a little too much energy and they bugger off. So throw in some tiny twitches and pauses, or slow drags of just a few inches on a tight line.

You can do smaller, closer to the bottom hops of your SP by holding the rod tip DOWN and twitching sideways, if space allows. This gives a more bottom hugging retrieve that kicks up little puffs of silt.

Last thing I can suggest is like deadsticking, but it's called "doodling". Let the SP get to the bottom, then tighten up the line without moving it. Then just shake your wrist to wiggle the rod tip. With braid the vibrations go down the slightly taut line and make the SP jiggle in place. You can get the same effect by tapping the rod with your "free" hand. It helps if you have Instant Anti-reverse if you do this, as you won't have a hand on the reel handle until after you set the hook. In the deadstick and doodle methods, it is the line that will tell you when you have a strike. Watch it like a hawk!!

[zimeric]

Josh Mcalinton (sp?) had a nifty retrieve ive never seen before - and let me tell you this guy can fish!
he would do excactly the opposite to deadsticking
cast/drop -> wait for lure to hit the bottom -> hard swipe -> stop..wait for lure to drop down again -> another hard swipe (about 1/2 a metre) winding a little to take up slack, & repeat till the lure is out of the strike zone.

he caught 5 fish where torvic & I caught none..
definitely worth a shot if they are shut down.

[swoffa]

Originally posted by zimeric
Josh Mcalinton (sp?) had a nifty retrieve ive never seen before - and let me tell you this guy can fish!
he would do excactly the opposite to deadsticking
cast/drop -> wait for lure to hit the bottom -> hard swipe -> stop..wait for lure to drop down again -> another hard swipe (about 1/2 a metre) winding a little to take up slack, & repeat till the lure is out of the strike zone.

he caught 5 fish where torvic & I caught none..
definitely worth a shot if they are shut down.

That's a good way to get EP's to hit when they're a bit timid.

BIG mistake saying EP's when chunxq is around

[Shortlite]

That's called the "Florida Whip". Good for getting strikes from fast, aggressive fish. I guess it would work if yer bream are more than a little fired up, or at least the ones that had 3 weetbix in the AM.

[troy-the-boy]

Geez I'm shattered I thought I was one of the few who used that retrieve of whipping it 1/2 a metre to 1 metre SIDEWAYS . It worked for me last time out ( Breaking in the BD1-3 ). I only found it out as necessity prevailed. I was using a SP that I had only seen one other person use in faster tide affected water. It pays to constnatly play with diff retrieves and SP's as much as possible as you never know when you might stumble onto an unusuall retrieve that works.
Troy

[CHUNQX]

OK OK WHO SAID EPs?!!!??!!