what is the best technique, and time of day to fish tigers on curlew lake?

[phil larson]

I have been fishing curlew for about 2 1/2 years and have only caught 8 tigers. What do i need to do to have more success? I use crank baits most of the time, but also throw bucktails and baby girls. I have ad follows with the latter but have put no hook in one. I fish from a kayak and it seems that the fish may see me on their follows and lose interest. Any advice is welcome. Muskymadman

[YJ Guide Service]

Its my thoughts and experience that those fish in that lake have so much feed thats why there so big and dont hit as well. I think you have to find something that peeks their curiosity and makes them mad. We fished it over the 4th of July and had 13 follows with no takers. I've thrown everything you can think of. I think you just have to get lucky on that lake and throw something past the one that wants something. I had a client up there in later June as well and it was the same thing alot of follows but no takers. You dont see alot of reports from Curlew because of this I think, too much feed. If someone can figure out what the fish their hit consistanly on please let me know LOL....Good fishing everyone

[dougw]

I have to agree with Craig. Those fish have all they want to eat. Plenty of Northern Pike-minnow. My best luck (very limited) has come on Mepps Muskie Killers; black specifically. I still hold it in my mind though, that any of the swim-baits will work, if put in front of them. Just make it look like a pike-minnow (a.k.a., squawfish). Beyond that, troll.

I would say you have a golden opportunity with the kayak. I would be trolling with medium swimbaits, or husky jerks. I had good luck on Newman with HJ-12s when I was trolling with the canoe. I think you have a slightly better chance, due to the lack of a motor in the water.

I think those fish act a lot like they do on Silver Lake.... When the boat traffic goes up, they go down. Don't be afraid to be casting in 25-30' of water! The water clarity there is generally close to 25', so they can see a lure on the surface clear down to at least that depth. Peak their interest and you will figure out what makes them strike. You are doing something right if you are catching them. Figure out what that is. You likely have more follows than you know, simply because you don't have near the visibility into the water that a person standing does.

The second thing you have against you, would be the response time. By the time you see the follower in a kayak/canoe, it is very likely too late to do an effective figure-8 or other maneuver to trigger a strike. Not sure what to recommend, but I would say you need to make every effort to do the maneuver on EVERY retrieve. Change direction as much as possible. Get them to strike before they get to the boat.....

Good luck, and let us know how you do. If you find something that works, I would say share, but that will likely be your secret! Even if you do share, I know there are not a lot of people that target Curlew for the muskies. If I remember correctly, Craig said his and one other members parties were the ONLY one's targeting tigers while he was up there over the 4th. Maybe for good reason; they are tough to get this time of year there..... Again, good luck!

[Anglinarcher]

A couple of things to consider.

Many lures have great attracting qualities built in, but poor triggering qualities.

I hate in-line spinners myself. They attract well, but have no triggering qualities. The same goes with a lot of crank baits, swim baits, etc.

Larry Dahlberg puts it something like this, you have two types of prey that the fish eat.

1) You have creatures that are suppose to be there, like sqawfish. If they are swimming straight and steady, they are in no danger and they know it. It is the fish that are struggling, trying to escape, etc., that get nailed. If using a lure to simulate them, then add what Larry calls some sex moves to trigger the strike (pause, jerk, sharp turn, etc.).

2) You have creatures that are not suppose to be there and are there by mistake, like mice, rats, ducks, etc. These prey do not know that they are in trouble, ever, and are usually on top. In this case, a steady retrieve is usually best.

If you are getting follows, on any lure, then you have half the battle won, you are attracting them. Now figure out how to trigger them, usually by adjusting your retrieves.

Still, some lures are better then others because they have the attraction and triggering properties already build in. The River2Sea S-Waver is a perfect example. The Wopper Plopper is a great example of a top water super bait. Glide Baits like Dahlberg's Wide Glide of the Rapala Glider are also excellent examples of great attracting and triggering baits. On weed free bottoms, making bottom contact with crank baits so they kick off unpredictably will also up the odds substantially.

[Mark K]

A couple of things to consider.

Many lures have great attracting qualities built in, but poor triggering qualities.

I hate in-line spinners myself. They attract well, but have no triggering qualities. The same goes with a lot of crank baits, swim baits, etc.

Larry Dahlberg puts it something like this, you have two types of prey that the fish eat.

1) You have creatures that are suppose to be there, like sqawfish. If they are swimming straight and steady, they are in no danger and they know it. It is the fish that are struggling, trying to escape, etc., that get nailed. If using a lure to simulate them, then add what Larry calls some sex moves to trigger the strike (pause, jerk, sharp turn, etc.).

2) You have creatures that are not suppose to be there and are there by mistake, like mice, rats, ducks, etc. These prey do not know that they are in trouble, ever, and are usually on top. In this case, a steady retrieve is usually best.

If you are getting follows, on any lure, then you have half the battle won, you are attracting them. Now figure out how to trigger them, usually by adjusting your retrieves.

Still, some lures are better then others because they have the attraction and triggering properties already build in. The River2Sea S-Waver is a perfect example. The Wopper Plopper is a great example of a top water super bait. Glide Baits like Dahlberg's Wide Glide of the Rapala Glider are also excellent examples of great attracting and triggering baits. On weed free bottoms, making bottom contact with crank baits so they kick off unpredictably will also up the odds substantially.

Have you had any success with the Whopper Plopper? I have one, but have used it only on occasion. I've had no looks at it yet but I'm just waiting for the day a fish kills it! It just seems like an awesome bait and I know I should throw it more but I'm still not that confident in it yet. I know it would only take one strike to change that though!

[Anglinarcher]

OH YES, I have had excellent results on the Wopper Plopper. Because it is a surface bait, I don't fish it during the weekend during the Bikini hatch and jet ski infestation because they causes the fish to head deep and sit on the bottom. Nevertheless, I have done very well on it early, late, and on week days.

I even tossed it on a lake without Tigers in it just to show how it worked and had a nice LMB take it.

I look forward to the smaller one coming out in October.

[phil larson]

Thanks for the tips. I will be on the water in the am. Got a big fish(GFM) that's been sniffing my Swimbait every time out. Might go with the glidin rap as suggested. Never tried a whopper plopped. What a great reason to add to my collection. I love fishing.

[Mark K]

OH YES, I have had excellent results on the Wopper Plopper. Because it is a surface bait, I don't fish it during the weekend during the Bikini hatch and jet ski infestation because they causes the fish to head deep and sit on the bottom. Nevertheless, I have done very well on it early, late, and on week days.

I even tossed it on a lake without Tigers in it just to show how it worked and had a nice LMB take it.

I look forward to the smaller one coming out in October.

That's awesome! I can't wait to get one on it! Love the sound it makes. It's nothing like any of the other prop baits I have

[Teal101]

Curlew is an interesting one. I've had follows and takes on some odd lures.

18" Fish took a smoke colored Fat Ika July '10
24"ish fish took a 1/2 oz. Bleeding bass colored Rat L Trap July '10
I was unable to fully land either of those, bad hook sets.
Had MULTIPLE follows on smaller rapala cranks

18" Fish took a Rapala DT-4 plug and was landed July '11
36"+ Fish (got to shore but never got a measurement, it may have been larger) took a 6" Castaic Trout Swimbait July '11
Multiple follows by fish in the 30"+ range on rapala cranks again.

The big fish in July 2011 was caught on the shore at Tiffanys. IMO the trout swimbait mimicked a trout working its way to shore to hide/die in the weeds. The Tiger took the bait not more than 5' from shore in clear view of me. IMO the trigger here was that the tiger didnt want to lose an easy meal and snatched it quite quick before it got to cover. It had it pinned against the shore. I did not figure 8 as I didnt see the musky till it was 6" from the lure.

Just food for thought.

[Anglinarcher]

Additional note; sometimes nothing works. This last Friday, on my local Newman lake, I came home wondering if I knew anything about Tigers.

I guess that is why they call if fishing and not catching.

[Mark K]

Additional note; sometimes nothing works. This last Friday, on my local Newman lake, I came home wondering if I knew anything about Tigers.

I guess that is why they call if fishing and not catching.

Hey, I'm glad it wasn't just me! I was on Newman Friday also and all I could manage was one dink Bass. Didn't even see a Muskie.

[Anglinarcher]

Additional note; sometimes nothing works. This last Friday, on my local Newman lake, I came home wondering if I knew anything about Tigers.

I guess that is why they call if fishing and not catching.

Hey, I'm glad it wasn't just me! I was on Newman Friday also and all I could manage was one dink Bass. Didn't even see a Muskie.

I talked to one guy that was coming off the lake just at dark and he said he had been fishing for perch and crappie. He said he caught a couple of skinny fish about 10 or 11 inches long, with tiger stripes on them. I asked if they had teeth and he said he did not know, he just shook them off.

Now, if that was indeed Tiger Muskie, then they may have just planted Newman. The young dumb planters will be Muskie food for a couple weeks, and that means ..... well I can't compete with live bait.

[Mark K]

Additional note; sometimes nothing works. This last Friday, on my local Newman lake, I came home wondering if I knew anything about Tigers.

I guess that is why they call if fishing and not catching.

Hey, I'm glad it wasn't just me! I was on Newman Friday also and all I could manage was one dink Bass. Didn't even see a Muskie.

I talked to one guy that was coming off the lake just at dark and he said he had been fishing for perch and crappie. He said he caught a couple of skinny fish about 10 or 11 inches long, with tiger stripes on them. I asked if they had teeth and he said he did not know, he just shook them off.

Now, if that was indeed Tiger Muskie, then they may have just planted Newman. The young dumb planters will be Muskie food for a couple weeks, and that means ..... well I can't compete with live bait.

They actually planted Newman back in May or June so that's not the problem. Just a bad day.

[Anglinarcher]

LOL - Got to have some of those to keep you/me humble.