Co-Angler Advice: How To Fish Behind In The Slop.

[Felix77]

Just finished a tournament where I was paired with one of the best boaters in my club. His pattern was shallow and he used a buzz bait and weedless spoon to catch them. Frog bite was not on. I don't own a weedless spoon and as fast as he moved I could not keep up.

I will share what I did but would like suggestions on how you would fish behind them first.

[Bankbeater]

Sounds like he was running and gunning from spot to spot.  I have been in this situation before, and when it happens I start using a spinnerbait. 

[Paxton44]

I don't know how heavy or what type of "slop" you are talking about, but I find a small swim jig tied with braid can often get through stuff better than a spinnerbait just because it has less stuff to catch the weeds.  It's not going to work that great if you're talking completely matted stuff but if you you enough water to make it dance around to it would.  You can also pause it in pockets just like the spoon to have the same effect.

 

I'd say just get a weedless spoon. Timberkings (now out of production, but basically a weedless spoon with a skirt you could probably create on your own) were a mainstay 25 years or so ago. Now you rarely hear people talk about them.  They still work!

[Djf3864]

Spinnerbaits is a good choice or a swim jig maybe.

[Lund Explorer]

Just finished a tournament where I was paired with one of the best boaters in my club. His pattern was shallow and he used a buzz bait and weedless spoon to catch them. Frog bite was not on. I don't own a weedless spoon and as fast as he moved I could not keep up.

I will share what I did but would like suggestions on how you would fish behind them first.

 

I'm sorry, but I'm one of the old school tournament guys.  Way back in the day, boaters and non-boaters were each given equal time in the front end of the boat.  Unfortunately (for the non-boaters), the majority of boat owners decided that they deserved the right to control the entire day, and the guys who didn't own a boat gave it to them.  Since that time, the back seat guys have been doing two things.  Complaining about being short boated, and paying more entry fees.  The only cure to the first one is to stop doing the second!

 

I hope you found a way to overcome a difficult but understandable situation, however short of buying your own boat, the only permanent answer to the problem is for non-boaters to demand that tournament directors give you an equal chance to compete.  If every non-boater took a year off from their tournament circuits, the TD's would have to either resolve the issue, or be faced with the potential of lone boat owners cheating.  And the bottom line truth of the matter is that this the only reason you guys are sitting in the back of those boats now.

[Felix77]

I'm sorry, but I'm one of the old school tournament guys. Way back in the day, boaters and non-boaters were each given equal time in the front end of the boat. Unfortunately (for the non-boaters), the majority of boat owners decided that they deserved the right to control the entire day, and the guys who didn't own a boat gave it to them. Since that time, the back seat guys have been doing two things. Complaining about being short boated, and paying more entry fees. The only cure to the first one is to stop doing the second!

I hope you found a way to overcome a difficult but understandable situation, however short of buying your own boat, the only permanent answer to the problem is for non-boaters to demand that tournament directors give you an equal chance to compete. If every non-boater took a year off from their tournament circuits, the TD's would have to either resolve the issue, or be faced with the potential of lone boat owners cheating. And the bottom line truth of the matter is that this the only reason you guys are sitting in the back of those boats now.

Please don't take my post as complaining or feeling back boated. I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for this particular boater. I just struggled to keep up and truly wanted to learn from the experience if I could.

There was no competing with that weedless spoon he was using. I opened up this post to see if there was something I missed or overlooked while in the heat of it.

[geo g]

Try using a plastic swimbait like a Gambler E-Z Swimmer weightless and fished right through and around the slop. You will be able to stay up with whatever the lead guy is doing. It will make a nice wake and a lot of commotion. Good luck!

[mod479]

Did you try to follow up on his missed buzzbait strikes? Pitch a senko to the same holes as he keeps moving on. Woulda been buzzin a horny toad in a diff color right there with him myself.   Care to elaborate on the spoon he used?

[Felix77]

Did you try to follow up on his missed buzzbait strikes? Pitch a senko to the same holes as he keeps moving on. Woulda been buzzin a horny toad in a diff color right there with him myself. Care to elaborate on the spoon he used?

The spoon he used looked like a Johnson Silver minnow with a skirt. Similar to the Northland Jaw breaker. I just ordered a few of those. Next time I will be ready!

[fishballer06]

I'm not sure what kind of "slop" you were fishing, because you cannot bring a buzzbait through what I consider slop, but... A spinnerbait, chatterbait, or Rooster Tail could have been good for a weedy area. Also, throwing a Fluke wouldn't be a bad idea, and it could be a follow up to his missed hits on the buzzbait. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I like the Rage Toad type bait alternative if you want something different from the spoon. I'd still get some spoons and use them behind a guy punching. Another alternative would a punch/heavy trig that will sink fast enough for you to fish and keep up with the front guy.

[RSM789]

I'd do something different to get the fish that aren't interested in his lure/presentation.  If he is fishing a buzzbait & spoon pretty fast, I'd use a jig or plastic bait & fish it slow.  You probably wouldn't be able to retrieve it far if he is keeping the boat moving, just keep pitching it to holes in the slop & look for strikes on the drop.

[Felix77]

Thanks for all your feedback ... There were a few items that I did miss 

 

#1 - Horny Toad or Rage Frog.  Did not have them but they didn't even come to mind.

#2 - Swim Jig ... didn't think of that either.

#3 - Swimbait fished weightless was something else I didn't think of.

 

All the other suggestions are spot on and what I tried ... Here's a summary 

 

1 - Spinnerbait (Megastrike) - Caught a nice pike on it.  Nothing else.

2 - Rage Blade (Chatterbait) - nothing

3 - Flipping a craw/beaver.  Had one strike which could have been a bass.  Caught another pike.

4 - fluke ... over the slop and into the holes.  He even pointed me to the pockets where the missed bass were and they weren't biting it for some reason.

5 - Power Shot rigged with a 7' Powerworm.  My ONLY keeper.

6 - Wacky senko.  nada.

7 - T-Rigged senko ... fished like the fluke.  nada.

8 - Frog - One HUGE blowup.  No bites for him or I.

9 - Buzzbait ... Impossible to follow up a buzzbait with another one but I tried.

10 - Mojo rig and finesse worm.

 

I think that just about covers my day.  Varied based on the time of day and conditions obviously.  He caught 4 on a buzzbait, 2 on a wacky senko and another 6-8 on that spoon.

 

I could/should have fished my swimbaits or tubes weedless but I think I was in awe of the spoon and just did not get there.  LOL

[mjseverson24]

sounds like your boater should have given you one of his spoons, at least that is what I would have done, or slowed down and let you fish a little more thoroughly with the techniques you felt comfortable with.

 

Mitch

[Felix77]

sounds like your boater should have given you one of his spoons, at least that is what I would have done, or slowed down and let you fish a little more thoroughly with the techniques you felt comfortable with.

 

Mitch

 

He offered to lend me one ... Prior to that he was telling me about it and said that it is a discontinued model.  I chose not to take him up on it because #1 - I have zero confidence in it considering I have never fished a spoon before and more importantly #2 - I would HATE to lose a lure I cannot replace.

 

Stupid or not that is just me.  I chose to work through my tacklebox as mentioned above and learn from the experience.  I did order 3 weedless spoons and will be prepared next time.  LOL