Slidin High/Depth & Speed Control

[Todd2]

Just finished up reading 'Charlie Brewer on Slider Fishin' and I gotta say its one of the best fishing books I've read. For $6.95, it was a steal with the amount of info in that book. Published back in 1978, but he was way ahead of his time with finesse fishing. 

 

One question...I've fished them for years, but I've always fished them "married to the bottom" as he says in the book. When you guys are targeting mid depths, do you countdown to the depth, or like he mentions in the book, let the reel speed determine the depth?  For example, casting out and immediately retrieving at certain speeds....1 sec per turn for shallow, 2 to 3 secs per turn for mid depth, 4 to 5 for deep. It's probably splitting hairs but I've always just done the countdown method although most of my fish come off the bottom anyway.

 

Thanks....

 

 

 

[padon]

I gotta get that book.been meaning to get it for my winter reading/education

[Team9nine]

It depends  If casting and retrieving to maintain a target depth, then the countdown method is best IMO, but you can use bait weight to adjust speed at that depth. If searching a variety of depth levels, then it's best to adjust reel speed to keep the bait running at the different depths like Charlie mentioned. 

 

If dragging or trolling from a boat, then trolling speed and lure weight will be the determining factors. It all sounds kind of easy when you read it, but it is actually a lot more complicated than it seems until you get a good grasp of the factors involved.

 

A Charlie Brewer Slider fish 

 

[Paul Roberts]

I don't have any particular methodology behind my depth control. I guess it's all gestalt now. I adjust depth and speed control by jig weight, body/trailer buoyancy, line diameter (critical!), and retrieve speed. I may pay some attention to the retrieve speed of my reel (ipt), when changing between reels, and when speed is critical -like in winter. I find it easy to retrieve too quickly, esp when I'm distractible -like when I'm tired or hungry. So checking in with my reel handle revolution rate gives me some measure.

[IndianaFinesse]

I don't do a lot of slider fishing, but I do fish a ned rig similarly somewhat often.  I usually use a combination of reeling speed and counting down, depending on how deep of water I'm targeting.  If I'm keeping it within a couple feet of the bottom, I like to let it sink all the way before beginning the retrieve because they often pick it up off the bottom on the initial drop.  But if I'm keeping it much higher, say 4+ feet off the bottom I'll just count it down to that depth.  Use jighead weight and sometimes the bait's natural lift to help control depth also.

[OkobojiEagle]

There are certainly times when depth and speed accuracy are of critical importance.  For those times I carry an electronic metronome in my boat...

 

 

oe

[Todd2]

2 hours ago, IndianaFinesse said:

  If I'm keeping it within a couple feet of the bottom, I like to let it sink all the way before beginning the retrieve because they often pick it up off the bottom on the initial drop. 

Thats how I see me fishing it the most. While I was waiting for the book, I found some footage of Charlie Sr. out on YouTube to get a feel for the book. In the video, from the 80's and after the book, he mentioned that Largemouth are usually on or near the bottom. So I'm wondering how much of the suspended text in the book will pertain to my off color water and green fish. I don't have lakes where I can target Smallies except when I make the 3 hour drive to Dale which I don't do often. 

 

Charlie's other bottom retrieve is the pull and drop which I've already been doing for years. The way I was taught to fish a Texas Rig.

[Paul Roberts]

On 1/8/2018 at 1:21 PM, Todd2 said:

Just finished up reading 'Charlie Brewer on Slider Fishin' and I gotta say its one of the best fishing books I've read.

 

Ditto that. One of the best bass fishing books out there. A real gem.

 

I cut my bass fishing teeth in the 70s with "light tackle jigging" following Charlie Brewer's lead pretty much. It was the first time I started catching bass consistently, while others around me throwing the big stuff were catching inconsistently, if at all. I gained something of a local reputation then.

 

This type of fishing, I just called "jig fishing", is most fundamentally about depth and speed control. Charlie's "Do Nothing" approach meant that you only really had to concentrate on those two most important elements. You could develop a "feel for fishing" that I still argue is the best way to learn -how deep you are, what's down there, how fast, and what fish bites feel like. The Ned-Rig, Shaky, Hair Jigs are pretty much the same game.

 

Some old pics from the early to mid-70s:

 

A "jig-wormin'" catch with homemade jig heads -split shot crimped to a long-shanked hook. (I think they call 'em "Shaky Heads" now.)

 

 

This one was from a newspaper article about the local kid who would have won the big bass contest, if he'd caught it the previous day, and had been registered.  That same summer I took 2nd in another such contest on another lake, but I wasn't registered.

 

[Bluebasser86]

I don't use a slider so much off the bottom, but I follow the same principle with a Ned rig. I love fishing a slider head though, even catch a fish on it once in a while. Won the last tournament I fished last year and got big bass with it in fact.

[papajoe222]

Back in the day, I’d flatten the lead on a snagless to give it a slow, gliding fall.  That and a split-shot rig got me my limit in more tourneys than I can count. I only use them now when I’m fishing alone.  You gotta keep some things secret.?

[Todd2]

I know Charlie taught it was the system..not his jigs that made it work but do you guys use the 1/8 or 1/16 more? I already had some of their 1/8's ...I picked up a pack of their Crappie 1/16's. 

[scaleface]

The only times I ever had success with Slider heads is for river smallmouths . Let them sink then reel in  super slow . If I think the lure is getting to high , just stop it for a bit . Let the rod tip to do a lot of the depth control . The lower the rod the deeper the retrieve .

[Paul Roberts]

1 hour ago, Todd2 said:

I know Charlie taught it was the system..not his jigs that made it work but do you guys use the 1/8 or 1/16 more? I already had some of their 1/8's ...I picked up a pack of their Crappie 1/16's. 

I've used the standard heads in 1/8 and 1/16. Now I prefer mushroom heads for 90deg heads bc they are a bit more snagless, the eye more recessed. I tend to use 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, the 1/8 for >8fow.

 

Of the Brewer heads, I now use the Spider heads much of the year bc we have a lot of vegetation here. I use them for swimming a worm, which I still do often, just like I did back in the 70s. I use the standard wire Spider heads in 1/16 and 1/8 for finesse stuff with 4-6lb lines. And I also use the Pro version with the Gammy hook with 8-15lb lines. I think the crappie heads have too light a hook for most bass use.

[Team9nine]

Ditto a lot of what Paul said above. I carry 1/8 and 1/16. Often find myself trimming down 1/8ths in calm or shallower conditions, but they're good for deeper water or breezy conditions. I use mostly the light wire bronze versions with the smaller hooks, but have got a pack or two of the heavier pro heads by accident. Haven't thrown any of the crappie heads. I go to mushroom heads when going that small/light ala Ned.

[OkobojiEagle]

The bronze wire heads (non pro versions) are considerably lighter than the promoted weight.  I carry 1/8, 3/16 & 1/4 oz Spider heads in the classic 3/0 bronze hook.

 

oe