Walking the Dog

[MN Basser]

I bought a Heddon Super Spook Jr. and I can't walk the dog that good. Any tips?

[burleytog]

Buy a Sammy.  A retarded monkey could walk that thing.

[Cory20]

What action rod are you fishing it on?

[Redlinerobert]

Hold the rod tip low and point it at the bait.  While you crank the baitcaster sweep the rod tip down towards you.  you should get 2 cranks per rod sweep.  Get a rythmic action going based on the lure's response and bingo - you be walking the doggie.

[T-rig]

Buy a Sammy. A retarded monkey could walk that thing.

Now that's funny but true !

The Owner C'ultiva Tango Dancer is also a bait which you can walk the dog very easy.

You can get them here:  www.ownerhooks.com

[Raul]

Buy a Sammy. A retarded monkey could walk that thing.

I agree, the spook is not that easy to walk, back then during the age of the dinosaurs when we didn 't have Sammys it took me a good couple of months to make the spook walk right, and I practiced daily. The new baits are just so easy to walk right.

[MN Basser]

I'm using a MH 6'6" Baitcaster. Thanks for all of the input.

[Guest avid]

Whoa now.

The super spook jr. is one of the easier baits to walk

It's all about keeping slack in the line and rhythmically but with "snap" keep pumping the rod tip while it is pointed at the water.

If you don't have a platform to fish from.   Then you should use a shorter rod.  holding it straight down is a big plus, especially for beginners.  Also a medium power rating with a fast or xtra fast action will make it easier.

Are you using braid?  the lack of stretch makes walking the dog more difficult.

what knot are you using?

A loop knot helps,  If you use a clinch or trilene, tie it with a dozen or so loops, meaning the longer the knot the easier the walk

Good luck, and don't give up on that super spook jr.  It is one of my most productive walking baits.

avid.

[skillet]

 You might try going slower while you are learning. As Avid said make sure you have slack in your line when you snap the rod tip towards you ..

                                    As Ever,

                                     skillet

[RoLo]

The key to walking-the-dog is making certain that there's always some slack in the line, except during the instant of the jerk.

You must have slack line immediately "before" and immediately "after" each jerk...that's all she wrote.

In my opinion, the Super Spook Jr. is the King of walkers

This might sound obscene, but I do not like the LC Sammy at all. It costs more ($5 vs. $15), but it is not as good.

The tail-weighted Sammy was supposedly designed to simplify walking-the-dog, but in reality it loused it all up.

During each pause, the Sammy assumes an unnatural vertical position....to me it looks like a Minnow Float.

From that ridiculous submerged position the Sammy generates too much water resistance to get a clean skating action.

Just my $0.02

Roger

[Vyron]

Something to add.

I find it easier to walk the dog with baitcasting setup

[T-rig]

Something to add.

I find it easier to walk the dog with baitcasting setup

I find it easier with a spinning setup.

[Vyron]

Something to add.

I find it easier to walk the dog with baitcasting setup

I find it easier with a spinning setup.

LOL!!!!!

[RoLo]

Something to add.

I find it easier to walk the dog with baitcasting setup

I find it easier with a spinning setup.

LOL!!!!!

I have no opinion on that, because I've "never" tried walking-the-dog with baitcasting gear....Can That Really Be Done? :-/  

Roger

[Guest avid]

I find it doesn't matter baitcaster or spinning, it's all about the rod tip.

Also in my case I have to use my right hand to work the rod.  

Not a problem because spinning gear can be set either as righty or leftie, and I have two lefty baitcasters in addition to my standard right handed ones.

But no way can I get a good cadence going with my left hand working the rod.

[Matt Fly]

I think Avid hit the nail on the head first time around.    One of the most important aspects of walking the dog is the loop knot or flemish knot that does not get cinched up all the way on the eye.

Guys mention slack, but the right slack needed to give a walking type bait the action needed is in the tie.

If I cinch a knot on the eye tight, I can't walk on to save my life with a good cadence.

You give me a flemish or loop knot and I'll walk that thing all day with spinning gear or open faced bait caster.

Matt

[Taliesin]

I find it doesn't matter baitcaster or spinning, it's all about the rod tip.

Also in my case I have to use my right hand to work the rod.

Not a problem because spinning gear can be set either as righty or leftie, and I have two lefty baitcasters in addition to my standard right handed ones.

But no way can I get a good cadence going with my left hand working the rod.

I guess I have been fishing too long. I walk the dog left-handed, right-handed, with baitcasters, with spinning reels, and used to do it with spincasts.

I do "walk" a little different though. I don't normally put the rod up or down for walking, but to the side.

[Vyron]

Avid I use the same rod in baitcasting and spinning version. They have the same tip.

It must be personal preference.

No reason 2 start a baitcasting vs spinning discussion LOL

[llPa1nll]

I Use a Spook religiously on my home waters. I throw it on a baitcasting gear with 15lb Mono. I have heard of people having a hard time trying it with braid so if your having difficulties and your using braid switch up to some mono.

[skillet]

 I'll muddy the water a little more ;D. I always use a palomar knot because I never got use to tieing any loop knot. My baitcaster is a righty and my spinning is a lefty and don't have a problem with either. Jimmy Houston mentioned he could make one walk in one direction like under a dock . Sure wish I could do that ...

                                           As Ever,

                                            skillet

[Matt Fly]

I'll muddy the water a little more ;D. I always use a palomar knot because I never got use to tieing any loop knot. My baitcaster is a righty and my spinning is a lefty and don't have a problem with either. Jimmy Houston mentioned he could make one walk in one direction like under a dock . Sure wish I could do that ...

                                          As Ever,

                                          skillet

Add weight to one side of the bait, like using the old suspending dots, and it will walk to one side when enough weight is added.

Matt

[bassman00012]

Keep your rod tip low and have a little bit of slack when you jerk your rod. This allows the bait some space to dart sideways.

[skillet]

 Thanks Matt !!!

                      As Ever,

                       skillet

[Joey_Doe]

My baitcasters tend to be a lot more tiresome on the wrist than my spinners, I can usually get more snap and a longer lure travel distance with my spinners also...

[.ghoti.]

I've just discovered that this is harder to explain than it is to do.

The hard part is the cadence. You have to get a pattern going between your hands. It may help to practice this a bit with no lure on and no line out. Try this.

With the rod pointed down, use you wrist to pop the rod tip toward your feet, then immediately back to the original position. try to get about 6" of movement back and forth with a short pause before each downward jerk. Got that? Now add in a turn of the crank following each downward jerk. The crank should happen at the same time that the the rod is moving back to the original position. So, the cadence is jerk-crank-jerk-crank, etc. The crank coincides with moving the rod tip towards the bait. Do not crank while moving the bait with the rod. Make sure the rod movement back towards to bait is quick and sharp. You want to put some slack in the line between jerks.

Now you can tie on your spook. What you'll need to experiment with is the length of the jerks, the amount of line retrieved between jerks, and the time between jerks. Don't try to get fancy with it just yet; just try to keep a steady pace. Once you can consistently get the nose of the spook the shoot back and forth, you're ready to move on.

You can use a slower cadence with longer glides, ( the glide is what this bait is so good at ). you can use a very quick cadence to make that bait pop back and forth, you can use very short sharp jerks and cranks to make it stay in one spot longer, ( this is the hardest ), and you can make it change directions. You don't neeed weights to make directional changes. You just need to adjust your timing. A short jerk-short pause-longer jerk-longer pause will make the bait change directions. Which way? Depends on which way it was going when you made the longer pauses. All it takes is some practice.

Doesn't matter what gear you use. Spinning gearr will work just fine. I use baitcasting gear most of the time. Doesn't matter which hand you use. I'm one of those weirdos that use right-handed baitcasters and left handed spinning reels. And I can walk the dog with either type of gear.

What does matter is line choice. This is not a technique for flouro, or for light mono. You do not want line that will sink. When you're first trying to learn this retrieve, you may be aided in your quest by going up a line size. If your using 10# mono, try 12#. The thicker line will stay up better. What can also help is to use some fly line floatant on the first 5 or 6 feet of your mono. Put it on before you get it wet. It will stay on for quite a while, and will help you get the hang of it. good luck, hope this helps.

Cheers,

GK