Walking the Dog

[New Bass Man]

What's the secret to walking the dog?  How much does the rod length play into it?  How do you get the cadence going?  I practiced today but I gotta tell ya.  I was better after I left the water but I found it extremely ackward to move the rod and the reel handle too.

[senile1]

Walking the dog with a good cadence takes some practice.  I don't know if you're using a hard stickbait like the Heddon Zara Spook or a plastic fluke.  This site gives a good description of the technique:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/fishing/article/0,13199,1069239,00.html

[aggiebassin]

i think a 6'6" rod would be a good choice.  keep the rod tip down when twitching.  (a longer rod can hinder this)  and i usually don't reel as i am twitching.  i reel, twitch, reel, twitch, etc.  i usually give it about 3-4 twitches then pause, but change it up on the retrieve, sometimes twitch it 5 or 6 times before you pause.  (hope this isn't confusing, im just saying don't twitch 3 times, pause, twitch 3 times, pause the whole retrieve, vary it a little)

and what lure are you using, try something like a spook, they are super easy to walk.

[New Bass Man]

I was using a spook.  I did pretty good with it.  I also used a Bill Dance Excalubur Spit N Image.  

[ECP1989]

Another thing to remember is to have a little bit of slack in your line. This helps the bait walk better and swing wider.

[Gatorbassman]

A spook is a great lure to learn with. It is very easy to walk. Remember that with every twitch you must let the line go slack to get the most out of the walking action.

[Panamoka_Bassin]

Spook is for sure the way to go. It was made for walking the dog.

As far as walking, I'll give 3 or 4 cranks, tipt the rod over as the bait slows, reel the slack, crank a few more times, etc. But there are times I like keeping the bait moving, which is the part that tends to be rather like rubbing your belly and patting your head. I find its easier to learn the technique with a shorter rod, though it won't give you quite the same action as a longer rod. Make sure you've got plenty of swing room before you start casting. Just throw the plug straight out a good ways, and turn yourself a little off center after it splashes. You should now be pulling a little bit off center. Slowly start reeling the plug towards the center line again. As you get across that "center line," move your hands over to the other side as you keep reeling. Set your hands, keep reeling, and move the tip of the rod over to the other side. Now the bait will keep moving, and make a sharp turn in the other direction. As the bait comes back to the center line, do the same process, but make smaller hand and tip adjustments since there will be less line to work with (which is when a lot of people feel most like a spaz).

The more you do it, the more natural it will feel, and you'll be able to do it faster, and with different lures. Prop baits, poppers, and pretty much any other top water lure can be used, and they will each produce in their own way. The real fun comes in when you learn when they work best. I remember when I first learned how to walk the dog with an old blue and white wooden rebel casting the flats in the bay for schoolie stripers. Something about the motion just drives bass wild. Kinda one of the reasons I like topwaters so much, I guess.

[Guest avid]

there are some days when a walking the dog bait is just an absolute killer.  I use Sammy's and spooks. right now my favorite is the Super spook junior, but another great walking bait is the LC gunfish.

I use a GLoomis GLX CR722.   This is medium light 6' rod.  The short lenght makes it much easier for me to hold the rod down and work the bait.  The light tip really adds to the action.  I like to start off with a moderately slow cadence and plenty of slack in the line to give it wide swing.  Then I speed up the retrieve and shorten the arc.  I often get hits just when I change speeds.  i thing a bass may be following and then hits when it thinks the bait is trying to escape.

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

Snap the rod tip up a couple of feet, reel up slack quickly about 1-2 turns while lowering the rod for another snap, followed immediately with another upwards snap. That's one cycle. One cycle takes about one second to complete for a tight fast walk, while a wide slower walk takes 1.5 to 2 seconds between rod snaps. Don't stop at all, keep it coming. Done correctly your line remains mostly semi slack enough to dance up & down, barely straightening out on the upwards snap just in that split second jerking the bait forward. But right then the line goes slack because the bait is gliding forward. There will be a lot of wobble in the line if done right, both up & down and side to side. It ought to be flopping like a rope tied to a tree with you whip snapping the other end, making waves travel down it, only a little wilder acting than that. If too tight all you'll do is skip the stickbait to you, not allowing the nose to turn for a change in direction. The result ought to be a regular side to side zig zag swim back to the boat. I never pause it, wanting to imitate a predator chasing prey. Predators don't take breaks when feeding.

I use a wider sweeping walk near shore, then tighten it up as the bait gets over deeper water. I think that imitates a small fish darting around in shallow water like bream do "playing", then the bait becomes a fish chasing a baitfish when sped up with a tighter walk out overr about 8 feet of water and more. Whatever it is to a bass, it works for me.

Jim

[cart7t]

Being a good walker takes practice. I'll toss a spook out in Feb-APR just to get the feel back so I'm ready when the topwater season actually starts.  It's a complete feel retrieve. Once you get the feel of it it's like riding a bike.  

There are actually a number of dog walking techniques that were perfected by the king of walking the dog, Charlie Campbell.  There's the half step and another, I don't remember the name, where the bait twitches somewhat stationary in one spot.  A good walker can walk a spook or other walkable bait around a piece of cover.  Practice, Practice, Practice.