deadsticking?

[grizzly1654]

Hey guys im new to the site and ive been trying to learn all the lingo. Im stuck on deadsticking ive searched it and all i can come up with is that on a jerkbait or similar lure you let the bait sit idle for a few moments in between jerks. Am i close?

[Tanker4lyfe]

its is when you throw a soft plastic out to your target cover and let it sit and dont move it i have dead sticked baits for a minute or two it just takes patience but i can pay dividens especially for big bass

[Raul]

Deadsticking means leaving the bait in a stationary position for an X extended period of time without doing anything ( no twitching, no jerking, no nothing ).

There are baits tailor made for deadsticking:

Hard jerkbaits

Suspending cranks

Most soft plastics

Poppers

The catch here is, it 's the fish who determines for how long the bait has to remain inactive before biting it, your job is to determine that, the fish tell you. It 's a matter of patience.

I caught my first 10 pounder deadsticking a Rapala Minnow, caught the second one the same day doing exactly the same.

[BassnMan Mike]

I have alot of luck dead sticking large floating swim baits

[Triton21]

My pardner and I won a local tournament 'deadsticking'.  We would locate a large school of shad on the surface, I would throw a 'Trick Stick' and my pardner would throw a jig into the shad and allow the baits to sink and lie there.  In less than a minute the line would start moving.  We even had several doubles this way.

Kelley

[Shad_Master]

One key here is that you have to have some fairly strong confidence that there are fish in the area before you employee this technique.  It is not a search mechanism and just throwing a bait out there and letting it sit won't be the ticket every time.  Study the seasonal patterns and the structure that you are working - just don't be afraid to slow down your presentation even to a "dead" stick once in a while to give the fish a chance to tell you what they want.

[grizzly1654]

Thanks alot for the info guys that really helped alot!!

[BassnMan Mike]

One key here is that you have to have some fairly strong confidence that there are fish in the area before you employee this technique. It is not a search mechanism and just throwing a bait out there and letting it sit won't be the ticket every time. Study the seasonal patterns and the structure that you are working - just don't be afraid to slow down your presentation even to a "dead" stick once in a while to give the fish a chance to tell you what they want.

Great point Shad. Guess I thought that was a well known fact of dead sticking.

When I toss out a trout swim bait with the intention of dead sticking it I'll always cover it in Pro Cure Rainbow Trout attractant. Next I'll cast well beyond what I consider the potential strike zone. Then I'll slowly swim it to the zone and just stop and let it sit there and watch it, I've let it sit for up to 10 minutes at a time. Many times I can actually see large dark shadows converge under it, just watching it. Some times they will just eat it as it sits there, other times all it takes is a slight twitch to trigger a strike, MAN, that gives me goose bumps just picturing it in my mind!

So yes, you must cast into a spot that you know the bass will be at.

[CatBassin]

I use the deadstick method around fallen trees and brush. I'll put a freak/creature bait on drop it in a sunken tree and give about a 10 to 20 count, then I'll give it 3 or 4 twitches and if nothing hits I reel it in and try again. I have noticed that a bass will sit there and watch the freak bait and then hit it once it twitches.

You will want a stout rod and strong line to do this in trees so you can just haul that big girl out.

[zach t]

Terrific info. I will have to ty this.

[Mottfia]

Great post Shad_Master. Location is one of the most important details when you talk deadsticking

Mottfia

[Bankbeater]

Sometimes when you're dead sticking, the bass are watching the bait as soon as it hits the water. We were fishing a pond and I was throwing along side a fallen tree. I would let the tube just sink to the bottom and not move it at all. If the fish didn't go after it in about 15 to 30 seconds I would try again. I pulled caught five bass between 2 and 3 pounds in about 1/2 hour.

[Catt]

10-30 seconds is not dead sticking; try 4-5 minutes

Location is the key to success with any lure!

[roadwarrior]

10-30 seconds is not dead sticking; try 4-5 minutes

Location is the key to success with any lure!

Well, it could be longer...

Legend has it, the Gitzit (tube) was designed as a "do nothing" lure.

When fishing gets slow, toss out a Gitzit, pop a beer and smoke some

cigarettes. "Deadsticking" can involve hours!

As a method, drifting is probably the most effective (and least boring)

approach. Any soft plastic will work. If you have the patience, you will

be pleasantly surprised.

8-)

[nickb]

Well, it could be longer...

Legend has it, the Gitzit (tube) was designed as a "do nothing" lure.

When fishing gets slow, toss out a Gitzit, pop a beer and smoke some

cigarettes. "Deadsticking" can involve hours!

As a method, drifting is probably the most effective (and least boring)

approach. Any soft plastic will work. If you have the patience, you will

be pleasantly surprised.

8-)

[roadwarrior]

You drift with the wind, down a bank or across a point.

You still must be on fish which generally means cover

or structure. Deadsticking simply implies "not working

the lure".

8-)

[Tokyo Tony]

I have trouble getting myself to deadstick a bait completely for more than 10 seconds or so. I'll make casts that last a good 3-5 minutes, but I can't help but add a quick, tiny twitch to it throughout the cast.

In your opinion, is a true deadstick for 3-5 minutes actually sometimes preferable to my approach? It just seems silly that a bass would approach an unscented jig, watch it for 2 minutes without losing interest, and finally inhale it when it's not moving at all...

[roadwarrior]

I'll bet there are members here who have hooked up with their

PB while working on a backlash! Some of my best largemouth

last year were caught while "playing" with my equipment.

One memorable instance was casting to the middle of a local pond

so I could "walk" my new line and stretch it out a bit. Well, it turned

out to be overlapped from the get-go, so I took it all the way down

to the knot.

After walking back to my original spot, retrieving line under pressure

at the reel, I was good-to-go after 10 - 15 minutes, maybe a little longer.

So, now I'm ready to reel up to start fishing again and wouldn't you

know, I'm hung-up in the middle of the pond!

8 lbs later I landed the snag.

;D ;D

[Captian Planet]

Im completely new to deadSticking, what lures and colors would you recomend?

[6pointbuck2003]

This is a good post. Im interested in learning a little more.when is the best time to use this spring, summer etc...

[grizzly1654]

I'll bet there are members here who have hooked up with their

PB while working on a backlash! Some of my best largemouth

last year were caught while "playing" with my equipment.

One memorable instance was casting to the middle of a local pond

so I could "walk" my new line and stretch it out a bit. Well, it turned

out to be overlapped from the get-go, so I took it all the way down

to the knot.

After walking back to my original spot, retrieving line under pressure

at the reel, I was good-to-go after 10 - 15 minutes, maybe a little longer.

So, now I'm ready to reel up to start fishing again and wouldn't you

know, I'm hung-up in the middle of the pond!

8 lbs later I landed the snag.

;D ;D

man thats awsome! i can remember catching a couple bass while picking a backlash but i never gave it any thought. Icant wait to get out there and give this a try.