Fishin with a Plastic Mouse @ Shabbona

[jjkessler]

I took the day off tomorrow and my wife and I are planning on trying a different approach tomorrow when we go to Shabbona. We have fished on the shore and boated at Shabbona often but have never hiked the Eastern shoreline opposite the lakeside tackle shop and have never seen anybody fishing there from the shore.

We are planning on bringing one pole each and casting plastic mice into the heavy weeds and Lilly Pads along the entire Eastern shore and bay between the Dam and the Campground.

Last time I was in there with a boat, I could not even get that far into the bay as the weeds were thick enough to choke my trolling motor.

Has anybody had any luck with using a plastic mouse in this manner at Shabbona and what brand of plastic mouse fairs better in those weeds?

[Kathy]

Absolutely yes...plastic mice/frogs, etc work GREAT at Shab. And with it being so weedy now you should have some luck with them. I like to cast well into the slop and then sort of move it over the mats with short jerking motions and then as soon as you make that last hop off the edge and into the open area always let it sit for just a sec as this is often when you'll get hit. It's a blast. Last weekend I was fishing off the campground pier as there is great weed cover over there and I wasn't happy with my cast so I was just winding the thing back in open water and BAM!!! Hooked up with about a 3pounder. Scared the bejeesus out of me because I wasn't ready for it. I've also had good luck with the plastics at the SW corner of the dam area. But like I said...with all the weed mat visible you will probably have some luck nearly anywhere. Post your results!

[jjkessler]

That is ecxactly what I was hoping to hear. I am banking on the fact that nobody is fishing that Easter shoreline including the eastern bay from the shore. I am hoping there is allot of un-disturbed fish to be had over there.

I know it is very difficult to get a boat that close to the eastern bay shoreline and hope that will be worth the while hiking into that area.

[dave_goodlaxson]

Topwater fishing with a mouse or frog is fun..only pretty frustrating to me. I get lots of strikes, but have never quite mastered the hook-setting technique for fishing topwater slop. Out of the many fish that I have hooked while fishing this way, I believe that I have only successfully landed one bass! Some guys say to wait a full second before setting the hook, and some guys say 2 seconds. I have tried both, and still miss the fish. Wish I knew what gives......hope you can do better!

[jjkessler]

That is good to know.
How fast is a good rate to retrieve a plastic mouse or frog once casted into the Lilly Pads?

[Kathy]

..it's me again (the girl). Just as with a crank bait or any other type of bait, I find that I have to vary the retrieve to see what works best that particular day or time of day. Again though once you hop off into the open water wait a little bit because often they are kind of cruising along underneath seeing something moving along on top of the goo but not being sure what it is. Then when it hits open water and they get a look at it you have to give them a bit to take a swipe at it. Then "twitch-twitch pause" it all the way back to you in case they still need more time to check it out before hitting it. As for missing them or hooking them poorly...I agree - it seems like about half the time you pull it away from them. I've also read a few times that you should wait until you actually feel the pull before setting the hook. I don't know about you guys though but when I get a top water strike it's all I can do to wait at all let alone hanging there until I feel my line tighten up. It's pretty exciting and you tend to want to just jerk back immediately. It takes me a lot of discipline to wait at all when the adreneline gets pumping like that. Also a tip - if you're not casting with the wind you might find it tough to cast these light, hollow plastics very far or accurately. If you stick some styrofoam in them it adds a bit of weight without compromising its ability to stay up on top. Man, I wish I was out there right now rather than sitting behind this desk. Hooking any or not it still beats anything around if you ask me.

[jjkessler]

That will be very helpful as this is our (Wife and I) first time trying this technique. We usually go after the fish with live bait. WE are hoping that eastern shore is a little more underfished due to the extreme weed situation.

[TimK]

(Time for me to give something BACK to this board)

jj,

I've fished topwaters for years with either dedicated topwaters, i.e. Zara Spooks, or with cranks, i.e. Rapalas, and there is a trick, IMHO, to land more fish.

When I see the strike instead of ripping the fish back into last week I wait (VERY hard to do on the first few strikes) and watch the line. If you see your line doing things you're not telling it to, SET THE HOOK! If the line isn't moving WAIT! Often times the fish will be attempting to knock the lights out of the prey so it will flutter down below the surface for easy pickin's, this is the hard part. You’ll have to get the timing down but it won’t be hard to figure out that if the line is tightening you should be doing something about it.

When fish are knocking the lure out of the water don't set the hook or reel in fast to make another cast. Let the lure sit in the same spot you just got the hit. It will come fluttering and floating back up to the same spot. And I bet a musky lure (cha-ching!!!) that the fish that just made you mess your pants did a quick turn around and is still staring right at your hooks. Let the lure sit for a few moments and start slowly twitching it back to you again. Bass love to hit a lure that is just sitting there. I've had a lure hit up to 6 times on a single retrieve because the fish were a bit finicky that day; every time I let the lure sit for a few moments, after it reappeared from its near massacre, and started the retrieve again – it often resulted in fish.

If you watch the lure as it gets hit sometimes you’ll actually see it get pushed out of the water, well above the surface, on the hit; obviously let the lure come down in place, wait and start working it again.

I love topwater fishing and once you really experience it you’ll find yourself working more lures up there (that’s how I ended up getting into fly fishing – that’ll cause an underwear change or two with those strikes!!)

Hope this helps and I didn’t tell you something you already knew.

Also; I’ve noticed the water levels are down so you may have to really toss that lure to get it out there.

Good Luck!!

[jjkessler]

What a great explaination, I can't wait to get out there tomorrow.
I would assume you would not want to use a leader in this situation as they tend to get snagged on Lilly Pad stems at times?

[TimK]

No leader and I hope you're using heavy test, say in the 17lb + range. Pads will hold onto your lure and line like no tomorrow.


One other thing I forgot to mention. If you're watching your line and it doesn't do anything, after a strike of course, keep an eye out for your lure. I've had bass that will suck the lure in and then stay in place just hanging onto it. If my lure doesn't come back to the surface in short order I'll tug on the line to see if anything tugs back. I don't set the hook until I feel the tug in this instance. The reason is if you're in and around weeds, rocks, stumps, etc. sometimes the hit will take the lure into the structure in all the commotion and hang the lure there with the fish no where to be found. So if you set your hooks you may have taken the first step in losing said lure. Just a word of caution, maybe save you some frustation and a lure or two.

Now you've got me all worked up for topwaters.............:D

I just may have to get home early, kiss the dog, kick the wife and grab my fly rod!!!

[jjkessler]

Great Advice.
I have the exactly same setup fro my wife and I.
Okuma 11-bb reals and 7' Finn-Nor medium
IM7 spinning rods.

I Keep the main spool filled with 17# Smooth Cast line and the spare spools have the 8# version.

[Shabby]

Sorry to be the one to burst your bubble, but you better check with the people at the office or with Denny and see if you can go on the East side of the lake, because the trails are closed.

The following is from the DNR Shabbona page:

UPDATE: Due to staff shortages, Papara and Tomahawk trails on the east side of the lake are temporarily closed. (click here) (http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R1/SHABBONA.HTM)

[KevinWakeman]

Great advice. The only thing I would add, Scum Frog makes a "PROModel" frog that has "Owner" brand hooks that are incredibly sharp, since using that model with the Owner hooks, I've never lost a bass on topwater.

[Rainman]

I find that I get much better hookups with 20lb test superline and you get much better cast distance. I like a 7 1/2ft med-hvy action spinning rod with a moderate tip.

If you get a short strike(especially over an open hole) just let it sit. After about 20 seconds give the bait a little shake and pause for another 10 seconds. If still nothing, start working it back in with small twitches. I especially like the scum frogs with the open mouth(think pop-r). With the rats I just retrieve with a steady medium speed.

I've always found that weeds hold most of the fish. I rarely catch anything from pads after early spring. In spring throw an unweighted fluke or 4" tube for great action in ultra-shallow water when the pads are just poking thru the bottom until bass start bedding. This works well in lake & river backwater areas.

I got a few small bass this weekend tossing the scumfrog. Action was actually best when the sun was shining bright.

Goodluck! Rainman