VARY YOUR RATES OF RETRIEVAL

I have had days where one style of retrieve has worked no matter which lure I used. Some days they want it super slow and close to the bottom, other days they want to hit it on the drop and sometimes they want it fast or slow and everything in between. There is no use fishing all your spots with one retrieve and only swapping your lure. This is why it can take some time to effectively fish a productive spot. The perch can be there ages before you know about it. Create a routine and fish the swim hard.

RETRIEVE TYPES TO TRY:

Lift and fall: Point your rod at the lure at 90 degrees and, keeping a tight line, lift the rod with a flick of your wrist once or twice. Stay in contact with the lure by lowering the rod down as the lure falls until you feel the ‘ thud’ on the bottom. Great with shad lures as the tail kicks hard on the fall.

Hop and stop: Hold your rod with a slight upward angle and gently hop the lure back towards you, taking up the slack with the reel. Don’t reel the lure to move it, use the rod. Long pauses can be great with this method when using buoyant lures, such as Korum Squirmz or Z- Man.

Deadsticking: This Ned Rig style almost offers a semi- slack line, leaving the bait to sit and wobble on its own. You need a buoyant bait for this. You can leave the lure for up to 30 seconds, just tightening up to the lure every now and again. Very slow, but can be awesome in cold water.

Flicking: Good with small shads with fast tails. Point the rod at the lure and flick left, then right, then upwardly, in any pattern you like. This imitates paranoid fry and small baitfish.

Shaking: Great for drop shotting. Have your rod held up at a steep upward angle and vibrate your wrist and rod tip to offer fast vibrations through your line and subsequently your lure. Good with slim lures and worm patterns.