I must be getting the fishing bug ;-)

I have noticed that quite a few companies have noticed the Shadzilla success and big swim baits have come out en-masse. Good old fashioned American Capitalism! Included is the Poseidon swimbaits put out by Chaos tackle........But what really got my attention is the Musky innovations Swimmin Dawg. Impressive!

I was giving them a look in my recently acquired Helens Musky catalog........it is my staple reading material when on the road and I stop to get a bite (pun intended). It is an excellent catalog and they send them out free of charge but I digress.

I was admiring the paint jobs of the Dwags on-line (better than the Poseidon's IMO) and noticed they had a 15% off sale until tonight at midnight. What a sucker! So I will have a head to head match up of the Shadzillas and the Swimmin Dawgs. I'm getting in sort of deep........Now if I can just muster enough gumption to get out there at night and drag one of these big swim baits around.........why am I seeing visions of Wally 13's goal of a 13lb walleye on the end of my big swimbait at 3 a.m. ???


Swimmin Dawg

utube

Utube

I saw that swimming dog on a musky fishing show this morning. It had great action with the tail. I also liked the front hook position. Froward hook is placed by the front of the bait.

quote Savage Voyageur: "I saw that swimming dog on a musky fishing show this morning. It had great action with the tail. I also liked the front hook position. Froward hook is placed by the front of the bait. "

SV I think that WE ALL get conditioned to doing things certain ways. It took me fishing salt water and then taking those tactics and applying them to freshwater before my eyes opened. Butterflying creek chubs (removing the backbone) and putting them on a jig, or using jigging spoons aimed at the salt water crowd for fresh water or recognizing that part of the effectiveness of QM Zulu presentation is that piece of plastic chasing a swivel > a small predator / prey visual that larger predators take advantage of (a common tactic in Salt water) In other words when a critter is busy making its own living and preoccupied it is quite vulnerable to getting eaten itself. I would defy anyone fishing the Zulu rig to tell me that the Zulu isn't chasing that swivel and trying to eat it.

The same concept of anglers becoming conditioned can be said of "Musky" baits. As most Musky guys know plenty of other species are caught via Musky lures especially pike and big walleye. Last year I was catching 12" walleye on 8" shadzillas (that was weird!). And how many of us have had a 14" walleye on or a 20" pike on only to have it slammed by a big northern? Plenty........such stories are common place.

So an 8 or 11" lure for pike, even small pike, shouldn't raise any eyebrows even though they are "marketed" at the Musky crew. The only difference in thinking is the tackle required to handle the lure. A swimmin dawg is just another snack for a 40" pike.

MT, I bought some shadzillas at your recommendation and will use them for muskies and pikes this summer. My only fear is casting them. I fished only muskies for a few years and remember the pain of casting big lures.

quote missmolly: "MT, I bought some shadzillas at your recommendation and will use them for muskies and pikes this summer. My only fear is casting them. I fished only muskies for a few years and remember the pain of casting big lures. "

I'm not especially keen about casting Shadzillas from a seated position either.......maybe the smaller models (they make a Jr.) I have chucked quite a few big musky lures from a canoe but Shadzillas are particularly heavy going about 6 to 8 oz so your "fear" is well founded IMO.

Why knot do what I do and that is troll them around? Works great........in fact you could run them when going to and from various other places you want to fish. The only "must-have" item is a rod holder IMO. Fish whack these things quite hard and I can see a wedged rod deciding to up and leave......... remarking just before it hits the water "I never liked you anyway" (adding insult to injury).

I have made it no secret that I like the side mount Ram Rod 2000 which accommodates spinning and bait casting and pops your rod up and off your gunnels to allow much needed room for a paddle. The Shadzillas don't pull especially hard and it makes them not so hard to troll........EZ Peazy as you would say ;-) Just toss it back and ease around nice and quiet like, they will find it. Don't forget the super glue.......small pike will hit these with abandon as well.......and I know I sound like a broken record but PLEASE watch those hooks! Very nasty........ 9" Shimano needle nose should be standard (Helens Musky shop). It would pain me to no end to have someone follow my advice and have some sort of terrible accident.......big fish, big hooks, little boat, not a good combination.... be careful OK!!

MT. Thanks for reminding me about the 9 inch needle nose. I forgot to pick them up. I can't wait to try the Zhadzillas out this June up in Cirrus Lake. I'm going this weekend to find a big enough rod to handle them. Terry

Terry
A few bits of info for you to chew on.......are you going to cast them or troll them? Are you going to later fish them for Musky out of a "real" boat?

True Musky equipment for pike tends to overpower even bigger pike. So if you get a true broomstick you limit the "fun" factor. I was basically cranking in 14 and 16lb pike with 80lb power pro / 100b floro leader / a Toro reel and a musky rod. While you do get to feel their initial power better at first than with light equipment they are soon vanquished with such heavy tackle. I have found Musky to be a stronger critter however.

I intend to go lighter next summer including the rod. Instead of an 8' Bass Pro heavy action musky rod I have a 7' loomis Musky rod which is a bit lighter action. 65 lb power pro instead of 80 and either 60 or 80 floro as a leader instead of 100. If you cast these watch that backlash.......especially on that first cast! The Ambassador Toro is sweet (your wife may not be laughing to much longer)...........mine gave up years ago and now all she asks is "why do you need THAT one"?

But if your going to toss these for Musky later I suggest an 8' stick with some backbone. Just some thoughts........bring your shadzillas with you and tie them on........see what the rod does and how it feels. That may be a good idea ( but your probably already doing that ;-)

Good tips, MT. I will troll them. I'll try your Ram Rod 2000 too. Thanks!

On my way to two musky lakes, I'm going to fish another two that are right beside the road I'll fish mid-day. There's a splake lake there too, but I figure on shore fishing that.

quote missmolly: "Good tips, MT. I will troll them. I'll try your Ram Rod 2000 too. Thanks!

Sounds like you have a great trip lined up Molly.......good for you, should be awesome.

As per the Ram Rod 2000 side mount installation. I purposely ordered my canoe with metal trim instead of wood because of the machining benefits that metal provides. I mounted my side bracket via just using the top 2 holes only and omitted using the bottom holes on the bracket as they would have to be drilled through the carbon fiber and not the rail. Just having 2 stainless steel bolts with locking nuts was sufficient and provided exceptional stability even for use with very heavy gear.

It's a lot like your trip last year, MT: three solo weeks in northwestern Ontario. I study the maps about every other day. Five years without wilderness fishing has me ready to burst!

quote missmolly: "It's a lot like your trip last year, MT: three solo weeks in northwestern Ontario. I study the maps about every other day. Five years without wilderness fishing has me ready to burst! "

To bad your liberal and I'm married ;-)

We would make a good team.......I would net your fish and act as camera man and you could.......well, never mind. (i'm KIDDING!) Sheesh, everybody is so touchy these days.

I'm with you........between clients I wistfully wandered the isles of Bass Pro shops today and picked up a few things in a tiny little bag which still rang up to $70 (seriously?). And then I stopped and got a valentine card (always go with the very first one you pick up > saves time) and that was $7. You gotta be kidding me? $7 for a card? I didn't sign it so I can take it back after she reads it ;-)

Always thinking about fishing and hardly ever going..........But I am hopeful of going deep dropping in May on a 3 day trip offshore to Pulley ridge and using electric reels. Loads of fun last time I went and quite a humongous pile of fish......i'm getting low! Fishing is good if the weather cooperates.


Pulley Ridge deep dropping

You could net my fish. By day's end, you'd be pooped from all the heavy lifting, but to give you that last nudge into sweet sleep, I'd read to you from the soothing, "Rules for Radicals." That is what you were thinking, isn't it? ;-)

quote missmolly: "You could net my fish. By day's end, you'd be pooped from all the heavy lifting, but to give you that last nudge into sweet sleep, I'd read to you from the soothing, "Rules for Radicals." That is what you were thinking, isn't it? ;-)"

Hoo, hoo.......thats hilarious!

Who knows, we might get inspired to tromp around camp with our protest signs and if we were really juiced up we could burn some things. After all, those people in the camp down the way caught more fish than we did.......THATS NOT FAIR!

quote mastertangler: "

quote missmolly: "You could net my fish. By day's end, you'd be pooped from all the heavy lifting, but to give you that last nudge into sweet sleep, I'd read to you from the soothing, "Rules for Radicals." That is what you were thinking, isn't it? ;-)"

Hoo, hoo.......thats hilarious!


Who knows, we might get inspired to tromp around camp with our protest signs and if we were really juiced up we could burn some things. After all, those people in the camp down the way caught more fish than we did.......THATS NOT FAIR! "

I can say with certainty that no one in the camp down the way will catch more fish than me because if there is a camp down the way, I won't be on that lake. There's so much water up yonder that no one has to share.

Hurrah! My Shadzillas showed up today.........Indeed the Rugen destroyer looks primo! Sort of has that gold color which is so good in the north.

Now I have a problem......3 Shadzillas, 3 swimming dawgs and two Huddelston swimbaits add up to quite a little bit of weight for a shortish, gray,older, pudgy fellow like myself to lug around.......ugh! Especially with a ton of hardish (?) portages. I had REALLY wanted to just triple this summer......maybe if I left out some food ;-)

BTW........I'm not trying to purposely cause trouble but the thread IS about Shadzilla Knockoffs........These Huddelston baits are pretty incredible. Marketed to the trophy big bass crowd these baits swim very differently than other swimbaits. They just sort of glide without much roll and the tail just sort of has an easy kick to it. Impressive baits! Amazing paint jobs, very realistic........I would eat one If I were a fish.

I can hardly believe I dropped $$ big buckage $$ to feed these to pike. Duh! Just bring plenty of super glue. And who knows.......maybe the walleye of a lifetime will smack one of these. Why knot?

Two questions for you, MT:

Did you have any lengths on those big pike you caught last summer? I'm terrible at guessing lengths from photos.

Did you carry and use a pike jaw spreader?

No length but weights were on a certified scale (Boga). I detest guessing.......this year I will have my length issues solved as it would be sort of fun to know how long they are. On the other hand I had one pike which was fairly long but weighed the same as the shorter fat one so go figure. Length only tells part of the story......it would be sort of cool to know both.

My plan is to get some sort of aluminum name / price tags and punch the number into it and rivet to the top of the metal gunnel in 10" increments and make the rest of the marks via a saw blade probably every 2" apart. Permanent, rugged and light.

Pike between 10 and 20 are "good ones" and over 20 are "big ones" ;-)

I plan to do a bit more actual fishing on next summers trip and no "Campsite work". Hopefully I can put some big fish together, which for me, is why I go. No lakers last summer ;-( and a pile of 18/22" walleye while still a great time isn't what I had in mind. I have tweaked the strategy significantly and hopefully will be able to put a few good ones on the Boga. Is there a more memorable shield fish than a really big walleye? Maybe a really, really big pike.......Or perhaps a really, really, really big laker ;-)

No jaw spreaders........those are reserved for Mutton Snapper who swallow my $3 a piece Owner Mutu circle hook......gimme that back! They don't call them Snapper for nuthin!

I would be bummed without my Boga in canoe country however and it would deal my morale a serious blow should it be lost. Makes handling everything fast, easy, safe and efficient. I also wear a Lindy glove and 9" shimano needle nose pliers. Yup a bit overkill but I have wore a Rapala magnum in my palm once and even though I got off lucky it was enough. Worst case scenario is rather unpleasant to consider.

MT, I'm going to just measure the lengths of mine. I'm always so worried about hurting fish and doing length plus weight takes more time, but you're right about the pair delivering a better sense of the fish.

Tell me about your glove, please. You wear it for safety, right? I'm assuming you don it just when you're unhooking a big pike or do you wear it for all pike? Walleyes too? I've been stuck twice and both were quick bass that suddenly moved. I'm afraid of smaller pike more than big pike. Smaller pike often save their energy until they're right beside the boat. Muskies in the thirty-inch range scare me too. They're so quick and they're leapers.

Like you, I don't catch big walleyes, but I wanna! I'll be fishing some lakes with cisco, white suckers, and perch and I expect those lakes will hold some big everything.

Ahem......those are fighting words ("you don't catch big walleye" ;-)

Only this past summer in canoe country did I not catch big walleye. Of course "big" is still a relative term. How about "nice ones". Trolling Basswood in August at 28ft it can be difficult to catch a walleye less than 24" and most are about 26", "nice" fish . They seem to gravitate by size to certain depths. Truth be told while I have quite a few walleye between 8 and 9lbs (none over 10 and none recently) they were caught either on Lake Erie, St Clair or at a Canadian fish camp on Lake Minitakki. One (or a half dozen ;-) over 10 out of a canoe would be a treat.

As per measuring AND weighing with a Boga it is a simple matter of lipping them, taking a super quick look at the scale, and then holding them next to a FIXED tape measure. Bada-bing.........

Right you are on the Muskie being jumpers.......better fighting fish than Pike thats for sure......very strong. Fun to be trolling and get whacked and look behind and theres a 40" fish 4ft in the air. "Hey, thats cool"!

Yup little pike are deceptive. The problem is you reel them to the boat right away.......then reach out to unhook or grab. Not much danger with a single hook lure like a jig but with something like a Shadzilla or a three gang rapala you better watch out. I look at them.....if they're mouth is closed they have some juice. I encourage them to run some more.....somebody on the board had a clever method which I forgot already which does just that. Anyway, when they're mouth is open and stays open they are ready. Then the boga smacks down on them and the pliers come out.......I never even touch the slimy rascals anymore. In fact I don't handle fish that much by hand period,,,,,,,boga and pliers........ nice and relaxing with no fuss, no teeth, no hooks, no fins and no slime making my clothes smell. Ahhh......life is good!

The Glove is a Lindy glove. Sort of pricey at $30 for one (ouch!). I slide that on the Boga hand (after having cut the thumb part of the glove off for better manipulation of the Boga). I do go to extremes on the safety issue but when your dealing with these big hooks which are absolutely razor sharp I don't think a guy (or gal ;-) can be to careful. On my Irregular trip I brought a small pike into the boat just by reaching down and grabbing it. It shook free, the hooks bloodied my hand (fortunately I didn't get hooked) and in the commotion I knocked a rod in the water (which I managed to grab). After that little episode I said "never again". I got in a hurry as it was like the 4th little pike in 10 minutes.........but whats the rush right?

I stand corrected. I see the other fishers post walleye pics when they're 28 inches and up. I've never caught one that big. You have. I am now green as Kermit.

Thanks for all the info about your procedures. I think I'm going to buy your gripper and glove too.

When those two bass hooked me, they were still attached and wiggling. I did manage to free and release both, but OW for me!

FINALLY!

I had ordered 3 Muskie innovations "Swimmin Dawg" which is basically a Shadzilla Knockoff of sorts back in December and then called in January asking where they were at and they told me they had a big stack of orders and when they came in they would send them out.

These look very impressive indeed. A bit longer than a Shadzilla but thinner being solid rubber instead of hollow like the Shadzillas. Not sure it matters but the paint jobs are vastly better as well. Muskie Innovations might be on to something with these. The only concern I had was they get a bit thin near the tail. Bite the tail off and its game over........or is it? I think I will have some hitchhiker type metal wire spirals with a spinner blade attached and put it into the end and make it into a Bondy type bait if the paddle tail gets nipped off.

A foot long fish (lure) is just a snack to a 30lb Pike or laker. We will see what happens. I also bet these would be fantastic on an outgoing tide at some of the ten thousand islands river mouths.......snook, tarpon and even grouper would chew these without doubt.

They go some 6oz so casting on Bass flipping tackle probably wouldn't work to well but you could troll with that type of equipment especially if you fish braid (50lb min.....65 better).