Doll Flies

[Mean Morone]

I've fished them fast and I've fished them slow. I've done the lift drop and I've done the straight retrieve. I've fished them shallow and I've fished them deep. I've fished them during the day and at night. I've leaned to the right and I've leaned to the left(no, more like in the middle, that's as far left as I'm going)and I still have not caught a striper on a jig.

[mhall]

I've fished them fast and I've fished them slow. I've done the lift drop and I've done the straight retrieve. I've fished them shallow and I've fished them deep. I've fished them during the day and at night. I've leaned to the right and I've leaned to the left(no, more like in the middle, that's as far left as I'm going)and I still have not caught a striper on a jig.

Scott you have got to be kidding.....Bucktails are like a safety net for me, when all else fails sling it till your arm falls off and eventually one will slam it.

Here is a neat story about Bucktails. One winter day in mid January before Cumberland was lowered to do work on the dam I went to the lake for a mini two day fishing trip. It was a Friday and I was targeting my beloved Smallmouth and I got my rear end handed to me on a plate. I fished that day until I almost fell out of the boat from exhaustion and I think I caught two Dink Kentucky's. I threw it all except I didn't fish the mighty FNF as that was what everybody said they were hitting, ''really ONLY the fly or go home.'' Well I'm hard headed and hate fishing that thing so I decided to get spanked.

Now I sit in the room that night playing with baits and tieing stuff on, you know the drill and I said to myself...''I'm fishing for Stripers tomorrow so I tied on a Little Mac on one rod and a Bucktail on another. Started the morning for Bass and again, zero, zilch, nada a sniff. I go back in Westfork and start slinging that Bucktail, again you know the drill thow it up on the bank and just sneak it into the water and slow roll it back. It was lightly raining and about 41 degrees outside and the better part of miserable. About the 8th or 9th cast...BAM, one loads up and I think hmmm this is s small striper...Nope a 20 inch Smallmouth. I was throwing a 1/2oz Buck with a 4 inch Kaelin on the back all white with a little silver mixed in. OK, so now I'm awake about three or four casts later bam another 20 plus inch Smallmouth.

Long story short I ended up with 7 Smallies that day, my best five would have weighed just under 20lb's and the other two were 19 inch fish. Had seven bites on that Bucktail that day and caught them all with no shake offs. Good thing I went Stiper fishing that day and good thing Smallmouth only eat real SMALL bait in the middle of winter.....

[nitro929]

Scott you have got to be kidding.....Bucktails are like a safety net for me, when all else fails sling it till your arm falls off and eventually one will slam it.

Here is a neat story about Bucktails. One winter day in mid January before Cumberland was lowered to do work on the dam I went to the lake for a mini two day fishing trip. It was a Friday and I was targeting my beloved Smallmouth and I got my rear end handed to me on a plate. I fished that day until I almost fell out of the boat from exhaustion and I think I caught two Dink Kentucky's. I threw it all except I didn't fish the mighty FNF as that was what everybody said they were hitting, ''really ONLY the fly or go home.'' Well I'm hard headed and hate fishing that thing so I decided to get spanked.

Now I sit in the room that night playing with baits and tieing stuff on, you know the drill and I said to myself...''I'm fishing for Stripers tomorrow so I tied on a Little Mac on one rod and a Bucktail on another. Started the morning for Bass and again, zero, zilch, nada a sniff. I go back in Westfork and start slinging that Bucktail, again you know the drill thow it up on the bank and just sneak it into the water and slow roll it back. It was lightly raining and about 41 degrees outside and the better part of miserable. About the 8th or 9th cast...BAM, one loads up and I think hmmm this is s small striper...Nope a 20 inch Smallmouth. I was throwing a 1/2oz Buck with a 4 inch Kaelin on the back all white with a little silver mixed in. OK, so now I'm awake about three or four casts later bam another 20 plus inch Smallmouth.

Long story short I ended up with 7 Smallies that day, my best five would have weighed just under 20lb's and the other two were 19 inch fish. Had seven bites on that Bucktail that day and caught them all with no shake offs. Good thing I went Stiper fishing that day and good thing Smallmouth only eat real SMALL bait in the middle of winter.....

Nice!!!
my biggest smallmouth came off a jointed red fin at night in the spring. I too thought it was a small striper till the thing jumped 4 foot out of the water!!

[JUSTINHALL]

That's amazing some of you have not caught any on a buck tail / doll fly. I have caught more stripers on a doll fly than any other bait by a long shot. Like I mentioned before I prefer a top water just because I like watching them bust it or slam it but, man a doll fly always works. Of all the days I've been catching stripers there is only two days I can remember that I could not get hit on a doll fly. Now there are days I can't get them to bite anything, but if I'm catching fish they have almost always eaten a doll fly. For beginner fisherman I always have them throw the doll fly because they can't work the top bait affectively so it easier for them to toss the doll fly and they always catch some.
Sometimes I have to change from pop and reel to slow roll but that's it, they always eat it. Once you get them hooked up they stay on pretty good too the weight of the head seems to help from them throwing it. I started out using different size colors etc. but what works through and threw for me.
Cumberland Pro 3/4 or 1 oz. white and chartreuse jig with 6" pearl white or chartreuse grub tail. Very rarely does the tail color make a difference but sometimes they like the pearl white over chartreuse. I am sure other colors works it just what I use over and over and over.
Buy it, throw it, catch a fish its that simple! If they wont bite that, throw in a 1/4 stick and use your dip net....

[JimDi]

What type of banks do you target?

We usually fish for stripers during Dec and Jan each year in the creeks. We troll live shiners on starting at daybreak usually come in around 3pm using planer boards, down lines, and free liners.

Can you throw the doll fly all day or works only early and late?

[JUSTINHALL]

I primarily use it when they are in the jumps, I am casting into the jumps. Otherwise during the winter when they are back in the head of the creeks you can blind cast it and catch them as well. Its not ideal for summer time fishing as they are too deep but if they are actively feeding and moving up it works. I don't fish the banks with it like others were describing other than if it were back in a cove or creek head and I know they are busting bait there.
After a set of jumps has ended you can throw it and let is sink a ways then bring it back up sometimes you can get hit this way, but usually a jigging spoon works better for that.

[Mean Morone]

I'll tell you one quick story. My buddy are slinging bucktails on a cloudy day in Dec. many years ago back when there were schools of big fish roaming. We hadn't had a bite all day when I cast near shore and hang up on a stump. I had to break off and before I could re tie, my buddy sets the hook. He is using lite tackle(big mistake) and can't stop it. It gets off. He casts to the same spot on his next cast and hooks up again. Big fish! He cant stop it either and if finally pulls off. He casts to the same spot again and hooks up again. Big fish again and this time it breaks him off. He picks up his regular striper rig with a bucktail and fires it out to the same spot. Hooks up again and lands a 17 lber. Four casts and four hookups. This entire time I don't even have a lure tied on. Just my luck. I haven't used one since.

Talk about smallies, I just got back from the big indian in TN and caught more smallies than stripers. They love that Flitterbait. My biggest was 19 1/4 inches.

[sweett4u]

a couple of years ago ,in the spring, was my first time to fish for stripers at Fishing Creek? Anyway the friend gave me a pole with a bucktail and white curly tail ,and we were way back in the head of the creek.There were about ten boats there, and the fish were exploding ,sounded like a war zone. I threw that thing till my arm was about to dislocate,throwing at jumps and around the edges of them, and I caught a turtle . What an awesome time in the hills of Kentucky!

[apb]

What type of banks do you target?

We usually fish for stripers during Dec and Jan each year in the creeks. We troll live shiners on starting at daybreak usually come in around 3pm using planer boards, down lines, and free liners.

Can you throw the doll fly all day or works only early and late?

See my post on page 1 of this thread for info on banks.

[Duayne]

A bait that works like a bucktail on steeper banks is a 3" sassy shad on a 1/4 oz crappie jig head on light tackle. Be prepared to do some serious chasing as you aren't going to horse a striper or smallie in with it. I have a 28 #er on the wall I landed on that bait so it is possible on colder months. Or it can be like rodeo fishing. Hook up and see how long you can stay hooked up. It's amazing the size fish you can catch on that little bait when their metabolism slows and they prefer smaller baits.

[mhall]

APB Jigs are the Mack Daddy. I have caught everything from big Kentucky's, Smallmouth, Largeheads and of course Stripers on them.

The guy could have a good career building baits but he likes to play in the dirt and rocks too much...

[Duayne]

APB Jigs are the Mack Daddy. I have caught everything from big Kentucky's, Smallmouth, Largeheads and of course Stripers on them.

The guy could have a good career building baits but he likes to play in the dirt and rocks too much...

I agree completely. Losing them is the only way to kill them. The paint and hair seem to hold up forever. The shape of the head makes them deadly when fish are coming at them from the side. The balance is perfect with smaller trailers but you can still put a 4" shad body on them and pull them behind down riggers.