Black Dog Shellcracker Floating....need advice

[Lubina]

Yesterday went out to Lake Swedes with the intentions to try this thing...didn't get not even a follower , the lure doesn't have a lot of tail action.

I know some guys from the forum have had good results with it, how do you guys fish it?.

Thanks in advance

[davej]

Yesterday went out to Lake Swedes with the intentions to try this thing...didn't get not even a follower , the lure doesn't have a lot of tail action.

I know some guys from the forum have had good results with it, how do you guys fish it?.

Thanks in advance

What model do you have? (F or S)


I have the Floating and I have been casting it out and dead sticking it for a long time.. then clacking it and then letting it sit again.. I have not been waking as a steady retrieve.. if I do wake it I will only for a short distance then let it sit.. you can really make that back section Clack with a good jerk (just don't give it any slack line or the hooks will catch the bait)

Did you have any other luck with your other swimbaits that day?

NJV should have some input here as well

[Lubina]

Dave I have the floating and I like it so much that I'm buy it a second one from another member, the details and finishing are phenomenal.

Yesterday I didn't get any fish but I could see followers with the Slammer, Gill, Baby bass and others. I know we are in the middle of a cold front so I wasn't expecting a great day but it was evident that it is not a lure for steady retrieve. I'm going out tomorrow evening again and I want to be better prepare.

[davej]

Dave I have the floating and I like it so much that I'm buy it a second one from another member, the details and finishing are phenomenal.

Yesterday I didn't get any fish but I could see followers with the Slammer, Gill, Baby bass and others. I know we are in the middle of a cold front so I wasn't expecting a great day but it was evident that it is not a lure for steady retrieve. I'm going out tomorrow evening again and I want to be better prepare.

Yeah I'm going to the cracker today if I can get out of here.. Hopefully NJV can reply as he has had much more success then I..

[njvbass]

If you are going to do a steady retrieve the tail movement is suddle, and it may take a couple turns of the handle to get that wag.

Or you can walk the dog, Just keep slapping it like a spook.

Depends how active an aggressive the fish are, sometimes you get that reaction strike with the fast Walk.

sometimes I don't even let the circles disappear after the cast and just start working it.

[Lightninrod]

Only have thrown it a few times and got one strike with it dead-sticked.

Dan

[SwimBaitGuy]

Yesterday went out to Lake Swedes with the intentions to try this thing...didn't get not even a follower , the lure doesn't have a lot of tail action.

I know some guys from the forum have had good results with it, how do you guys fish it?.

Thanks in advance

Lubina, I have the same issue with mine. I almost sent it back to Black Dog at their request but decided not to. Now after reading these posts I can see that it is normal. While it looks great, it just doesn't inspire the same confidence I get when tying on a 3:16 Baby Bass.

That video they have makes it look like it clacks easily, but I have not found that to be the case. I will try it out on the Delta someday and see if that changes my opinion any.

[Mattlures]

In the video it apears to me that they are walking it like a spook and thats how they get it clack. I think that would be its optimum presentation.
Think of it as a clacking "gill" spook and use it in those situations.

[davej]

Yesterday went out to Lake Swedes with the intentions to try this thing...didn't get not even a follower , the lure doesn't have a lot of tail action.

I know some guys from the forum have had good results with it, how do you guys fish it?.

Thanks in advance

Lubina, I have the same issue with mine. I almost sent it back to Black Dog at their request but decided not to. Now after reading these posts I can see that it is normal. While it looks great, it just doesn't inspire the same confidence I get when tying on a 3:16 Baby Bass.

That video they have makes it look like it clacks easily, but I have not found that to be the case. I will try it out on the Delta someday and see if that changes my opinion any.

SB Guy: I agree from a confidence stand point on the 3:16 wake baits. they just flat out catch fish.. I do like the Shell Cracker a lot espeacilly when I have casted over the area many times with the Wake Bait Jr or baby Wake to give the fish a different profile. I tried a bunch of different retrieves last night and was able to get a very good tail wag on a slow steady retrieve (I did have the decoy #4 egg Snap on) definately not as slow as the Wake Bait jr but I would still consider that retrieve slow.. and I was able to get that loud clack and splash when giving it a snap from a dead stop... I think it's a great bait to have in box ready to go.

My personal Experienece: Grant has stood behind his bait 100%. I had a small crack in the clear coat in the tail section so the back section which must have drawn in water and made the back swell to the point the back section would get frozen in one spot.. I sent the bait back and it was replaced, Grant called me multiple times to make sure I was happy.. Try that with a Platnium..

[Lightninrod]

In the video it apears to me that they are walking it like a spook and thats how they get it clack. I think that would be its optimum presentation.
Think of it as a clacking "gill" spook and use it in those situations.

Thanks Matt . Topwater bites have been hard to come by lately except for one 'explosion' I got a few days ago with a JDM Tank 'frog' when I threw it into the end of a shallow, small cove in a cow pond. She took it under and I felt her but no hookup .


Dan

[jwick22]

The cracker is more of a twitch bait.

[xxlbass]

make commotion with this bait and then deadstick for like 5-10 seconds then swim it about 3 feet and then start ripping it again. It will swim on it's side and I like this because it gives the bass a side view of the bait and then just make a ton of commotion and the hits will be explosive. Of course I changed out the garbage hooks they provide and put hyperwire split rings on to handle the bigger fish.

I got a follow on a different swimbait and they wouldn't commit to it and then tied on the shellcracker and made some commotion and got two fish around 4lbs+ to commit

[davej]

make commotion with this bait and then deadstick for like 5-10 seconds then swim it about 3 feet and then start ripping it again. It will swim on it's side and I like this because it gives the bass a side view of the bait and then just make a ton of commotion and the hits will be explosive. Of course I changed out the garbage hooks they provide and put hyperwire split rings on to handle the bigger fish.

I got a follow on a different swimbait and they wouldn't commit to it and then tied on the shellcracker and made some commotion and got two fish around 4lbs+ to commit

Nice.. make sure you get pics and post them up..

what size hooks and type did you use? also haven't heard of hiperwire split rings.. you have link?

Dave

[carrot top]

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage-OHWSR.html


The size six works good with most swimbaits. Baits with a bigger hook hanger like the MS Slammer might need a 7 or 8 however I haven't switched those split rings out yet.