Thread: Twitch'n is what it's all about!

When it comes to panfish, smaller is the way to go. Rarely are my lures larger than 2.5 inches with the exception of 5" Kut Tail worms and Mann's 3" Shadow minnow, but even those lures do best when twitched. Granted, there are swimming baits such as Sassy Shads, curl tails and b. spins as well as bottom hopping lures, but my best presentation is twitching lures no smaller than 1" mid-depth.

So, what mini-lure shapes have I found to produce more strikes and hooksets?
Grub bodies (no tail) - due to body bulk and short length, even 3" bass clobber them seeing as how they lure dart back & forth, pause & wobble = super-twitch action on the slowest retrieve.

Stinger tails/ spike tails - even when at rest those thin tails quiver in place; a fish thinks (if that's possible) - "you better tremble - Jonah's here!"

Thin straight tail - similar action except wider which creates a flutter-in-place.

Cone tail/ tapered tail - kinda like the Ned rig in action except much smaller. It also darts, bobs & weaves and glides

Believe or not but a 1" floating Rapala can be considered a twitch bait. Watch was it does on the surface as it pushes water when twitched, zig zagging a few inches leaving concentric circles. There's noth'n like the surface strike by a pan fish! It's like a fish thinking - "guess I'll put you out of your misery.
examples:



Even this catfish appreciated twitch'n:


Of course, how could I forget the almighty Crappie Magnet with it's parallel textured tails that also quiver when twitched, making a fish strike after imagining the thing said to it, " don't eat me, I was only joking!"


The largest of the twitch lures are Gary Y. Kut Tail (lt.) and Softie Worms (rt.):

When twitched, the back & forth extreme darting action when twitched fast and then paused, drive fish crazy! To get that action, I rig them on a 1/32 oz jig with #1 hook.
Even this pumpkinseed was p.o.'d by the audacious body/tail action of the shortened Softie interrupting its slumber:


Twitching twitch lures is so much easier to catch numbers of fish, especially when fish aren't active like under a hot sun with zero clouds and no wind at 3pm.

Originally Posted by Spoonminnow

The sad thing is that I carry 150 soft plastics I want to experiment with including those I would use under a float. But when the bite gets so difficult in the suck days of summer, just catching many fish in a short period of time is so exciting I can't change (except changing rods that that have different lures attached like the ones shown). 'Next time' is the thought that rarely comes true until spring of next year when fish bite just about anything/ anywhere.

I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting myself lately , with the hit and miss fishing lately .
Usually I wind up experimenting the first hour , then I’ll chose a rod and method and go after whatever I can get to bite .
Always looking for that perfect bait and combo that works the best , most of the time .
Thanks for sharing
I hope our sharing our experiences helps those that don’t have the time to experiment.