"walking the dog"

[Gunship]

I need tips on "walking the dog" for a Rapala skitter walk. I got it and havent gotten very god at "walking the dog" but have caught a small LMB on it. thanks
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[tubeN2]

Walking the dog will be different for every type of situation that you come across.

The best secret there is requires you, the angler to be flexible and adaptive to the environment.

Typically walking the dog would just be casting out and retreiving in a small zig zag movement which imitates an injured bait fish.

Cold water, stained water, deep water and tanic water will behave differently from each other and the type or species of Bass that you are going for.

Cold water will require a slower presentation since the Bass don't want to exert too much energy. Each time you change direction, give a little pause to it. Sometimes you will need to count to 3,5,10 or even 20 seconds before the next twitch or change in direction.

The Rapala Skitter Walk creates the movement for you at a fast paced retrieve which will be ideal in warmer and topwater situations.

Slow it down in different areas. Speed it up in others. You will need to adapt as you go since there is not a universal speed that works in all water situations.

Good luck and let us know how you do.[cool]
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[Gunship]

Thanks for your help.
I am more looking for how to "walk the dog" .
thanks
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[tubeN2]

That lure does most of the work for you. Other wise you need a slight jerk to the left and one small jerk to the right. Pause and repeat.[cool]
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[fsh4fun05]

I just twitch it it back to me on a slack line. A good retrieve will allow the spook to skitter left and right without moving the rod tip left to right. The spook will take care of that.

[url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8n4rkkZTdg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8n4rkkZTdg[/url]
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[marcoman]

Basically, the way I do it , is to cast it out and reel in the slack and jerk the rod tip down, You keep repeating this process pausing once in a while . I never jerk my rod left and right, the lure will do that on it's own. Hope this helps or at least confuses you a little bit more![cool]
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[bendopolo]

To "walk the dog" you just ned to twitch the bait with the proper cadence. It's exactly the same as dribbling a basketball or punching bag. With the proper cadence your line will fully swing to and fro in an "S" pattern. The faster you work it the straighter the S turns will be. I have my rod sidewaysdown at about a 45degree angle toward the water. After saying that you have to look at several factors. Water temp, Bait motion, and relative aggresivness. Also, some lakes are 'topwater lakes' and some aren't. 90 % of the time topwater baits are fished way too fast. That lure, just sitting there, rocking in the little wavelets is making all kinds of noise just from the hooks shifting on their rings and if the bait has a rattle...all the better. I have done really well by gluing some feathers on the sides of my Spooks. The bird effect is that the bass really try to kill it. This often results in an inhaled bait. If you don't jerk it away from them. The best topwater fisherman would excel at dry fly fishing because of his learned restraint. So unless the water is warm, the bait is jumping or the lake is a known 'walk the dog' lake, SLOW DOWN.
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[Gunship]

Thanks for all your help it Helped me get my biggest bass yet. The bass was 16" 3ib not a huge bass but my biggest and it was in a pond accross the street I have been fishing in every day. I will try to get pics up.
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[fsh4fun05]

You mean all that stuff we said worked? [] Glad it worked out for ya. I can't wait 'till it warms up in Utah.
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[tubeN2]

Way to go. Keep working it as you learn newwer tricks too. You will see your Bass grow in no time at all.[cool]
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