What Do You Do When You're In a RUT !!!

[B17]

I fish every day. Most days its just from a dock while on lunch from work. But a few nights a week I take the kayak out and get down to it.

Its been well over a week at this point and nothing. Now granted. The dock isnt the hottest spot in the world. There were also a few days there where I was on a Musky hunt, thats hit or miss.

But Im starting to get worried here, haha!

What do you do to switch things up?

Tomorrow I think Im going to throw plastic. I bought some Zoom lizards, green/watermelon flake. Texas rig. Ive also got the Hula Popper and a few other topwaters. Im thinking of going into some thicker cover.

[ClownColor]

I go to the strip club...oh wait...in "a" rut. sorry

I think your already on track by switching it up.

Good luck

[mainbutter]

I do a round robin between 1) bait 2) fly fishing 3) spin fishing with smaller artificials 4) baitcaster with large artificials

When I'm not catching, I switch it up.

Fly fishing tends to eat up 90% of my fishing these days, and at the very least I can use the 4wt to guarantee myself panfish or small LMB.

[20lbSloughShark]

Bass? Buzz baits in the thickest cover, especially the Lilly pads. When all else fails I turn to live bait, weather it is worms, leaches, minnows, etc..

[OnAFly]

In rut? Strip clubs only create more issues

[delcecchi]

Yeah, it was in A rut, not in THE rut.

Sometimes it is just that way. I fish Vermilion, and a couple years ago at the start of the season I caught NOTHING. It went on for several weeks. Nothing. Not a perch, not a rock bass, not a bluegill, not a pike or walleye or bass or muskie. Not so much as a nibble from anything. Different places, different lures and baits. Nothing.

That whole summer was a little strange but that was positively weird.

[Nhamm]

Find another spot. Can't make fish bite when they are not even there. I have some good shore river spots myself and were on fire this spring. Now with water down and later in season fish have moved. Same goes for lakes.

[delcecchi]

In my case the "spot" was most of wakemup and head-o-lakes bays on Vermilion.

[gritsnham]

Drink a beer...fish love it and it gives you instant confidence:)

[OnAFly]

...and it makes women appear more attractive and makes you virtually invulnerable to criticism.

[Wanderer]

... Because you've just become a Rhode's Scholor...

I avoid being in a rut by trashing my boat with ALL my fishing gear. In a 16 foot Lund you'll find gear for everything from crappies to bass to walleyes to pike and muskies on any given day. I even have a small down rigger for lakers.

Hank Parker said " I love it when a fish pills my string". I think he just meant bass but when I say it, it doesn't matter what fish it is!

Just do something/everything different. Watch your graph to locate deep fish or look for life in the shallows. Birds are always a tip off. Loons know where the fish are, panfish make swirls and pops in the lily pads, bass and pike splash and slash bait in the skinny water or slurp mayflies off the top.

Keep your eyes and ears open.

[JeremyCampbell]

In rut? Strip clubs only create more issues

. LOL,don't go to strip clubs.

[Nick Kuhn]

Hey now, some of them have pretty good happy hours.

[CANOPY SAM]

I just give a shout out to the Man upstairs. He'll always point me in the right direction. Doesn't always guarantee fish, but at least I'm headed in the right direction!

[ThunderLund78]

When I can't find the Walleyes (which is most of the time), A good drag of a Jointed Rap or Shad Rap down a weedline for an easy Pike is always a cure!

Even the average fish feel like a trophy when they hit. And let's be honest, while the thrill of the hunt might not be as much with Pike, when the drag starts to sing, there's nothin' better.

AND I've actually caught my biggest walleye by accident while Pike fishing. It's usually the other way around

[tunrevir]

Try some ultra light fishing with small bass buster spinners for pannies. Those little bass busters are great for crappies and gills and will catch bass and pike as well and even a walleye on occasion. Nothing like fighting some pannies and then having an epic battle with a 1-2 lb pike or largemouth.

Tunrevir~

[OnAFly]

CANOPY SAM - Do you live below Al Lindner?

[Superduty]

If you do what you've always done, you will get what you've always got!

[RuddyDuck]

Nothing wrong with a good cheap Strip Club, but it probably won't help put any fish in the boat!

I would go the UL route. Put on a small basic 1/16th jig and a yellow twister tail. Cast on the edge of a weedline. That should get you anything from some pannies to some pike or bass. It usually never fails to provide some action. Good luck.

[Northlander]

Its all about location location location. Get some place else where the fish are biting. Get that kyak on another body of water. try a river out.

[B17]

The rut was officially over today. Ive been catching some fish here and there, nothing of note. But today on Minnetonka, I nailed fish after fish.

Here are some.

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[Carl Bjorgen]

Last year we had that early spring, by this time I had already been fishing 30-40 times, and they were literally jumping in the boat.

This year, same lake, same spot, same lures and presentation; and everything is smaller and less frequent.

The late start due to weather has a lot to do with it, but I don't mind so much.

It always encourages me to try different spots and different lures and presentations, and it usually results in a learning experience that just adds to the arsenal.

Keep on trying new things, you'll eventually get something.

[delcecchi]

"The fish are shallow, deep, or in between"

Those fish from last year are still mostly there and still eating. Just got to find out where and what. (that's the hard part)