RE: rooster tails
 

I know some folks that will swear by rooster tails here as well. I do not use them because pickeral like them too. If you ever saw a pickeral then you know why I preffer not to mess with them. They have some pretty good size teeth on them. To say they do not or will not catch big bass is just a bit shy from being crazy to say the least. Same goes for mepps spinners, I have caught some great bass using the old mepps cpmet, the one with the little minnow hook on it. They appear to work best in the early season up here though. So i would not shoot anyone down for using them that is for sure.

RE: rooster tails
 

In-line's (including RT's) catch anything and everything in the lakes I fish in NE Indiana. From bass to muskies...and big to small. Everyone knows a fast moving aggressive lure will get the limit, but then you have to switch to finesse jigs incoverto get the bigger fish. Anyone who fishes tourny's does this nearly every time out.

RE: rooster tails
 

Chuck, How do you rig your rooster tails? I want to try them this year but I don't feel like they have enough weight to get to the depth I want.

My friend the body is made of lead..I would honestly use nothing smaller than 3/8th ounce..I'm currently bidding on some 1 ounce Roosters..I love them because if you don't have a depth finder they make an excellent count down lure..When I cast them as soon as they hit the water I count one thousand, two thousand etc..If the line stopped falling at 10 thousand I fish the lure at 9 thousand {About one foot off the bottom.When I fish mono ..I simply tie them on with an improved clinch knot { Also called Trilene knot} If I fish braid I tie on the Palomar knot..I do not use a swivel or split shot..I just tie on the lure.A 3/8th ounce falls 1 foot per second.

Ok here are the ways I fish them..
1. The best way..during spawning season I go up the shoreline and fish them slow and just above the bottom right over the bass beds..Lot's of hawgs caught this way.Mostly I fish small cut outs andpitch the Rooster underhanded just past the beds..let it sink till it goes out of sight{About 18 inches}and slowly bring it back towards the boat..WHAM! rod tip doubles..and my friend it doesn't make a difference how little or big that fish is..when something goes over the bed it will smack it.I had a picture of two 6 pounders I caughtlike this the same day I was goingto post it and could not find it..We ate the bass back in those days and I took them both home.
Nearly all the Rooster hawgs I caught were like this during spawning season.
2. We have lots of hydrilla in Florida..I cast long ways right outside of the hydrilla..I use my count down on just about every cast..I once had bass in an aquarium for a year..I studied them 90% of the timebass are on the bottom..At night they are much more active.

3. I also fish the lure in deep water..BUT always let it sinkto the bottomand then fish 12" above the bottom..The 3/8th Rooster sinks about 1 foot per second. I would never fish for bass with anything smaller..then 3/8th ..trebles are too small.

4.If you see schooling bass chasing bait fish..I throw beyond the bass and let it sink just below the surface..get the blade turning and go straight through the swirls..MOst of these fish will be smaller ones.

5. I also use the countdown to find suspended bass..If I'm in 10 foot of water and have not caught anything..I may just count 1 thousand 2 thousand 3thousand 4 thousand 5 thousand 6 thousand..sweeeeep ..and spin slowly......trying lot's of different depths.I always fish it SLOWLY..I practiced in clear water at first to see how fast I had to fish it to keep it at a constant depth..and where it would swim correctly.

The Rooster is simply a stream lined reaction lure..Last year I lost a hawg..I was fishing above hydrilla and the cow took me in the hydrilla..I mostly fish the Roosterover points with sandy or rock bottoms..Weeds and sticksare not good. You would need weedless in such situations..

When fishing the Rooster it can be difficult if you are not used to them..I use 10 pound Trilene mono..The lighter the rod the easier it is to fish..I use a 6 1/2 foot medium rod. ..and a 6 .0 ratio or higher spinning reel.One where you can crank it slowly and teh blade is still moving....simply sweep the rod till the blade starts moving..You can feel it and see your rod tip vibrate..and then fish it just slow enough to keep the blade turning and rod tip vibrating ..You want the Rooster to look like a little lost bait fish just hovering helplessly about a foot off the bottom.

Good luck..I just bought 2 more 3/8th Roosters tonight at Walmart..They only had the rainbow trout color..
I wish I could find these..I got this photo off the Rooster Tail website..


C7

RE: rooster tails
 

sure you can fish them as deep or slow as you want. But you cant fish them on the bottom, in extremely thick cover, or as precisely as other lures. But hey, if it makes you happy, keep fishing the rooster tails. I prefer not to limit myself, and be able to fish any water I can cast into.

RE: rooster tails
 

...If any of you ever want to rid yourself of your Roosters Tails..I'll pay 1.50 a piece for 3/8th or bigger including the shipping.;)