By Gary Clancy Contributing Writer Now, I've been hunting deer long ...

JULY 26, 2013Jer1cbaits(FromPage 26)place it about an inchthe forward hook on gliders and divers. Also notethe hooks have been bent to form a ''T;' which minimizeshook wear on the bait's sides.ing a straighter angle allows for it to run. It's smart to "TO the hooks ona deeper dive - whereas a pronounced the bait's belly to minimize hook wear,bend will yield a shallower dive and regardless ofjerkbait style.Finally,if thechoppy action.If the bait favors one side, hooks on your bait are not attached withbend the screw eye (linetie)one way or split rings, cut offthe old hooks andthe other until it runs the way you want replace them with new ones attached(Mock 5crapeD-+----(FromPage 23)cruisingin right along one ofwhen hunting over my mock . the mock scrape lines you estabscrapes.Whenthat big buck lished in July.finallylays his eyes on the buck Now, there's a sweet momentthat has been messing around in any deer hunter's life.I'vehis stomping grounds, his ears been there a few times,and letwill lay back and the hair on his me tellyou, when that buckneck and back will stand erect shows up working each mockas he goes into that stiff-legged scrapeyou laid out for him andkind of sideways shufflethat finallysteps into the closestalways reminds me ofJohn mock scrape- the one I call"theWaynesauntering into a saloon killerscrape" - you will forgetto take on the bad guys. all about how hot and humid itYes,I know it's hot and sticky was and how the skeeters aboutin the woods this time ofyear. drove you from the woods.And yes, the deer flies,skeeters, Now it is time to drawand ticks canbe nasty,too.And smoothly without him catching\ yes, that itchy rash probably is you, take a deep breath, pickpoison ivy.Butjust wait until your spot, and drop the string.that day in late Octoberwhen Is there a finer moment in allyou cornehorne with that big of the outdoors? I can't wait forIfl-pointer riding in the bed of September.y,ourpickup and get to tellyourbuddies the buck just cameWISCONSIN OUTDOOR NEWS PAGE 27with rings. Whilethis may slightlyhin- ment, which can trigger a lunker muskieder a bait's action,the better hooking looking for a quick,belly-fillingmeal.capabilitiesmore than make up for it. Adding weight to a wooden jerkbaitWhen the situation or the muskies call can make it much more versatile.Prefora diver,the firstbait out ofmy tackle made, screw-inweight systems,availboxwill probably be a Suick,because I able at many tackle shops, allow ancan do so much with the action.I can angler to fish the bait without weight, ormake a well-tunedbait dive in the direc- to add up to an ounce to its belly.Almosttion I want, so I can steer it in an out of alljerkbaitsbalance about an inch behindcabbageor around rocks.And with a the front hook, so place the threadedwrist snap I can make it flop on its side insert there. On a diver,extra weight willor back and exposeits belly to the sky. gain depth and createmore hang timeStill,there are times when the wider during pauses in the retrieve,while on ahead of the Bobbieis more advanta- glider the extra weight will allow you togeous, such as when bumping it in and fish the lure faster while maintainingout of still-greencoontailin early fall,or depth, or to run it much more deeply bywhen casting to suspended muskies. counting it down beforeretrieving.Among gliders,my first pick is usually I always try to fish as fast as conditionsa Hellhound or Phantom because their allow in the beliefthat by contactingplastic construction allows me to fish more activemuskies, I'll catchmore. Still,them fast, dart them just under the sur- the days when muskies are aggressiveface,or dive offa weed edge. However, are rare, and that's why jerkbaitsthe wider head of a big, slowly twitched demand space in your tacklebox. FishReefHawg createsmore water move- them right and unleash their magic.I