Hey guys I was out the other day and picked up a pair of scrounger heads on clearance, so I figured why not as I've yet to try fishing these.  My question is where, when and how you all fish them.  I'm thinking I would fish them like a spinnerbait or swim jig and just cast/retrieve.  However, I would be foolish to just assume and therefore I wanted to consult the forum and gain some knowledge and insight on how to properly fish these and what type of structure, water clarity and other conditions to look for.

 

Additionally while I'm thinking about it, what do you guy tip them with?  Do you use something like a shad profile, or just a worm or what?

 

Thanks,

Coak

I will not profess to be an expert with the bait but I've been fishing it a bit more lately and I'm really liking the versatility & success.

 

 As for trailers, Flukes, Trick Worms, and Slug-Go's have worked.  I'm betting there are a ton of other baits that would work as well or perhaps even better. 

 

A couple of things to watch for; if the trailer is too big as compared to the weight and/or the size of the Scrounger & bill size, it may over power the action of the Scrounger head to where most if not all of the vibrating action is gone.  The Long bill versions seen to work best for me.

 Also, boot tail type swim baits sometimes don't work that well.  They have a specific action of their own which is not enhanced or improved by this type of head.  They seem to fight each other more than anything else.

 

And the single most effective retrieve for me (regardless of depth or conditions) has been a Slow Steady one; sometimes it seems almost too slow.  Your reels gear ratio plays a role here.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

One of my favorites, come in different weights. Reaction Innovations little dipper work well. I guess any paddle tail would work too.

Mister Twister Fat Curly tail Grubs are good too. I use pull/drop method, not too fast.

 

IDK WTH my post is underlined :-)

I picked up a pack of the 1/8oz long-billed Scroungers recently and found this article:

 

http://www.bassmaster.com/gear/aaron-martens-scrounger

 

I started out using Zoom's "The Fluke" (the smaller one without the slit in the body). After reading the article, I switched to a Zoom Tiny Fluke. It looks great in the water, but I've yet to catch anything with it. According to the interview, they're supposed to be great for the summer.

Evolve RX vibra grub is awesome on a scrounger! it looks unreal!

Great topic.  I picked up a couple scrounger heads last year and really have yet to figure out what to do with them.  As asked above, does anyone have a specific scenario that they like to use these in?  ie..high pressure, cold water, lethargic fish, slow retreive?  Or are they just general purpose, do they burn well, or just work well as a swimbait, etc?

 

I'm just not sure when to try throwing the darn thing.  I like the idea but dont see where it fits into the grand scheme.

one of my "go to" baits..

 

my absolute favorite trailer is a lake fork live magic shad.... 

 

and X2 on

boot tail type swim baits sometimes don't work that well.  They have a specific action of their own which is not enhanced or improved by this type of head.  They seem to fight each other more than anything else.

 

steady retrieve works best for me....speed is dictated by what they want that day..

bill size determines how deep it should be worked.....short bill...shallow....  long bill..... deep

my absolute favorite trailer is a lake fork live magic shad.... 

 

Which size are you using?

one of my "go to" baits..

 

my absolute favorite trailer is a lake fork live magic shad.... 

 

and X2 on

boot tail type swim baits sometimes don't work that well.  They have a specific action of their own which is not enhanced or improved by this type of head.  They seem to fight each other more than anything else.

 

steady retrieve works best for me....speed is dictated by what they want that day..

bill size determines how deep it should be worked.....short bill...deep....  long bill..... shallow

 

 

I think you have it backwards. Short bill is for shallow & long bill is for deep.

 

From Kalin's Scrounger description

"The short bill is perfect for fishing shallow and working fast, while the medium bill can be worked at a range of speeds, and the long bill can be fished deeper. Whether you are new to fishing or an old hat, the Kalin’s Scrounger is a great choice that works on all species of gamefish."

one of my "go to" baits..

 

my absolute favorite trailer is a lake fork live magic shad.... 

 

and X2 on

boot tail type swim baits sometimes don't work that well.  They have a specific action of their own which is not enhanced or improved by this type of head.  They seem to fight each other more than anything else.

 

steady retrieve works best for me....speed is dictated by what they want that day..

bill size determines how deep it should be worked.....short bill...deep....  long bill..... shallow

 

I was going to try to keep that one on the Down Low - Guess that's over.

 

Kent use the 4.5 inch LFMS in a 3/8 ounce Long Bill head -   you'll thank me later.

 

A-Jay

Dwight.... i corrected myself....thanks...

Kent... i prefer the 3 1/2" myself...that size matches my baitfish better..for here..

I will not profess to be an expert with the bait but I've been fishing it a bit more lately and I'm really liking the versatility & success.

 

 As for trailers, Flukes, Trick Worms, and Slug-Go's have worked.  I'm betting there are a ton of other baits that would work as well or perhaps even better. 

 

A couple of things to watch for; if the trailer is too big as compared to the weight and/or the size of the Scrounger & bill size, it may over power the action of the Scrounger head to where most if not all of the vibrating action is gone.  The Long bill versions seen to work best for me.

 Also, boot tail type swim baits sometimes don't work that well.  They have a specific action of their own which is not enhanced or improved by this type of head.  They seem to fight each other more than anything else.

 

And the single most effective retrieve for me (regardless of depth or conditions) has been a Slow Steady one; sometimes it seems almost too slow.  Your reels gear ratio plays a role here.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

So A-Jay are we talking a 5:1 reel or will a 6:1 reel suffice.  A good low ratio crank reel is the only thing missing to round out my collection and I will be picking one up soon.

So are these primarily an 'open' water lure or working them on the edges of vegetation? Or is there any way of altering them to make them weedless to handle vegetation?

i know a lot of people match them with a white grub of any type and fish them in the river for stripers and evidently do quite well, i however have never fished them

So A-Jay are we talking a 5:1 reel or will a 6:1 reel suffice.  A good low ratio crank reel is the only thing missing to round out my collection and I will be picking one up soon.

 

Here's the classic "It Depends" answer. 

 

 Each bait and trailer will have a certain speed where it seems to work the best.  Personally, as mentioned, I prefer a slow steady retrieve.  The gear you chose depends on your reel's gear ratio and how you like to fish.

Some like to use a faster reel and retrieve slowly.  Others use a slower reel and reel a little faster.  I prefer to use a mid-range reel  (6.6:1) ad use a slow to moderate pace.

 

As for where & when to throw them.  There are no hard and fast rules, just like most of this sport, you do what works for you.  The bait is not actually weedless though the blade on the head in front of the hook does offer some weedless qualities.  Most of the places I'm using it would be called "around the cover" but definitely on some structure.

 

I hate this saying but you can always "Let the fish tell you what they want".

 

A-Jay