First attempt with Maki plastics

[SizeMatters]

Legitimate question. There are a few reasons why I prefer them over spikes. 1.) they will catch many fish with just one bait vs fresh maggots every fish (or two). I have fished with the same plastic for more than 2 days and caught many perch and 'gills. 2.) no need to rebait between fish which means you can get the "bait" back in the water more quickly. 3.) they don't hatch if left in a warm area. 4.) no need to stop at the bait store for maggots or minnows. I'm sure there are more but those came to mind first.

You can buy enough Maki's to get you through the season on the money you save not driving to the bait shop.  You can sleep an extra 30 minutes with Maki's.  Anywhere you can hang a minnow head or perch eye, you can hang a Maki.  Maki's come in more colors than white.  Maki's give you more options than "spikes or waxies?".  You don't have to clean sawdust out of your pocket or shanty with Maki's.  You never forget your Maki's at home in the refrigerator.  You'll catch them on Maki's if they're biting, you won't get your hands wet taking dinks off the hook if they're not.  Maki's never freeze when you leave them in the truck.  You never have to aerate your Maki's.  Maki's smell better than spikes.  Maki's make you feel smarter than the fish.  Doesn't it Seem Obvious, Maki's really work.................. ..... 

[trapper2000]

size  matters  this  is  not  always  true  ....  for  one  thing  makis  are  expensive  for  a  plastic .....  i  don't  price  them  nor  am  complaining  i  am  stating  facts!  now  maybe  i  hooked  them  wrong     but   the  maki's  would  get  rippied  up  after  5  to  10  fish  (about  the  same  as  any plastic)  and  needed  replacing ....  now  i  can   hook  and  land  10  gills  or  crappies  on  a  banana  jig before  having  to load  it  with  spikes  again  .....

do  they  out  fish  live  bait  ...  the  answer  is  yes  and  no !   depending  on  the  bite  and  the  type  of  fisherman  you  are    determines  if  plastics  work  better  for  you  ....   i  am  a   flyfisherman   and  i  may  hammer   fish  on  a   dry  fly  someone   else     may  not!  and  do  much  better  with  live  bait  .......  it's  not  who's  better  it's  style  and  presintation 

 cost  factors  .....  maki's  are  expensive  is  my only  complaint  i  think  .....people  that  know  me  know  i  fish  everyday   and  fish  all  over  ...i  try  everything  i  can....in  my  opinion  like  anything  else   it's  personal  prefferance ......for  me  there  no  better then   any  other   plastic  .  but  i  like   hearing  others   experances  and  opinions!

[drowndin dots]

      I started useing Makis last year and had some success both ice fishing and open water . There are days when they out fish bait and days when they don't . I will say they are the best quality plastic bait on the market .

[BlueGill92]

Started using them in 07 or 08. Now I have a box full of all different types and colors. Stoni's in glow on the st. law works the best. I've had really good luck with them. But I still stop at a bait shop to grab spikes. 1 tube usally last a season. The action on them is great. Can't go wrong to have them with ya. Good luck

[outside]

I agree that it's a confidence thing... I have caught some nice fish on plastics, but am not to the point where I go out with no meat. 

[jeffro9023]

I agree that plastics get tore up and need replacing then what? They go to landfill...maggots are biodegradable...maggot s are actually food so when a fish steals my bait it actually gets fed...plastic will only fill a fishes stomach permanantly...is this a pissing contest or what??? Geesh...plastics are just another option...stop pounding on your chests because u catch a stupid bluegill on an over priced plastic bait!!!...I catch fish using the stupid spikes off a pon pon ball i bought at the dollar store...does it make me badass ? No it tells me fish are not smart!...plastic wiggly baits work sometimes...next topic please 

[Huntyeraws]

The Makis are pretty spendy , what else is out there that works good ?

Eyedoktr makes some good points .

And meat at some baitshops has gotten stupid spendy and slim qtys too .

Mister Twister has some options that I like - you can get about 20 for $2.50 or so.  The "nymphs" worked really well for me last year for my first trip to Oneida.   It looked like some of the bugs that the perch were spitting up.   http://www.mistertwister.com/information/nymph/592#description 

They all come in various colors.

I could see these Micro Craws doing well too - http://www.mistertwister.com/information/micro-crawfish/619#description - they would dance like a Michigan Wiggler

And last but not least - the Twister Mite - 15 for about $3 http://www.mistertwister.com/information/twistermite/566#description

[bigredonice]

Mister Twister has some options that I like - you can get about 20 for $2.50 or so.  The "nymphs" worked really well for me last year for my first trip to Oneida.   It looked like some of the bugs that the perch were spitting up.   http://www.mistertwister.com/information/nymph/592#description 

They all come in various colors.

I could see these Micro Craws doing well too - http://www.mistertwister.com/information/micro-crawfish/619#description - they would dance like a Michigan Wiggler

And last but not least - the Twister Mite - 15 for about $3 http://www.mistertwister.com/information/twistermite/566#description

These mr twisters are fantastic.  they've been working great for me for the past 5 years.

[SizeMatters]

You can buy enough Maki's to get you through the season on the money you save not driving to the bait shop.  You can sleep an extra 30 minutes with Maki's.  Anywhere you can hang a minnow head or perch eye, you can hang a Maki.  Maki's come in more colors than white.  Maki's give you more options than "spikes or waxies?".  You don't have to clean sawdust out of your pocket or shanty with Maki's.  You never forget your Maki's at home in the refrigerator.  You'll catch them on Maki's if they're biting, you won't get your hands wet taking dinks off the hook if they're not.  Maki's never freeze when you leave them in the truck.  You never have to aerate your Maki's.  Maki's smell better than spikes.  Maki's make you feel smarter than the fish.  Doesn't it Seem Obvious, Maki's really work.................. .....

size  matters  this  is  not  always  true  ....  for  one  thing  makis  are  expensive  for  a  plastic .....  i  don't  price  them  nor  am  complaining  i  am  stating  facts!  now  maybe  i  hooked  them  wrong     but   the  maki's  would  get  rippied  up  after  5  to  10  fish  (about  the  same  as  any plastic)  and  needed  replacing ....  now  i  can   hook  and  land  10  gills  or  crappies  on  a  banana  jig before  having  to load  it  with  spikes  again  .....

do  they  out  fish  live  bait  ...  the  answer  is  yes  and  no !   depending  on  the  bite  and  the  type  of  fisherman  you  are    determines  if  plastics  work  better  for  you  ....   i  am  a   flyfisherman   and  i  may  hammer   fish  on  a   dry  fly  someone   else     may  not!  and  do  much  better  with  live  bait  .......  it's  not  who's  better  it's  style  and  presintation 

 cost  factors  .....  maki's  are  expensive  is  my only  complaint  i  think  .....people  that  know  me  know  i  fish  everyday   and  fish  all  over  ...i  try  everything  i  can....in  my  opinion  like  anything  else   it's  personal  prefferance ......for  me  there  no  better then   any  other   plastic  .  but  i  like   hearing  others   experances  and  opinions!

Which reason to use Maki's do you find untrue?   

[trapper2000]

i  really  like  the  hellgamite


sizematters i'm  only  interested  in  opinions  on  fishing  not  bar  room  banter  ...thank  you.......

[captain54]

After years of using plastics,I'm confident enough to leave bait a home. Once you have mastered finesse fishing you don't need bait.Last year 75 - 80 % of all my sons fish and mine where caught on plastic.

[Timber]

Mister Twister has some options that I like - you can get about 20 for $2.50 or so.  The "nymphs" worked really well for me last year for my first trip to Oneida.   It looked like some of the bugs that the perch were spitting up.   http://www.mistertwister.com/information/nymph/592#description 

They all come in various colors.

I could see these Micro Craws doing well too - http://www.mistertwister.com/information/micro-crawfish/619#description - they would dance like a Michigan Wiggler

And last but not least - the Twister Mite - 15 for about $3 http://www.mistertwister.com/information/twistermite/566#description

Thanks for posting the links all those look like they'd be worth a try . 

[trapper2000]

depending  on  your   meaning  to  finesse fishing.   to  some  thats   ultralights   to  others  super  sensitive  floats    some   artificals   yet  others   bait  .....  i  find   people  use  whats   with  in  there  comfort  range  .....  bait  to  me   is  no  different  then  a  artifical  ,  after  years  of  the  fly  rod   i  appercate   a  good  bait  fisherman  ,  and  yup  timmes  i  been  beaten by  meat !  thats  not  to  say  the  shoe  hasn't  been on the  othere  foot  ....  some  interesting   opinions  ....sure  would  like  to  hear  more   guys!

[Munson]

   Being very new to this ice fishing with plastic baits, I tried a few different kinds today on Oneida.    Caught perch on all 3 kinds that I had and actually had one walleye to the hole that was caught on a plain jig head and a Brown Macki Stony.   I was impatient and left some slack in the line and the hook came out.    One thing I noticed when choosing what one to put on my jig was the Macki baits were more lifelike and were very active in the water with little movement on my part.   The Northland and Gander mountain brand were more stiff.
  After reading the comments here, I checked the Macki website to find some good info on how to use them properly.   I'll keep trying them all until I'm fully convinced on one or the other.

  Good info here.   Keep it coming.

[AugustWest]

"Fishing is Fantastic, When You Use the Maki Plastic"...
Best plastic...PERIOD!!!
Those that doubt and scream that meat is better, need to learn how to fish and learn what a fish eats!!!
"Real Feel is the Real Deal"
AW

[raate]

size  matters  this  is  not  always  true ....  for  one  thing  makis  are  expensive  for  a  plastic .....  i  don't  price  them  nor  am  complaining  i  am  stating  facts!  now  maybe  i  hooked  them  wrong     but   the maki's  would  get  rippied  up  after  5  to  10  fish  (about  the  same  as  any plastic)  and  needed  replacing ....  now  i  can  hook  and  land  10  gills  or  crappies  on  a  banana  jig before  having  to load  it  with  spikes  again .....

do  they  out  fish  live  bait  ...  the  answer  is  yes  and  no !   depending  on  the  bite  and  the  type  of  fisherman  you  are    determines  if  plastics  work  better  for  you  ....   i  am  a   flyfisherman   and  i  may  hammer   fish  on  a   dry  fly  someone   else     may  not!  and  do  much  better  with  live  bait  .......  it's  not  who's  better  it's  style  and  presintation 

 cost  factors  .....  maki's  are  expensive  is  my only  complaint  i  think  .....people  that  know  me  know  i  fish  everyday   and  fish  all  over  ...i  try  everything  i  can....in  my  opinion  like  anything  else   it's  personal  prefferance ......for  me  there  no  better then   any  other   plastic  .  but  i  like   hearing  others   experances  and  opinions!

I gotta agree with you here Rick. 

I use maki plastics everyday ! One of my rods ALWAYS has one on it...the other rod, spikes.
The makiplastic DOES catch fish..but, after every fish (or bite) it needs to be readjusted on the jig to get the proper action, until it is so chewed up it needs to be replaced.
So I don't buy into the "it saves time" argument at all..
I always catch MULTIPLE fish on the spikes before they are ripped off and need to rebait. 

That being said...I start every hole with the plastic...grabbing the  more aggressive fish ( the dumb ones) on the first couple drops...then switch to the meat..and either get a few more, or not, then off to a new hole.
Some holes , some days, some lakes , some fish....the plastic out fishes the meat.
Other days, it is the other way around?
It's FISHING!
Another myth about the plastic i don't buy into? They catch bigger fish...   Using both meat and plastic every hole every day doesn't produce these results for me! I catch large and small fish ON BOTH!

I wouldn't go fishing without both plastics AND meat with me...but I am not a purist, or a chest beater...I just want to catch some fish! 

[raate]

"Fishing is Fantastic, When You Use the Maki Plastic"...
Best plastic...PERIOD!!!
Those that doubt and scream that meat is better, need to learn how to fish and learn what a fish eats!!!
"Real Feel is the Real Deal"
AW

"need to learn how to fish and learn what a fish eats!!!"

This is the dumbest statement I have ever seen in type!    

So, you are saying you learned how to fish now, and you know the fish swim around the lake eating plastic?   

Gee, I always thought my plastics just fooled the dumb fish into believing they were eating meat....

[drowndin dots]

   If I had to guess , I would say they eat what the plastic is mimicking . Lay off those Fulton crappies dude  You are however right in you're approach in my opinion . My largest crappie last year was jigged in with a Maki in white , couldn't get it to commit tho so I dropped down a Caty jig with spikes and she inhaled it . One thing I do enjoy about plastics is spring fishing without minnows .... lets be honest why stick you're hand in a minnow bucket when you don't have to . I witnessed plastics out fish minnows several times last spring .

[gettinjiggy]

     I superglue my plastics to the jig heads so you don't have to reposition them all the time, plus the diamond's have the small bead and plastic stopper that holds the plastic onto the jig head. Couple tricks for you to try...I'm a plastic guy as I've said before but it's the same argument as one flasher versus the other, what you use you feel is the best because you catch fish. Does it make it better? Who cares really as long as you enjoy the sport....There's tons of ways to catch fish, I have fun trying them all..

[ol crawdad]

there ain't much better than these little guys for open water panfish (Image removed from quote.)

I like those too.  Nice little action.

[trapper2000]

in  the   spring     tube  jigs   and  marabou  jigs   are  my  standard  i   don't   fish  many  minnows  .....  but  i'm  not  afraid  to  not  fish  meat  as  a  fly  fisherman  i   been  doing  that   for  45  years   .....   i  am  saying  .....  i  personally   don't  but  all my  eggs  in one  basket  ....  i  wouldn't   go  without   a  few   pheseant  tail  nymphs   in my  box  ...and  i  have  caught  a  many    gill  perch  and   crappie  on  a  scud !!!! .....  i  find  approch  and  presentation  the  most  important  part  ....  a  good  slow  drop   will  draw  more  hits    weather  with  plastic  or   spikes  ........  and  i  guess  my  other   big  question  is  ,  makis   are    scent   impregnated ...... and  maki  says  thats  better!!!!   then  yer  using   processed  meat .....  sorta  like  a  hot   dog   to people   or   artifcal  flavored  juice!!!!!  not  saying  it's  bad  ....   

[rgfixit]

I have plastics, spikes, waxworms, minnows, flies, mealworms, jigs (by the thousand)...every type and size of rod and reel, line, hook etc....etc.....etc, on the boat and in the trap.

They all produce when I find the right combination. If the left jab doesn't connect, drop your right and give them the hook...then the upper cut then the right cross.

It's the combination that works boys!

Maki makes a good product. Worth having in the  arsenal.

RG

[trapper2000]

i  think  maki's  are  well worth  having  for  sure  ....  there  was a  fly  called a  laser fly i  fished  in oak orchard  ...i think  we  got  a   few  at  oak  orhard   fly  shop  if  i  recall   anyways  it  had  a  long  tail  with  alot  of  action  my  friend  mike  tied  some   up  for  steelhead     i  stuck  a  few  in my  box  ...anyways  i  used  them on  kills  and   crappies   and   theye   really  worked  well  ..... sometimes   action  is  the  ticket 

[cold_feet]

As I said before and will say a thousand times. Not one lure not one bait is the catch everything that swims secret weapon.  Even I build lures and would never say that mine are way above anyone Else or the "Secret" Lure of the 21st century. Yeah they look good but I just could get myself to say these will outfish anything else out there. It still takes a fisherman to impart the action.

[outside]

This is the dumbest statement, I have ever seen in type!    

Lose the comma, D. 

I'm going fishing this morning and will only break out the spikes if nothing else works...
We're watching tip-ups anyways. 

[Munson]

in  the   spring     tube  jigs   and  marabou  jigs   are  my  standard  i   don't   fish  many  minnows  .....  but  i'm  not  afraid  to  not  fish  meat  as  a  fly  fisherman  i   been  doing  that   for  45  years   .....   i  am  saying  .....  i  personally   don't  but  all my  eggs  in one  basket  ....  i  wouldn't   go  without   a  few   pheseant  tail  nymphs   in my  box  ...and  i  have  caught  a  many    gill  perch  and   crappie  on  a  scud !!!! .....  i  find  approch  and  presentation  the  most  important  part  ....  a  good  slow  drop   will  draw  more  hits    weather  with  plastic  or   spikes  ........  and  i  guess  my  other   big  question  is  ,  makis   are    scent   impregnated ...... and  maki  says  thats  better!!!!   then  yer  using   processed  meat .....  sorta  like  a  hot   dog   to people   or   artifcal  flavored  juice!!!!!  not  saying  it's  bad  ....

Didn't see anywhere on their website that says their baits are impregnated with processed meat, fish, spikes or other formerly live substances.    I do know the ones I got smell like anise and it sure seemed to work well earlier this week.

[Munson]

depending  on  your   meaning  to  finesse fishing.   to  some  thats   ultralights   to  others  super  sensitive  floats    some   artificals   yet  others   bait  .....  i  find   people  use  whats   with  in  there  comfort  range  .....  bait  to  me   is  no  different  then  a  artifical  ,  after  years  of  the  fly  rod   i  appercate   a  good  bait  fisherman  ,  and  yup  timmes  i  been  beaten by  meat !  thats  not  to  say  the  shoe  hasn't  been on the  othere  foot  ....  some  interesting   opinions  ....sure  would  like  to  hear  more   guys!

Finesse.
  fi·nesse  (f-ns)
n.
1. Refinement and delicacy of performance, execution, or artisanship.
2. Skillful, subtle handling of a situation; tactful, diplomatic maneuvering.

[captain54]

Munson,that's me a Finesse fishermen. Some people just sit there and watch their machine and jig a little and set their rod down.I use 1 rod and it NEVER leaves my hand,I work the water column and try to get every fish to chase and hit my jig. Then people will say boy your lucky you always catch a bunch,no I'm not lucky I work hard all day to catch fish and pay attention to all the little details that makes one successful. Finesse Fishermen yes I am.

[AugustWest]

   If I had to guess , I would say they eat what the plastic is mimicking . Lay off those Fulton crappies dude 

That is pretty much what I meant, Angry Man
AW

[trapper2000]

Lose the comma, D. 

I'm going fishing this morning and will only break out the spikes if nothing else works...
We're watching tip-ups anyways. 

i'm  playing  devils  advacate  here   ....  " will only break out the spikes if nothing else works"  then  why  waste  time   why  not   just  go  right  to  spikes ?

i  have   to  agree  with  cold  feet  here   there  is  no  one  think  or  one  action  or  one  style  ....however   these  are  mostly  panfish  were  after  not  rocket   scientist  ..... i  think  99%  of   lures  flies  and  baits  work   and  i  think  99%  of  them  are  to   catch  as  many  fisherman  as  fish  .........  remebers   fishing   with  a  cane  pole  black  dacron  and  a  bait   and  filling  wash  tubs  as  a  kid  ....wait  ....  i  still  do  !!!!!