Yes, it is a bit of an unusual name for a style of angling, but I wasn’t the one that coined the terminology. However, I am one that believes in its fish catching ability.

The whole concept behind slow death is to present a bait that rotates as it moves through the water. A live bait presentation that spins is very foreign to many anglers as we were always taught to present live bait in a manner that does not spin.

In order to maximize the spinning presentation, a special bent hook is utilized. When half a crawler is threaded onto this bent hook, it will twirl in a very tantalizing manner. On Rainy Lake, the walleyes couldn’t resist it.

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The slow death hook can be enhanced by adding a blade in front of the hook. The “smile blade” in a variety of colors has been the most productive for me. At times, I have found that no blade at all is the best option. When tying my own leaders, I put together a variety of snells with 12 pound-test fluorocarbon. To avoid line twist, ball bearing swivels are essential.

This presentation is pulled behind a bottom bouncer at about 1 to 1.4 miles an hour. Although it is designed to be used with crawlers, I have found that leeches or small minnows can be utilized, as well.

When fishing in water where a multi-species option is available, I will usually thread on the back half of a plastic worm. I then add a chunk of crawler or leech for scent.

When using this plastic combination, I find I have less issues with sunfish or perch biting off the worm. I also find that bass and northern really prefer the appeal of the added plastic.

On a couple of the bass lakes I fish, the slow death presentation works wonders when trolled at the deep weedline. Most of the time, bass will hit the plastic even when no extra scent enhancer is added.

It is a great system for people that have not fished very much as the strikes are quite aggressive. There is no finesse involved. When a fish hits, you hit back!

Because of the speed, it is possible to cover quite a bit of water to find active fish. Once fish are found, there are times when I will switch to a different presentation that is more efficient for schooled fish.

Slow death may sound like an unusual name for describing a fishing presentation, but don’t be fooled by the name. It is a simple but effective method for catching a variety of fish. Although it was designed for walleyes, it is also a great multi-species option.

 

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