“Mepps Trophy Man—Randy Polisky”

Part 5: The Timber Doodle and Aglia Can Catch Everything

Editor’s Note: Randy Polisky from Rockville, Virginia, has been fishing with Mepps and Mister Twister products for more than 40 years. He explains, “I’ve caught just about every freshwater fish that swims on a Mepps lure. The fish I’ve caught that qualify for the master-angler program include: a bowfin, five largemouth bass, a yellow perch, a chain pickerel, a catfish and crappie, and I’ve even caught a garfish on a Mepps lure.” He’s registered 30 citation trophy fish with the Commonwealth of Virginia, including 7-different species. He’s also used unconventional lures to catch some phenomenal-sized bass.

Question: What else are you catching on Mepps Lures?

Polisky: I catch a lot of smallmouths using a silver Aglia. I cast the Aglia to eddy holes, and the smallmouths will eat it up. I usually cast the Aglia into eddies, twitch it a couple of times and then let it run downstream with the current.

Question: How big are the smallmouths you’re catching?

Polisky: The James River doesn’t have very-big smallmouths, so the bass I’m catching weighs about 2 pounds. I fish the Aglia for smallmouth on either 6- or 8-pound-test line.

Question: I also understand you’ve caught bluegills on the Aglia as well. How are you fishing for the bluegills?

Polisky: When I’m fishing for bluegills, I take a small, undressed Aglia. I prefer the silver color over the gold, and I like either a 1/4- or a 1/3-ounce Aglia for catching bluegill. I don’t fish for bluegills as much as I used to, but when I’m taking a youngster fishing, I’ll tie that small Aglia on his line, and the plain silver undressed Aglia seems to be the best for catching bluegill.

Question: What’s the largest bluegill you’ve caught with the Aglia?

Polisky: The bluegill was 14-inches long and weighed close to 2 pounds, which is a good-sized bluegill for our part of the country. Once again, the bluegills are accustomed to seeing crickets, bugs and popping bugs. If you’re fishing a lake that gets a lot of bluegill pressure, those fish are looking at those baits day-in and day-out. Therefore, when you use that small Aglia, you’re giving them a bait that’s swimming in a way they’ve never seen, and they just have to eat it.

Question: Is there any other lure you’re really strong on for bass fishing that Mepps makes?

Polisky: I think one of the most-overlooked Mepps lures for bass fishing is the Timber Doodle. I fish the Timber Doodle more than I do the Magnum Musky Killer or the Mepps Marabou. In the lakes and ponds that I fish, we’ve usually got plenty of weeds. I just love pulling that Timber Doodle with a Mister Twister double-tail trailer through those weeds.

Question: On what size line are you fishing the Timber Doodle?

Polisky: I’m fishing it on either 10-pound-test monofilament line or braided line. I like the 8-pound diameter braid with a breaking strength of 30 pounds.

Question: With what rod and reel are you fishing?

Polisky: Every reel that I fish with, except for two, are Shimano. I really believe in the Shimano reels. I use a wide variety of rods, but one of my favorites is the Berkley rod.

Question: Why do you like the Timber Doodle in the grass?

Polisky: I like to fish the Timber Doodle in grass because it doesn’t hang up in the grass, I can get a good hook set with it, and once I get the fish hooked, it usually doesn’t throw the Timber Doodle. I like the action that I get from the Timber Doodle even without the Mister Twister double-tail trailer. I caught the big bowfin that I registered on the Timber Doodle, and I’ve caught a 9-pound 4-ounce largemouth bass on the Mepps black Timber Doodle. I prefer the gold and silver color over the black, but on that particular day the bass wanted a black Timber Doodle.

I’ve caught a 7-pound largemouth bass on a gold Timber Doodle. I’ve also caught a channel catfish that weighed more than 10 pounds on a black Timber Doodle. That Timber Doodle will catch anything that swims that’s big enough to get the Timber Doodle in its mouth. I’ve even caught a chain pickerel on a gold Mepps Timber Doodle. I have a lot of confidence in the Timber Doodle, and I fish it an awful lot. The Timber Doodle is one of the deadliest lures that I know when you’re fishing weeds and slop.