I would like to know the history of dead sticking fishing method. Yesterday took my friends to Lake Conroe and absolutely had a wonderful day catching hybrids except for one PROBLEM.
They ask me who was the first guy that discovered dead sticking fishing technique. ? So I made up a story. It was a dude and his friend on a cold cold winter day fishing on a lake. They had not catch anything all day so one friend got tired and just held the rod dead dead still bord and tired thinking this sucks let's just go home. Other friend had a bright 💡 idea! before giving up to go home. How about we throw some chum bait in the water beat the boat like ringing the dinner bell and see if the fish would come? Yep they came. And that's how dead sticking got discovered.
IS THAT HOW IT STARTED?

Lake Conroe Yesterday 1/25/25 water temp 47 degrees.
Method use dead sticking with new thumping machine. No splashers.
Wind was coming from the Southeast light during the am hours till noon. Then picked up a bit after. I made many drift on the east side of the lake at its deepest near the river channel and only caught four hybrid. Then my experiences told me to go look at the wind blown areas. Sure enough hybrids were stacked up on the wind blown side of the lake. They were all suspended in 25-30 fow at 45 feet deep. Lots of shads and hybrids on the ff. Everyone on board is a first timer to dead sticking and they were all blown away on the crazy dead sticking method.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE FIRST GUY THAT DISCOVERED DEAD STICKING TECHNIQUE. ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?

Probably me I started it...except most of everything I know came from somebody. Lol. I learned DS from some of the best over 15+years ago. And I know they learned DS from others. But its a good conversation topic lol

Conroe got huge hibbies and the best time is the winter due to way less party boats. Good post

Probably by some "hard water" fisherman in Canada.

I learned it from my Dad.

When I was a lad we would rent a skiff on Lake Casitas in California. He would get 10 beers in him, cast out a plastic worm and take a nap. Almost every time a bass would wake him up... pulling on that T-rigged worm that was just sitting not moving at all.

He always said when fishing plastic, if you think you are going too slow, slow down more; should move no faster than a worm would actually crawl.

Different application but similar idea.

That sounds like my first FIL. The biggest bass he ever caught was when he was using a T-Rig and snoozing.

First DS trip was with Trent Miller in February 2006 on Lake Tawakoni. We tied second jig to first jig as the dropped eyelet had not been created. WE caught fish, but what an eye opener for winter fishing. Been a dead stick junkie since. A few years later SeaPro Todd joined us and he used a cane to tap boat for the cadence.

First time I ever saw some thing that resembled it was with Cracker Shelby when I was a little boy up here on Texoma. he would cut the Tail off a sassy and put it in a rod holder and call it a dead rod or a ghost rod it very rarely caught fish but you would see if it got tapped or not and then if it was getting hit he would have us just throw the Sassys out there with the tail cut off and not real at all and we would catch a few.. Another one of the guides up here said his dad showed it to him along time ago with a slab.
Always thought that was kind of a precursor to the dead stick technique but first time I really listened about it was Mike Acosta at a Lake Whitney tournament years years ago and he was on the front of the boat with one fluke on each side using his trolling motor to barely move his boat in the river and he kicked everybody’s butt. Been lots of whispers about it since the beginning of fishing LOL but it really has got popular last 20 years.
Now I’ll really open up a can of worms there’s been lots of talk amongst some of us guides that all these dead stick fish in the winter that were never caught for years and years are part of the decline in fisheries on all of our lakes. Super touchy subject because people get real emotional about it

So it's a two part efforts. First guy Cracker Shelby started the hold the rod dead still and then Sea Pro Todd combine it with thumping.
My question to Sea Pro Todd is was it an accidental discovery where you had a snake on your boat and trying to beat the snake with a stick and fish started to show up on the ff or was it a premeditated where you thought about it and went out and specifically tried it and found it to worked ?

I would jump into lake and swim to shore if snake in the boat.

My teachers learned from others. At that time with same childlike curiosity I heard Mike Ocasta name mentioned. But I am certain Mike picked it up from someone. One theory I heard the native Americans thumped on their canoes to attract fish centuries ago, probably while talking on the cell phone. LOL

I do know DS works! Two days ago, Sunday, I DS-ed solo from 230 to 415pm due to rain before and after, And caught 11: nine hybrids and two stripers. All football fatties. No sandies. Water temp was 44 to 45f. Splasher only since I am more high tech now. Lol

Teaser proofs

Probably someone's kid who kept getting bored and cold laying his rod down with his lure/bait in the water. Dad saw a pattern and took the credit.

Neat thread!

I always tell my customers I didn't name it. Dead Sticking sounds funny to people not familiar with it.

I heard it was an old woman on Cedar Creek way back in the day that used to take her shoe off and beat it on the bottom of the boat.

Was that Mary Angler who's real name was Mary Ross?

Some folks relate to " dead sticking " as a bedroom activity !