Need lots of info...icefishing crappie

[ready2fish]

Those drill attachments work great!
WTG on helping out the kid's club....that there was a very fine thing to do.
Small baits with waxies tipped work great. There are also some small plastics that are killer for perch.
Look at LIL Adams plastics.
If you want to go 1 step further a flasher like what Marcum makes work great for marking fish and working them off of the bottom.
At 73 I'm sure a small portable and small Mr. Buddy heater would be a great addition.
I'd also look to Gamma copoly 2 test line with a noddle rod or a rod with a spring bobber strike indicator.

ck, when did you turn 73

[hnd]

Before we do that I'd like a chance to say something about all of this poo going on.
Not counting gear I have 20 hours in double dotting eyes.
No other small jig out ther has double dotted eyes.
Of coarse all of my heads glow and the hooks are high quality that do not dull quickly nor do they fall aprat even with 500 fish being caught on the same jig.Mine are glued so even if a bit of hair does get pulled out the glue holds it all together.
Custom Jigs and Spins makes a kiptail for 1.00 apiece and they fall apart inside of a dozen fish.There's no value there.
It also takes me an hour to do a dozen. I don't know what your time is worth but mine is worth more than at per hour.
I have all of the business I can handle.I'm out a good month to 3 months depending on the time of year.
If I epoxy clear coated them they woul;d truely be indestructable and I'd want another .50 plus when a guy can't catch fish and I'm right next to him drilling slabs he'll pay 5$ a jig....jigs are expensive on the ice! LOL

So....I'm tired of making jigs.
I do not care to even try to sell them with the repeat orders I'll get.
I put a ton of quality into them and they are deadly once you learn how to work the water column.
You can talk smack all you like ,however the value is there which can not be denied.
I even give a guy a 300$ a day guided trip for nothing to learn how to properly use them. Who else does that?
Plus I guarentee that they hold up to 100 fish...who else does that?

I can appreciate a guy tying...There's a few posters here...right Joe that I've helped do their own.
It's a great hobby, but for me it's turned into a business.
I pay taxes on the proceeds...do you?
So gho ahead and give away your jigs.
That's up to you,but when it's do I guide or do I tye...my time is worth more that 50 cent a jig.
If you think I'm too high on my pricing....that's ok. Go buy some other jigs.
It's called supply and demand...the demand is high and my time is limited...I also have a day job....so for me to not tye and not guide is a pure luxery and for me that time is priceless!

crappiejohn needs someone to dust the salt off his shoulder...pwnt.

[Jiggin_Joe]

Keith taught me how to tie that hair jig and yes it is a simple hair jig that looks like everyone elses but it aint. I have used hair jigs from other companys i wont mention but they sell at cabelas just to have them fall apart after just a few fish. I sell this jig also and i have yet to have a customer complain about how well they hold together so keep making a great jig keith the 100+ people who have repeatedly bought them from you over the years know its worth the $2 for a jig that last longer then a dozen selling at .60 cents. Im not bashing anyone Im just saying T.H.E Jig is worth $2

JJ

[crappiekeith]

I'm so glad to hear your jig has developed Joe....keep it up...

I'd like to talk tonight about lifting fish, specifically crappies and gills. The most common mistake I've been noticing is that enough distance does not get put between the fish and the bait as the lift is being done.
Even I get into the habit of lifting a few feet to trigger that chase and the subsequent strike and for the most part that is all that's needed ,however when the fish do not give chase I believe we as fishers think that the fish are not interested and give up working that fish we are targeting on our sonar.
Last weekend for example I was lifting up to 6 feet away and to my suprize the fish were bolting for my bait.
It's truely amazing how far those fish can see even in stained water.

Sometimes the fish would stop a few feet after the chase begins. They might have lost sight of the bait so a wiggle of the rod tip can help them relocate or reaquire their target.
Sometimes they get to what I'd call the back door and stop without hitting.
It may have been that I went past their ceiling.
Here's is where I want to push that fish.I know that it wanted to feed because it gave chase.So I'll lower my bait real slow,thereby pushing that fish back down.
If I drop too fast the fish may run back to the bottom and in some cases out of the sonar cone.
So by slowly dropping I am allowing that fish to remain in a striking position just below my bait.
The distance I'll push depends on how high the ceiling is. I'm looking typically to push that fish a couple of feet.
Last weekend was also an eye opener on fish hitting on the fall.
I had more fish caught by pushing in one weekend than I did all of last winter I'm thinking.
What causes this type of hit I'll never know ,but a pattern developed and I worked it to the fullest.
My rod has a spring strike indicator on it and it's pretty sensitive.I have it weighted so that there is a slight downward bend. Noticing that the spring would straighten out was a tell tale sign that there was no weight any longer on the end of my line....fish on! Sometimes on the push I'll pause 3 seconds before trying to relift that fish if it did not hit on the fall.
Well by lifting real slowly I'll watch that spring and if it starts to bend too much...fish on!

Lifting and pushing fish can be easier with packs of suspended fish.Singles are a bit tougher ,but the game is on with a signal marking on my flasher.

Of coarse color and sizing of the bait needs to be determined. A thinner line also helps due to the lack of line coil. Another thing that helps with thinner line is that the fall is faster in that initial 20 foot or what have you to that target fish.
Most often I'll run a split shot.One that is small so as to not blot out my bait signal.
A sinker should be attached not to tightly as to dent the line and make a weak spot.It should also be far enough away to give the bait ample line allowing a more natural presentation of that bait.
One other bonus sinkers add. They are an attractor to fish.
The small nature of a bb sized split will draw fish into the sonar cone.
In some cases the fish will fly right by my bait to close in on the sinker while preforming a lift.
Talk about good eyesight.

Each and every fish is a brand new ballgame in seeing if you win with your lift and or push.
Have fun working those fish!

[crappiejohn]

crappiejohn needs someone to dust the salt off his shoulder...pwnt.

whatever dude, im just following what the moderator said and letting it go... get over it, i could care less if your gonna waste money or not.

[Beansguy]

Sorry this turned into a pissing match !!!

I do appreciate all the replies and tips from everybody as this coming year is going to be a challenge as the lakes are open for icefishing for the first time since the 1920's

Nice to see me old redneck pal Dawg (GDC) from Alabama has joined but c'mon Dawg...23 years old ???
you better put up a younger lookin' pic in your avatar (one with crappie) You were 23 when Roy was a yearling...
And 52 posts already and you only joined in December ??? Yappie old retnek ain't ya...LOL

[GCD]

Nice to see me old redneck pal Dawg (GDC) from Alabama has joined but c'mon Dawg...23 years old ???
you better put up a younger lookin' pic in your avatar (one with crappie) You were 23 when Roy was a yearling...
And 52 posts already and you only joined in December ??? Yappie old retnek ain't ya...LOL

I have no idea who you're talking aboot.

... you old phart!

[hnd]

whatever dude, im just following what the moderator said and letting it go... get over it, i could care less if your gonna waste money or not.

good idea on your part.

[crappiejohn]

yeah whatever dude like your opinion matters in the grand scheme of things, your just another nobody behind a computer screen

[crappiekeith]

yeah whatever dude like your opinion matters in the grand scheme of things, your just another nobody behind a computer screen

takes two John.....fishing is supposed to be fun right?

Can't we all get along? It never ceases to amaze me how guys like to take shots at each other......for what...ego?

We are here to help each other not piss on each other.