Originally Posted by
steve in so la
Back in Arizona where I recently came from, believe it or not, there are no trees near or around the water. Not much water either. So I have never tried dipping a jig among the trees. I'll try it tomorrow - any advice to give me about this technique? Thanks, Steve in so la
Like Cmj said I think there could be more than 300 pages covering dipping trees. You could find a bunch by typing in "dipping trees" in the Google custom search box at the top of any page on CdotC and find a lot of good info postings here.
You did ask about dipping a jig around trees but I really like summer time dipping around trees with minnows hooked through the lips using a 10 ft rod with yellow Power Pro braid and a 1/16th or 1/32nd oz jig and work water depths as shallow as 3 or 4 feet around standing timber.
Like crappiepappy said this can be a very different type of bite where most of the time one applies a very smart hook set with the slightest tics or twitchs we are used to the rest of the year crappie fishing with jigs.
The reason for the high vis yellow line is to more easily see the slightest changes in the line while slowly lowering the minnow watching for the line to go slack before it gets to the bottom or seeing the line move off or to feel extra weight or heaviness while moving the minnow and only then after one of those three signs is the hook set. Admittedly it does take some time getting switched over to not setting the hook with the slightest tick or twitch like done the rest of the year fishing with jigs.
I sure get a lot of enjoyment fishing with a couple of guys dipping trees from the front of the boat where one prematurely hook sets and misses a fish this will reveal to the other fisher there is a fish down there for the other fisher to lower his bait into the water where the other fisher who just missed is now probably re baiting his hook. Wished I could say I was always the one that was dipping back into the other fellows spot where a hook set came up empty but it works both ways very frequently.
This is only conjecture on our part but we tend to think that these are just solitary inactive and hopefully a very large crappie just hanging out in their own established area wanting to be left alone and what we are doing is just hanging this minnow in their face until they decide to nudge it away or eat it.
Some folks do quite well fishing this way in the summer using only jigs but I think that a minnow on the small jig will tell me something a jig will never do if perhaps it is hanging in the face of that solitary crappie just wanting to not be bothered. Before I was shown this summer pattern using minnows I used to think I just had a very active minnow when I felt it's tic tic activity and continue on. Now when I feel any minnow activity I try to hold that minnow in that position hoping it is in the face of a big ol crappie.
It's almost endless the variety of ideas us fishermen can come up with on what is actually happening down there. It sure is a hoot having our confidence increase when we start seeing a pattern develop with our questionable ideas.
Anyhow good luck dipping those trees.
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