Do you favor smaller jigs?

[livemusic]

I keep reading people mention small jigs. What is your thinking on that? If you use, say, 1/64 oz jig, are you tight-lining or using a cork? What lb. test line and what type line? I am no expert crappie fisherman but I think my jigs are mostly 1/16th oz. Hmmm... if I went to 1/32, that is half the weight. If I went to 1/64, that is 1/4 the weight! I am wondering how I would fish a jig that light. Interesting!

[DockShootinJack]

I use 1/32 jig heads when dock shooting and when using float and fly. I think the slower fall helps. It would definitely keep the lure in the strike zone longer and to me that's what you want to happen. I do step up to 1/16 and 1/8 ounce heads when I am casting jigs and conditions are windy so that I can feel the jig and detect a bite. I have some of the Bobby Garland Slab Docktors** maybe that's how its spelled that I will likely use on a 1/16 head because of the bulk of the bait. I have fished their crappie spiders on a 1/32 head and they fall very slow. They worked well on finicky fish that didn't want to bite. I learned to love the slow fall of a bait fishing Mister Twister Slimmy Slug for bass. Only the weight of the hook to carry the bait down. They couldn't stand it.

[RiverSlabber]

Ive been using mostly 1/16 and 1/32 oz heads for just about everything. 1/8 oz would be for very windy/choppy/high current times (1/8 is about the smallest Id go for smallmouth fishing as well)? I mostly fish single or double rigs under a cork or slip float. I use all 6lb mono right now for all my crappie fishing.

[shadboy]

1/32 oz and 4# test line for everything except trolling.

[Bowler]

interesting. I do not fish the lighter jigs that often. Maybe I should try them some more.

[sparkie51]

+2. When they get real finicky I will drop down to 1/64 or 1/80 on 2# test. Been using the smaller size for years when the bite was hard and I wanted fish for dinner. Be prepared to lose a lot of jigs on snags. Hardly ever lose the fish with the small jigs. Only use them for vertical jigging.

[scrat]

What happened to the old saying "the bigger the bait the bigger the fish". Are you people just fishing for numbers or for size? Hard to believe a big fish would rather have a little bitty meal than a big meal.

[deathb4disco]

What happened to the old saying "the bigger the bait the bigger the fish". Are you people just fishing for numbers or for size?

I like action, so I fish for numbers. The law of averages tells me the more fish I catch, the better my chances for a big one. A 1/32 oz jig has produced bass and grass carp up to 7# and catfish up to 10# for me.

I very rarely fish a jig bigger than 1/32, and then it's a 1/16. 1/8 and 1/4 is for saltwater.

[DockShootinJack]

Using a small jig head does not mean you can't have a bigger bait. I use 1/32 jig heads with a #2 sickle hook. A larger body will mean that it falls slower. That slow fall has produced nice fish off of docks for me. If I had to say the fish would have a 12" average.

[scrat]

Using a small jig head does not mean you can't have a bigger bait. I use 1/32 jig heads with a #2 sickle hook. A larger body will mean that it falls slower. That slow fall has produced nice fish off of docks for me. If I had to say the fish would have a 12" average.

Now I know what you are saying big offering just using less weight so it will float to the bottom slower. I like using larger hooks because they are not swallowed by small size fish that I release back. That is the reason I have asked others what was the bigger sickle hooks that they use with jigs. I am going to use #2 sickles on my jig heads. I have always used #2/0 aberdeens when using minnows so small crappie would not swallow them so bad and no matter how small I don't throw back gut hooked fish. Now some say they are using 2# line? I would hate to know I had a 5# crappie of a lifetime on a 2# line and lose it because of the line size. But I have down sized from 14# to 8# line. Now I am just learning this artificial fishing and bare with me as I am just learning as I have alway used minnows mostly.