jigging

[amren]

Ok so I really want to catch blue gills and crappie off rubber jigs. Well I tried with and without a bobber and the jigging tips i cant even get a bite, i caught a bass one time.

Some people say to tip jigs with stuff but then the fish are really going for your live bait rather than the jig itself?

My question.

How do I catch crappie and blue gill ( small ones ) In 1 to 2 foot of water on small rubber jigs.

How should i reel in the jig? Should I use a bobber? what? I'm just so sick of useing live bait for blue gills and crappie.

Thanks

ALSO

is it safe to take maggot out of a rotting fish and use them as bait? Is this just if your not grossed out by it or can they really get you sick.

[FishnLine]

If you don't use a bobber, a slow steady retrieve works well for me. If you are using a bobber, a little bit of ripple or chop on the water helps to work the jig. I throw it out in these conditions and let it sit for a minute, reel it in a foot or so, let it sit, you get the picture.

[skiptomylu]

Ok so I really want to catch blue gills and crappie off rubber jigs. Well I tried with and without a bobber and the jigging tips i cant even get a bite, i caught a bass one time.

Some people say to tip jigs with stuff but then the fish are really going for your live bait rather than the jig itself?

My question.

How do I catch crappie and blue gill ( small ones ) In 1 to 2 foot of water on small rubber jigs.

How should i reel in the jig? Should I use a bobber? what? I'm just so sick of useing live bait for blue gills and crappie.

Thanks

ALSO

is it safe to take maggot out of a rotting fish and use them as bait? Is this just if your not grossed out by it or can they really get you sick.

I only use feather jigs for the most part (and some time hair) so I rarely use soft plastics. I either troll shallow water with 1/32 oz jig or cast a reel very slow. I do also tie my on horse head jigs, well I buy the head and then tie them to use and they are especially good in the spring. Some of my customers buy their horse head jigs and give them to me to tie. I think that little flash from the slow turning blade helps.

Skip

[CrappiePappy]

Ok so I really want to catch blue gills and crappie off rubber jigs. Well I tried with and without a bobber and the jigging tips i cant even get a bite, i caught a bass one time.
Some people say to tip jigs with stuff but then the fish are really going for your live bait rather than the jig itself?
My question.
How do I catch crappie and blue gill ( small ones ) In 1 to 2 foot of water on small rubber jigs.
How should i reel in the jig? Should I use a bobber? what? I'm just so sick of useing live bait for blue gills and crappie.
Thanks
ALSO
is it safe to take maggot out of a rotting fish and use them as bait? Is this just if your not grossed out by it or can they really get you sick.

Bluegill are notorius for "nipping" at a plastic jig body ... you might want to try using a wet fly (sinking) under a very small float. Crappie can be caught with this, as well. Black, Brown, Green, and Pink are some good color choices.

Crappie like the bait to be moving, slowly ... so a very slow retrieve is sometimes key. However, if the fish are in water that shallow (and it's not muddy) ... maybe they're not biting the jig, because they can see you as well as you can see them. Baits like the 1/32oz Roadrunner or Beetle Spin, should allow you to retrieve them slow enough to get thru that depth of water, and still not drag bottom (or have to use a float).

Maggots are "safe", in that they only eat decaying flesh ... not living flesh. They are excellent bait, and are sold as such. (commercially sold maggots are "clean" - unlike the naturally occurring ones) The bacteria, on the rotting fish flesh, would pose a greater health risk than the maggots. Wash your hands, thoroughly, if you do handle them !! Also, there is a way to "use" them .. without actually having to handle them, or put them on a hook. Use them as "chum", to get the fish in a feeding frenzy ... then cast a very small (1 inch) white plastic grub, on a #6 or #8 plain hook (not a jighead), right into the same spot. Competition between the feeding fish, should cause them to strike your lure ... with less caution than they normally might.

Hey, I understand your frustration with not catching fish with the artificials/plastics that "you want to use" :D and not wanting to have to deal with "live" bait. Been down that road. But, you must give the fish what it wants, at that time and place, and under the prevailing conditions.

I do have a question, though. Why are we trying to catch "small" fish ... if there's small ones in 1-2ft of water, shouldn't there be bigger ones, out in a little deeper water ?? You didn't say where you were fishing (pond, creek, oxbow, or just a shallow lake bank) ... so I'm only theorizing about bigger fish being out deeper.

........... cp

[deathb4disco]

Also, there is a way to "use" them .. without actually having to handle them, or put them on a hook. Use them as "chum", to get the fish in a feeding frenzy ... then cast a very small (1 inch) white plastic grub, on a #6 or #8 plain hook (not a jighead), right into the same spot. Competition between the feeding fish, should cause them to strike your lure ... with less caution than they normally might.

I do this, but I use a real maggot on the hook, usually a #14 or #16 dry fly hook -- deadly.

Maggots you get commercially are clean and dry. They're much more pleasant to use than nightcrawlers/red wigglers.