tinkering with jigs

[chetc]

Hi Chet. There is a lot of different things you can do with a range of jig sizes and various plastic designs. Just a difference of 1/32 oz vs 1/16 oz can make or break a day depending on the day, seaon, etc. (BTW Ebay is a good source of ball head jigs as well as another I just discovered.) The whole point of using lures is finding what fish will attack based on lure speed, size, profile and action. Granted sometimes a trolled curl tail or Beetle Spin type lure works, but how and why a lure is used is crucial such as vertical jigging off bottom, float fishing or parallel to the bottom retrieves.

The amount of time in a fish's sphere of attack is crucial followed by how often a lure irritates fish to strike. 1/32, 1/24, 1/16 oz ball head jigs get it done for using most lure shapes, actions and sizes, but the combination of jig head to plastic lure design is the somewhat tricky as is hook size. Find those combinations and you always have on board lures that in my experience outproduce jig heads lighter or heavier than the above.

JMHO and one of many pieces of advice that catch fish
Frank

PS. there is no such thing as a crappie lure. Most lures catch most species if they're any good.

hi Frank

i take it when casting the 1/16 and lighter jigs you are using 2lb line, i just got some 2lb line. i tried it yesterday with a 1/16oz but with the wind, not sure it got down where the fish were, line had such a large arc before it hit the water, i watch a lot of youtube video's where these guys are killing crappie by the dozens and water so calm, wish i could find those conditions. thanks

chet

[chetc]

For casting...which is the only way I fish, I use 1.5 gram max and more often than not a 1 gram, and if not over 10 feet deep and zero wind I will go to a 1/2 gram. The 1.5 gram brought 108 crappie to the net this week for 3 days of fishing in 21 feet of water.


Regards

hi alphahawk

gonna my gram scale out and see what i have,

chet

[Spoonminnow]

Congrats to your wife and for the many attributes she has. Hope she lives a very long life - especially with someone who loves her and is on the same page.

As you can see, the following are all rigged on light jigs and all have caught fish recently:




Lure shapes galore, but jig head sizes less than 1/8 oz usually the case (none painted) along with hook sizes that come out of the body at less than half the length.

[gunwhatgun]

I'm thinking I like this idea. it kind of give you the option of keeping a larger bait , with a proportionately sized hook, and getting a more controlled, or slower fall rate.

Yeah, I like it.

[Spoonminnow]

That's it in a nutshell. Well said.

[pop]

Chet, where are you fishing in Pa. that crappie are all that small? I fish mostly Northeast Pa. and catch some nice crappie. From time to time I go to south New Jersey and the crappie are as big as they catch in the south. You don't have to travel unless you just want to travel and see other areas. I fish mostly with jigs also, and have a question that has haunted me for years. Do the jigs that are shown as the same weight, that have collars and those without collars really weigh what the mold says? I don't have an accurate scale to answer my question. Pop

[chetc]

Chet, where are you fishing in Pa. that crappie are all that small? I fish mostly Northeast Pa. and catch some nice crappie. From time to time I go to south New Jersey and the crappie are as big as they catch in the south. You don't have to travel unless you just want to travel and see other areas. I fish mostly with jigs also, and have a question that has haunted me for years. Do the jigs that are shown as the same weight, that have collars and those without collars really weigh what the mold says? I don't have an accurate scale to answer my question. Pop

Hello Pop, normally we fish prompton dam, francis slocum park, Lackawanna state park, maybe i missed a few places,, as for the jigs no collars, i wrap them with braided line i had laying around, do you mean same weight as in consistency or lighter after mods


chet

[robbor]

I made molds for flat sided jigheads that will take smaller hooks from 1/4 down