Hot Weather Slabs (Pics)

[GRIZZ]

Slab, I really like your large head method of jigging. I know you have described the heads before, but could you give us a description of your technique and gear?

[slabbandit]

Sure thing Grizz, I have always liked vertical jigging. Just feeling the instant that big slab enhales that jig is what I like. I started out years ago like everyone else just using 1/32 or 1/16 oz. jigheads. I didn't like how I couldn't feel or stay in contact with my jig in very deep water or on a windy day.
Then one day I happened to find a website advertising the BigHead Jig. This is a 1/4 oz. jighead but instead of the normal oversized hook that a head of this weight would have these heads were made with a normal #4 jighook!
This discovery has helped my crappie fishing tremendously. We average jigging here on Lake Nimrod, AR. about 9 to 15 feet deep. Most days we are dealing with 10+ MPH winds also. No problem feeling what the jig is doing or touching and I believe that the actual bite is felt better because of the weight of the jighead.
Trust me, a 1/4 oz. jighead is not to heavy to crappie fish with. It's actually a lot easier to teach a beginner how to jig fish with.
Some of my best catches have come on days with 15+ MPH winds and occasional whitecaps. I'm talking fishing 15 feet deep brushpiles...try that with a 1/16 oz. head!
As far as how I fish them I actually have several ways. First thing that I like to do is inject my MidSouth Superjig with Crappie Nibbles using the BaitPump designed and sold by Crappie.com member Slab Hunter. www.thebaitpump.com





As I am approaching my brushpile, stakebed, or whatever I pitch my jig as far forward as possible and let it pendulum back to the boat. This normally catches some of the bigger slabs off the top of the piles before the boat gets too close. Then we move up and jig the whole pile. This is where my Yellow Stren Hi-Vis comes in handy. Sometimes I just notice that my line has went slack and stopped sinking. I set the hook instantly and usually it's a nice sized slab that does this.
These heads are great for adding a minnow and spiderrigging also.
My experience is limited to stained to muddy water but I think that they would work just fine anywhere.
They usually hook-up very well in the roof of the crappie's mouth and we lose very few that we hook.
If anyone is interested in some good reading and pictures about the BigHead jigs here is their website. www.bigheadjigs.com

[SpeckWick]

My wife is not gonna like you slabbandit.....She thinks I have spent enough on fishing already this year....Oh well, she won't know anything till the package shows up, and then it's too late.Haha. Those heads look great. Maybe it will help me put some more deep summer slabs in the boat when they won't hit a trolled jig. I hate trying to fish those light weight jigs vertically in deep water, especially once the pleasure boaters get the water all chopped up and I can feel or control the jig. . Now I'll have one less excuse, and I can just blame THEM when I come up empty.

[crap-king]

nicely done

[Cane Pole]

Nice loop knot, but looks like that one jig is getting a colonscopy. Ouch!

[Buzz]

Slabbandit,

Do you know where there's an illustration of that loop knot? I've been wanting to learn.

Thanks,
Buzz

[slabbandit]

Hey SpeckWick, Once you feel that first slab hit that BigHead Jig at 10 or more feet deep you'll think you've found the best crappie bait on the market!
I take guys out all the time and toss em a Bighead Jig to tie on. You ought to see their reaction when they pull up that first deep water slab! We catch a lot of fish too on 'em in 6 feet or less water.

[slabbandit]

Hi there Buzz, If I were at home I have an animated knot tying website in my favorites but I can't remember the name of it right now. If you don't find a site to learn how to tie it from it would be just as easy to buy a package of "large" Fas-Snaps. Tie your line directly to these snaps with either a clinch knot or a palomar knot. Then the jighead just snaps into the small loop area. An added bonus to using these is the fact that you can change out baits without having to cut and re-tie.

[Crappie Xtreme]

Very nice catch Slab. I am going to have to get me one of those bait pumps. Looks like they work great.

Hey Buzz I am going to attempt to put this on here for you look at. Hope it works. This is two different ways to tye a loop knot for your jigs. I prefer the figure 8 method it seems to be a little easier to tye, but either one works very well. See if this Link will get you there. If it don't just Google Loop Knot and click on the single loop knot not the double.

http://www.iland.net/~jbritton/KnotP...p%20Knots.html


CX.

[kycreek]

Well you talked me into it. I just bought a 20 pack to try them out. Not sure I need them in my usual creek fishing, but will be worth a try in case I make it up to the lake. I also purchased some crappie nibbles for the first time. I usually use minnows or jig/grub combinations but I have plenty of tubes to try them nibbles out. Nice fish in the original post!!!