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Thread: Should I try jigs?

  1. #1
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    Default Should I try jigs?


    That’s basically all I hear you guys talk about, so I imagine I’ve been missing out my entire life.

    Going to try and get out for a few hours this afternoon.

    Been using nothing but live bait for 30 years, but I do have this in my tackle box.

    Will be going to the small HOA ponds hunting gills. There are some catfish, and a very occasional bass. Name:  IMG_0636.jpg
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing View Post
    That’s basically all I hear you guys talk about, so I imagine I’ve been missing out my entire life.

    Going to try and get out for a few hours this afternoon.

    Been using nothing but live bait for 30 years ...
    There's nothing wrong with live bait, but you have been missing out if you have not tried jigs. IMO, the jig is the greatest artificial lure ever created.

    For gills, the trout magnet is a great bait, but any small jig will catch them.

    Here is a great article on jig fishing. It's about sliders, but it applies to any jig. Focus on the "how to", not the bait.

    Charlie Brewer's Slider Company - Weedless Crappie Slider "Why&How"
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    Here's another nice little bait. Most Walmarts carry them.

    https://www.crappie.com/crappie/panf...1-ul-swimbait/

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    If I was to try one of the jigs I have today, which one should I use? I’m not familiar with them, so I don’t know if any of them are trout magnets.

    I assume my cast it out, let it hit the ground, and then “jig” it back to shore?


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    Quote Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing View Post
    If I was to try one of the jigs I have today, which one should I use? I’m not familiar with them, so I don’t know if any of them are trout magnets.
    This is what a trout magnet looks like. Most Walmarts carry them.

    Trout Magnet KITS - TROUT MAGNET

    I am not a big fan of the curly tail baits you have. I prefer strait tail (like a trout or crappie magnet) or the minnow tail of something like a Bobby Garland baby shad. Any Walmart in the country will carry everything you need.


    Quote Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing View Post
    I assume my cast it out, let it hit the ground, and then “jig” it back to shore?
    No, no, no!

    Read the article I linked to above.

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    for bluegill the best way to "jig" for them is a steady slow retrieve . i have seen a million folks do it a million ways but to be sure after countless hours on the water , this is the most productive pattern from spring until fall .
    winter seems to slow them up tremendously and holding almost still seems better.
    p.s. , unless you know positive ,there are likely crappie in one or all of those ponds
    sum kawl me tha outlaw ketchn whales

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    I have personally never seen a crappie and never see anyone report of a catch on the HOA FB page. However one of the regulars did tell me the other day that they occasionally catch them, I just don’t recall which one of the ponds.


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    Personal advice / suggestions:

    1. there are a few materials anglers like on their light jig heads: soft plastic, fur, feathers, flashabou or some other fiber. The reason being that those materials have the
    best subtle action using the slowest retrieve or even when used under a float (a bobbing float will impart action to those materials). Small light spoons like the Phoebe also catch fish even in summer when used with or without live bait or other attractant jigged vertically.

    2. my preference are unpainted ball head jigs (Ebay). 1/32, 1/24, 1/16, 3/22 oz. Hook size should be matched to soft plastic lures so that the hook comes out in the forward 1/3 of the lure along with hook gaps large enough for light biters to get hooked.

    3. the larger the fish, the larger the lure. The larger the size range, the smaller the lure. The sizes of fish caught on small lures can be from 2" to 14" crappie, perch, sunfish, bass, etc. I also prefer straight tail lures except when using a Beetle (overhead) spinner where straight and curl tails work fine. By lure size I'm talking 1.5 - 2" in length, not that smaller or larger fish won't attack a 3" lure.

    4. light line is absolutely necessary when using small light lures to allow best lure action. (Fish could care less about line.) The most important characteristic about light line is line diameter. A 4 lb test diameter is the rating for 8 lb test braid line - one of the best for casting light lures and feeling light strikes even at a distance. Along with small diameter line is using it with a light action rod. A medium action rod may be too stiff when casting light jigs and fish are more apt to pull free from the hook when less rod tip flex is present.

    5. Lure color choice? Bright, dark or somewhere in between. Got bright green algae colored water? Darker colors would be my choice. Semi-clear water? Translucent colors and even clear soft plastic gets it done. Some plastics have glitter which is fine when a bit of flash is helpful (though generally I don't find it much of an advantage).

    6. Retrieve. If you going to use light lures with subtle actions, you need to retrieve them at a slow and unsteady retrieve. Fish most times need time to inspect a lure before being provoked to strike it. I compare it to fish scratching an annoying itch. If there are more than one fish in the immediate area, after the first fish is caught others join in on the fun. The only steady retrieve I use is when trolling a lure or when using a spinning blade lure such as Beetle Spin or Mepps.

    7. Cast everywhere but always take your time!!!! Lures are your fish finders. They can't find fish that aren't there or not biting or pass by a fish going too fast. Some fish in a water are more prone to biting lures and those are the ones the lure must get close to. Chasing lures is usually not part of a fish's agenda (most likely to conserve energy or just plain lazy), so slow retrieves are a must.

    8. Keep and open mind when it comes to anyone's advice, but more important is to experiment and see for yourself what catches fish. The sky's the limit when it comes to all the ways fish can be caught and on what lures.
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  10. #10
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    My question is this; can your rod and reel cast those small jigs? I would be interested in seeing the results of one of those jig heads and a few of the curl tail bodies. Might even take a float to make this happen. If there are gills and crappie in these ponds, you can be low impact and high reward with some of what I saw in the pic of your box. The white body, green tail the all black, and the black with the flashy tail would be my first choices. A four pound line is what I use a lot, six doesn’t cast as well but will work, and don’t set the drag too tight. You’re gonna get broke off some til you figure this out but I’ve caught lots of fish throwing something just like this. 1/16 and 1/32 are my first choice. While 1/8 will cast better, it will also sink faster and up the chances of getting into some junk and breaking off. Good luck and keep us posted.
    Creativity is just intelligence fooling around
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