Gabowman s-town and inkdabber thank you all for all the info and help and I actually caught a crappie on a tube jig today.
Probably not as constant as Ink, but I generally spend a few days a year usually when the fishing is kind of slow putting in new brush and adding to the old ones that were productive. Last summer I didn't sink quite as many as I usually do because my fishing partner got us a SI depth finder. I spent that extra time riding and found other peoples brush instead......it was alot less work...lol. Around April I have some good spots in mind for some brush that I will probably add when the leaves get back on the trees. I think the green leaves draw the bait better, so thats why I am waiting until then. I got about 12-15 christmas trees drying out to sink now, but haven't had time to sink them. Last year Crappie Buster and myself collected about 30 christmas trees and spent a whole day sinking them. They have been very unproductive on Murray, so these will not go on Murray. That was the first time I have ever sunk christmas trees on Murray and it may be my last.
Gabowman s-town and inkdabber thank you all for all the info and help and I actually caught a crappie on a tube jig today.
PUT'UM IN THE BOAT!
As with any type fishing, no one thing works all the time. When I'm jig fishing visual structure, or brush piles that I know precisely how and where the limbs are located, I will swing the jig out, I never cast, I want to know exactly how deep I'm fishing and where the majority of the bites are coming from. To do this, a long pole is required. My favorite length pole is 11 foot, if fishing deeper water, I will start with the line the length of the pole. If no bites, I will pull 3 foot more line out, hold the pole tip high and ease the jig deeper while working it slowly up and down and swimming it left or right. Again, if no takers, more line is pulled from reel and the process starts over until I'm on or near the bottom. On lakes that hold both white and black crappie, the blacks will be caught high on the brush and the whites deeper on the same brush piles. This holds trues during all seasons except winter. If fishing shallow brush, never let more line out than the water is deep. Work the jig with numerous types of jigging and swimming actions, or with no movement at all until you find what works best. Sometimes a simple change on the same brush can equate to a few more fish being caught.
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dannyr3_8 LIKED above post
I fished lake Wylie in 2012 all year with only jigs cought over a thousand with proof ....jigs is tuff they don't hit as hard as they do minnows and jigs do better at at night and you want small as you can go I use a 1/64 jig head in still water so you have to fish it so slow it's almost stoped , but I've always said I will be glad to take people on here jig fishing at night just hit me up
I agree that you do need some smaller jigs in the mix. A 1/64 and 1/32 are great weights to keep with you.
You can use jigs all the time in all of the ways we fish. We use jigs while longlining and spider rigging and never over look fishing a jig under a float at the banks or any sallow water structure where the fish may spawn or feed and also in deep water around standing timber. Jigs are the only bait to use while dock shooting. So you don't never 'have' to buy live baits to fish, it is just another choice we have to fish with, at times live bait will out fish jigs and as the water warms jigs will out fish live bait..
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Ascend 133X 13' - MotorGuide Xi3 & Mercury 4FisherFore LIKED above post
I agree minnows do better in cold weather,, the most important is death control with jigs and minnows. Lots of people don't believe fish can see color , I think they see shades of color. Me and my brother was using the same jig but different colors I was catching more he switched to that color and started catching even more, and it don't matter if you think the jig looks good fish don't care if it's pretty..and at night I don't fish brush I believe that's when they come off the brush ..I fish drop offs and channels. And corks with jigs can be lots of fun when you find that magic depth.....and the number one tip is fish where fish are.
FisherFore LIKED above post
I think it's all been summed up pretty well thanks to all the previous answers. Lots of good info in this thread for guys that want to single pole jig.
Hooking up every chance I get!
I fish jigs year around, They work just as good in the winter time as in the summer time. Just ask shad boy.
I'll say this; CBNC and Littleman catche 'em year round on a jig. I mostly just stand beside them, cuss (), and fight the urge to push both of them out of the boat (not really, I love them both dearly, but it is a little aggravating when they catch 3 or 4 for every one I miss).
Traveling Man LIKED above post