Thread: Help with Lure Selection

I just wanted to add to this thread, that when direct tying the line to your jig, you must adjust the knot after each fish caught. So make sure to pull the knot back so that the jig swims horizontally. Otherwise, it will swim at a 45 degree angle and the bites will diminish

Originally Posted by Happyfisherman

I just wanted to add to this thread, that when direct tying the line to your jig, you must adjust the knot after each fish caught. So make sure to pull the knot back so that the jig swims horizontally. Otherwise, it will swim at a 45 degree angle and the bites will diminish

But, baitfish don't change depth "horizontally". When they dive or swim up & away from a predator, they swim at an angle. Now, when you're vertical jigging, Vertical Casting, or holding a jig in place ... that probably makes a difference. But, personally I don't hold a lot of credence to a loop knot being better than a direct tie when casting or flippin' a jig at a distance ... since many of my bites occur on the fall or rise ... and most of the time my jigs are tied direct. (the only time one is not tied direct, and is on a loop knot, is the top jig of a double jig rig when I'm flippin that rig while Livescoping)

If four large crappie came up to strike the flicker shad , I am no longer looking .

They do swim at an angle up and down, but not when swimming straight. I don't raise my rod tip up or down when retrieving, just a slow steady retrieve. If you don't adjust the knot to a little back of the center of the eye, it will loook unnatural on the retrieve. I've had a rosy red I kept in my aquarium I've been watching for months, and I can see why the straight tails work so well

Minnows seem to dart around and swim at various angles, but mostly horizontal

https://youtu.be/gunuGn1pjB0?si=LbSJgQDFIPl9uup7

Originally Posted by Happyfisherman

They do swim at an angle up and down, but not when swimming straight. I don't raise my rod tip up or down when retrieving, just a slow steady retrieve. If you don't adjust the knot to a little back of the center of the eye, it will loook unnatural on the retrieve. I've had a rosy red I kept in my aquarium I've been watching for months, and I can see why the straight tails work so well

Minnows seem to dart around and swim at various angles, but mostly horizontal

https://youtu.be/gunuGn1pjB0?si=LbSJgQDFIPl9uup7

Okay, but I would think you'd want to have the knot well to the front of the jig eye on a steady slow retrieve. If it's towards the back half of the jig eye isn't it going to turn the jighead to a downward position on retrieve ?? That is IF it even stays in that position on the jig eye after a hard cast.

I'm just basing my comments on my experiences (of the past) when I was casting a jig, holding the rod tip at the 11 o:clock position, allowing the line to keep a slight bow in it by my slow retrieve speed while watching the line for any movement not created by me. My knot was always TDC on the jig eye (unless it got pulled to the front of the jig eye from landing the fish, and was never corrected). I never intentionally pulled the knot towards the back half of the jig eye. Even if it did end up in that position, it would most likely have ended up back at TDC on the next cast.

Caucht a bunch again today on the Gulp minnows, gotta decent eater around 12". Was hoping to catch another nice one but after that one the bite just seemed to die. What do you guys do when that happens? I switched colors and caught a couple more, but it's like they just turned off. Turtles started biting off the tails. You can also cut off the used portion of Gulp minnow and trim it and still use it

If the knot is to the front of the eye, once the jig "planes out" on the retrieve, it will be swimming in a tail downward position. If vertical jigging, which I haven't really messed with yet, but I need to, you certainly need to adjust the knot so the jig is level in the water. This is one advantage to the loop knot, you don't have to adjust the knot. So even if a bluegill nips the lure when direct tied, and causes the knot to slide to the front, the rest of the retrieve it will not be level in the water

Here's one of the gulp minnows I trimmed down after getting ripped up. They don't seem to care which side up it's rigged, so just flip over when one side gets ripped up