Thread: Little River

I am jigging around brush in 3-6 fow with a 12 ft B & M Brush Cutter/ six pound test line. The jig is a 1/16 oz roadrunner with blue/ white, pink/ chart., black/ pink, or purple/ chart. skirt. I have been using crappie nibbles and it seems like that is what/ where they are hitting the jig.
The bite on the fish that I have been missing is very light, a peck or two like a bream, and when the line begins to move I would raise up. The fish that I catch are the bites where the line goes slack/ runs off.
My first impression is that they are biting the smell, that is why I think a live minnow will work better.

Originally Posted by HOOKED ON PHISHING

I am jigging around brush in 3-6 fow with a 12 ft B & M Brush Cutter/ six pound test line. The jig is a 1/16 oz roadrunner with blue/ white, pink/ chart., black/ pink, or purple/ chart. skirt. I have been using crappie nibbles and it seems like that is what/ where they are hitting the jig.
The bite on the fish that I have been missing is very light, a peck or two like a bream, and when the line begins to move I would raise up. The fish that I catch are the bites where the line goes slack/ runs off.
My first impression is that they are biting the smell, that is why I think a live minnow will work better.

... now we're getting to the meat & potatoes :p

First off ... I'd be casting & retrieving a Roadrunner, with a shorter rod, running it over top of the brush and along the outside edges.

Secondly ... I'd be using a tube jig or hair jig for jigging (Nibble optional)

Third suggestion ... (if I read you correctly, that you "raise up" the rod) ... don't "lift" the rod - snap it upwards the moment you see that first "peck" !! Don't wait for the line to move off ... hit him quick & hard. :p

The "slack line" bites are when the fish comes up from underneath the bait, grabs it, and the forward motion of the fish continues upward. As soon as the line goes slack ... pop him
The "sideways move off" line motion, is when the bait is on the same depth level of the fish, and he grabs it and swims back to where he originally was or away from any other interested fish. As soon as you see the line movement "start" ... pop him ! (and it's usually a good idea to jerk the rod in the oppposite direction that the line is going, if possible)

Don't let the fact that you are only fishing in 3-6 fow deter you from setting the hook the same way you would in 10-15 fow. It won't take you more than two or three hooksets/hookups ... before you'll know how much power to put into your hookset.

Minnows would work fine ... but, why bother with them if you are getting hits on jigs ? I think your main problem may be that you're not setting the hook quite hard enough, or quick enough. I cast tube jigs on 4lb test line, with 5ft to 8ft rods ... and set the hook the same, regardless of rod length or action. At the first "tic" in the line, that I see, I set the hook :D ... most of the time, the jig hook is buried deep in the roof of the fish's mouth. That little "tic" in the line is caused by the Crappie sucking the jig in .... and that's all the time I want to give him to taste test my offering :p

... cp

Thank you C.P. That will give me something to try this afternoon. I will report back tomorrow. HOF