Thread: Barren 11/23/12

BG, good catch. I prefer to cast jigs as well any time possible. Got any tips to help with the hang ups? I get hung a lot and spook the fish.

I probably don't have any tips you don't already know. They make a weedless jig head but I don't use them. Another thing is try to figure out how the structure is laying under the water from when you cast and get hung up and try to fish parallel with it instead of across it. For example I was fishing a tree laying on the bluff yesterday. I was catching all the fish off the right side of the tree but would get hung a lot. If I counted down 12 one thousand I would hit the branch coming off the right side down in the water. I counted down 10 one thousand and that helped (I was fishing the tree head on at 12 0 clock). I ended up putting my boat on the right side of the tree and casted at 10 o clock so that I was casting parallel with the branch and never hung up anymore. Hope that helps.

Not spider rigging, two poling structure on flats. Just interesting to see how those blacks like to hang closer to the rocks. Looks like the lake a carrying a good population of both right now.

Originally Posted by BGCrappieCatcher

You can vertical fish jigs by tight lining but I prefer to cast to the structure I am fishing if I am able. If I am trying to fish in 20 ft of water or more I might vertical fish but anything shallower I will cast.

Find some structure in 10-20 ft of water. Cast to it and let you jig (1/16 oz) fall before you reel. As a rule of thumb depending on how deep the structure is count anywhere from 10 one thousand to 12 one thousand. If the wind is up you can tie two 1/16 oz jigs on and put them about 18 inches apart to help you feel better. Reel slow...real slow. If you think you are reeling slow enough then real a little slower. I even like a little slack (very little) in my line when reeling. A crappie will hit the bait on the fall when they won't hit it just reeling it in. You will feel a light thump and that is the strike. Sometimes you may not feel the thump your line might just go limp. Go find a tree laying in water on bluff and give it a try. Good luck.

Yea, I've done that with limited success. Might be trying it a little more.

Thanks for the reply!!

Originally Posted by colayn

BG, good catch. I prefer to cast jigs as well any time possible. Got any tips to help with the hang ups? I get hung a lot and spook the fish.

Charlie Brewer Slider grubs on the Crappie Slider heads. That is all I fish with unless I am fishing minnows under a float.

They are available in a zillion different colors. The best luck I have had is with a black head and black body with a chartreuse tail or junebug with a chartreuse tail. I cast almost exclusively. You can really drag those things through brush and not get hung up.

I used to fish them on chartreuse 6lb braid. It allowed me to have super sensitivity to tell what was a limb and what was a bite.

Sweet catches for sure, but I agree, it's the hat! I hope it rubs off for rabbit hunting! Come on.....