Thread: Long Lining 101

Thanks for the info.... I will do some more searching and reading. Right now I have four bass rigs to use. If you were to run four poles and put double jigs on them... what size jigs would you use? (1/16, 1/32)... I want them to run about 10 to 12 feet deep. Do you have an estimate on how much line I should put out? I figure a good starting speed would be around 1 mph... Would you use a curly tail jig, straight tail, or some sort of roadrunner?

Thanks for all the help...

DoubleG

Here's what I've done both times I've tried it....Once at Enid, once on Grenada (in relatively clear water for Grenada). Double rigged 1/8 ounce road runners and tipped with minnows. Ran anywhere from 50 to 85 feet back at about .8 to 1.0 mph. Figure I was running about 12' best I could tell. Ran 6 poles off the back both times. Grenada was an unmitigated failure, but Enid was very productive. That was the first trip and I was convinced I was in a good area and wasted a bunch of time with very little to show for it. Made a move and popped 'em pretty good then.

I haven't given up on it yet, but good googly moo-goo I missed a ton of fish doing it both times. The rod would load up heavy and before I could clear the holder the fish was gone. You need to be quick on the draw. Also went through 2.5 tons of minnows. Enid I used an actual count of about 16 dozen. Grenada a good 12 dozen and only had about 7 or 8 when I finished.

I'd guess I missed 3 for every 1 I landed.

Seems to me it'd be much more effective on the clearer lakes like Sardis and Enid.

Wannabe...

There are basically 3 things to think about when longlining the way I see it....speed, line length, and jig weight. With that in mind the easiest way to learn is to keep two of these pretty constant and vary the other...for example, .9mph is a pretty good all around speed so go with that as your speed, put the same weight on all your poles and vary the amount of line you have out to determine your depth of presentation. To check this you can "play" on a flat somewhere and see when the jigs start bouncing...count the number of cranks it takes to get that bait back to the boat and make a mental note....
I personally like to fish between 30-40 cranks and vary the amount of weight I put on the line (same reels help b/c of different spool ratios..consistency)....I fish the shallower (lighter) jigs on my longer rods and get heavier and usually shorter on my short rods (helps with tangles sometimes).

On a side note...not all 1/16th oz jigs weigh the same....I've fished some 16ths that were as heavy as some 1/8ths and some 1/48th that were as heavy as 1/32nds...consistency is crucial......course I'm still learning every time I go fishing so I'm no expert by any means.

I have tried the double jigs, for me it's to much trouble. I like to run a single jig of 1/32, 1/16 or 1/8. I have not longlined with more than 40' of line out with most times 30' working the best and have fished with as little as 10' of line out.
Like already said, you have got to spend the time on some flats and take notes on the depth your jigs are running. Different heads will run at different depths and different body's will run at different depths too. Lots of good fishing longlining but you can only learn the basic set up reading about it. You have to put in the time on the water to really lean how it's done or what works for you. Good luck, it a lot like pulling cranks, you going to love it or hate it!!

I keep seeing twister tails mentioned most often, how about hair jigs? Any pixs of some ties jigs that look twister tails in the water? I'll get Scott to tie us some.

Originally Posted by SteveJ

I keep seeing twister tails mentioned most often, how about hair jigs? Any pixs of some ties jigs that look twister tails in the water? I'll get Scott to tie us some.

Steve, I have not tried pulling tied jigs while longlining but will try em after the cranks stop working. If I find something that works I'll let you know. I have tied some to match the best colors jigs I have so some testing will be coming soon. Finding the right action will be the ticket.

Thanks for all the help fellas... I need to get out there and give it a try! This has been very helpful. I found a couple other files that might help others if they have not read them.

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/main-...ng-summer.html

http://www.magnoliacrappieclub.com/LongLining.pdf

If I get on the water this week I will give it a try and let you know what happens. I have been trying the 300 bandits over the last month and haven't had much luck. Time to try something new.

DoubleG

didn't get a bite one time and picked up 10 or 12 another this past Winter at the welfare hole