Thread: Using artificial lures/baits

I have been strictly a jig and artificial bait fisherman for the past 20 years or so, and will second all the tips given. Great advice.There are so many variables when jig fishing for panfish. I almost always use 4 pound line, unless fishing very stumpy waters with large panfish, then I will use 6 pound. Or when fishing extremely clear water where there is very little wood or heavy weeds, I will go down to two pound line. The jigs I use are 1/100 ounce, to 1/16 ounce, with the majority of them being 1/64 or 1/80 ounce. I have two primary presentations, hanging under a bobber, and retrieved without a bobber. Pretty cut and dry, or so it seems. All those variables I mentioned earlier start to come in when you consider weather, water flow, water clarity and color, water depth, and seasonal species activity, just to name a few. Presentations can vary drastically depending on what panfish you are after, and what style of jig/bait you are going to use. Teardrop style jigs are ideal for hanging under a bobber, or vertical jigging without a bobber, and using a serious of jigging and,or, twitching motions, hoping to replicate one of the many zooplankton that inhabit the waters all over the country. The standard round, lead head jigs, are ideal for both suspending under a bobber or vertical jigging, as well as casting and retrieving horizontally. Suspending a jig under a bobber, is just scratching the surface of the bobber fishing technique, for there are many variables in the technique itself. There are times when the fish don't want the jig moving, at all, so once I have figured that out, I just cast it to a likely panfish holding spot and let it sit. I don't touch it, because for some reason, if it moves they are not even going to taste it, let alone actually eat it. Some days, for some reason, the rig needs to be twitched, whereas other days, it actually needs to be retrieved slowly, while hanging under the bobber. Try all the presentations, because one of them will usually work once you get it in front of the fish. When jig fishing without a bobber, I again have two basic presentations, cast and retrieve, and vertical jigging, but, just like bobber fishing, there are variables. If I am casting and retrieving, I will either use a straight horizontal retrieve, or I'll jig it a foot or so up and down as I retrieve, once again depending on other things like fish species being targeted, water clarity, etc. By far, my favorite presentations or cast and straight horizontal retrieve for the majority of the season, and bobber fishing during the Spring and Fall, but I do use both techniques throughout the entire season. This video of mine gives a little look at how I go about it. And a couple pics of some of my panfish jigs.
https://youtu.be/mlhGn1CoV4g