Jigging and Jugging

Jugging and Jigging
By Bob Zettler
July 5, 2015

While I actually used minnows, I had a good Fourth by past standards.

Went over to Leprechaun Landing early afternoon on Friday to work on boat. I had to replace the transponder on the bow as it was showing a flashing 60 for depth and do some other minor maintenance. Finally got to the line at the ramp after six and discovered it was the high water ramp which I hadn’t used before – it is STEEP!

Anyway, no fights getting it on the water and was able to head out by 7 PM. Man was it still choppy! Had minnows, worms and leaches on board and decided to hit at least one spot for Crappie before my friend, Benny shows up for “jugging” and let me tell you it is rough trying to find the spot and hold on it without that front unit as it still didn’t work! Seems that now the fuse was blown and somehow my container of backup fuses was missing – should have checked it BEFORE I hit the water…

Next on the list was my remote for the trolling motor wasn’t working – either a dead battery on the remote or??? So back to the foot pedal and now the on/off for the moto wasn’t working! And I improvised by turning the switch to on and simply sliding the speed control but then the turning contacts on the right side acted up and I got pissed and smashed the on/off for good I’m afraid…

Only caught a couple of small Crappie and one nice one before it was time to head back to pick up Benny who had so graciously picked up some fuses from Casey’s. Now I hadn’t finished my noodles for jugging but I had ten jugs on hand that Virgil Smith loaned me from Leprechaun Landing – THANK you Virgil and Benny had another eight so we had enough to get stated.

Neither of us had been on Shelbyville to Jug but I had thought going up Wolf might produce so we motored up there in the darkness. No one else was there and Benny tried his hand at netting some shad and after a dozen+ tries gave up and it was up to the leaches and nightcrawlers. We baited all 18 jugs and placed them around and thought we would try out my LED light for the first time in a couple of years – the last time it’s predecessor shorted out and almost got me twig and berries as I was sitting above the compartment where the battery was stored!

We went to one tree that Benny liked and tried our hand for 90 minutes or so and did terrible - just a couple of small Crappie and Whites. I took the time to put together six of my Noodle Jugs and we went back to check on things. At first it looked like the jugs were where we had placed them but then we noticed several had been pulled into the flooded brush. The first one had a straightened hook which meant we lost a BIG one. Another came up with a carp and the third had a really nice Catfish on it that had tangled himself in the brush. Finally got him in the net and as Benny did, it came off the hook – good timing!

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That was it. SO we decided to make sushi out of the Carp and baited them all again and my six noodles and then placed them in another area hoping for the best. As it was getting late, we only fished for another hour and went back to check on things and lo and behold I had a fish on one of my jugs. No, not the new ones but the loaner. Wasn’t anywhere as big as Benny’s but it was my first. Seeing Benny was now several hours late getting home (I told him to tell his wife to blame me), I dropped Benny off at the ramp while I cleaned up.

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As it was breaking light, I went north to try a spot I found a few weeks ago on the main lake before the onslaught began. Again, it was near impossible to locate and even hold on that spot so after an hour I gave up and hit some brush in a cove nearby that had produced fish for me last weekend. Around 7 AM I was interrupted by Brian (Crappie24) who tried to help me and marked another spot nearby before heading out.

I decided to stay where I was as I could see the drunks waking up and hitting the main lake making waves and I was catching fish. It wasn’t as good as last weekend but ended up one shy of my overs when the minnows ran out and had kept a few unders as they had eaten their hooks earlier. As my gas gauge doesn’t work, and not being sure how much I had consumed last weekend and the past night, I hit the Findlay Marina for gas just in case as I had really consumed the power in my batteries. It was a zoo what with people pulling into refuel and then leaving their watercraft there while they did whatever. I finally got gas and decided against more minnows (a first) and headed back to Wolf. What a ride as the wake(s) from everyone was hard on me. Had water in my face most of the trip back.

Then it was dealing with idiots at the high water ramp. There are way too many idiots and self-centered people out there with watercraft. I mean what possess people to drop their boat off in the water, take up the only places you can tie your boat too while you run get your trailer, AND THEN start loading their boats! They should have loaded their boats long before putting them in the water. And then this one “family” waits on three additional trips for gear while the one guy holds it against the middle of the dock so no one can tie up behind or in front of him. And on the other side, after 20 minutes or more, they finally decide to leave and he doesn’t even turn around and almost plows into me!!!

After waiting nearly 30 minutes I tie up ALL the way to the front of the dock, grab my trailer and try then to get the boat on it. With no help and battling the others, I get it loaded and pull out to tie it down only to discover my one bottom board on the trailer had broke and was only holding on by its carpet. Pulled it the rest of the way off, wrapped the carpet around the trailer and went on to Leprechaun Landing where I store it. That’s when I discovered one of my borrowed jugs must have flown out of the boat as I battled the wake. Not a great way to end the last 20 hours but at least I was alive, had fish and time to rehydrate on the way home. In fact, I finished three 12 ounce Coke Zero’s and three Gatorade’s before I made it home and didn’t even have to stop to pee. Wow!

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