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Followed the Shad around this past Tuesday and finally found the Crappie in 3ft. Tied these 1/32 and 1/16 jigs and will try them out next trip. Anyone use Shad color jigs?Attachment 295365Attachment 295366Attachment 295367Attachment 295368
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I've tied several similar in the Grey Ghost and the Texas Minner colors, only with hackle or bou for tails. Haven't used them in off-colored water tho, just toward the clearer side last fall and winter.
I basically have a couple categories I class my jigs. But I sort of call all my bright and multi color jigs "clown colors" and the other shad and muted colors "naturals". I always have multiple rods rigged with both until I figure out if there is one they are favoring. And you better believe there are days the naturals outfish the clowns...and vice versa. Some days they bite both pretty good.
Especially later in the year like late summer or early fall when they are chasing shad fry...a natural in shad color is just the ticket. But seen days in early spring and winter when they still worked better.
You have to continually be experimenting. If you settle on just a few colors or clown colors only,and convince yourself thats all that's needed,then you will never know that a day you caught forty and felt good about it,you may have caught a hundred with something else. Or days you caught nothing you may have scratched out a few with something different.
The only way to know is to constantly be experimenting. If I catch a period the fish are biting good and I know they are "on" the clown colors then I will stay on that until they seem to slow on it.Then start experimenting. It will even change during the day sometimes,and then back again.
BUT....I always have some color because I NEVER put a jig in the water that does not have a crappie nibble on it...and 90 percent of the time it will be a chartreuse chroma glow.White or pink on occasion.
Len, that pack of dogs will hunt! Today I was dipping with a plastic body 1/16 and having fair results but the gills or small crappie were giving me fits. Body tore up and I just cut it off and retied with a silver ghost. Basically a gray ghost with silver flashy chenille. It was game on after that. The tail was Gray maribou and 4 strands of silver crystal flash. The movement in the water was what did the trick, I think, and the gills that were short striking before became caught fish. I really like the variation of the bodies and brightness in your jigs. One of those would work most any day. Good Job!
I should try more because I have tied a lot of that Gray Ghost and all swear by them! Oh and the jigs look excellent!
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My favorite colors.
They look good any will work.
I use a shad color quite often and it works great. Bare lead head/rainbow tinsel chenille/gray marabou, bucktail, kiptail or squirrel tail. My home lake has fairly clear water so I'm not sure how they would do in the muddy stuff.