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This is the first bucktail crappie jig that I have ever made.Hitting the lake tomorrow afternoon and spending the nite with the lamps in the water.NOT going to buy any minnows this time,depending soley on jigs and grubs.Anything small gets connected to a flathead rod as bait.What do you think,Catch or no Catch?lol.They have been hauling in 30 to 40 pound flatheads and 17 to 18 inch crappies over there,can't wait.Jig head is 1/8 oz. with a size 1 sickle.
nice jig...where you fishing??
Bartlett Lake,Arizona.P.S. Don't tell anybody,lol.
catch.....
Good,lol.I need a bigger wider tackle box for these guys.
Let us know how the BLACK WIDOW works.
Good luck with the jigs night fishing. I have to have minnows at night :) It will take a lot to wing me off em nightstalking but have got down to only jigs long lining. ;)
I do have a cast net though,lol.
They look good to me, under a light in clearer water they should work really well. I think a tinge of chartreuse might be killer under the lights especially if you are attracting some baitfish. Some flash might make a hit too.
Actually at night is when I prefer to use my jigs. Now this is in northeast Ohio and as I have learned over the years . Each area and even down to each lake may have a different best bait or technique to slay them.
Thats why I am more partial to the darker colors. If that bucktail slays them stick with it. If not try a black rabbit jig. I palmer the zonked rabbit strip forward leaving about a 1/2 to 3/4 " tail past the hook. Sometimes I tie in a little flash sometimes not. they all seem to work well long as they are dark.
Crappie see ok at night not great like walleye but still good. The palmered jigs move a lot of water for their size and give a bigger profile. Thus making it easier for the crappies to see at night. The palmered jig also have a shad-like profile and that helps also as shad are a major food source here.
I usually start with a minnow head jig and prefer the crosscut over the straight cut for palmering. Usually tie on the smaller minnow heads 1/46 and 1/32 for early season night fishing, then the bigger heads 1/16 and 1/8 for summer and late fall as minnow fry grow over the season. An attempt at the old " matching the hatch. While the " thump " is addictive try watching mister slab come up on the edge of your submerged light and inhaling your jig right at the surface.
Especially if you were fishing West Branch or Mosquito where I used to live in Akron. Nice jig Azslabber:DQuote:
Originally Posted by hays47
that should be a killer especially in the black it also has been producing fish here. Is the hackle or deer hair we have been trying with hackle.Quote:
Originally Posted by azslabber
[quote=hays47;1175242]Actually at night is when I prefer to use my jigs. Now this is in northeast Ohio and as I have learned over the years . Each area and even down to each lake may have a different best bait or technique to slay them.
Thats why I am more partial to the darker colors. If that bucktail slays them stick with it. If not try a black rabbit jig. I palmer the zonked rabbit strip forward leaving about a 1/2 to 3/4 " tail past the hook. Sometimes I tie in a little flash sometimes not. they all seem to work well long as they are dark.---------
hays 47,
I look froward to trying the jigs at night. I believe they will catch crappie at night once I try them and see that I don't need a minnow. Last year I would not even go to the lake without a minnow only because I have always been a minnow fisherman for the past 35+ years. This year I made myself go fish without minnows and caught crappie. I have not fished with a minnow in the day time since :). I'm open to try any and all baits to catch crappie and the jigs at night will be my next attempt. I enjoyed reading your post and it's informative.
Looks really good azslabber. I bet it would have a large profile at night with the flairing of the buck-tail. Have your net close by!
Scott
Quote:
Originally Posted by hays47
I may have to stray across the PA state line and get some lessons on nite time jigging from you, one of these weekends. You dont think its to late to teach an old dog some new tricks do yea
I still buy minnows. Reason being that even though I am 62 years old . I still like to watch a bobber plunge beneath the surface. Ohio limits you to two rods so I jig with one and either float or deadstick the other.
Doc - you would be welcome in my boat. I use plenty of light in the water to attract minnows and such. One evening last year the minnows were so thick underneath the boat that I was constantly snagging minnows ( shad ) on the retrieve. That night fish were laying about an inch below the surface and gorging themselves on the huge cloud of minnows.
Fishing at night is no different than fishing at day in the respect that nothing is guaranteed. I have caught fish all night long one night then the next night struggle to hit double figures. Where I fish here are some definite "bad " nights. Windy nights seem to prevent the food chain build up caused by the lights. Cold snaps like when its been 70's during the night all week then plunges to 60 or below. Too many boats in a small area can disperse the fish in the area. All will catch some no one will catch a lot.Right after big storms go thru area is worst time to go.
These conditions normally cause a busy busy night. Almost dead calm with high temps if moonless so much the better. Lots of audible activity ( surface hits ) 30 or so minutes after you turn lights on. Bigger schools of minnows around lights than usual .
Here is a real good tip. If a spot is so snaggy that you cannot fish it but you know it holds crappie. Set up to night fish it but set up about 25-50 ft away from the snaggy location. Lets say its a brushpile the minnows will gravitate to the light and the crappies will follow. Then its up to you to find the preferred depth. I usually start out night fishing 11-15 ' to start. I might have to adjust upwards during the night. The crappie will let you know.
AZ, cool jig!
Hays, nice tips. Spoken like a true professional! I think me and Doc are gonna fight for that seat in the boat!
This jig did good,lol.We did'nt go to the crappie lake after all.Got stuck with catching yellow bass and channel cats.That jig caught 3 large bluegills 1 yellow bass and a channel cat that weighed in at 5.35 pounds.On my Cherrywood with 4 lb. test quite a good trip.
You guys should check out the nite bite pics of all the shad I was combatting while trying to catch a fish in the classified section under Fathers Day Special.For Bob#1's reel lights.Very cool.I got him some good pictures for his website and he used them.
Hays nailed it with his info, lots of good stuff to read through there. Only change i'd make is about the drastic plunge in temps... I have had nights in the fall where it was a warm spell for a week then droped temps dramaticaly in the evening (to the point of ice in the rod guides or skim ice) and had some great action. The exceptions prove the rules i guess. BTW - Doc and RD, you are gonna have to fight ME for that spot on his boat... i'm closer so i get first dibs. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by hays47
AZ - I actually start out using the same colors i would on a given lake during daylight hours. Have had nights where i never changed the jig from dusk on and keep catching fish. I fish alot of clear water and have been experminting with more chart in different ties..... chart/white has proved to be a winner during twilight hours for me anyway. #1 still has to be black/silver though.
nice jig
That's a catfish jig now,lol.