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I typically try to fish 1/16 oz or 1/32 oz.
I've rarely put anything in the water less than those.
Is smaller always better? Should I start smaller than normal?
I should say this idea comes from, because my Son thinks artificial jigs shouldn't be less than 1/4 oz, and frequently jigs should be abandoned in favor of minnows and crickets ...
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I fish 1/32 most of the time. Not saying it is right to do so. Only offering an opinion
I work my way down depending on the bite. I do find myself favoring smaller jigs. Typically 1/32.
Under a float I will throw 1/32 oz and less... I do cast 1/64 oz trout magnets quite a bit too...
For tuna, maybe ... or tarpon. Good grief!Quote:
Originally Posted by hankll
My standard jig is 1/32 but often drop down to 1/64.
Like most things in fishing...not always, but sometimes. A smaller thinner profile can turn the bite on especially in the winter. When I tied commercially I had customers that would order a couple hundred 1/32nd oz jigs tied about 1.5" long every year about this time. All they used.
Then there is something to be said for the slow fall rate of a smaller jig. I don't think I will ever be convinced that not using as light of a jig as possible for a slow fall is the best. All species love it.
If I needed to use 1/4 oz it would be in some serious current and I would have probably stayed home.
I’ve used 1/4oz but it isnt where I begin. A lot of fish fall to a 1/16 jig and for a lot of applications it does just fine and casts well for most folks. When they start to get picky, I downsize and then start playing the color game. I had a 1/8jig on once from a previous trip. Caught a few but then stopped, so I dropped to a 1/16. Got a few more and then it dropped to now and then. Put on a 1/32 and caught fish the rest of the day at a pretty good rate. Not always like this but it happens that way sometimes. Like some of the others, I now throw a lot of small stuff below 1/32 in weight. Ind and other factors make it tough sometimes but it’s lots of fun. Being able to cast the small stuff makes it tough with heavier line and stiffer rods so use the right stuff and you’ll have a good time with it.
1/32 are what I use most in Spring and Fall, but summer I use 1/8 and 1/4 oz jigs to fish deep and also if the winds is blowing the weight helps.
I do have some heads in 1/80, 1/64, 1/48 also. I do like the 1/48 Oz pony head as it's true weight is about the same as the Original Roadrunner in 1/32. The 1/32 in Pony heads true weight is closer to 1/24 Oz.
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I have a hard time casting a HAND TIED 1/32 jig. I can cast a 1/32 with plastics good but not so much with hand ties. I usually try this on my Leland trout rod and 2# SOS line.
Soft plastic adds weight that helps in casting. I can't cast it as far as I can a heavier jig, but with my spinning rod I don't have any trouble. Most of my 1/32 Oz jig fishing is trolling with my troll motor, well long lining! There have been times my way didn't work for some reason like floods and had to cast to catch them, but since 1978 or 1979 my spring and fall fishing has been long lining Roadrunners or Pony Heads jigs.
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My theory of weight jig I use is more based on weather conditions, high winds or current I will use up to a 1/4oz jig head....
I just talked to a guy on YouTube about this and will revisit it in an upcoming vid.....
You can still have a small jig and have a heavier head if a small profile bait is what it takes to get bit.....
My 3lb crappie came on a big body bait so I always try'n drop one when I get the chance....
Good grief is right.... I totally just close my mouth and just keep doing what I believe in.Sent from my Pixel 3 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile appQuote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
You never know what jig including size will catch you next Wow fish! Since we tie our own we can try anything almost. I have caught big crappie on a lot of different jigs in the last 21 years since I have been living here. I have trolled 1/8 Oz jigs early spring in 10' of water and even down to about 6' water depth. However that kind of trolling is more what I call strolling where you just drop the jig down pretty much next to you boat and move along slow with the TM. However the majority of my spring fishing is long lining a 1/32 Oz Roadrunner or Pony head and just cast it as far as I can out to the side or rear and take off moving like .4 MPH to .8MPH. The little Roadrunner will not fall all that deep so it's perfect for this kind of fishing. It's also the most relaxed way to fish until the bite takes off, lol! My bad shoulder just holds the rod after the cast so it's work is done. Summer for sure I am with 1/8 and 1/4 oz jigs!Quote:
Originally Posted by SKs Crappie Catching Adventures
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I have caught lots of fish, and big fish, on teeny tiny jigs. I fish 64th with a #8 or #6 hook quite a bit, as small as 80th on a #10. But I also use lots of 32nd and 16th's when it's windy or I'm fishing deeper. Where I go it's not often that fish want bigger baits, usually smaller is the answer - but every lake fishes different.
Most of my 17" crappie have come on the 1/32 Oz Original Marabou Roadrunner that I tie, but before I tied some were caught on the bought RR's. Way back when I stumbled into long lining in the late 1970's My main bait was the 1/32 Oz Roadrunner and they still make that same one today and so do I, lol! It's not my favorite color any longer though. I probably also caught a few on the old Blue Fox jig they use to make. It was a tiny jig with a nickel plated head and I still have some of them. Maybe I tied them again this year?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazy Cody
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My biggest (2lb 9oz) came on a 1/32oz hand tie that was 1.5" or so long. That day I caught several over 2lbs. We started with big 3" swimbaits and graduated down. The biggest issue with the smaller bait is that my hook started bending after 25+ fish.
These are some balanced jig flies I use under a fixed float. They weigh about 1/64 and have a #8 hook. You could cast them with the right rod and line.Attachment 366018
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1/32, 1/24, 1/16 and 3/32 ball head jigs with no collar are what I use depending on
1. lure size and shape - a 1.5" mini-stick does better using a lighter jig; the lure shown below work fine with a heavier jig.
2. lure speed being tried
https://i.imgur.com/zAc1ZZe.jpg
I've used 1/32 oz jigs with 5" Kut Tail worms and caught all species.
1/8 oz is okay for larger lures when fish are provoked by larger lures. Otherwise, lighter is better IMO though larger bulkier lures do well with 1/16 oz.
Much of the time a few different jig weights will do.
Hook size is important in that is come out in the front 1/3 of the lure unless a plastic worm like the Slider or Kut Tail is used.
Note weights and hook sizes:
https://i.imgur.com/yFpGFIB.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/PVfBWhz.jpg
Based on your comments, I ordered a pack 1/80 oz #10 ball head jigs. I'll give those a try and see whether I can make decent looking jigs.
Just so you know, I've never owned or fished with jigs this small.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazy Cody
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I was catching a few on a 1/8 oz hand tie a couple days ago. They wouldn't mess with the 1/32. I use up to 1/4 oz jig head depending on the time of year and type of fishing I'm doing. Vertical jigging is the heavy weight game for me. Casting is generally 1/16 oz and every once in a while, 1/32 oz. I have a very difficult time casting a 1/32 jig as I'm usually using braid. I can make it work with mono but I've gotten so spoiled to having that sensitivity!
Well you guys with the small jigs (I like them as well) wouldn't fit in over in Mississippi where they catch a good many 4 pound crappie. They like at least a #2 Sickle hook and some larger than that.
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Always a fun challenge(wise?) to take a letter opener to a gunfight, Skip!:RoflQuote:
Originally Posted by skiptomylu
u2s
My majority of jigs are 1/32 & 1/16 once when fishing down to 10 FOW. I do have a few 1/45 and 1/80 once. The lighter jigs are fished under a float. It seems that the lite jigs fall slowly attracting a bite. Also if the fish are in a neutral feeding mode, small works best.
For water 10 feet or more is use a 1/8 once head.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hankll
They take some getting used to - bigger jigs are "easier" in a lot of ways. But I'm a firm believer that there are many times smaller & slower is the ticket!
Yes hard to win a gunfight with a letter opener, lol!Quote:
Originally Posted by up2specks
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I disagree about the deeper the water, the heavier the jig needed. Lately for me, a 1/16 is heavy and I hardly ever use it. The 1/32 ball head that comes out of my mold weighs 1/43 with a #8 hook. That and a 1/64 are what I mostly have on, and fish water down to 16’. Current changes things but the fish love the smaller jigs when they go into finicky mode and won’t touch a 1/32 with a BGBS. Not blowing my own horn but fellas,it just plain works. It takes more patience than anything else. Casting them with a float works some but there are some you’re missing. Wish you were close by, I’d be glad to show you.
So I'm interested in your comment about the 1/32 changing to a 1/43
First, how do you measure these jigs with different hooks.
Second, what is a jigs weight after an average tied up and do you measure them and consider that in your planned presentation for finicky fish?
My usual preference is a red hook and a 1/16th with a #2 hook.
If I get a 1/32, I believe it usually has a #6 and I would like a #4....just me, I guess maybe I could see that thought as the reason for getting lack of bites.
Are you going to smaller hooks for the light weight aspect? And doesn't that just get you a bunch of bream biting because of the smaller hook?Sent from my Pixel 3 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile appQuote:
Originally Posted by skeetbum
At the end of the day, I believe that a 1" jig held long enough in front of a finicky crappie will get eaten. The bite may be subtle, but some things they just cannot resist.Quote:
Originally Posted by skeetbum
It's like that bowl of free peppermints when you are walking out of the restaurant. You probably aren't hungry, but your probably going to grab that little bitty mint.
That said bigger jigs are easier when the fish are biting them. Mainly they stay hooked better with bigger hooks, and they're easier to muscle with bigger tackle.
100% agree. I have caught many crappie and bass also on my balanced jig flies with #10 and #12 hooks. I also believe that these small light jigs hold the fish very well.Sent from my SM-G960U using Crappie.com Fishing mobile appQuote:
Originally Posted by kmc06005
I made no changes on the mold, it’s just what it weighs when complete. The addition of tying materials I see as minimal as I don’t use much, just enough to get the right profile. But I don’t build the jigs with the weight in mind, it is what it is. I weigh them on a small digital scale that measures grams, grains and ounces. There are 7000 grains to a pound and I use that for a more accurate weight. Just basic math.
As far as staying buttoned up on larger fish, not an issue. I use sickle hooks almost 100% and a light drag. After the initial runs I’ll palm the side of the spool to give a little more pressure to get em to the net. The #8 sickle is, more often than not, on the end of my line. The mono leader takes up the abrasion that will part a small line, usually 3lb. I’ve landed numerous crappie over 2lbs, catfish weighed 3 1/2lbs, and largemouth 2 1/2 lbs. may not be big by some folks standards but for the 2lb line I use I think it pretty good. I haven’t weighed the head with a #2 or 4 hook but if I remember , I will and let you know what it weighs. If the salt water fish didn’t have such big teeth, demanding a heavy leader, I’d be using this in salt water. If I get some time this weekend I’ll get out the scale out and go thru my jig box and try to answer some of your questions.
First off the hook make also no different what size as what weight the head is! Next I use a scale, lol! Read again, the 1/48th oz head is true weight is closer to a 1/32 Oz. I find almost even head not a true weight, but don't think it matters much except for my kind of long lining in spring. I want a jig that kind of floats along not so deep when I am trolling with my TM.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hankll