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This lake I fish I have tried all kinds of jigs lures. I will catch very few if any fish. I have tried floater fishing with jigs jigs tipped same results I can take worms or crickets with floater on same results. Get my drop shot rig out with live bait bam start catching fish
Keep it Simple, fish with what works for you on your lake on that day. Experimentation is fun, sometimes necessary, but not required. Drop shot + Live Bait = Catch Fish........then I know what I would be fishing with :biggrin
Random thoughts:Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
1) I've said it a hundred times before, and I'll say it again: I would not use a float with a jig or any other artificial bait. You're not helping yourself, IMO.
2) Maybe the reason you have success with the drop shot it because you're fishing on the bottom. When fishing with a float, are you fishing on the bottom? When float fishing, most people have no idea where there bait is in relation to the bottom. Most people set the depth of their float in relation to the surface, which is the exact opposite of what you should be doing.
3) If you want to get good at jig fishing, you have to do it a lot. Years ago, I read an article where this guy really wanted to learn how to use a fly rod. So ... he left his spinning rods at home and just fly fished. Today, he's a professional fly fishing instructor. Many times I've heard the bass guys say something like, "I wanted to learn spinnerbaits, so I left all my other baits at home and just fished spinnerbaits. If you want to learn jigs, leave the drop shot and bait at home.
4) The keys to artificial baits is depth and speed. If you're not catching, depth and/or speed is probably a factor. When in doubt, slow down your retrieve and experiment with different depths. Let your jig hit bottom. Then, lift it up and swim it back.
If you touch bottom in this lake you will have what I call green slime on your bait. It is very thick on the bottom with the drop shot I gone get it on the bait as bad but still do it must be a foot thick on bottom in places. It’s just strange this is only way I can catch fish. I have sent a lot of time with trout magnets catch a little one once in a while is all. Thanks for any opinions or help
Fish a foot off the bottom with a float. Work your jig a foot off the bottom.Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
Can’t you just use a drop shot with a jig?
You have to do what works. I've yet to find a lake where I couldn't catch brim with a 1/64th oz. jig with or without a float, but I haven't fished your lake. It may be that the forage in that lake is all in and very close to the weeds on the bottom and that is the only place the fish are looking for food.
I have had days where live bait worked much better, but never get skunked using a very small jig. A lot of the lakes around here have the same green slime and the key is to get your retrieve speed to keep the jig a foot or so above the weeds, or to set your float so the jig is no more than a couple feet from the bottom. Jigs under a bobber are usually only real effective for me on the flats where the depth doesn't change much, and the retrieve speed almost always needs to be painfully slow. Then it's just a matter of finding the right depth to set the bobber. If your lake doesn't have flats that hold fish, the only other good way would be casting parallel to shore so that the jig will be in the range above the bottom that the fish are looking for much of the retrieve. In any event, you know where the fish are when you're catching them on the drop shot and you need to be able to get the jig into that same area. It can be difficult to do without fouling the jig in the slime unless the fish are very aggressive that day. Like deathb4disco says above, you have to commit to fishing the jigs in order to get a feel for what works. When I go fishing by myself and am not trying to put family members with lesser fishing experience on fish I don't bring any live bait. Sometimes that leads to pretty slow days, but I also often have days where I know I catch even more than I would have with waiting for the fish to find the live bait. Also keep in mind that unless you are able to get very close to the fish, you really need to fish 2 lb. test diameter line in order to fish a 1/64th oz. jig without a bobber.
One thing I've never tried, but I just looked it up and apparently drop shotting with a jig can work too, at least under certain conditions. I've linked to an interesting article talking about Bill Dance using that technique. It is cold water fishing, but I would think it might be even better when the fish are more aggressive.
Bream Fishing in Bitter Cold - Dance Bundles Up, Reels in a Boatload - Redorbit
Ive tried 1/32 oz road runners with slider grubs of all colors. Beetle spins of different colors several hand tied 1/32 and 1/64 jigs trout magnets. I want to be able to catch them on something other than live bait.
Is there another CDC member who's good at jig fishing and lives near you? How about a local guide who specializes in jig fishing?Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
Either would help you a lot.
I'll be the first to admit it, I'm fairly lousy fishing with jigs. I've got a tackle box full of Trout Magnets and Crappie Magnets that I typically only use in late March/early April. I have certainly caught fish, particularly crappie on them, but I just have more confidence in live bait.
My target species is typically shellcracker and live bait is an excellent choice...That certainly doesn't mean that Trout Magnets won't work because Randy has videos showing him catching a smorgasbord of fish while twitching those jigs.
Go with what works for you. I have tried jigs and ultimately determined I have much more faith in the old nasty live baits. I wish Randy would do a video showing his twitching technique...Many of us could learn from him.
Most around here make fun of me because I fish for bluegill and crackers. I’ll have to look around and see about ever body I know it’s bass or catfish
Tell them the trout guys make fun of them. :biggrinQuote:
Originally Posted by no luck
Do you ever post on the Arkansas board? I know there are AR members who fish with jigs.Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
Add some scent.
This is the only place I post. Because it’s for bluegill
Get to know some AR members. Lots of bream posts in the AR forum:Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
https://www.crappie.com/crappie/sear...rchid=30732711
https://www.crappie.com/crappie/sear...rchid=30732715
Unfortunately the Arkansas forum is pretty dead these days. Us Arkansans get much more feedback and advice on the Brim forum than the Arkansas forum.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app
Chuck - I fish the same style lakes that you fish and it is definitely difficult to jig fish our type of lake (shallow, stumpy, full of cover, algae, vegetation). I have my best luck fishing jigs for bluegill in ponds with less of the above. I generally use very light line and 0.5 gram jigs to fish the shallow water without getting snagged up of collecting algae on the jig. If winds pick up, the light jigs have to go as well. I can generally fish jigs for sunfish before the pads come up. Once they come up, forget about it. Too much headache. Once the pads come up I use crickets or red wigglers under a float or drop shot. If I still had my boat and a little note free time, I would invite you to fish with me some time. Unfortunately most of my trips are squeezed in between dropping off kids and work and picking up kids.
Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app
No truer words than that......"Your Lake On That Day" in this comment must not be overlooked.....Quote:
Originally Posted by StantheMan2567
Have you tried crappie nibbles? If you're fishing live bait with success, retie that same rig with a jig and fish it the same way. If the presentation is the same, then you've got something to work with as far as whether they'll bite it or not.
Thanks for the offer Matt I do have a boat. But I understand busy my kids were little at one time
Seems staying out of the schmutz is the issue. I use the countdown method when faced with that. Cast once and count til it hits bottom. Clean the jig and start your retrieve one or two counts before the bottom. Might need to refine it some to the way you fish but you get the idea.
Do others catch fish in this pond ?Any idea how deep is this pond ?
The snot algae is usually on the banks or near them. Get out past that crap. Assuming you're in a boat, cast just short of that snot algae. You may be casting to 3-5' water. Find a flat or something with a gradual slope.
Let the jig drop to the bottom (where it's too deep for light to keep the algae alive on the bottom). Drag it on the bottom. If you think you're reeling too slowly, reel slower. Black jig with a chartreuse crappie nibble is what we have been using.
Have someone that knows what a bed smells like, show you a bed and remember that smell. I kept poking fun at trypman about "I can smell 'em", until he explained that he was serious.
Sent from my moto g(7) using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app
First off - do you fish from a boat ? If so, location, location, location. Larger waters have different areas that potentially hold fish; smaller waters a bit less.
Time of day. How many hours on the water and what time of day you fish? Try getting out early say 8 am, but spend at least 4 hours or more. You gotta find them before you can catch them and they may be in one area or a few.
Lures. There's no such thing as a sunfish lure. Soft plastic lures, hair jigs, spinners, 2" crankbaits and many others catch anything that swims. Now unless you use a fish finder (sonar) and discover fish in an area, your lure is your fish finder. Cast, cast, cast anywhere you hope to find fish. Could be near the bank or over a mid lake hump or near weed edges or pockets in the pads or even in 3' of water near the bank. (Happened to me yesterday and I caught over a dozen sunfish in no time.)
Small soft plastics are my bread and butter for catching fish. Size, shape and action are key with unlimited combinations of all three possible. You got spike tails, curl tails, split tails, double curly tails, stubby tails as well as claw tails. Crappie Magnets have thin straight tails (2) side by side. But when choosing jigs to rig soft plastic on, you gotta match hook size to the body size. Jig weight is important. You have a range to chose from starting with 1/64 to 1/16 oz. Heavier jigs for faster retrieves. In warmer water I've been using a 1/16.
Floats. There are days when you may see fish on sonar or a school that you started catching fish from. By all means try using a float with a light jig and soft plastic lure. Just be sure the line under the float places the lure at the right depth which you experiment using different lengths. That float will disappear like no tomorrow when fish are schooled! (I use an oblong orange float.) Jig size is usually 1/16 oz or less and lures less than 2".
Like I said, there are a huge number of soft plastics that catch fish of all species. Here are just a few I know catch fish:
spike tail:
https://i.imgur.com/SpNtmPn.jpg?1
Crappie Magnet:
https://i.imgur.com/rKEmBPj.jpg?1
Trout Magnet tail attached to a grub body:
https://i.imgur.com/KsTYuS4.jpg?1
Curl tail with Beetle Spin (overhead blade):
https://i.imgur.com/CIWH6AK.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/rYRGR9g.jpg
Float and (my dog's) hair jig:
https://i.imgur.com/iAtgyuj.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/KBtzdfV.jpg?2
Tail end of a finesse worm:
https://i.imgur.com/KoFu2ZN.jpg
Cone tail:
https://i.imgur.com/ZhNmqyr.jpg
Wacky rigged grub stick:
https://i.imgur.com/gFZ59We.jpg
Just remember that the speed of retrieve always matters as well as the depth the lure is retrieved. I mix it up with most of the above designs: pull the lure toward you with the rod tip or use 1/4 reel handle turns - pause - and continue at a slow pace. The strike becomes obvious no matter how light. But if felt, always cast to the same spot. Sometimes fish will strike 3 times and then hook itself !
Just a few tips based on personal experience and thousands of fish caught.
Yes I have a boat there is some 20 feet of water in the old channel of the lake 2 big flats that run up to less than 2 feet
It gets tons of pressure it’s a public lakeQuote:
Originally Posted by Eagle 1
Some days I’m on the water before 7 and fish until at least noon.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoonminnow
Thanks for your opinions
they key to ketchn sunfish on a jig is to keep it slowly moving , this much I know .
tipping it with something will ensure hook ups as well .
a float presentation is deadly if done properly with a jig .
and in the end , I can show ya way easier than tell ya …..
KABOOM is the word
If you still want to play around with artificial you could try attaching a small Beetle spin type spinner to your trout magnet jig, and slow-rolling it just off the bottom to where it won't catch any slime. You'll have to experiment to see just how fast to retrieve it to keep it just above the slime. But, in the end, I think live bait will always consistently out fish artificial lures for bluegills.Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
I'm very glad that's not true. Man do I hate skewering live bait with a hook !Quote:
But, in the end, I think live bait will always consistently out fish artificial lures for bluegills.
Well, you're lucky to live in the area where they like artificial more, but where I live the ratios is more like 10 to 1 in live baits favor.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoonminnow
If I ever get to where you are I will take you up on that offerQuote:
Originally Posted by Ketchn
Thanks everyone
Techno, if you would be willing to try some of my creations (free of charge), I can guarantee all kinds of fish caught including gills.
A small line diameter and a light action rod plus casting to many areas are key.
I’ve seen some of your creations they are neatQuote:
Originally Posted by Spoonminnow
Well,I don't think they make line smaller than 1/2 lb diameter (Berkeley fireline crystal) which I'm using right now.For plastics I use Trout magnets , Mister Twister micro craw.Also Beetle spins and tiny Rooster tails. I've found if they're biting great on mealworms or red wigglers, they will bite so-so on artificial lures. But if they just biting so-so on live bait, you can forget about artificial lures.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoonminnow
PS Thanks for the offer