Preference, What catches more what catches bigger?
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Preference, What catches more what catches bigger?
IMHO ... it's more about fishing a lake with a population of large fish, than what baits you use. Not to mention what techniques you use & when you use them. Some swear by one, others by the other, and some prefer a combination of the two. Me, personally ... I haven't used minnows in probably 10yrs or so, and the last time I did I was fishing at night.
If you go south and you're slow trolling use both on some of your rods.
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Pappy is right, and I'll add whatever you have confidence in will catch more fish. Couldn't even tell you where my minnow bucket is. Hair jig and a nibble gets them for me everywhere I go
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I use both minnows and jigs, and it changes every day to which one works best.
Sometimes I think it's the size that makes the difference, sometimes the color.
right now, nothing is working for me.
I have used jigs only for 40yrs, with no regrets, Add a nibble or spray with Slab Sauce for a better bite.
I have always managed to find fish that bite jigs. If I get them to bite and they quit, a squirt of slab sauce or Bang usually gets me another bite or 2.
I watch the tournament guys. Those guys fish for a living. Most of those guys will have minnows on their boat. It boils down to how much you hate dealing with minnows. My partner and I prefer to fish jigs but we always have minnows on the boat. There are days when we are really glad we have em.
For me, minnows are just not worth the trouble.
Jigs only for 40+ years.
This ^^^^Quote:
Originally Posted by RoughriverRick
I’d rather stick needles in my eyes.
Haven't fished with minnows for at least 20 yrs, catch just as many or more fish and don't have to deal with the stinky slimy mess minnows cause. If fish are hitting at all can usually catch more quicker with jigs.
For me my 10 biggest crappie i have caught was on jigs. All of those was caught using hot rods or shad body. As far as what catches most i think it depends on the lake and time of day. I do think jigs work better between 10 and 4pm for me anyway. Green river i havent used minners for several years and normally catch between 40 and 80 keeper size fish a trip. Cumberland average between 30 to 50 keeper a trip depending on what part of the lake and it is pretty even most jigs versus minner but i would give the edge to minners. Dale hollow only fished 6 times this year averaged 30 a day and would give the edge to the jigs there...
For several years I fished jigs only. You wouldn't find a minnow in my boat. But then a friend of mine and I started fishing crappie tournaments which we did for 20 years. I would say that 95% of all the tournaments we fished were fished spider-rigging (slow trolling) with jigs tipped with minnows. However, we usually always had one pole baited with a minnow only and I can honestly say that that pole caught as many or more fish day in and day out as any jig. These days, I spend a lot of time guiding and you will always find a bucket of minnows in my boat. True, there are days when jigs work better....but there are days when minnows win hands down. Personally, I find minnows work the best in the summertime and when night fishing for crappie, but that's just me. Basically, I believe that the best bait (whether jig or minnow) is the one you have the most confidence in.
When I can't catch crappie, I put a minnow on a jig and cast it the same way
pulling through the brush. It always does better for me when they're tough.