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That’s basically all I hear you guys talk about, so I imagine I’ve been missing out my entire life.
Going to try and get out for a few hours this afternoon.
Been using nothing but live bait for 30 years, but I do have this in my tackle box.
Will be going to the small HOA ponds hunting gills. There are some catfish, and a very occasional bass. Attachment 387695Attachment 387694
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There's nothing wrong with live bait, but you have been missing out if you have not tried jigs. IMO, the jig is the greatest artificial lure ever created.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing
For gills, the trout magnet is a great bait, but any small jig will catch them.
Here is a great article on jig fishing. It's about sliders, but it applies to any jig. Focus on the "how to", not the bait.
Charlie Brewer's Slider Company - Weedless Crappie Slider "Why&How"
Here's another nice little bait. Most Walmarts carry them.
https://www.crappie.com/crappie/panf...1-ul-swimbait/
If I was to try one of the jigs I have today, which one should I use? I’m not familiar with them, so I don’t know if any of them are trout magnets.
I assume my cast it out, let it hit the ground, and then “jig” it back to shore?
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This is what a trout magnet looks like. Most Walmarts carry them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing
Trout Magnet KITS - TROUT MAGNET
I am not a big fan of the curly tail baits you have. I prefer strait tail (like a trout or crappie magnet) or the minnow tail of something like a Bobby Garland baby shad. Any Walmart in the country will carry everything you need.
No, no, no!Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing
Read the article I linked to above.
for bluegill the best way to "jig" for them is a steady slow retrieve . i have seen a million folks do it a million ways but to be sure after countless hours on the water , this is the most productive pattern from spring until fall .
winter seems to slow them up tremendously and holding almost still seems better.
p.s. , unless you know positive ,there are likely crappie in one or all of those ponds
I have personally never seen a crappie and never see anyone report of a catch on the HOA FB page. However one of the regulars did tell me the other day that they occasionally catch them, I just don’t recall which one of the ponds.
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Personal advice / suggestions:
1. there are a few materials anglers like on their light jig heads: soft plastic, fur, feathers, flashabou or some other fiber. The reason being that those materials have the
best subtle action using the slowest retrieve or even when used under a float (a bobbing float will impart action to those materials). Small light spoons like the Phoebe also catch fish even in summer when used with or without live bait or other attractant jigged vertically.
2. my preference are unpainted ball head jigs (Ebay). 1/32, 1/24, 1/16, 3/22 oz. Hook size should be matched to soft plastic lures so that the hook comes out in the forward 1/3 of the lure along with hook gaps large enough for light biters to get hooked.
3. the larger the fish, the larger the lure. The larger the size range, the smaller the lure. The sizes of fish caught on small lures can be from 2" to 14" crappie, perch, sunfish, bass, etc. I also prefer straight tail lures except when using a Beetle (overhead) spinner where straight and curl tails work fine. By lure size I'm talking 1.5 - 2" in length, not that smaller or larger fish won't attack a 3" lure.
4. light line is absolutely necessary when using small light lures to allow best lure action. (Fish could care less about line.) The most important characteristic about light line is line diameter. A 4 lb test diameter is the rating for 8 lb test braid line - one of the best for casting light lures and feeling light strikes even at a distance. Along with small diameter line is using it with a light action rod. A medium action rod may be too stiff when casting light jigs and fish are more apt to pull free from the hook when less rod tip flex is present.
5. Lure color choice? Bright, dark or somewhere in between. Got bright green algae colored water? Darker colors would be my choice. Semi-clear water? Translucent colors and even clear soft plastic gets it done. Some plastics have glitter which is fine when a bit of flash is helpful (though generally I don't find it much of an advantage).
6. Retrieve. If you going to use light lures with subtle actions, you need to retrieve them at a slow and unsteady retrieve. Fish most times need time to inspect a lure before being provoked to strike it. I compare it to fish scratching an annoying itch. If there are more than one fish in the immediate area, after the first fish is caught others join in on the fun. The only steady retrieve I use is when trolling a lure or when using a spinning blade lure such as Beetle Spin or Mepps.
7. Cast everywhere but always take your time!!!! Lures are your fish finders. They can't find fish that aren't there or not biting or pass by a fish going too fast. Some fish in a water are more prone to biting lures and those are the ones the lure must get close to. Chasing lures is usually not part of a fish's agenda (most likely to conserve energy or just plain lazy), so slow retrieves are a must.
8. Keep and open mind when it comes to anyone's advice, but more important is to experiment and see for yourself what catches fish. The sky's the limit when it comes to all the ways fish can be caught and on what lures.
My question is this; can your rod and reel cast those small jigs? I would be interested in seeing the results of one of those jig heads and a few of the curl tail bodies. Might even take a float to make this happen. If there are gills and crappie in these ponds, you can be low impact and high reward with some of what I saw in the pic of your box. The white body, green tail the all black, and the black with the flashy tail would be my first choices. A four pound line is what I use a lot, six doesn’t cast as well but will work, and don’t set the drag too tight. You’re gonna get broke off some til you figure this out but I’ve caught lots of fish throwing something just like this. 1/16 and 1/32 are my first choice. While 1/8 will cast better, it will also sink faster and up the chances of getting into some junk and breaking off. Good luck and keep us posted.
Some great input here!
I do have an ULW with four pound line that I presume is the right setup for this.
What size are the jig heads in my picture? Surprisingly, I didn’t see a multi pack of 1/8, 1/32nd, and 1/64on Amazon where I could get quick delivery. I did find a Crappie Magnet kit with two sizes, and a TM kit with 1/64. Recommendations? eBay was a little slow on the shipping Attachment 387866Attachment 387867
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You don’t have a Walmart near you? They should have all the jig heads and bodies you should need.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing
Amazon.com Trout Magnet Panfish Magnet Kit
Ordered!Quote:
Originally Posted by Techno2000
Disco, WM showed most SKUs out of stock and the shelves were pretty bare the last few times I’ve been there.
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The Trout Magnet is great. You won't be disappointed. I've got a lot of videos on using them. Here's one of the better ones. Also those jig heads you posted will be good too, but only in the smaller sizes. It looks like they're 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, and 3/8. I wouldn't use any for bluegills over 1/8 and even that is pushing it for me. If I'm not using a Trout Magnet I like to use 1/32 or 1/16. Strike King are my favorite brand.
https://youtu.be/l0OTL70C70c
I generally catch larger bluegill on jigs than I do on live bait. Live bait will catch them all, but mostly only the bigger ones will get the jig hook in their mouth on the initial strike. The smaller ones will grab the tail or the head, but don't usually get the hook.
I did switch from 4lb line to 2lb line when I started fishing jigs more since the 1/64 oz. sizes are generally more productive.
They arrived yesterday, although things are getting pretty hectic around here so I’m not sure when I will get out next. What colors should I start with?
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I can't tell for sure what's behind the label in the picture above, but it looks like there is one in the corner that is black and green. Black, or black in combination with some other color are usually a good place to start if bluegill are the fish. Sometimes white can be extremely effective too. Don't be afraid to switch colors if you aren't getting bites though. If using those jig heads pictured above, I would only use the 1/32nd oz. ones for bluegill and prefer 1/64 oz. most of the time. A lot of insects and small fish contain grey and light brown and therefore those colors can often work well too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing
Attachment 387984Quote:
Originally Posted by Cricketcage
Here is a pic of that helps
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Honestly, I've never found any difference between these colors when it comes to action. I usually go with natural colors like the black and dark green or golden color in clearer water and then the neon colors in stained water. I don't think it makes a difference though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing
Attachment 387991
In my home waters bottom right (bison - black/gold) is good and so is bottom left (bulldog - black/red). The only other color I've tried in Trout Magnets is root beer float (brown and white) and it worked well also, but bison has been the best.
For bluegills I absolutely love the panfish magnet (a trout magnet with colors special for panfish), the normal trout magnet kit (I replace the jig head with black instead of silver and gold though but have caught many a fish on gold and silver), mini trout magnet, small hair jigs, and the mini mite.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing
I love using jigs for almost any type of fish. I use them exclusively for crappie although I am very new to crappie fishing, exclusively for fluke fishing, exclusively for striped bass, exclusively for mahi mahi, ect ect. I love jigs!!
Should I try live bait? Because all I ever use (except once in a blue moon) is jigs. I absolutely wear out some panfish with a jig. For shellcrackers, I will buy red wigglers, but for bluegill and all others I use jigs. Tiny jigs with either of these:
1. Trout Magnet - Don't take it from me, Randy proves they work every time he goes fishing. ( @Alphahawk)
2. Mr. Twister Micro Craw. I learned about these watching TyPigPatrol on YouTube. They work VERY WELL.
3. Renosky Keystone Minnow in perch color. WOW these are deadly. Thank you @ultraslab!
Those Renosky Keystone Minnow are imposable to find, if you do find them on eBay they are like $ 7.00 for one.Quote:
Originally Posted by jawjatek
That was a good post, spoon. Good advice to start with, but as you say you have to experiment as well. No two days are alike!
Bob
Ultra Light Weight gear is a must IMHO for any pan fish, especially bluegills. Whether using live bait or lures you really need the flexibility of a really lightweight rod to cast the tiny offerings AND to feel their sneaky little strikes. These days my go to rig is an old featherweight 4'8" Eagleclaw pole with a Pfleuger President XT 20 reel loaded with 2# Berkley Vanish Clear Fluorocarbon. I can put anything I cast right were I want it and feel the bites. When fishing the upper reaches of my favorite spots on Clover Creek I often use a 1" foam bobber to suspend bait AND lures allowing them to float over the fish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenlawnracing
Lots of good advice. On my small stream Bison and Bulldog have been very consistent producers, but I think I have had success with every color in the box. The Leland crawfish is another good one - smallies like them as well, and of course pans and crappies. Plastic jig fishing is a fun way to go - light tackle is a must.
Bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by robdh51
Welcome from Central Florida, glad to have you aboard. Clearly you have some skills and jumped right In Helping someone new, That’s what we’re all about. Look forward to your future posts.
Finally got a chance to give them a try! Unfortunately it was pretty uneventful, but I did finally break my jig virginity! Caught about 15 fish today, but only about three on jigs. Tried a few different colors, with the medium brown doing the best. Used a float most of the time, and ironically had the most hits just a few feet off of shore.
Tried a few different techniques, the majority of which were just a slow retrieve with a tiny twitch. Could not get them to cast worth a durn unless I had a float or split shot.
Was very windy today, I was casting with the wind to my back at about 25 miles an hour.
Definitely a lot of fun, and probably need to go out with somebody who uses jigs all the time. I must be doing something wrong, because I would throw a jig into the worm hotspot with little success.
Attachment 388576Attachment 388577Attachment 388575
Action died down pretty quick as the sun starting to come down, but they were hitting pretty good on worms. For reference, about 15 today, about 41 in the same time period last week.
I did use one of the jig hooks with the worms, and had zero gut hooks! Unfortunately, bite detection was tough, and later in the day I kept getting robbed. I grabbed an Aberdeen hook, and was rewarded with back to back got hooks. Went to my trusty number six, and got a pretty bad immediate gut hook. I did catch one fish and noticed that it already had a hook imAttachment 388579bedded in its stomach.
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If your missing bites consider changing the bobber to a more sensitive one and also changing line to braid or floro (if you aren't already using one of these). Also, often the very little gills will steal your worms. It used to bother me but now I figure those aren't even worth catching anyway. Another thing I found in using worms with a jig head is to cut the worm in 1" or less pieces and put a single piece on the jig just like you would a plastic lure. For me the fish are less able to steal the worm and more likely to get hooked.
I'm a little late to this party. Just FYI you can buy crappie/trout magnet stuff directly from Leland Lures cheaper (more times than not) than you find it on Amazon. TroutMagnet.com | Home of Trout Magnet, Crappie Magnet and Others
I usually do well with the darker colors like the red/black and the rootbeer (brown). But in some lakes I do well on the mealworm (gold) or all white.
This among plus 50 others shapes, actions and colors can always be depended on:
https://i.imgur.com/SM5bOrV.jpg
... key being the straight thin tail which flutters no matter how still you hold the rod.