My best bait without a doubt for guills and sunnys was the fly n bobber.. that bait took me to a whole new level of catching em.... I lost alot of my baits and bobbers tho hahahh
My best bait without a doubt for guills and sunnys was the fly n bobber.. that bait took me to a whole new level of catching em.... I lost alot of my baits and bobbers tho hahahh
Trout magnet has been my #1 bait for at least the last five years.
Small fur dubbed bugs on #8 or #10 sickle jig hooks, with rubber tails. Baited with Bob's Jigs ice flukes or Slabanator Scent Sticks and a spray of SlabSauce!
1/80th and 1/64th micro woolybooger jigs are my #1 .
Next would have to be a shortened slider grub with the first two rings removed on a 1/64th or a 1/32th jighead . Great little mini swimbait .
Next would be 1” Gulp minnows on a 1/64th jighead.
1/43rd black/red feather hand tie tipped with berkley power bait and a small float !
Caught thousands on it this year !
For past 13 years it has been a Trout Magnet.
Regards
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Mine as well. This past year I teamed it up with a float to handle a very rocky bottom creek and it was killer. An additional bonus with the float is to tick it close to the bottom BUT high enough to avoid river snot on the bottom. Worked great!Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Bob
I second the slider grub. This was my first summer targeting gills and crackers several times. When a buddy told me to cut off a couple rings it was a game changer. Under a float some and also casting and bumping it along bottom.Quote:
Originally Posted by gillchaser999
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1/100oz #12 balanced micro woolybugger.Gills love this setup. Attachment 415557
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One of best gill lure Ive ever used .Quote:
Originally Posted by z520tom
Ive been recently tying some 1/64th and even some 1/32nds .
Im going back to tying 1/80th and 1/100 . I think the lighter jigs fall slower and I think they draw more bites .
My biggest gills come on a brown Trout Magnet.
I caught my best fish this(last) year on some tiny little black stinger tail jigs I got from Bob's jigs that I found here. Second place goes to one called a Donkey Tail jig. I don't remember where I got them, likely online somewhere, but they are amazing. They have a neat little jig head that is kind of like a ned rig with a wire keeper on it. I really like them.
My best bait, as with every other year, is earth worms. My best lure is 1/32 or 1/64 oz jig head and a Bobby Garland Baby Shad (generally a natural color).
Mule JigQuote:
Originally Posted by gunwhatgun
Mule Jig (1/64oz)
– Mule Fishing Supply Co
What was your best bait this year that caught them guills and all?
Easy - light jigs and soft plastics for all species, the lures either hand poured or modified using a pair of scissors and candle to melt the ends to be joined - hybrid lure example:
Crappie Magnet tail added to a larger grub body (white sucker couldn't resist):
https://i.imgur.com/xQsgkLJ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/OIo6iEw.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/3qiDkyx.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/gi98ZOm.jpg
hand pour mini-sticks:
https://i.imgur.com/JTBIkpC.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/pwp5oYE.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/iDBKcxu.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/EKTcrf4.jpg
thin straight tail (the one on the far right is a hybrid using a French Fry worm segment)
https://i.imgur.com/xzszW2C.jpg?2https://i.imgur.com/684g87m.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/EOXq3ni.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/TzskLb0.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/SgiohtM.jpg?1
Curl tail hybrids:
https://i.imgur.com/mFBjOa3.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/J2vho6X.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/QQd7c0h.jpg?1
Spike tail
https://i.imgur.com/fNwQiEk.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/5D3tULz.jpg?1
Crappie Spin with various lures:
https://i.imgur.com/E6nx3Hn.jpg
hotdogs and worms for bluegill are tough to compete with in this part of the world
Yeah, that's why I always tip my plastics with half a worm.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishfishwish
Awesome pics and variety!
Trout Magnet and Euro Tackle B-Vibe were my go-to for 2021...but I love trying new stuff!
Same here in Abalama...hard to beat a Dollar Store dog for catching big gills, especially on a 35 degree morning! Last two days they wouldn't touch a nymph under a bobber but slammed the dogs...Quote:
Originally Posted by Ketchn
Spoonminnow, nothing spell AWESOME like catching fish with lures you put together with your own device, Sir! Thumbs up!
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Tiny duck feather jigs have been my favorite since I started making them 28 years ago. I caught my biggest bluegill, black and white crappie while using them.
For me if were talking about catch per hour it be dropshotting or floatNflies rig. However my favorite and most fun way to catch any sunfish and LM bass would be this:
Attachment 415912
Creme micro top water swim baits. Nothing scream WOAH like seeing your adversary chasing the lure to the surface then smacking it feets away from where you standing!!
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Thanks, much appreciated! And you're right, home crafted lures unique in design and action put a new light on what fish strike and maybe why. Finding fish is usually by accident; catching fish not so much if I'm using the right lures the right way.Quote:
Originally Posted by LVSpinfisher1
A candle flame is all you need to join parts together and any lure I've posted a picture of can be reproduced by anyone. It's like opening a catalog and picking out lures you never used but would like to try, difference being - you already own the parts of lures needed. Once you catch fish on a creation, not only is it a pleasant surprise, but very enlightening when it comes to the many lure actions and shapes that provoke fish to attack.
The first fish hooked on what you produce leads to the addiction of lure craft- especially in winter months where fishing for many is imagination only.
Awesome guys thanks for sharing
LVSpin, if you or anyone else would like suggestions of which bodies and tails could be joined, put different soft plastic lures on a light colored surface in rows and I'll recommend which body / tail combinations to connect as well as where to make the cuts. Also, lay a smaller ruler down for scale. Post a photo on crappie.com. I might even be able to show the end product photographically.
I almost guarentee success catching fish with them as long as they are worked slowly and on a light jig head.
Spoonminnow, thanks in advance! It be awesome what I might come up with. However I dont have much to work with as you can see:
Attachment 415946
Attachment 415947
But the fishy looking thingy jighead are hard to find and its my last piece. Its been lucky charm for Ive caught over a dozen nice gills with in including this 7 bruiser!
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LV, how heavy do you think the minnow head is? I might have a couple.
That's one beautiful sunfish !!
Anyway, here's an example:
Cut the white curl tails off two of the same grub bodies.
Hold the ends over a flame for a few seconds and then hold the ends together as shown:
Attachment 415970
You rig it on a jig head as shown:
https://i.imgur.com/Uq17S1l.jpg?1https://i.imgur.com/ytUHw9d.jpg
or you can wacky rig it with hook in the center:
https://i.imgur.com/sPVWI6v.jpg?1
Jig weights: 1/24 or 1/16 oz with #6 hook. (Ebay)
This design catches everything when worked with rod tip twitches and pauses. Curl tail often don't do as well.
You can do the same thing with the other grub bodies.
Skeetbum, I've tossed the packaging a while back but I'll guess its closer to 1/16 then 1/8 oz, just because the one rod that can cast it nicely is an Abu XUL rated. I've been back to BassPro and walmart looking with no avail.Quote:
Originally Posted by skeetbum
Spoonminnow, thanks again! The pictures definitely helped. :ThumbsUp
LV, I forgot to include this hybrid that I came up with using the pearl tail of one grub and attaching it to the larger red/laminate grub body:
Attachment 416068
This profile shows a thicker body that is better matched to the tail, giving the lure a chunky profile and tail to match.
The whole idea of hybrid plastics is the change in profile, size and action that may make all the difference.
Are you using the 1 inch slider grubs or are you cutting off the 1 1/2 size .Quote:
Originally Posted by Damion Kidd
A small chunk of hotdog?Quote:
Originally Posted by snakeeater
Gills love ‘em.Quote:
Originally Posted by DockShootinJack
1/4 inch cubes of cheap hotdogs lightly dried in the sun on a number 8 wire hook are just deadly
Gaines Mini Pop. Couldn't post a picture but Gaines is a small company in Gaines Pennsylvania that makes fantastic fly fishing lures. The Minipop is tough and will last for a hundred gills. Ck em out!
Gillchaser, what are you tying in for the tail in that micro bugger?Quote:
Originally Posted by gillchaser999
Bunny hair cut from a zonker strip .Quote:
Originally Posted by woodyard
I also use mallard flank feathers and marabou feathers.
Thanks, I tie several wooly buggers, but have not been tying them that small. Fixing to add to the box.Quote:
Originally Posted by gillchaser999