Favorite Jigs?

[Boatnut]

I'm relatively new to jig fishing. I've always been a "troller", but would like to try new methods on my "home" lake in south central Kentucky. It's a deep lake. I get overwhelmed looking at the jig selections in Cabela's. Any suggestions on- 1) size? 2) colors? 3) barbed vs no-barb 4)floaters, wobblers etc???

thanks!
Mike(boatnut)

[River_eye]

When it comes down to it, the plain, round, bright yellow, pink, white jigs are the most bang for your buck. I've experimented with the rattling ones and the different shapes and they make no difference for me. If you were in a spot where there were virtually no snags, then I might use more of them, but a lot of the places I fish, you lose a lot of jigs.

Like a lot of lures, I think fancy jigs are more to make the fisherman bite, rather than the fish.

As far as barbs go, I live up in manitoba, and you must use barbless hooks up here. But once you are a good jig fisherman, it is very rare to lose a fish once it's hooked. It's also really easy to remove them.

As far as size goes, you want to use the lightest jig that you can where you can still feel the bottom. When you are starting out, you will find it easier with a heavier jig, and when you get really good at feeling the jig hit the bottom, you can switch to a smaller jig. Typically, if you are fishing in 10 feet or less, a 1/8th oz jig will be good, 10-25: 1/4 oz. and over that, you may choose to go to a 3/8th oz. these are only guidelines, as everyone has their own preferences.

Once you get really good at feeling the bottom, you can start casting jigs for walleyes. I never use a jig heavier than 1/th oz. for this. You have to cast it out, let it hit bottom, then jig it back toward you with big sweeps with your rod. Try this when you feel adventurous.

Good luck.

River eye

[AquaMan]

Boy, there is not much to add except maybe a few other colors. Lime green, light blue and fire tiger (Looks like a perch)

This brings up a question for the "match the hatch" group. What forage is orange or lime green or pink? Those are my favorite colors and the ones that produce the most, but I cannot figure out what they are representing...LOL

I suppose they appeal to the attractor side of the equation and the minnow provides the balance. ???

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

.·´¯° --- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

[SUPERTROLLER]

I agree with Aquaman, River Eye did a fine job of explaining. I'd just like to add a couple things. I think when referring to Barbed-Nonbarbed jigs he meant the Barb on the hook shaft, not on the point. The difference there is, the barb is there to hold your plastic's in place and not there to allow use of live baits. Also, we have found the floating jig heads to be quite attractive to walleye when dragging rigs instead of jigging. I know he said jigging options but he should think about having some floaters in the box as an alternate presentation. Same colors will work. I fish off-colored water a lot and have been trying the Whistler jigs. They seem to work best in situations where the fish are more aggressive and you use a swimming presentation. You'll need to go a little heavier with the propeller jigs due to the lift caused by the spinning blade. Hope this causes you to get a headache like the rest of us trying to become jig fisherman. LOL.

[River_eye]

Yeah, I can't remember the last time that I saw a neon pink fish swimming around.

The bright colours are probably what entice the fish to come in for a closer look, and the look and smell of the minnow are what causes it to bite. Who knows?

River eye

[curt quesnell]

super troller and boatnut...

river eye meant just what the post said...in manitoba you
must use barbless hooks, meaning the point.....it is a challenge
to keep bait on the hook...but they do it all the time.


curt quesnell

[Boatnut]

Hey guys...thanks for the great info...thats' why I love this board!

Mike(boatnut)

[James Morris]

Aquaman-> I think the reason those colors are most productive is because orange, yellow and green are the colors most visible to walleye (from what i understand). Also, those colors are all found on their natural forage, pink in the gills/flesh of bait, orange in perch and craws, and yellow and green in bait and perch.

Just my guess,

James

[SUPERTROLLER]

Curt, I fully realize you have barbless hook laws in Manitoba. I know river eye was referring to that. I was trying to clarify that there are also barbs behind the head of some jigs and that that style is the preferred style for Plastics. The ones without a barb behind the head are more conducive to use with livebait presentations. I was not implying he was mistaken of the rules of law in your area, I'm sorry if you took it that way. Since Mike (boatnut) was fishing in Kentucky, I assumed he would be using a barbed point hook. I've not heard that Kentucky was a barbless hook State.

[curt quesnell]

ok supertroller....
i can see a very faint light now as i understand what was
posted above...

i call them "bait holder" hooks and jigs, but certainly
they are barbed so that would also be dead on correct.

thank you and sorry for the inconvenience

your friend,

curt quesnell

[SUPERTROLLER]

See, it's just that language barrier thing. I speak American, you speak Canadian, and it just loses something in the translation.

[River_eye]

I immediately thought that that's what he meant by barbs, the ones on the tip. I forgot about the barbs near the head to keep the plastics on, I've never heard of them being called barbs, but I guess that's exactly what they are. There are no regulations on those, and yes those are mainly the type of jigs that I use.

Another reason why it could be confusing is that the barbs on the tip also help keep bait on too.

River eye

[curt quesnell]

ok....i love my canadian brothers and sisters but i am a
minnesotan...and i have eated the hotdishes to prove it.

troll on supertroller...troll on

curt quesnell

[Boatnut]

The part of Kentucky I keep my houseboat in is BARless...not barbless! :) It's a 60 mile run if you run outta "beverages". ;)
Mike(boatnut)

[GORD]

Fireballs are good for vertical jigging with live bait. They have a funny looking short shank hook that looks like it would never work, but they sure catch fish. Keep the jig about 6" off the bottom. Keep your rod tip low to the water and moving up and down just slightly, consentrate on the jig. If you feel anything the slightest bit differant....SET THE HOOK HARD with a LONG, HARD upward sweep of the rod. Try to rip the fishes head off. My buddy calls it a P.M.S. hookset. Quite often big walleye bite very lightly and it just feels like your jig touched or picked up a small piece of weed. Take a good look at the inside of a walleyes mouth and you'll understand why you have to set the hook with authority. Keep in mind you have to get all the stretch out of the line and the bend out of your rod before you can even start to set the hook into the boney roof of a big walleye's mouth. I snapped a M/H berkleys northern lites rod in half once setting the hook on a 12 lb. walleye. It was a solid hook set that pierced the upper part of the mouth dead center. Got the fish and a new replacement rod too.

[Tom/MN]

I'd add one other comment here that is really more to the hook set then the type of jig. When the bite is light, instead of rippin the lips on that first feel, I hold the rod steady and wait for the fish to move off one way or the other. This eliminates the short bite and I haven't found it to increase gut hooking.