MyFishFinder Forum
MFF US Northeast => New York => Topic started by: pikechaser on Jul 08, 2012, 06:45 PM
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anyoine jig them up in summer from bottom, like we do it in winter ? just wondering if it works ?
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anyoine jig them up in summer from bottom, like we do it in winter ? just wondering if it works ?
It works very well, especially if you can keep the boat from moving so that you stay mostly vertical.
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Yes, it works! I caught 13 lakers today vertical jigging see my posts at:
http://www.myfishfinder.com/fishing_forum/index.php?topic=1357.285
(http://www.myfishfinder.com/fishing_forum/index.php?topic=1357.285)
Banged 9 last Tuesday in 90+ degree heat at 2 in the afternoon! You will need a good fishfinder that will pick up your jig in deep water and you have to be able to keep your boat anchored in very deep water. I use the same rod/reel as I do icefishing and the same lures, usually 3/4-1.5 oz., so a stiff jigging rod is necessary.
There is lot's of info in the link above.
BIGJim223
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what are you using for jigs ? and why cant I dift and jig, if i stay on fish ?
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what are you using for jigs ? and why cant I dift and jig, if i stay on fish ?
You can drift, we do that all of the time and just slow our drift with the motor or a drift sock. We never anchor...I like to cover more than the fish that are right below me. Drifting into an area with more (or at least less educated) fish is better than sitting in one spot and just getting one now and then after you hit a few. The thing with vertical jigging in the summer is you really need to be vertical to keep in touch with your jig and bottom. Too fast of a drift, and your line goes way off to the side and you can no longer find bottom (basically, you have lost touch with your jig due to drag on the line). It also helps if you can see your jig and the fish on the finder, and to do that, your jig needs to be relatively straight down. For deep water (100+ feet), you will want 1 to 1.5 ounce jigheads with sharp, light wire hooks. The type of plastic that works well depends on the day...although usually having an assortment of colors, sizes, and designs does the trick.
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Like Outdoorsman said, your line has to be nearly straight down, and in the cone of your fishfinder to be effective. You can drift fish but you will lose the jig on your sonar and be fishing blind. At 100+ feet even a 1mph drift will have your jig out of the average sonars cone (roughly 33' @100 ft, 20 degree cone). The trick is to see the fish when he or preferably THEY slash at your jigs, and then reel to get them to chase it. Don't worry, you can't reel too fast, they will catch your lure if they want it. The more fish that you see chasing/slashing your jig, the more likely you will hook one. They are very aggressive when they are in a big pack. Often 2 or 3 fish will follow a hooked trout still trying to get the bait as you play the fish out. The 9.75 lb fish (31 in) I caught yesterday had slash marks down it's sides I presume from other fish that were slashing at the 4 1/2" jig hanging out of it's mouth. This is a very common thing.
As far as lures, think heavy- 3/4 - 1.5 ounce jigs. I use 1oz most of the time. Pimples in the 4-5 inch sizes, airplane jigs tipped with a teaser of minnow/sucker/any fish skin, tube jigs 4-5 inches long (I use 4" Venom Bleeding Tubes in white/blood red with 1oz tube jigs), white/chartreuse bucktails made for striper fishing, just think big. And VERY sharp hooks! I replace all my hooks with premium trebles usually 2 sizes bigger.
Your rod needs to be fairly stout. A fast tip will not give the action that the jig needs when you yank it up 4-6 feet at a time. I use 34" and 40" heavy action ice fishing rods made for lake trout fishing. For line I use braid (PowerPro is my choice) with a 3-4' Floro leader with a small swivel connecting them together. Mono stretches WAY TOO MUCH! Plus with the braid you will feel everything going on down there.
Go give it a try, it works very well for me. I was always a downrigger guy for summer lakers, about all I use my riggers for now is anchoring the back of my boat! I can catch 10 fish jigging for every one I catch trolling in my lake.
Good luck!
BIGJim223
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Big Jim hit it right out of the park with his excellent tutorial on open water jigging! The only thing I could possibly add to this discussion is the effectiveness of going with a partner in a rowboat. Take turns, one guy rows and controls the boat to keep the jig on the screen and the other guy jigs. We usually trade off every three fish! If you're lucky enough to hit a calm day both of you can jig. This is the technique of choice for us guys down in southern NY on the NYC DEP reservoirs where no motors are allowed. I completely concur with Big Jim regarding Downriggers. They have their place but jigging is insanely more productive and a heck of a lot more fun way to catch them! The heat of summer has no bearing on jigging productivity rather, I think it only concentrates the fish when the thermocline sets up. Either way, your sonar is your best friend. Find them and whack them on the head with your jig! LOL!
God luck-Mike
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By the way Jim, great idea using the DR as an anchor! I got a 12 lb DR ball that I'm gonna try tomorrow! I'm up in IL this week with relatives from Germany! Going to try Tupper Lake tomorrow yanking lead for lakers and walleye! Hope you're well Bro!
Mike
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i do it all the time,over the side of the boat with a johnson silver spoon,lift and drop, bait helps
hope this helps
RAT
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thanks for the help, think i will try a jig head tipped with a 4- 6 inch white twister tail . Thats what i get them on in winter, or white pimple
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Oh yeah, the good 'ol white pimple! Big Jim is the Founding Father of Team White Pimple!
Mike
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OK Mike, settle down! Everyone here knows that YOU are the founder of Team White Pimple! I am just your loyal disciple! Funny thing is, the 9.75 pounder was caught on a white glow pimple! And it is YOU that broke me from that nasty downrigger habit! They do work pretty good for the waldo's though.
I don't know what happened here in the last week, but both the lake trout and the walleyes are on fire here! I hope it stays that way for awhile.
How did you do in the great white north today? I am sure they were hitting for you up there too!
BIGJim223
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Haha, too funny! Yeah but at least we look cool having DR's on our boats! Who'd a thought that a jig rod and some pimples is all we would need? LOL!
Got nothing but shorts today on one of my better spots but fun nonetheless, that is until the 25 mph winds started and had a real circus trying to get my boat back in the trailer! Gonna take relatives from Germany here with me up to Tupper tomorrow. Always wanted to try it up there for the lakers. There's good walleyes in tupper also but have no idea how to troll for them. Any advice? I have two DR's, lead core rods and regular 7' trolling rods along with the jig and yanking poles. Have in line planer boards too. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Thanks Bro!
Mike
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Worm rigs and leadcore working here. Downriggers and Jointed Rapala's working too. The magic depth here is right around 22 feet during the day. Shallow at night- 1 1/2-3 feet.
Good luck!
BIGJim223
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Worm rigs and leadcore working here. Downriggers and Jointed Rapala's working too. The magic depth here is right around 22 feet during the day. Shallow at night- 1 1/2-3 feet.
Good luck!
BIGJim223
Thanks Jim!
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Big Jim hit it right out of the park with his excellent tutorial on open water jigging! The only thing I could possibly add to this discussion is the effectiveness of going with a partner in a rowboat. Take turns, one guy rows and controls the boat to keep the jig on the screen and the other guy jigs. We usually trade off every three fish! If you're lucky enough to hit a calm day both of you can jig. This is the technique of choice for us guys down in southern NY on the NYC DEP reservoirs where no motors are allowed. I completely concur with Big Jim regarding Downriggers. They have their place but jigging is insanely more productive and a heck of a lot more fun way to catch them! The heat of summer has no bearing on jigging productivity rather, I think it only concentrates the fish when the thermocline sets up. Either way, your sonar is your best friend. Find them and whack them on the head with your jig! LOL!
God luck-Mike
Are you fishing the thermocline or below it on bottom? I like that two man row boat idea to. Ive got a small lake that hits 90 ft that does not allow the use of motors.
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We simply just mark the fish on the sonar and drop our jig on them. When you have a partner controlling the boat he can keep your jig on screen. If the fish isn't active you move on until you mark the next fish! VERY effective and allows you to cover a lot of water!
Good luck-Mike
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Are you fishing the thermocline or below it on bottom? I like that two man row boat idea to. Ive got a small lake that hits 90 ft that does not allow the use of motors.
Bottom, although they will come up a long way to whack a jig.
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how bout jigging for browns? are they willing to hit the jigs also? thats about the only fish I havent caught out of otisco and was thinking of possibly jigging for them as I dont have downriggers and the lakes is only about 65' at its deepest.
I havent heard of anybody doing any jigging on otisco and catching browns. :-\
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how about jigging for Chinooks on the big lake? THAT would be a BOATLOAD of fun...they fight hard!
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Browns are definitely jig-able but not easily! In open water I've only gotten small stockies. I get some good ones through the ice. Usually I'm jigging lakers when I see a red suspended mark on the Vexilar near the top of the water column and it's usually a brown. When I feel up to them they often times hit and they are usually decent fish!
Mike
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IT WORKS, i like johnson silver spoons over the side of the boat with bait[minnies,cut bait,worms,]what works
hope this helps
;D ;D ;D
RAT
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so whats best to jig lakers with ? jigheads with white tail, swidish pimples in white. what else ?
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so whats best to jig lakers with ? jigheads with white tail, swidish pimples in white. what else ?
Most any HEAVY jigging type lure. The key is keeping it vertical under your boat and on your sonar. I prefer chartreuse/silver colors on my lake, it's what works best for me. But white works good too, especially white/glow in very deep water.
Saturday I was working a bunch of lakers in 122FOW with a Black/silver combination, all they did was chase it. I only caught 1 small fish, though they would chase it up for 30 feet or so, sometimes 3-5 fish at a time. After 20 minutes of that I changed to the exact same jig but in chartreuse, dropped it down and before it hit bottom I was into a slammer lake trout. 10 minutes later after 3 smoking runs back to the bottom, I landed a very fat 28" fish that was right on 9 lbs. I caught 3 more in the next 20-30 minutes ranging from 4 to 6 lbs. Was it because I changed color? I don't know, but whatever it was worked for me!
I have caught them on 5" Wildeye Swimbaits, Twister Tail jigs, Sassy Shad type plastics on a big round head jig, there is even a guy on my local lake that uses a big jig with a 3" chunk of Hot Dog on it! He says that the cheaper the hot dog (think Bar S brand!) the smokier they are, the better they work! I believe they will eat anything you put in front of them, live bait. dead bait, plastic bait, Gulp Bait, whatever! Especially when they are in a pack situation and very aggressive.
Good Luck!
BIGJim223
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Have wanted to try Otsego for both walleye and lakers. Live in Albany -- would pick up gas and expenses if anyone would wants to take along a novice to that lake.
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PETE,
anytime,i think i can help
;D ;D ;D
RAT
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Thanks RiverRatz- sent a you a PM will be in touch.
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Thanks RiverRatz- sent a you a PM will be in touch.
PeterC: I am always looking for a fishing partner. Send me a PM, and we will talk.
BIGJim223
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Jim-- dropped you a PM
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PeterC: Replied to you by email. Going Sunday morning if you can make it. Give me a call.
BIGJim223
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Big JIM and I gave it rip on Sunday. Had first walleye within minutes and then it slowed down. He gave me the
tour of Otsego and many thanks. It is a beautiful resource and those who can use it are very lucky.