BBug

do you feel that you get better hook up, loose less fish and what rod and line do you use with that big of a hook? Sometimes I think there is more to fishing a bait than just tying one on.

I agree on that. Thanks

any particular style? Also, does bending the blade make a huge difference ? I bent one today to try when I get out next week.

I have been playing with different hooks and sizes on a bladed jig that I build. I have a 3/8 oz head that I have poured hooks in sizes 3/0 and 4/0 in styles that are used for spinnerbaits and straight shank worm hooks. The bait seems to attract fish no matter which hook is used however, I feel that the 3/0 has more fish that do not make it into the boat. I have been thinking about trying a 5/0 but I will have to do some grinding on the mold to get it to fit. Any thoughts ?

it looks like your plans are to use one with a weed guard. In my opinion that may work against you on your hooking ability, I don't know. I do not use a weed guard and don't have any more issue hanging up then when I use a spinnerbait. Two ways to go. If you are fishing around brush, logs and that sort of cover, go with a beaver style trailer. The wide body will keep it from rolling as you work the bait thru cover. You will want to fish it more like a spinnerbait than a jig. When the water is more open, or you are fishing around weeds, I will go with more of a swimbait style trailer. Here I am not as concerned about getting hung up, and it looks more like a shad or baitfish.

You are welcome. Glad to help. If you don't pour your own, there are plenty of places that sell blank spinnerbaits. I believe that they have both painted and raw. There is plenty of wire on the short leg to allow for attaching the blade and you can use the remainder of the wire to make the snap.

One I just made.

I started playing/building vj's this winter and have had pretty good results with them this spring. My process is a bit different. I have a 3/8 oz spinnerbait mold into which I pour a straight wire shaft, attached to a hook . Next I powder coat and bake, attach the eyes and add a coat of 2 part epoxy to make sure that the eyes stay on. Once the head is complete, I can turn it into a spinnerbait or vibrating jig. When I twist it into a vj, I slide the blade over the wire and twist a loop so that the blade is located up front just like so many other bladed jigs out there. At first, the process was a bit slow when it came to attaching the blade. After doing a few, I am able to twist one up in very short order. This spring, I have landed several bass on the new addition however none over 3lbs. I have had it stress tested with pike over 5 lbs, with no ill effects. I will try to post pictures of some builds.

Made it out today but with only one little woman. She landed a couple healthy 14 inchers and I managed a few more. The surprise of the day was when I hooked into an landed a Muskie of around 40” with my bass jig. Bass were all pre spawn and very shallow. The majority of the fish were taken on a homemade jig or a vibrating jig that I made over the winter. Great weather and companionship rounded out a day to remember.

I was out looking at the local lakes yesterday and I noticed 2 beds in one area that would have been the right size for a largemouth bed. These beds were around 5 ft apart and in 18" of water. I could see that the bottoms were not completely swept out but they were in very good shape. Overall diameter was close to 36" and maybe 4" deep. This was a smallish size lake with deep water. I did not have my temp gauge with me so Im not sure what it was. The lake has largemouth and of course Pike in it. The only thing I know about a pike is that they will eat, and destroy , your most expensive topwater lure, every time. I think I read, somewhere, that Pike are one of the first fish to spawn in a lake and it can come shortly after ice out. My question is this, do pike spawn in beds like bass or could this be a bed that has been abandoned because of the drop in water temps?

Nice fish Deephaven but you might want to put a little thicker carpet on the floor of the boat, helps keep the feet happy. Happy Wife .... well, you know the saying!

I was thinking about hitting some local water around Faribault with the little women on Sunday, Late afternoon. I think most of the "go getters" should be heading home by 4 so thats when we are shooting to get out. The ramp may be filled up with people pulling out then, but the water should be at its warmest of the weekend so hopefully the fish will not be molested to the point where we cant get bit. Really looking forward to get out and try some of the new baits that I built over winter.

I am thinking about heading to pool 5A this weekend and have never been there. I see that there are not many ramps located along this stretch. If anyone has any experience on this pool launching, I would appreciate knowing what they consider to be the best. I have googled some and I am not sure but they look like they are on gravel roads and rather flat. Winona is looking like my best option. Any opinions would be great. Thanks

I don't know if this will work for you but I slide my skirt up to the collar on the jig and then I slide snap ring pliers (the style that opens the jaws when you close the handle) under the skirt to expand it. Then its just a matter of sliding the skirt into place.

I have been on MNDNR Lake finder and searched their survey results for Lake Pepin (Mississippi River) and, it looks like the largemouth population is poor at best. Everything I read talks about the walleye, sauger and smallmouth. Hardly a mention about largemouth. Im wondering if anyone who fishes Pepin has a first hand experience on this lake and if the green cousin is under fished or overlooked. Or, is the smallmouth fishing just so good, why bother with looking for largemouth. My preference is to go brown when they are there yet there has been a trip or two to Lake Erie (also know for Smallies and Walleye) where largemouth saved the trip. Just like Pepin, there was not much chatter about the largemouth in Erie, but they are there and can be very fun to play with. I am sure that I will be making a trip over there sometime in the not so distant future so if anyone knows the status of the Largemouth population in Pepin, I thank you in advance.

I will check my settings to see where it is on that. Thanks

So, it stands to reason that with the forward facing units like livescope, one is less likely to be able to see fish on this thicker water too. Or, is it a different animal, being able to cut thru to pick up the smaller detail?

Thank you I totally understand the get out early thing. I moved from OH to MN and was unable to get my boat out here until the lakes were full bloom. Then I added the H12 with the idea of learning more about the lakes around me. I was able to get a vague idea of what I was dealing with however, bottom hardness and fine detail, I was not able to make the adjustments to see these. With limited amount of time on the water to start with, and having my son who was really starting to get into fishing, I found it more important to catch some fish then to spend time figuring out the unit. I have told him but not been able to show him what can happen if you find them on some obscure piece of cover or structure. Now that school has somewhat open, I plan to take some spare time to do exactly what you recommended. Thanks

Hey all, I have a Mega DI/SI Helix 12 that I run on my console that was somewhat new to me last summer. By the time I started really trying to learn the unit, the water was extremely green with an algae bloom and I just found myself in a struggle of should I be fishing or learning the unit. I was getting so much bounce from all of the junk floating around, that the screen was a mess. I tried adjusting contrast above the sensitivity and below. I tried setting the sensitivity around 13 and working my way down. I was never really able to get the view that I wanted. My question is this, Is it possible to get a nice clear view of whats down there and should I be able to pick up small detail when it is dialed in, in "pea soup" water? If it is possible, I guess I will just take a day or whatever it takes, and figure out what settings work. Thanks

as always, Great information. Thanks Much!

I noticed on Lake Finder that there is recorded data on ice in, and out for many lakes. Is there a web site that gives an up to date status on ice thickness or lack there of ? With the weather we have coming up, I was thinking about launching somewhere just to shake the bugs out of my new additions to the boat and maybe practice casting. Its about 1.5 hours for me to any border waters and It would be nice to know if launching is possible.

great thanks

In regards to the rivers that share state lines, does a MN resident need a non-resident license to fish when their states season is not open yet?

All I know is that the fishing here is much better then where I came from. Maybe it is because all of the fishable water dilutes the pressure or maybe its the seasons. It would be nice to get the boat out shortly after the ice melts however I can deal with waiting a bit longer if it means my catch per cast ratio remains like it was last year.

Perfect! As expected, this group comes thru. Thanks Much