Jigfishn10

Loved the "power of distance" post A-Jay, great advice. Something that I forgot about fishing some of the crystal clear lake in NH. Mental note is not lost here.

Jeepers, back in the low 20*'s this morning! 40*'s & 50*'s will be the tempo ranges for the next 10 days with a possible 60* towards the end. Waters are unlocking as well.

I work in Natick right by Lake Cochituate and it looks like it about 50% - 60% open in the area I drive by. I never even thought about going by the Res in Canton this morning. I have 2 options of getting to the highway and going by the res is 1 of them. I'll go by tomorrow and will check it out.

I wrote this in another thread but it's worth repeating. My son is a pitcher in baseball and can throw a lot of different pitches...curveball, slider, 2 seem, 4 seem, change-up, splitter, cutter...I asked him 1 day, if you have a 2/2 or 3/2 count how many of those pitches do you have confidence in throwing? He said 3. "Why don't you work on those 3 for now, get really good with them and then add another." It's fun to be able to fish with multiple lures, presentation and techniques but if you don't know how to fish with any of the lures you mentioned then you're just casting and not fishing. The advice you've been given has been great advice by fisherman who had to develop their own flow charts. I would work on something that can be fished on top, middle and bottom. Get good with those then add something else. You can develop your own flow chart from your experience instead of someone elses. For me: Topwater: Walking bait like a Spook Jr Middle: Lipless Crank Bottom: Texas Rig Worm EDIT: Sorry @MIBassyaker, I completely misread your post about top, middle bottom. Great post

How would you rig the rubber earing backing? I guess I'm not visualizing this.

That devine hybrid jig looks really good! Kind of reminds me of the Denny Brauer Pro Jig. I can see why it's versatile. I wish it came unleaded tho...Oh well, thanks for posting

For me, I tend to look at jigs from not only it’s shape but line tie. Look at a football jig: • Line tie is at approx 90* • Shaped like a football turned 90* Result: will have a more stand-up quality to it, so maybe a crawfish pattern would be good here. Doesn’t look like it will come through grass well. Casting jig: • line tie is straight to approx 30* • head is bullet shaped Result: will stay more horizontal so maybe a baitfish pattern. Looks like it will come thru grass better That’s the feedback I get from those jigs. Is it better to only have 1? It’s better to have and not need then need and not have.

Just remember A-Jay; "Trying is the first step towards failure." - Homer Simpson

For me, once I get a bite and the bait either slides down (most of the time) or rides up the line the initial hole in the nose of the bait is now compromised. I may or may not be able to cast depending how compromised the hole is. If you're not having problems, then keep fishing as you normally would. Just keep these tricks that have been discussed here in your back pocket. You never know when it'll come in handy. Better to have and not need, than to need and not have.

I have to ask JJ, cuz I had an issue with another soft plastic, were the baits cold when you noticed this? I got a fluke type bait and put it on to fish and it was really hard...like you said, like tire rubber. One thing I did was to heat water to a bubble - just before boiling - and dip the plastic bait for like 2 seconds then check for suppleness. Let it dry straight. I saved a whole bag in about 10 minutes. Give it a try, it may on may not work, but it's worth a shot IMO.

Fish slashing the bait?

Lipless Spinnerbait T-Rig

I could not for the life of me remember who manufactured lipless cranks this way! Thanks for posting, this was driving me crazy... Really? That surprises me, I very rarely hook them on the rear hook. How strange is that. To the OP, I've never tried them although I'm no gonna lie, my interest is peaked. I may have to give it a whirl this spring. I have some extra swivels and willows hanging around and will have to make some up.

Double Post...deleted content No explanation for moderation.

Ahhh, good advice @the reel ess. Thank you

I think you’re right @Boomstick, we have a project out in Williams College and it seems to be bit colder than what we have here on the eastern seaboard. Looks like you’re just gonna have to join us for a couple of week. ?

That's a fair statement. Not sure you're gonna fins a lot of doctor's here though...

I tighten the cast control down like @the reel ess mentions in his post and I tend to skip more t-rigs and grass jigs. I can't get a football head or an arky to skip for some reason.

What's the issue with posting in the forum IL is listed in?

I think you're gonna hear crickets on this one...Imagine what the folks in Kentucky feel like?

It looks like the RES uses a unique weight system. 1 lead or steel piece in the front and 1 in the belly and they look like they're fixed: The only way to do it is to drill out some of the weight and the same amount of weight on each one in order to maintain the sinking/swimming quality of the lure. After drilling out, plug with a dowel. Sharpen a 1/4" dowel with a pencil sharpener, plug the holes, file to shape to the body and cover with either 2 part epoxy or nail polish. Don't use red, fish hate that. The nail polish method would have to be maintained, meaning keep inspecting in after fishing. I've gotten a season with baits I doctored using nail polish. Hope this helps.

Kind of an odd month for TN to have this kind of weather, is this normal for you all?

Totally agree...Loved how that 7 lber just got tossed in nonchalantly... Try pulling back to the deeper water transition and go back to your moving baits if you still think they're active. For whatever reason, I think they pulled back and shut down, no rhyme or reason, just a hunch.

Go get em boys!

Fingers are crossed for you, stay safe RW.