Junk Fisherman

Caught a half dozen or so of these this past weekend on jerkbaits. 40-42 degree water temps. I agree with others in this thread- jerkbaits, bladebaits, Ned, and an A-rig is what I'm throwing.

So as a I start getting ready for tying some hair jigs, I am wondering what kind of supplies you can get at Michaels. Is the thread used on jigs specific for fishing or will any basic thread work? Has anyone bought any Marabou or other materials from Michaels? Thanks for any info.

Probably the biggest thing I learned was how to fish up North in the middle of the summer once the spawn is completely over. I have been taking long June trips to Northern Michigan for the last 10 years and have done great fishing prespawn and spawning fish. This year I took a mid-July trip and while I didn't catch the same number of big fish, I had a very successful trip catching lots of fish overall. Searching 20'+ water is something I started becoming comfortable with. Next year I plan on taking a June trip by myself and then take a long family vacation in July. The biggest other development in my fishing this year has been fishing jerkbaits. I have caught more jerkbait fish this fall than the rest of my fishing career combined. It was/is the biggest hole in my fishing arsenal that many times I said I needed to work on. Luckily, I have a new colleague who's excellent with jerkbaits and he has been coaching me and it has really paid off. So many times I'd have a jerkbait tied on and cast it a dozen times but then put it down and use something I am more comfortable with. But this fall I stuck with it and it has paid off. Last Sunday I threw a jerkbait probably 90% of the time and caught every fish on one.

This is why when I retire I plan to take a 2-week trip to Texas or somewhere south for a couple weeks every February. We have a fantastic cooling lake that opens March 1st so that helps shorten the winter.

I do this as well. Long hikes, thermos of coffee, sometimes I make a fire, sometimes not- it's something to do outdoors. Like a couple others on this thread, watching too many videos makes my cabin fever worse. I'm headed out this Saturday for probably the last time this season for bass. 43 and low winds is good enough for me. Weather-permitting, I'll fish for Lake Trout on Lake Michigan but I haven't really figured out how to catch those fish. I'll ice fish if it gets severely cold but I am not really into that. I probably should start river fishing for winter smallmouth or possibly steelhead.

What stage are the fish on those lakes in around the beginning of February? Is it one of the better times of the year to fish there? Thanks.

Ordered a Garmin 93SV UHD from Cabela's yesterday through their Black Friday sale. Really looking forward to getting out next season and finding deep water fish. I watched a couple videos over the weekend that really sold me on getting a unit. I saw a video of a fella marking fish, casting his Ned rig past the fish, then seeing his jig in the water, and then how the fish responded as the lure went past. My mind started racing about all the scenarios where I could use this. One thing- holy smokes those Garmin transducers are expensive. $350+ for a transducer with chirp and side-imaging. Think I'll keep my Humminbird on the bow in addition to the Garmin with Livescope.

I agree with this. Since the local tournaments stopped about a month ago, there have been much fewer fishermen on the water. Last weekend I was on a very popular lake in IL and there were only a half dozen or so boats out. Granted, it was either raining, high winds, or in the low 40s. One thing that I started doing this season was going out later in the day and fishing till dark. Once the tournaments were over for the day, you had the place all to yourself. If you went out at daylight it was an absolute zoo.

I second this recommendation.

This was me on Saturday. I'm not looking forward to the winter. Hoping I can squeeze a couple more bass outings before Thanksgiving.

There's also Pure Rod and Gun Club which is right there in the area. I think Pure Rod was about $500 per year 6-7 years ago. It's worth it if you use the place often. I knew someone who had a membership at both Pure Rod and Bass and Gill and he said the fishing was comparable. I loved the fact that I could go to Bass and Gill on the weekends and see a couple boats a day. You'd go to Braidwood and have to get in line to fish community holes.

Try the harbors. I've never done it but I see lots of pictures of good smallies being caught from the shore in the harbors. I do well in a boat in Cal Harbor and NW Indiana.

Now I know one of the projects I am tackling this winter. Thanks.

I'm gonna have to figure out how to tie some of these on a Midwest Finesse jig that I already make.

I'll throw in my unsolicited advice. If you are fishing with Elaztech use an open hook Ned rig unless you are fishing cover that absolutely will not allow it. I fish a Ned rig a lot and use it in grassy cover often. With a #2 or better yet a #4 hook, it will not catch that much vegetation and you can shake it off a lot of the time mid-retrieve. I tried some Owner EWG jigs with a #1 hook and T-riged a TRD and my hookup percentage went down. Sure, I didn't get snagged hardly at all but I didn't catch as many fish. The hook did not pass through the Elaztech as easily as I needed it to and we don't do much of a hookset with a Ned. Since I make my own Ned rig jigs and they are cheap, I don't mind losing a couple if it ensures more fish. Maybe others have better results but this is what I have found. Good luck.

I plan on getting a Garmin FFS for next season so I have found this thread interesting. Does anyone have one of the units and thinks it makes fishing too easy for them? It seems like the people who are critical of the units either don't have them or are not using them effectively.

I used to HATE the wind now I just dislike it. A light chop is ideal. When the wind is up you just have to adjust your tactics.

For that price, I would not sell the rod. Even though it is an XH, I suspect it is very light for its power. I'd use it for frogs, jigs, C-rigs. If it is too heavy for some of those tactics then use it for punching. If after a couple months you don't have a need for it, sell it. For that price you'll be able to get your money back. But I suspect you'll like it for something. My Steez spinning rod is the best rod I have ever used and I am planning on getting more of the new series. Good luck.

Is money the driving force behind this thought? Why not just enjoy your rods? If I was starting from scratch, my high-end rods would be bottom contact and finesse presentations. With that said, using high-end rods on fast-moving baits is nice too. When I got a Steez rod for finesse, I moved my former finesse rod (Dobyns 741 HP) to the small swimbait role which is an upgrade over the former rod I was using. It's really nice to use that high-end rod for 3" swimbaits. You really feel the hits better and the fight is more enjoyable as well.

In terms of a retrieve, less is more for both a dropshot and a Ned rig. Slowly pulling a dropshot gives the bait enough action. There are times when I shake it or give it more action but slow and subtle works most often in my experiences. Same thing with the Ned. The sinking motion, soft gliding, and standing up on the bottom is all that is usually required. The buoyancy of the TRDs is a must. I don't even use other brands. And I think a lot of people use too heavy of a jig. 1/16th is what you want. The only time when I go to a 1/10th is when the wind is up a little or I am fishing 18'+ feet of water. In terms of tackle, a high modulus graphite rod greatly assists in bite detection. When I went from a Dobyns 741 Champ HP to a Steez 761, I immediately noticed the difference. Sure, many bites are no-brainers and it wouldn't matter what rod you were using but you often have those times where the wind is up a little and your boat is moving- those are the times the ultra-sensitive rod helps with detecting a hit. I am not a high-end tackle junkie but I am convinced that the Steez has helped me put more fish in the boat. Most of my other tackle is good not great but I'll spend the $500+ for the uber-sensitive Steez or comparable rod for finesse fishing. And from reading what others recommend, I also think people use too heavy of a rod for Ned rigs. I always prefer the light action over the medium light. I am more concerned with maximizing sensitivity. I'll fight the big fish longer once I get them hooked. Most of the time I am fishing Great Lakes so I can just let the fish tire itself out. I've caught numerous carp and salmon on light action rod. Just play the fish and don't get in a hurray. Give the fish line and chase it. YGK Sinking G-Sol is the line you want to use. The best leader line I have found, and I have used a bunch, is Gamma Edge in 6 lb. Hope it helps.

I don't really care about comparing my skills to others. I put my emphasis on enjoying my day of fishing NOT finishing high in a tournament, outfishing my coangler, or being able to post a bunch of pictures on social media. I know that my skills have improved tremendously over the last few years and I would be competitive fishing club tournaments or other local circuits but I value the serenity and the freedom that a day of fishing gives me over the hectic, crowded-water scenarios that is involved in just about every local tournament. But to answer the question, I am probably a better light-line finesse fisherman than you are. Finesse swimbaits, dropshots, and Ned rigs account for probably 75% of all the fish I catch.

Great year for me. Not a lot of trophy fish but a lot of very good outings with lots of 3-4 lb fish on heavily-pressured water. I have fine-tuned my arsenal over the last couple years to highly-productive tactics and the results have followed. I also had solid performances in the few tournaments I fished.

I have a polar fleece Cabela's lightweight jacket and a Marmot soft shell jacket and both have windstopper technology. They are both fantastic for 50ish degree weather. I primarily wear the Marmot jacket and will layer underneath and wear bibs for all my cold weather, open water fishing. That windstopper technology is a must for me. Neither of those jackets have a hood but I wear a hooded sweatshirt and often wear a stocking hat. If it is in the 30s to start the day I'll wear 2 Under Armor style, fitted tops, a hooded sweatshirt, a Columbia relatively-tight fitting vest with the Omni-Heat and then the Marmot shell on top. With a couple layers, pants and bibs on the bottom, I am never cold in late fall/early spring fishing. I bring a puffer-style jacket that I might wear at the launch and then on my first run but that comes off when I start fishing. Thin layers and flexibility is crucial for casting and I definitely have that in what I wear. Good luck.

Flatworms Swimbaits Neds

That had to wake you up! We had a bat flying around our cottage once. My wife wakes me up saying there is a bird in the house. I tell her it is just a moth and to go back to bed. Half asleep, I see something fly by and realize it is not a moth. So at 2 AM I am with my landing net chasing this bat around the house. Ugly sucker!