papajoe222

This is more of an information post than a question. An observation based on experience. A recent thread about choice of color for a jig trailer got me to thinking about how and why I choose a particular trailer. Without a doubt, how it affects the fall rate is my number one concern, but a close second is the size of the overall package, for lack of a better word. I'm not a big fan of finesse fishing, but I do downsize my offerings under tough conditions and as I always have a jig at the ready, downsizing the trailer and many times trimming the skirt will allow me to continue using a presentation that I have the utmost confidence in. That 3/8oz. will still produce good bites under tough conditions, with the right trailer.

Yes. The majority of time, you want your trailer color to compliment the jig skirt. By that I mean a natural progression of color from the jig head to the tips of your trailer, just as in nature. The least complex of course, would be matching the skirt as best as possible, but that doesn't mean it's the only, or best option. That is, however where I suggest starting when fishing new water, or only using a jig on rare occasions. IMO, there is no Wrong color for a trailer. Some are just a better option to get more bites. A trailer's action and size has more influence on my choice.

Bass are first and foremost sight feeders. That dark, black, lure becomes the focus of their attention. The line, if seen, is secondary and if seen, can distract that focus enough that all the fish ends up doing is watching the bait and not committing to a strike. I personally don't know of anyone that colors the last foot or so of their line black. I do know of many, including myself that will break up the outline with a dash of green, or black marker every inch and a half or so. When introducing young anglers to fishing jigs and soft plastics, I always have them using bright, yellow braid. It makes it much easier for them and me to see hits and gives them a better sense of feel. The last foot or so of that line looks like -- - -- - - -- They catch plenty of fish with no leader and I have no concerns about line visibility becoming an issue in them not catching fish.

As was mentioned, working your bait up the drop will accomplish two things. First, it will tip you off to both their location (depth) and their activity level and second (maybe more importantly) your bait is moving up to the fish's known feeding area. It's a natural activity and can turn a fish in a neutral feeding mood into action. Even working the flat from the shallower side has this benefit. This is the way bass get the bait toward the surface, herding it upward. As for baits, fish your strength and mix up your retrieve both speed and the action you impart. It's like a fastball pitcher knowing a curve may get the hitter out, but he has more confidence in his fastball. He'll use a change of location, or add some movement up or down to get the batter out.

I'll echo what's been said about using a rod with a MF action. I've used a fast action rod in the past and missed a number of fish that didn't hammer my spinnerbait. That little extra flex in the tip allows them to get the entire bait in their mouth on all but those 'chase it away rather than strike it' hits. If you plan on using braid and a shorter rod (>6'10"), I'd suggest going even slower to a Mod. action in a graphite rod.

Looks like a Daiwa Advantage 153 or possibly 150. I have both and can't tell the difference unless I look at the side plate. They are great work horse reels, although a little on the heavy side by today's standards. Good Frog and SwimBait reel. I added CarbonTex drag washers to two of mine (I have three) and they double for striper and pike fishing.

Stop trying to think like a fish. Fish don't have the ability to think/reason, and stop trying to figure out if the fish can see your lure in 40ft. of water when you can only see three feet down. Finding the answer isn't going to add to your ability to catch them. Accept the fact that you can catch them in 40ft. of water (if they're there), or in five ft. of water that looks like chocolate milk. Figuring out where they are can be a daunting task.Then you need to figure out what they'll hit. Just that is frustrating enough without filling your head with why.

Trying to equate fall shad migrations to a pond, or even a natural lake is difficult. The information is still applicable to any body of water in that the bass will follow the bait fish (no matter the type). The difficulty you are running into is the fact that following whatever the forage is in that pond becomes a catch 22 because the forage doesn't go anywhere, so there is no need for the bass to 'follow.'In a natural lake, the baitfish have some room to move and it's usually to the inside weed line, or the spawning flats used in the spring. Because there is no need for them to follow the bait around, it's just a matter of feeding when they need to or feel like it. Unless you have a magic lantern, figuring when that is is a dodo shoot. My advice is go for reaction strikes and cover water. If they're active, you'll know right away. If not, you can still pick off a fish or two. Just don't expect more than a few bites for your efforts.

Three of my muskie reels are under 30ipt. The only one that isn't is a Browning Midas that I use for single bladed bucktails. The 4.9:1 may make you work a little more, but you'll be glad when tie into a big girl that you have the beefier gearing.

What kind and lb. test line are you using? 12lb.-20lb. mono is good for most of the bigger poppers. It floats, so it isn't pulling the nose down and it's stiff enough that it stays out of the way of the trebles. Fluoro will pull the nose down and hang on the hooks when you pause and the bait is still moving forward. The same thing, minus pulling the nose down, will happen with braid. As for pulling it out of the water, you should be working it with the rod pointed down and jerking down using your wrist. A little hard to describe, but check out a couple of youtube videos and you'll see how it's done.

In response to how to work it; With your rod tip pointed down you can either work it on slack line (like a Spook) or with very little slack. The first will get it to walk with a little splash and the latter will get it to pop and spray water. Both are done more with the wrist than your arm. You can add a little arm movement to get it to spray more. As far as cadence or how subtle you work the bait, it's all experimentation. Sometimes a fast, walking retrieve works and sometimes loud pops that spray a lot of water will do the trick. Other times, working it slow and subtle is the only way they'll want it. I use the surface conditions as a guide to where to start. The more ripple there is the more aggressive I'll start out working it. One trick I've found is to pick out a spot, work one cast aggressively and follow it up with a more subtle retrieve a minute or two later. if there's a bass holding there and the topwater bite is going to work, one of those two is going to get her.

More times than I care to recall. I've hand them knock my Spook twenty feet only to track it down and slurp it down with little surface disturbance. Other times they wait until the first movement only to smack it another fifteen feet and then ignore it completely. They gotta be females because they can't decide what they want, but you better give them options.

I'm from the school that puts a lure's color somewhere near the bottom of the list when it comes to what is important to catching fish. I do, however, admit that there are times when those items near the bottom can make the difference between catching and not catching. My reluctance to recognize those times, IMO, has kept me from becoming a better angler. Today was a perfect example. My partner and I were both throwing RedEye Shads. His was gold/black back and mine was chrome/blue back, both 1/2oz. He boated four keepers and missed or lost four others to the one dink that I'd boated over the first two hours. I switched to the same color as his and started getting bit on par with his numbers. My difficulty in recognizing the importance of color is the fact that I fish alone more often than not. I change baits, or techniques before ever considering changing the color of one of the baits that isn't producing. Now to my question; In what situations do you opt for a color change over a change in lure type, or do you always try a different color before switching?

For years, before the term shakey head came into existence, I used the technique with light jigs to target weed tops. I still do, but opt for the more stand-up design of today's models. I've taken that to the rocky bottom transition areas with the heavier MegaStrike jigs and Havoc Bottom Hoppers with good success on some very tough days. Weight depends on depth. I want to keep it on the bottom without moving it, so I go a little heavy.

It's not just in the north country. We're going through a hot spell here and despite water temps in the 70s, the baitfish and bass are moving. The wind direction is a key factor in finding them as the bluegill don't school and show up on the depth finder easily. They're not appearing on the flats, but that's normal. As the days get shorter, the fish get shallow. I've had great days fishing shallow, green weeds in late Oct. As long as the baitfish are there, I know I can get some action.

Yep, that's the type of strip pit we have around here. Top-water is a good choice as these fish, when they're active, will come up +20ft. to take one, especially walking baits. A wacky rig is a good choice if they're up shallow (less than 10ft.). If they're deeper, try a split shot (Mojo) rig with something like a french fry worm or a 4in. Stick-O and don't forget about shade. The steeper the drop, the more shade it offers. Another thing I remember about pits is that on some, there was a stair step on one shore before a second sharp drop. The water would drop to 10ft. or so and then about 4ft. or so out from that it'd drop down to 35-40ft. Those are the shores I'd parallel up tight with a small crank. If they're in the upper water column, that's where they'll be.

I prefer a lower gear reel for deep cranking, it's just easier than using my normal 6.3:1. Go for something that's going to hold up to the wear and tear. Not really a budget reel, but the Daiwa Tatula CT comes in a 5/5:1 and the Revo X has one in that gear range also. I believe it' a 5.4:1. The Daiwa is a bit pricey, but can be had for $100 if you're willing to do some searching.

I basically throw two colors of jigs through out the majority of the season. Fall is the exception and I'm talking when the water temps drop into the 50s just before turnover. Then it's a white jig head with a lot of white in the skirt. I pair it with a Kalin's Lunker Grub in either white, or clear salt&pepper. I have so much confidence in this bait color that I'll normally have two rods rigged with different weight white jigs. I'll work the edges and tops of whatever green weeds I can find. So, What's your go to jig color in the fall?

Throughout the main fishing season up here, I'm on the water three or four times a week. That hasn't changed much in the last ten years. What has changed is the amount of time I'm actually on the water. My outings have gotten shorter, so I'm actually spending the equivalent of one less day compared to gen years ago.

Two quick suggestions for the baits you mentioned. First; Peg the sinker on your T-Rig and second; Go lighter with the bullet/jig weight. The pegged sinker won't separate from your plastic bait and catch the weeds between and a lighter weight won't bog down as you drag it along a soft bottom. Opt for a straight or paddle tail vs. a ribbon or G-tail worm and a swim jig works much better through vegetation than a football or Arkie head does. Oh yea, adding an oil based 'attractant' to the bait will help it slide through the grass.

Right on the money if what you consider deep 15ft. or more. You didn't say how large the pond is, or how deep. Big baits, plastics included, are a great option,deep, in the summer and early in the fall before the water cools considerably. Once the fall bite is on, the larger size is less of a factor IMO, as the big gals will be on the move more now. They just don't move as far from their summer home as the majority do. Matching the size of the main forage and offering it in a way that draws attention is the way to go. Upping the blade size of a spinnerbait slightly, or going a 1/4oz. heavier on a lipless crank can accomplish that, but going from a 6in. to a 10in. worm isn't going to make a noteable difference. If you know where their summer location is, look for the first break up from that area. If the baitfish pass there, that's where momma's dinner table will be set up.

I'm guessing, based on your location and the shore in the pic, that this lake has been drawn down a bit and normally your choice of presentations should have resulted in some hook-ups if the fish were using the cove. My guess is there wasn't enough of a baitfish presence for the cove to have any significant population of bass holding there. Are there other areas where there is vegetation along with deep water access? They would be the areas I'd be looking at. If not and you intend to find fish in this cove, look for changes in the bottom contour which may be indicated by the line where the trees end or are totally submerged and then look for where that change in depth makes a turn. Start at the bottom and work your way up the water column with both reaction and finesse presentations. It's a lot of work, but I can't think of another way to eliminate an area.

I fish an arkie head jig a majority of the time and the trailers I use the most are the ones that affect the fall rate. I use chunk style ones mainly for cold water presentations when I trim the skirt for a small profile. This is also a great finesse bait option. As the water warms, I'll go to something with more action like a Kalin's grub that won't affect the fall rate much. Once the spawn is over, it's a RageTail or PacaCraw when I want a slower fall or a beaver style for a faster one. Now swim jigs are a whole different animal.

I've had problems in the past with jig hooks getting surface rust on them. The skirts seem to hold unseen moisture and in less than a week, I'd see rust forming. A little light sanding with some fine grit got rid of the rust with no ill effect and the addition of some Flambeau Zerust tabs has solved any further issues.

I'm in the minority here as a stick worm is the only plastic I wacky rig. 4in. to 8in. I feel if wacky rigging is going to work, my best option is with a worm with plenty of wiggle on the fall and I don't think there is a better wiggle than on a 6in. Senko. I even take it one step further. This is the only way I rig one. I know and have fished with guys that T-rig, C-rig, drop-shot and any number of other ways with them, but I just have more confidence with other plastics for those presentations.