Jig Man

You can take pliers and dip the jig in the pot to melt off the lead but you will have to clean residue off the hook. I prefer to hold it over the pot with pliers and melt the lead off with my little propane torch. The hook comes out clean and can be reused as soon as it cools. I have reused 100s and had no problems with the hooks.

If you are needing more room for your larger hooks you might try Kalin Mogombo grubs.

I switched to it late last winter. I’ve used the Albright, Alberto, uni to uni and several others. It is the only knot for leader that I have used and not had the line break at the knot.

If you can swing it get the 19.

The closed eye wire has gotten hard to find locally so I switched to the R wire. I have had good luck wrapping braid or floral wire around the R. Then I cover it with shrink tubing.

I can’t say why it is better. All I know is that I have tried ball head, minnow head and aspirin head jigs. They didn’t get me as many bites. I’ve never tried football as my mold only goes down to 1/8 oz and uses hooks that are too large for me on a TRD.

Normally I fish it to 30’. I use from 1/16 to 1/8 oz most of the time. I can go up to 1/4 if necessary. Up to 15’ with little wind 1/16 is my choice. As I go deeper I use heavier heads. I have tried several line sizes and found that I get a lot more bites on 6#. My line of choice is Yozuri hybrid.

I’ve tried 3 or 4 brands and have settled on Seaguar red label. It is super strong and I haven’t noticed stretch. I have it in 12# on my jig and shaky setups as well as spinner bait. I also use it for leaders on my swim bait setups. I just bought my second 1000 yd spool. It came through Wal Mart they were cheaper than anyone else. I’ve tried it in 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 20# and settled on the 12 as my go to. It by far isn’t the most expensive but guys who regularly fish with me are switching over.

I also fish Elaztech worms shaky style all winter long. Sometimes they want the little guy but like yesterday they didn’t and took the worm.

I’ve been trying your beaver but like the TRDs nothing so far. Our surface temperature is about 58°. It probably needs to drop some more.

Check the Q and A here https://humminbird.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/accessories

I will when they start biting them. So far no love here.

We made it out. It was a cold and windy day. We struggled to catch a dozen bass. All but 1 were caught on shaky with Houdini being a good color.

I went smallmouth fishing last week on Beaver Lake in northern Arkansas. We tried a lot of different baits. We wound up with around 30 smallmouth. All but 1 were caught on Jewel Pee Wee jigs with 4” Yamamoto twin tail grubs. Our best color was Basswhacker with watermelon red flake grubs.

How would you lose a map card? Mine never comes out of the unit.

One of my fishing buddies is an airport cop. He said some of the workers at the airport left and went to the one being built in Springfield for better pay.

I actually am going fishing tomorrow. I’m going to a lake north of me where I haven’t been in several months. I’m gonna try for smallmouth. I hope they are near some of their summer places. I have 6 setups ready, 2 with jigs, 2 with shaky heads and 2 Ned rigs. The will normally take one of those baits. We will see.

I have 2 3700 boxes devoted strictly to Keitech swim baits. I have them sorted by size and color. Before that I tried keeping them in the original package but it was too much trouble to find what I wanted.

I’m using a head with a Victory hook. I doesn’t need glue. Before that I used super glue gel.

Shaky head,Ned,jig and swim bait are my go to winter baits.

I was still going strong until I got crosswise with my supervisor. That changed everything.

If it’s vertigo I can sympathize. I’ve had it for 10 years. There is nothing funny about it.

I haven’t tried the reels but I have tried the reel grease. It gets hard and turns black.

You might also answer the way I do when a boat comes near and asks hoe I’m doing. I say, “If I get the one I am after and 2 more then I will have 3.”

Yes I have. It was 8#. It DID NOT WORK.