Jig Man

All I know about them is a guy brought a boat in with one looking for a trade. My old boss saw it, got my attention and told me not to trade for it. Later he told me if I ever traded for one, I would be fired on the spot. His reasoning was that we did not stock parts or have the necessary training for repairs.

Generally pre spawn cold fronts have really slowed things down for me but not this year. We’ve had frequent fronts with the nights getting into the low 30s and daytime highs in the low 60s. I’ve trimmed down my bait choices to Ned, shaky, and Keitech swim baits. We have been catching 30-40 bass each trip with 6-8 keepers on Table Rock and Beaver Lakes.

Eagle claw L2798M in 4/0 in a Troker swim jig mold.

Further research showed me the correct answer so please disregard.

All of the stores carry sizes like 2.8 and 3.3. The Keitech web site shows 2.5, 3 and 3.5. Have they changed the swing impact sizes?

Which…Shimano Why…all of my reels are Shimanos

I have had the same one at the bow of boat for years. I carried it in my shirt pocket when I wore shirts with pockets. That little groove sharpens the hook in seconds.

Yesterday I got to fish a highland reservoir in Northern Arkansas (Beaver Lake). We fished in an area down towards the dam in clear water. We caught around 40 bass and all were smallmouth. I normally fish merky water in the north end of Table Rock lake. Largemouth and spots are 99% of the bass there. The surface water temp is around 60°. I expected to see females with a belly full of eggs and males with worn tails. We didn’t see any worn tails and only two that looked to be egg laden. We caught most on Keitech swimbaits in 4-10 fow. Fishing deeper didn’t get any bites. So I have two questions for you smallmouth knowledgeable folks: 1. Is the spawn yet to come? 2. Do smaller or larger females spawn first or is size and time irrelevant? Thanks for your input.

Get an EZE lap. https://www.fishusa.com/Eze-Lap-Diamond-Hook-Sharpener/?sku=102878&gclid=CjwKCAjw6IiiBhAOEiwALNqncZwiTZfeUftOmAD5BV9ulOVYPzA8ArlRT5-atAcwmtElb6I-9JNduBoChmcQAvD_BwE

I had power poles for two years before I sold them. They were practically worthless. Most of the time my boat is in too deep of water for them to reach. I now have spot lock and would never go back. I have never seen anyone with them down and fishing. I see them keeping boats off the bank while the owner is getting the truck. Personally I get out move the boat away and hit spot lock while I get the truck.

Anything will tear a Keitech. Give the glue a try.

It depends on how deep you will fish them. I use 3/0 and 4/0 hooks with 1/4 oz heads for that size bait unless going out to 30’ or so.

I don’t have it and have never seen it. Mine is just plain old red.

Not in my book. Vertical is right over the side of the boat or close to it. I do it a lot especially in the summer and winter months. Anything else is a facet of horizontal.

Good for you.

I’ve had great luck with Minn Kota support. Their information was spot on every time and one guy even gave me some good advice about how to sell my control head after I upgraded my Ulterra from Ipilot to link.

Thanks for the responses. I used my braid with leader and think my hookup ratio increased. I will definitely give it some more time. 5 wraps worked just fine.

It would help if you identified your location and what the cover and structure are like.

I’m not asserting that it isn’t a good knot. I found it to be a pain to tie in the boat. So I have no plans to revisit that situation.

Like stated I used it as well as the Albright.

I’ve been using white with no leader during the winter in pretty clear water.

Well I put 5 wraps on. I plan to go back tomorrow. If I find fish I should know if 5 will be enough. Thanks for the info guys. About the Alberto, I’ve used it. It was never my favorite.

I quit using braid with a leader several years ago. I believe that I need to use it again because of the way bass are striking my Keitech swim baits. I am going to use 8# fluorocarbon leader and I have braid that is very close to the same diameter. It’s been a long time since I’ve done this. My question is will 5 wraps be sufficient. If not, then how many do I need?

They have become a complete nuisance around here. They never leave and we aren’t allowed to kill them. They wonder around campgrounds, parking lots, boat ramps and courtesy docks. They must take a dump several times an hour because their poop is everywhere.

You may have heard of one of our local guys, Stacey King. Table Rock has hundreds of thousands of standing dead trees. He is a master of the single tail grub on a 1/8 oz head swimming it through them. I go more for the bottom dwellers with jigs or plastics. One of the guys who I regularly fish with catches a lot on Keitech swim baits around them. Right after the spawn try a spook on isolated trees. The big girls often hang out there for a while.