BrianMDTX

I am late to the game as fishing jigs simply never produced for me except once in a blue moon. Until this year. And now I seem to catch multiple bass a trip on jigs. I think the main reason is that I pretty much worked a jig like a Texas rig, and it caught more algae than anything else. But once I started using a swim jig more often, and stepping down to a 1/4 oz. jig, it’s really starting to pay off. I’ve always liked working a Texas rig, but I think I’m starting to enjoy fishing jigs more. It’s not as active as working a crankbait or a spinnerbait, but it’s more active than slowly working a worm on the bottom. I have a feeling that when I finally hook my new PB, it’s going to be on a blue/black jig. @WRB I am in full agreement with your take on tossing a jig on the bank and pulling it into the water in imitation of how a crawfish enters a pond or lake. I’ve done that as well with a weightless TR but I get more strikes on a jig doing that. Either right off the bank or after I start to work it back.

Never used it, but Sunline Shooter Defier is some darned good mono.

It’s a St. Croix Bass-X 6’ 10” MLXF. It certainly had a bend in it but it got her out of the wood fast. Once out, she kept runnin’. We fought. I lost lol.

For an absolutely gorgeous day, it was a bit disappointing. I went back to the “quantity not quality” pond to give it another shot. Here’s what I was greeted with when I got out on the water. Other than a cloudless sky, it was perfect. I started with a popper but topwater action seemed dead. So I switched to a 1/4 oz. blue/black swim jig with a green pumpkin Rage Craw trailer. Three casts in and it got hammered. About 10 seconds into the fight my jig was gone. I had just retied it on, so I was baffled, until I remembered seeing that big gar the last time. I tied on another 1/4 oz. green/brown swim jig with a Rage Bug trailer but wasn’t getting anything. So I switched rigs that already had a 3/8 oz. blue/black swim jig with a black sapphire Zoom Z-Craw Jr. trailer. A short time later it got hit and I had my first bass. On a jig. I cast right into that wood and he smashed it. Not that big but a good fight. After that the bite really died. I wasn’t getting anything, or seeing anything, until I saw a bass really go after something twice. It was right on the bank of a small island and way under overhanging brush and dead wood. I tried skipping a jig in there but couldn’t get it where it needed to go. So I picked up my spinning rig and skipped a weightless watermelon red Zoom Trick back about 4’ through all kinds of limbs until it reached the bank and it got immediately crushed. Although using a MLXF rod, I got it out of there but boy, oh boy did it put a bend in the rod! Twice I got it close and it dove, but finally I grabbed the line to pull it in…and my line snapped at the hook. And that was the last bite of the day. Not sure how big it was, but it looked between 4 and 5 lbs.

I just bought a Columbia PFG Solar Stream hoodie yesterday and wore it today (high of 94°). Very lightweight. I really like it.

Well, it withstood 4 bass on a jig so it appears to be on there pretty good!

No big gals today. But, besides one bass on a popper, the other 8 were all caught on jigs! And I lost two at the boat. My jig fishing has really taken off this year. One of the bass had a bad eye. Doesn’t seem to bother it that much as it smashed the jig.

I went to braid-to-leader mainly as I tired of either respooling fresh mono or trying to remove line twist and coiled line. And I absolutely, positively, without question love braid-to-leader on a spinning reel. One thing I always do is after a cast, I make sure the line is tight after I close the bail and start to reel in any slack. Like I mentioned, I rarely if ever have issues with wind knots. There’s something going on that’s causing a problem other than just braid-to-leader use.

I fish 20 lb. braid to 8 lb. mono leader and never have wind knot issues. With either Sufix 832 or Seguar Smackdown. Why do you think you are getting so many wind knots?

I don’t see how it can get any easier. I think the one thing that bothers some (and I’m not sure why) is that you have to precut the leader to length, as you have to pull the main line tag end and the entire leader through the loop. I cut about 9’ and end up with an 8’ or so leader. In 30 seconds.

I’m fishing a new pond tomorrow. Stopped by Academy on my way home from work and bought a new Columbia PFG Solar Stream fishing hoodie. Only $37.50. It is very lightweight and 50 UPF rated. Yeah, yeah, I also appeased the BM. Some new craws and jig trailers, and a couple of jigs lol.

@Skeet6 Depending on where you are in PA, I used to be local! I have thread and epoxy so I may give it a shot.

Tom, I’m glad to hear that someone that most on BR look up to recommend this leader knot! It is so simple to tie (30 seconds?), it’s not big, and it’s very strong. It’s the only leader knot I use. I’ve only had one fail and that one was on me (I told myself to retie it but didn’t). I’ve used it as a braid-to-mono leader knot on 20 up to 50 lb. braid and 6, 8 to 12 lb. leaders. Lefty was a fantastic angler (and a great guy) and his leader and loop knots are genuinely top-notch.

The tip is glued on. I removed the thread and epoxy, ensured the tip was clean and smooth, and installed with hot melt glue. I wasn’t sure how it would look without thread, but it looks ok to me. Ready for Saturday and some jigs!

I always made an extensive list when I went on hunting trips to ensure I didn’t forget an essential item. Fishing? I keep small Plano boxes filled with tackle, etc., in my inflatable boat, as well as a scale, grippers and hook remover. So my “list” is boat, paddle, anchor, rods, water, phones, garage door opener (from my car in the garage) and keys to the truck. Once loaded, I recheck and hit the road. If it’s a far trip on the interstate I strap the boat down (straps kept under the rear seat so always there). So far I haven’t forgotten anything. So far!

I have come to believe that Lake Menderchuck is not a body of water. It is a state of mind. If you commit yourself to the pursuit of bass, fully commit, and make it a life’s purpose, any lake can become a Menderchuck. Not everyone can achieve this state of high consciousness. One could fish 8-10 hours a day, every day, and own more tackle than TW, and still not reach this enhanced state of angling. It is not a sign of weakness. It does not make one unworthy. It is simply a reassurance that some of us, a few of us, have the strength of will and the desire to seek out the best of the best, and attain the goal that others dream of but cannot obtain. Lake Menderchuck. It is a siren song we all hear. We can listen to the melody, but cannot comprehend the lyrics. Do not be ashamed! Do not despair! Revel in the knowledge that some have unraveled its secrets and can share with us the fruits of their victory!

Zoom Trick weightless Texas rig 4” or 5” Senko weightless Texas rig 4” or 5” Senko wacky rig That’s about it for me. I rarely fish a Shakey head or Ned rig, and have given up on drop shots.

@Fishlegs I don’t know why, but yeah, my jig action has really picked up. Ok, I think I know why. I’ve recently started using 1/4 oz. swim jigs and that seems to have made a difference. I fish shallow water so the sink rate is probably a better fit, and it doesn’t get stuck in the muck and algae as much. Or…it’s something else. At this point I don’t care! 😂

I’ve been fishing some different ponds lately. One I fished last week had quantity but not much in quality. It is loaded with muskweed which makes it difficult to fish. And while it was bad last week, today was outrageous. I started with an H2OX popper and caught one bass, but it wasn’t worth fishing as I was hauling in pounds of grass. The same with a Texas rig, even with a 1/16 oz. bullet weight. And the wacky rig that did well last week was a nightmare as well. So I started working a jig. My jig fishing has really gotten better lately and today I caught three on a blue/black Finesse Dirty Jig with a Rage Bug trailer. I had a fourth, but it took me into submerged wood and broke off. Man, I was not happy to lose that jig! I eventually caught two bass on a weightless Senko TR and another on a Nichols Mango Jig in JT’s The Best Color Ever (long name for a blue/black jig) and a green pumpkin Rage Craw trailer. All the bass were 1.0 to 1.5 lbs. As I headed out, I passed a small bridge (looks like a dock) that is part of a nature walking trail. I can skip lures with a baitcaster as well as Garo Yepremian can field fumbles (Google that for a laugh), but figured what the heck. My first cast was horrific. My next cast went about 4’ under the dock and it got hammered. I set the hook (I think the bass did that itself) and hauled in a nice 4 lb. bass. That was it for the day. That may be it for that pond. It’s nice, but that grass is unreal. However, I am definitely a convert to fishing with jigs. I’m sure the Bait Monkey is happy to hear that!

My wife and I are going to Paris in mid-September. I have always wanted to stand on Omaha Beach. I am going to do so. I have stood in Bloody Lane in Antietam and at various locations in Gettysburg, and they are places of awe. But I cannot imagine how I will feel standing on that beach. The Civil War was a long time ago and by the time I was born in 1960, the oldest veteran had been dead for 4 years. WW II has been over for 79 years yet still seems like a modern conflict. I’m sure I will be humbled.

I just started using 1/4 oz. jigs. I used a Dirty Jig Finesse swim jig this morning and caught 6 and missed a few. Much better than I have done with heavier jigs.

Cutting down trees is easy-peasy. Doing it safely? That’s another story! Welcome aboard!

Thanks. I have a kit on the way that includes epoxy and thread. I’ve never wrapped before but I don’t think it’s that difficult from the videos I’ve watched. And it’s not a standard guide so if I mess up a bit, it will be glued on.

LMAO!

Ok, maybe I’m channeling Will Smith, but I’m starting to get jiggy with it. My two previous trips yielded three bass each day on a jig. Which is about double the amount of bass I’ve caught on a jig in my lifetime. So today was an eye-opener as I caught six bass on a jig. All on a 1/4 oz. black/blue Dirty Jig Finesse swim jig. One with a Rage Craw trailer (the first one, which ripped both claws off) and the other five with a Rage Bug trailer. Five hit the jig right after the cast or as I started to move it, but the last bass hit it right off the boat as I was reeling it in. I normally use my Falcon Lowrider MHF but had to use my Kistler Helium TCJ MHF as I need to reinstall the tip top on the Falcon. I really like the Helium for Texas rigs but may have to keep using it for jigs. It’s a great rod for jigs. Caught three more on a watermelon red Zoom Trick weightless TR and one on a black Zoom Trick Magnum TR for a total of ten. Missed three more on the jig as well so they were really diggin’ the jiggin’. The highlight may have been the fact that while reeling in the jig on the left side of the boat, I heard something and looked to my right to see a bass turn and head for the bottom. It’s the biggest bass I’ve ever seen there. It looked to be 7-8 lbs. May have to try some big swim baits next time.