Joe. S

1/2 oz is a good size, one of the most popular colors is chrome/ blue back. I haven't bought a Bill Lewis Rattle trap in a long time, but when I did the hooks were crap, not sure if they changed them, but if not make sure you do. From the sounds of it, it is a normal trap pattern, let it sink down until you hit the grass, then rip it free then try and keep a steady pace right above it, letting it get caught up a little, something about the ripping it out part that triggers the strike, can also do a yo-yo type retrieve, ripping, letting it futter and ripping. I should take my own advice and try this today as that pattern should be getting ready to happen here pretty soon.

I love this lure for matted grass, I have a bunch. A few things, it should have a little round weight stuck to the belly, if it is not there, that is one issue with them, when smacking the lure on the water (because I'm to lazy to pick any muck off) sometimes the weight will eventually fall off. To combat this, a little super glue or epoxy smeared around it when it comes out of the pack usually keeps it there. Even though the hooks are usually pretty sharp out of the pack, I still like to sharpen them up a little more, It is pretty easy to get them smoking sharp As said they have a smaller profile which makes it easier for the bass to eat them, I still like to lube them up with some megastrike to slide through the muck and the mouth a little easier. If you practice with them, besides just dragging over muck you can walk the dog with them in open water and the tail gives off a nice bit of action as well. Don't forget a pair of pliers, because they can inhale them and smaller fish can too! Sometimes it's not that easy getting the hook out when they engulf it. I prefer braid with these because you can basically throw it anywhere you can imagine, even squirrell fishing : Usually happens when trying to skip it under overhanging trees and still get it back.

Ditto! 3/4 oz black

3/4 oz Black Gman's poison head jig with my 3" black Pinch-It trailer.

And the addiciton begins 8-) Congrats!!! Nice one!

I actually remember you asking about how I do it ;D

Here is a little article I put together on trimming them. I do trim all my weedguards. http://www.americananglersfishing.com/index.php?page=8

There are no rules and there are a lot of variables, but I usually wait until postspawn to start topwater fishing. I have seen fish caught in 48° water on topwater, that's why I say there are no rules, so it's good to always have one on hand you never know, but normally I don't bother until PS.

I agree. X 2 8-)

If you are really going to get into Jig fishing I just suggest saving up and buying another rod, keeping the one you have for other baits, cranks, topwater etc. 8lb test eeks!!!!! One thing you could do in the mean time while saving up is put some braid on that rod to help with the hooksets some. At least 30lb braid, also is it a spinning rod or baitcasting rod?

No dancing around it for me, I wack e'm and wack em good, as they say give em the steel I just have enough confidence in it that I know it's a fish, it will come with time and practice fishing it. You will gain the 6th sense as that is what it almost is, Also alot of times like Grimlin said especially with smallies, they will crush that jig, maybe not in hitting it terms but actually trying to crush it in there mouth,. If you don't set the hook hard it won't penetrate, and even still sometimes they come off. Which also brings up a question to what action/power rod are you using with the jig? How are the weedguards? if you press it with your finger does it take a littlle force to press it down to expose the hook? That can be altered very easily for surer sets as well.

Gmans Jigs 8-)

Congrats on the first, that is the toughest, but keep throwing it, the more you do the better you'll recognize the different feels of cover, it will get embedded into your brain, and you will know. It's kind of hard to explain. I once was a worm chucker, 7" tequila sunrise power worm, bought them by the 100's. My buddy said you need to throw a jig I tried it and nothing, nothing and nothing, told him they stink and don't catch anything ;D Once I caught the first one they nstarted coming. Now I fish one 99.9% of the time 8-)

Nice catching!!! Love those smallies! 8-)

wow!!!

Definitely agree with the zara spook 8-)

3/4 oz black jig and a 3" black Jig trailer

I posted this on a few other boards and figured I should also share it here: I am not a know it all when it comes to jigs and I do not want anyone to think that. I would like to share some of the things I have done that I feel have given me more success with it over the last two years. I am still learning every trip! A few things I have done to make my success better when fishing the jig that I think has made a huge difference in my catch the past two years, is trying something "out" of the water. Actually two or three things, the main thing I believe in fishing a jig properly is patience to fish it right. I have a little technique page I need to update as I am always learning new things that help produce more. I believe when imitating a crawfish, making the Jig move and act the most realistic is key to catching fish with it, I shouldn't just say catching fish, but bigger fish! And I always thought I did, but below will explain what really opened my eyes so to speak. One of the first things I think anyone should do that is learning it or struggling with it,is start at home. Cast it in the street or driveway, not in the lawn or high grass, or even try it in the parking lot at the lake before fishing. Tie on a whatever weight jig you are planning on using, this way when you cast,and drag it you can see the actual distance the jig moves per how far you have moved the rod tip. It is actually surprising how far it will move with not even that much rod tip movement. (I never work my jig with the reel, it is only a means of reeling up slack or reeling in a fish.) Crayfish crawl slow, the only time their fast is when they dart from danger. So I think a lot of unnaturalness occurs when people will cast and let the jig hit the bottom, and then say move there rod tip, even if slow from 3 o'clock to the 12 o'clock positon, that is a far move for a crayfish crawling in the matter of a few seconds, if you were to take a live crayfish, which I really suggest doing and let him crawl around on the ground you will see the speed. Once you do these things burn all these things into your head, So when you get out on the water you know how far to move that tip, Maybe from the 3 o'clock postion to 2 'oclock position or actually even less. Big fish are lazy to a point and want an easy meal. I've caught Jig fish fishing it faster over the years before doing the above mentioned things, but my Pound average has went way up after implementing these techniques, and even the amount of bites I have gotten on the jig. Hopefully some of these things, can help someone out with the jig. But you need to have the patience to implement them into your fishing Jig fishing seems to one of those things that some people really get, or really struggle with, Would love to see some things others do as well to give them an edge in there presentations and hopefully help others who may not have the confidence to stick with the jig or struggle with catching fish while trying to use them. My 3 fish limit from last Sunday for 10.10 with a 4.1 lunker. With of course the jig.

Thanks Guys, I fished Vansciver lake, then manor lake in Morrisville Pa. I don't have pics of Sunday's Classic tourney but do from the week before with the 16.12 lb bag. I'm the miserable looking one for some reason in the white t-shirt : the one in my right hand was lunker for the day at 4.13

Club Classic. We'll after last weeks 16.12 lb bag and a 2nd place finish for the year, yesterday was our clubs Classic (top ten anglers for the year) I've made the classic every year (6) but never won one. Yesterday was brutal 5 hours on 2 different lakes, weigh in after each lake 6-11 a.m. an hour break 12-5 p.m. Total weight wins. Weather was not nice, major cold front, temp to start was 38° with a stiff 15-25mph NNE wind. I had to fish with what got me there, off shore structure, so I took a beating as the first lake was the big one, fishing white caps out in the middle, trolling motor coming out of the water etc. But it paid off. I managed to get 5 bites and at the first weigh in I had 15.8 and one of those was a 12" fish I couldn't get rid of. I also got lunker on that lake with a 4.7. that one and 2 others were on G's 3/4 oz jig and a 3" chunk, Black. and the litte guy and a heavy 2 on a 6" worm. Going into the second lake, there was only one guy close to me, he had 12.7. the next behind him was 5.10. So I needed to catch fish, so I thought. I managed to grind out 5 fish on the jig and needed the whole 5 hours to do so. I had 8 lbs even. I talked to the guy before weigh in that was close with the 12lbs and he got skunked!!! So I finished the T with a total of 23.8lbs for 10 fish, 2nd was 15.5! I finally got my Trophy!!!!!! Actually I'll get it in January at our Banquet There is one more on my list and that is Angler of the year, I finished 2nd in points 2 years in a row. Next Year!!!!

Gman's all the way Nuff said 8-)

I fished there last weekend, most fish came from Cara cove in the northeast, the water was 64-65° some of the bass had red tail fins, felt a few bumps when dragging baits too.

Jig and trailer, pretty much all I fish anyways ;D

Amistad, Clear lake and el Salto for Largies and Lake Erie and Champlain for Smallies

Well as weird as it sounds I use it as a break, I use the time to do family things with in laws and my parents, that way it frees up my weekends in the warmer months I also make plastics, get my tackle cleaned and organized, and try and get things done around the house to also free up those warmer days come spring