papajoe222

You can use just about any hook size on a jig by only running the hook through the upper portion of the plastic on the grub. You'll be fishing it with an exposed hook, so you don't need to concern yourself with the thickness of the plastic. As for the weight of the jig, as long as you can control the depth and speed of your presentation and that tail is doing it's thing, you're golden.

I like to throw 4in. tubes weightless when others are throwing Flukes in the spring. I'll add a split ring to the hook eye and walk it just under the surface, too.

From top to bottom and then some; Mann's Baby 1- Norman Thin-N Norman Fat Boy SK 1.5 Flat Side KVD Silent Deep Square Bill Fat free Shad Deep Little N Norman DD14 Norman DD22 SK Red Eye Shad

In the photos I take, the fish always look smaller than it actually is. I’m guessing 10lb 4oz.

I'd like to start using them more and was wondering about their use in cold water (under 45 degrees). I normally don't begin using spinnerbaits until surface temps. reach that mark and just assume the Rig would not be very effective either. Thoughts?

My main concern is the line left in the water that fish, turtles, birds and outboard/TM seals fall victim to. I understand shore anglers cutting of yards and yards of line because of a snag, but I've seen anglers in boats do the same rather than motor over to the hang-up and cutting the line there.

Adding an action style trailer can change the flow of water behind the blades thereby impeding their ability to spin freely. The easiest solution is to bend the bait's arm up. The trailer is then lower and farther back from the blades. My favorite trailer in the spring is a Kalin's Lunker grub. The addition of the trailer allows me to retrieve a willow bladed spinnerbait at the same speed as an Indiana bladed one without a trailer. As the season progresses, I downsize to a smaller grub eventually eliminating their use in the summer. I have two brands of baits that share duties; Stanley VibraWedge and the Megastrike StrikeBack.

I use snaps, but I remove the split ring on baits prior to connecting with the snap. My eyesight is poor and although they are small, it's easier for me to tie one on than to tie directly to the lure.

I have a pair of Costa 380G green polorized lense and use them for both driving and fishing. Pricey, but worth it IMO

I actually have a couple. The first is the Ned rig. The second is dangling my finger over the side of the dock and lipping a bass when it tries to bite my finger. I don't plan on trying either.

Best answer to the OP's question. 12lb-14lb Big Game.

As I said in another thread; You can tell it's been a long winter.

Using soft plastics in very cold waters can be intimidating, mainly because of preconceived expectations. That goes for any presentation under tough conditions. I, for the life of me, can not catch early season LM on jerk baits. I still have a rod dedicated to just that, but after an hour or so with nothing to show, I switch to something I have confidence in and will continue throwing that for three or four hours. Case in point, the fish I caught the other day. I was three hours into fishing before I got my first bite (blade bait), no hook-up. Fifteen minutes later I switch to a confidence presentation and was rewarded after thirty minutes. It took two hours more to catch the other two. Next time you're catching on that spoon, switch to a soft plastic. That's one way to prove to yourself that they are productive after ice-out.

I prefer a line tie parallel to the hook shank (180) for fishing grassy vegetation. Although both styles will catch the grass, they seem to catch less than a perpendicular (90) line tie. I do agree with Tom about the shape of the jig head being more important and I base that on the type or lack of cover.

So how many of you still use a C-Rig as a search tool just after ice-out? I picked up my first bass (plural) today C-rigging a Havoc Grass Pig Jr. The bait is one I've never tried on the business end before, but the rig itself has been an early spring staple of mine for years.

I have a box marked 'Skunk Repelent' but I rarely reach into it. In-line spinners, hair jigs and small soft plastics like tubes comprise most of what's in there.

The only skirts I trim are on the jigs I use for really tough conditions. Then, I'll trim them even with the hook bend and add a trailer like a Rage Tail Chunk. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/strike-king-rage-tail-chunk-soft-bait-lures Trimming the skirt allows the trailer to move freely. If I'm fishing a lot of timber, I may stiffen up the weed guard by shortening it a little, but on most of the Arkie style jigs I use, the guard is stiff enough. Just remember, a bulky trailer will affect the jig's fall rate and one like a RageTail will slow it even more. Trust me when I say; Fall rate is paramount to jig fishing.

I've hooked into a number of finds, two of which had fish attached to them. One was a Colorado bladded spinnerbait with a channel cat attached. The other was a 1.4oz Mepps impaled in the back of a 15lb. carp. I still have the Mepps, but have failed to get another carp using it.

You can tell by many of the recent posts that it's been a looooooooong winter Hopefully, March will WISK it away.

I have no idea, just wanted to say welcome to BR.

Give a craw tube like BigBite baits a try. They're bulky, but skip easily. I use an internal weight. A great alternative to beaver style plastics.

I fish hair jigs in shallower water, under 15ft., so I rarely go over 1/4oz. ball head, no weed guard. Although I do tie a few black with either a few strands of white, or red hair, the majority of mine are white, or light brown with a white head. I can add stripes with a Sharpie to imitate a perch, or fish them as is to imitate a minnow. I start out with compact 2in.-3in. jigs in cold water and work up to 4in.-5in. in the summer.

Not knowing the type of cover, if any, I'd say a 1/4oz jig with a compact trailer, a tube (you can always rig it stupid style for timber an such) and a fluke style soft plastic jerk bait.

The greater the angle of vision to the water, the better. From a canoe or yak, even the best pair of polarized sun glasses won't give you much advantage looking into the water unless you're looking down over the side. The reflection off the water, however, increases as does the need for quality eyewear to protect your eyes. A mirrored lens is your best option. The color of that lens is a personal preference.

JIG is most highly regarded. Spook is my favorite.