Maribou bass jigs on a river

[Mbirdsley]

So I want to get into Maribou jigs to help extend my fishing into fall/winter.  I think they would be killer in the Saginaw river.  Right now the river is full of Shad and a Maribou jig is about the size of a small American Shad.
 

 This last weekend the river was 50 degrees and the bass were hanging out in the old shipping channel either suspended right at the drop ( water goes from 3ft to 15-20ft deep in the space of 3 feet in length) or half way up the bank/drop.  I’m just trying to figure out how I can fish a little jig in current that won’t let a 1/2 oz jig hit the bottom in 15feet  of water.  Only thing I can think of is cast way up stream and let it come back to me. Or I could just tie onto a bigger jig 

[Finessegenics]

You should try tying some marabou onto a fine wire hook with a longer shank.. and then fish it on a dropshot with 3/4 oz or 1 oz weight? It's not exactly the "jig" you were looking for and the action may be a little different but I feel like it would work pretty good. I'd be super interested to see if it would work for you. 

[Mbirdsley]

9 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

You should try tying some marabou onto a fine wire hook with a longer shank.. and then fish it on a dropshot with 3/4 oz or 1 oz weight? It's not exactly the "jig" you were looking for and the action may be a little different but I feel like it would work pretty good. I'd be super interested to see if it would work for you. 

It isn’t legal to  fish a drop shot on rivers in Michigan.  Or else that sounds like an idea 

[Finessegenics]

Just now, Mbirdsley said:

Cant fish drop shot in rivers in Michigan.  Or else that sounds like an idea 

 

Ah yes, I've heard that before but it completely slipped my mind. Sorry about that. But what is a considered a dropshot? Any rig with a hook above the weight? Would a carolina rig be allowed? 

[bigbassin']

There have been plenty of times I’ve caught river fish letting plastics just drift in the current without ever touching the bottom.

 

Start standing perpendicular to the current, cast at a 45 degree upstream. Then using your body, face the lure and turn with it as it drifts. Reel just enough slack in as it works towards you to maintain a semi-slack line, allowing you to feel what’s happening with out impacting the drift.
 

Once the lure is straight in front of you, just continue to allow it drifting until it’s about 45 degrees downstream of you. At this point your line tension will impact the lure, but it will appear as a baitfish struggling against the current.

 

Once it’s at 45 degrees downstream, reel it in. You’d be surprised how many hits occur just after you start to reel.
 

If you fly fish, think of swinging streamers. Effectively a marabou jig is just a fly with enough weight for you to cast with conventional gear. 

 

If you don’t fly fish, it still may be worth watching folks swing streamers just because that’s the best instruction for what I’m describing that I know of.

[Mbirdsley]

1 hour ago, Finessegenics said:

 

Ah yes, I've heard that before but it completely slipped my mind. Sorry about that. But what is a considered a dropshot? Any rig with a hook above the weight? Would a carolina rig be allowed? 

Carolina rig would be fine because it isn’t suspended vertically and the weight is in front of the hook.  Its because, the weight is below the hook vertically they say it easier to snag fish. 
 

It’s actually a stupid rule that needs to be changed.  There is a difference between what you’re describing and using 3oz weight and 5/0 hook and ripping upwards with the rod. It’s to stop from snagging walleye, salmon, and lake run trout 
 

only exception is perch and crappie rigs 

[Finessegenics]

14 minutes ago, bigbassin' said:

There have been plenty of times I’ve caught river fish letting plastics just drift in the current without ever touching the bottom.

 

 

How are you rigging these plastics? Weightless? On a split shot rig? 

[bigbassin']

28 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

 

How are you rigging these plastics? Weightless? On a split shot rig? 

Just depends on the current, typically t-rigged with a 1/8 or 1/4 oz weight.

 

I don’t see any reason split shot or weightless wouldn’t work if the current permitted it.

[DRFTR]

1 hour ago, Mbirdsley said:

It isn’t legal to  fish a drop shot on rivers in Michigan.  Or else that sounds like an idea 

No drop shots in rivers???

[Mbirdsley]

38 minutes ago, Cody Brinkman said:

No drop shots in rivers???

No not on the rivers in Michigan or drowned river mouths dumping into the Great Lakes.  You can drop shot on the great laker them selves or any inland lake