The All 'Finesse' outing- what are you rigging

[gim]

2 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Even if small and light - like a #0 or #1 Mepps, Creme Tiny Lipless (1/10oz, 1.5") or a Rapala UL Shad (1/8oz 1/5")... they're all moving baits. Finesse to me is something that sits still or slowly crawls the bottom....not 'speeds' through various levels of the water column.

This is my interpretation too.

 

I generally associate power fishing with bait casters and moving lures horizontally. Finesse fishing is more of a slower, methodical presentation, usually associated with bottom contact and a spinning setup.

 

I’ve been know too rip a tube along quickly from near bottom to a higher point in the water column, trying to generate a reactive strike. In this specific case, it’s more of a power approach even though it’s traditionally more of of a finesse tactic.

[BrianMDTX]

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. 

[RRocket]

OSP Dolive Beaver on a Free Rig (3/16th to 1/4oz)

 

This is incredibly fun.

[WRB]

Normal outing where I fish.

Heavy stuff is a Puffball jig with 2 1/2” trailer.

1/4 oz Micheal popper on my Splash -It cast on rod.

Spinning rod w/ slip shot 3 1/2” reaper.

Spinning rod w/ drop shot  5” Roboworm

Spinning rod with 1/8 dart head and 4” Screamer.

Set for the day.

Tom

 

[FishTank]

This time of year in stained water, a 2.75in Swammer or 2.8in Keitech and 1/8oz ball head with #1 hook. In clear water, a 3in Megabass Spark Shad or a 6th Sense Whale. 

 

A Roboworm and a 1/8oz shakeyhead

 

Megabass Pop-x and the Karashi 

 

Megabass Griffon 

 

Drop Shot Flat Worm

 

Ned Rig Craw baits and a Hellgramite 

[Fishingmickey]

Catt, beat me to it...

Beetle Spin 1/8 oz.

Original floating Rapala #5 (the little one) 1/16 oz.

3.5" Keitech EZ shiner, 1/0 or 2/0 Gammey EWG hybrid hook, weightless

Finesse worm, Robo, KVD Fat baby or finesse, Yumm. 4 or 5" on a 1/16 oz Owner EWG jig head (1/16 or 1/8).

4" ring worm w/1/8 bullet and 2/0 gammy round bend wire hook.

FM

[JackstrawIII]

Ned Rig

Neko Rig

Weightless Senko

Dropshot

 

Ps. That Ned Bomb is a nice looking bait... gonna need to try that. 

[MIbassyaker]

I first think of the same two parameters as anywhere else: 

--cover the bases for top, middle, and bottom of the water column

--be able to make both horizontal and vertical (or stationary) presentations.

 

1. Senko or other stick worm, EWG weedless, or wacky

 

2. Jighead worm, 4"-6".  

 

3. 1/4oz Popper or Tiny Torpedo. 

 

4. Flex moving bait, choose among the following based on conditions: 

--(A) Jighead swimming plastic (e.g, small paddletail, curly-tail grub)

--(B) Crankbait (1.0 squarebill; rebel craw, etc.)

--(C) Spinner/Spinnerbait (e.g., #2-3 Mepps Aglia, Beetlespin, Booyah pond magic etc,).

 

What, no Ned rig? Bring it as your panic rig, but try the other stuff first.

 

 

 

[nso123]

I would be rigging a drop shot with an Ox Blood Roboworm and then a black with blue flake Senko wacky rig. Both of these work very well in my area. 

[Drew03cmc]

1/16 Ned rig, 2.5" Yamatanuki weightless on a 1/0 Owner Twistlock, 2.8" Rhythm Wave on a 1/16 Fish Arrow J Head or a wacky 3" Stik-O. 

 

I fish these on my 6'6" L Handing Magic and Revo BF8 with 8lb braid to 6 or 7lb fluoro.

[TnRiver46]

Finesse buzzbait, finesse Alabama rig, finesse glide bait 

[scaleface]

First of all I would have to avoid the places I usually fish . Maybe fish a rip rap bank with tubes and neds. 

[MIbassyaker]

43 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Finesse buzzbait, finesse Alabama rig, finesse glide bait 

Ahem.

[bp_fowler]

1. Zoom Trick Worm 1/8 Oz shaky head

2. Zoom Trick Worm weightless (floating worm)

3.  Zoom UV Speed Worm 1/16-1/8 oz

(swimming worm)

4. Zoom Fluke weightless

5.  Senko weightless T-Rigged

6. 2-3” paddle tail swim bait on a 1/8-3/16 swim bait or ball head

[casts_by_fly]

23 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

Ahem.

ahem

 

also, trip in progress. Should be a decent report later tonight. 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

ahem

 

also, trip in progress. Should be a decent report later tonight. 

Thats what I call a big lure 

[FishTank]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Finesse buzzbait, finesse Alabama rig, finesse glide bait 

 

That's funny. There was kid in a local youth tournament last weekend that fished those exact lures and took second place. Crazy. 

[casts_by_fly]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Thats what I call a big lure 

bad picture. It’s 1/8 oz, the blade is barely bigger than a nickel, and the whole thing is about 3-4” from line tie to back of skirt.  My dad tied them up 30 years ago for river smallies. I haven’t fished one in that long but thought it would be a good option tonight 

[Glenn]

So....finesse fishing is something I enjoy doing just as much as throwing bigger baits, and I've been doing it since the 80's.  My setup is as follows:

 

4 rods (all are 1/16th or 1/8th oz):

Dropshot rig

Splitshot/slipshot rig

Tube

Small football jigs/finesse jigs

 

On the first two, I can rig a wide variety of finesse baits - 3" grubs, 4" straight worms like the Roboworm, reapers, 3" Senkos, 3" minnows, Zipper Worms, Flat Worms, Super Doos, etc

 

The tube rod is always rigged with a 1/8th oz weedless 60-degee jighead.  Sometimes I'll use a 90-degree jighead if I want more spiral-falling action

 

The last rod, I use for hula grubs, 3" grubs, and small craws on the football jig.  I'll also tie on ned rigs, hover rigs, hair jigs, darter jigs, and finesse jigs.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Rozante 63 

Sammy 65

Keitech Mono jig with a 3" bubbling shaker 

3" ring craw on a 3/32 free rig

1/16 or 3/32 SH w/ 5" bubbling shaker or straight tail of your choice

[papajoe222]

wacky worm

tube

ned rig

split shot rig, or jig/worm

Fluke

[casts_by_fly]

The report is posted now:

 

 

all in I fished a tiny spinnerbait, Ned rigs (couple baits and heads), weightless fluke, a small Texas rigged worm, a finesse jig, and a shaky head. The weeds were too much for the shaky head so it didn’t last long. The spinnerbait wasn’t the right thing so I only fished it a little. I did get a pickerel on it, but I also lost it to weeds and a bad knot. I had intended to throw other options like a drop shot, some tiny hard baits, and the micro buzzbait.  I had split shots ready and a couple tubes handy. The rod that got left home in the end had a 3” curl tail grub and I bet that would have caught fish, but with how the Ned was fishing I didn’t bother. It was a good night anyway. 

 

[ChrisD46]

Ned Rig or 2.75” - 2.8” swim bait .