Jiging lakers newbie

[steelforbrains]

I'm a long time copper yanker for Seneca lakers but tried

jigging them up several times last year on Seneca, Keuka

and Canandaigua with no luck. Any help on techniques would

be welcome. ???'s--Do you just jig the bottom, only for

fish located on sonar, plastics or spoons better?

[Swingingflies]

Hi I have benn jigging on Canandaigua for 3 years. . I have had good luck on the southern drop off for nice 5lb plus browns with a 1 & 1/4 oz spoon. I cast it out & count it down. Then I do a jig retrieve. I usually get the take on a fast retrieve. I am using Fluorocarbon 12lb test to enhance the drop.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[hermit]

On Seneca, good areas are the flats up at the North end and near Sampson, or anywhere else there are underwater flats from 50-120 fow. Sometimes they're on drop-offs but that's another post.

Spoons can work very well but often pick up mussels depending on what's on the bottom. I've done better on Keuka with spoons than jigs. Most popular are 1 oz jigs, sometimes 3/4 or 1.5 with soft plastics in shades of white. Or chartreuse. Sometimes darker colors.

You can either jig the fishfinder and play video games or use it to locate fish. Find some bait or hooks, preferably both. Drop it down, jig it around, and start reeling. Like Swingingflies said a lot of the hits come on the retrieve. On the FF you'll often see them chase it up. Sometimes they're tight to the bottom and you won't see them until you start reeling. Good luck, when you hit the right spot at the right time you'll know it!

[W.W.IV.]

One morning on Canadagua jigging I was doing a fast retrieve and hooked and lost 5 fish on one retrieve so keep reeling till the bait is out of the water. Good luck.

[skyn60]

have braided line10# with 10# floro leader about 5'

[guff]

Good to have you back Hermit. Say is that tutorial you used to have on jigging still on line somewhere? I was looking over a printed copy just the other day. It would be great for a new (or old) Finger Lakes jigger. Notice you are trolling now. Have you left the jigging crowd. Hope not.

[guff]

Casting downwind while standing in the back of my drifting boat and while watching my fish finder works well for me. Cast just far enough so the jig hits bottom under your motor (and under the transduser). If a fish comes off the bottom start reeling in just before the jig and the rising fish meet. This method will also tell you if there are trout with their bellies sitting on the bottom where the fish finder does not pick them up. Got 10 at north end of Keuka in 3 hours yesterday.

[hermit]

Hi guff glad it helped. I don't know of any copies online, not to say there isn't one- I had one case that I know of where someone stole the info and posted it on their own site. So it might be out there in unauthorized form.

I might do it up as a simple text document or e-book at some point, It'd be cool if it were still useful for folks instead of sitting around on my old computer.

I like to do some trolling in the spring until the fleas and weeds get bad, then mainly jigging the rest of the summer. The variety is nice and I'm trying to learn different areas of the lake. And I love catching salmon.

Alec

[steelforbrains]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm going to try Keuka next week

and will post a report

[Neo1945]

Hermit,

I would love to see or read anything you might have on jigging fresh water. Have you ever tried Shimano Butterfly jigs?

Thanks

[guff]

Hermit - Would highly recommend you putting your jigging info back on line. You had a tremendous amount of good info on it. I know a good number of fishermen would check it out and you probably have info you could add to it after what, 4 or 5 years. Jigging for lake trout with relatively light (and inexpensive) gear is a pure blast but there is a right way and a not so right way to do it.

[ERABBIT]

Maybe Blueyes could open up a new area for the jiggers !!!!!

[chowder]

I and others have posted a lot of good info on rigging and techniques for jigging. Use the search features- it's all there. Have fun! -Andy

[jusgrinnin]

Have any of you used the real-image jigs? Here in NH they work real well jigging LT, don't see why they wouldn't work out there as well. Just my.02

BARRY

[Clarkie]

Many lures will work well for jigging, but don't think you need a lot of expensive, high tech lures...

My go-to lure is a simple, one oz. chrome plated diamond jig, a standard salt water lure.. You can buy them for less than two bucks apeice..

My last day jigging on Keuka, my partner and I landed 40 lakers in 4 hours, and hooked and lost at least half that many..

[hermit]

While it's nice to think someone might want my old website info, what chowder said is true- lots of folks have posted very helpful info over the years. (Including me as "whetherman". And I'm a bit embarrassed to be asked direct questions that others could answer too.) I know of several people who are better at jigging than me and I don't know that many people, I'm sure there are plenty more out there. Plenty of good advice right on this page too.

I've tried the Shimanos and caught fish for sure. Though for most of my fishing which is on Cayuga and Seneca, 98% of the time it's a jig + soft plastic combo. The only times I use spoons are when I'm drifting fast in a breeze, trying to get down deep like 150', or if nothing is else is working I'll drop a spoon to see what happens. On Keuka I like Bomber Slabs.

jusgrinnin- How deep are you fishing? I checked out the "Real Image Vertical Jigs" and it looks like they go to 3/4 oz which is the low end for around here. They'd work though, trollers use similar skirt style flies.

[jusgrinnin]

Hermit, we max out at about 160+or- I do have some 1oz Real Image jointed also Lazer jigs (Jans Net craft) all work just got to get them in front of the fish.

BARRY

[Hookjaw]

My new rig no longer allows me to jig. In the past I have had excellent success with chartreuse colored Northland Tackle, "buckshot" jigs. Unfortunately you may have to purchase them on line, as the local tackle shops don't seem to stock the heavier sizes. Get the heaviest size they have. I used a 9' moderate to fast action rod and bait-cast style reel that balanced the rod well, 8-10 lb test fluorocarbon line (less stretch, and less visible). Try 95-104' of water just north of the Bluff, Penn Yan Branch. There is a very large bowl shape in the bottom. Keep a tight line and let the jig hit the bottom hard. Tap it hard off the bottom a couple of times (stirring up bottom mud), then lift it off the bottom and flutter it. Repeat as necessary. I never anchored, although some do. You must be able to maintain a perfect vertical presentation with tight line, so first light, no wind mornings are best. It is not uncommon to catch 50-60 Keuka Specials (2-4lb lakers) the first few hours of daylight. Sorry if I've ticked off some of you guys for posting this, but there are way too many small lakers in this lake. It's the only lake I fish that doesn't regularly produce large size lakers. Good luck out there. Let us know how you do.