jigging motion, speed, etc.

[hermit]

Interesting summary, I'm curious to read some of those other forum discussions if you still have the links and could post or PM them?    

 

In my own personal experience (which is tiny compared to all the hours everyone jigs for lakers!)  I have had different results with tied jigs.   Bucktails and feathers haven't really produced for me, though I've heard the opposite before and here yet again.   Maybe it's a "depends on the day" situation, or a confidence one.   For me tied jigs- no fish.  Put on plastic, start catching.  But I also had several of those days and never tried again so it's not like I put 100 hours in with a feather jig.  My own opinion is that most days a jig head and paddletail plastic is the top bait out there.  Anyone here prefer tied jigs?

 

I've had great luck with the Gary Yamamoto Saltwater Series swimbaits, but I can't say they prefer the salt over unsalted brands.  The thing with the GY is that the plastic is very soft and you go through them very quickly, and they're one of the pricier brands.  A short striking laker will almost always tear the paddle off.  For me other brands are cheaper, last longer, and catch just as many fish.  Oh also I've had good results with and know others who do like curly tails...  this all reinforces a conversation I had with Copperliner last weekend- all told the presentation is more important than the actual lure!

 

p.s.  agreed on things sinking in, I read and research before trying something new, but can't tell you how many times I've then been shown or figured something out on my own only to say "so that's what the article meant!"   Reading gets you started but nothing beats being out there for learning... man sure wish I was fishing this weekend!  What a great morning.

Edited September 6, 2014 by hermit

[bulletbob]

 Alec.. Its all about confidence.. I have caught lots of lakers on tied jigs.. Hair and marabou.. However, these days I don't have a lot of confidence in them , and don't use them much.. Did a catch a laker on a hair jig a few weeks ago, and had it bitten off a few minutes later, so fish still like them...

 You may remember  a few years back, I wrote a bunch of times how I couldn't hook up on plastics, and kept using jigging slabs, diamond jigs, and I am sure you remember my painted wheel weight lures!. caught a lot of lakers on them.. Now they sit in the tackle box, unused with rusting hooks... These days I have more confidence in plastics, but that could change.. One terrible trip using plastics, or one or two days when they are whacking a Hopkins or a slab spoon, makes me re think... Until the next time..

Lots of guys fish shallow  fresh water using  small spoons like daredevils, little cleos etc.. I can' BUY a hit on them and never use them.. never could catch a damn thing on a spoon in fresh water as long as I have been alive, so I simply avoid them.. Some day I will try one, and maybe have a big day.... and,, well,,, you know...... bob

[lakerchaser]

Jigged cayuga a couple days ago out of t-park and had excellent fishing. Lande around 10 between myself and grandkid. Most around 4-5 pounds and gk got 2 around 8. All caught on 1.5 oz jig with small tube,

[Lively1]

Ah lakerchaser... this is the one thing I haven't asked about yet.. the actual jigs, plastics, etc. I started out with some jigs that were given to me.. 2 oz and 1.5 oz 'smiley face' heads tied with some greenish crystal flash. I put on some 6" flukes and caught some fish.. this is August 2013 on vacation.

 

This year, now we have a place on the lake I start jigging in June and fish all summer. The big jig & plastic works, OK, not great. So I start trying other things.. casting spoons, jigging spoons, smaller plastics, trailer flies.  (and copper line, wire/dipsey too).

 

I did try some 1 oz. jigs with small tubes pulled over them, both white color and green color, and they didn't produce.

 

The only thing that I caught fish on other than the 6" plastics is a 2.5" long trailing fly and a 3" long black/white/silver flash bucktail jig that I bought in Ithaca eons ago when 'Wildman' was still in business.  This is maybe a 3/8 or 1/4 oz head and only possible to fish it when there is zero wind, or cast downwind and let it sink, using 4 lb test.  I caught fish on it both ways this summer. I think I get a lot of 'trial' bites on my big jigs when they are sinking, but they are quick and tentative, never hook anything. Same with the trailing fly, lots of pecks when its sinking, but can't get a hookset with the trailer on the drop. I have one large jig with the white paint is chipped off from all the bites, but only hooked a few fish on it. And I fish it with a stinger trailer back near the end of the plastic. Seems like the fish hit the big white jighead, not the tail of the plastic.

 

It's tempting to hypothesize that Keuka being a relatively small and shallow lake (compared to Seneca or Cayuga), with pretty steady pressure all summer, the fish are somewhat skittish and respond well to smaller flies/jigs/spoons. But in truth I've caught most of the fish this summer on the 1.5 or 2.0 oz jig and 6" fluke. All I can really say is, when it has been possible to get the smaller jigs down to the fish, the result has been hookups. And this is not the case using the larger jigs and plastics.

 

BTW - in my summary, the parts about feathers working better than plastics, salt but no scent, and using bait to tip the jig, those all came from different Canadian outfitters or lodges.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Lively1

[lakerchaser]

My jigs are made out of keel sinkers powder painted and a siwash salmon hook attached.Best tube is a 3.5 zoom white ice and char pepper which they dont make anymore. I use only 1 once in the winter. Lakers are full of sawbellys which are quite large.Have tried many options but always come back to the tube. Just me.

[guff]

Lively 1- Felt your pain yesterday on Keuka. Hit the end of the bluff in the am. Screen was just packed with lake trout arches. Must have drifted over 500 fish. The only problem was they ALL had a serious case of lock jaw. Had 1 hit in 3 hours. Unbelievable. They were not even following the jig as it passed by them. Just not used to that on Keuka. Full moon probably did not help any but think it was more of a non-bite circumstance. These fish better start feeding pretty soon or they are are going to have a long, hard winter. So the bite was so bad we packed up and headed to the north end of Seneca but the wind/waves were so bad we sat and ate lunch in the state park and watched the waves roll in. Got to start hauling firewood now. Hope the Keuka lakers also realize winter is coming and start fattening up soon. Now that the laker fish advisory (women under 50 and kids under 15) is history I have a lot more takers for yummy Keuka lakers.