Fishing Forum

When rigging comes up, one invariable suggestion is "a spoon with a tiny jig rigged below it."

That, to me, is bass ackwards - or at least downside up. Here's why: as you lower that rig to bottom, the loose lightweight jig can tangle with the spoon; once down, you either have the jig lying loose under the spoon or you have to guess how much line to retrieve to get the jig just off bottom. Worse, no matter what, you will never be able to detect a lifted bite on the jig because all you feel at the rod tip is the spoon.

I rig it the opposite way: with the spoon at the bitter end, and the jig(s) tied in "dropshot" style above the spoon. The jigs can't tangle; when the spoon hits bottom, all lures are precisely spaced above it - and I can detect a bite in ANY direction.

Comments?
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I've wondered the same thing myself. I've rigged both ways. My experience with the spoon above a small jig/ice fly is usually that the jig gets tangled on the way down in deep water. Shallower water (<15 FOW) didn't seem to impact it as much. I did have to remove the treble hook from the spoon and I repaced it with a barrel swivel where I tied the leader that had the small jig on the end of it.

The drop-shot style rig you mentioned has worked better for me. I can get the lures down and also tip each with different baits to see if one is more successful than the other. It seems to work well for me here. The last time I had significant trouble with this rig was when I was fishing a body of water with a lot of flooded timber and brush on the bottom (wasn't in Utah). I ended up having to remove the treble hook from the spoon and just use it as a weight for my dropshot rig because I was getting snagged on the bottom.

I don't use the spoon/flasher with a jig rig much. I would almost rather use a tandem rig with a barrel swivel. I use that way more often. I'll put an 1/8 oz jig on the longer leader (or heavier depending on water depth) and then a much smaller jig on the shorter leader. I get the benefit of two depths, two colors, two baits, etc. I'm sure there are much better ways of rigging this stuff. I'm no expert but I catch a few from time to time.
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Yup, the dropper method is better, but it still means that a fish has to move the light jig the whole length of the dropper line before you can detect a bite - unless he moves down.

I use a heavier jig or other lure on the bottom most of the time, even when actually drop-shotting. A Rapala jigging minnow, a lipless crank or a spoon all work great - and provide action when jigged.

I also pre-tie a lot of rigs at home where my fingers are warm. Barrel swivel, then tiny jig (or two) and then either a snap or a heavier lure. A snap allows me to change bottom lures. I tie a snap to my main line, and then just have to attach a tied rig out of its ziplok bag. Add bait and lower away.
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I really like the pre-tied rigs in a ziplock idea. That makes a lot of sense especially when dexterity is low and fingers are cold. I have also tried tying two jigs where one is attached to the main line and the other is tied to the hook of the top jig. It works well for panfish or other species that don't pull a lot. At least then your jigs are in line with each other so you don't have to hope the fish pulls the length of the one dropper before you detect a bite.
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i never run 2 hooks ice fishing.. 1 line 1 hook.. i have lost way to many fish from the top hook getting caught on the bottom of the ice hole.. not worth losing the fish of a life time to a hook getting caught on the hole!!
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[quote fuzzyfisher]i never run 2 hooks ice fishing.. 1 line 1 hook.. i have lost way to many fish from the top hook getting caught on the bottom of the ice hole.. not worth losing the fish of a life time to a hook getting caught on the hole!![/quote]

+1.

I used to do a lot of tandem rigs ice fishing and had the same thing happening. I also found myself wasting time untangling the top and bottom items too often. I pretty much only use 1 line 1 hook now. I will put on a small split shot on top and the jig on the bottom if weight is needed.
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That's a very good point, and worth considering. I think the value of two different sizes, colors and possibly bait addition to be worth the risk. But once you have a preference identified, going to a single hook rig does make sense.
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I do all of the above.
If I'm after panfish, I like to have the small hook on the bottom.
Most of my Perch will be caught on the lower hook.
The one that is closer to the bottom.

When I'm at Strawberry, It's one hook with a possible flasher above it.

At places like Rockport, where I'm after trout and perch. I will use a 2 hook set up with the larger hook on the bottom.

So it all boils down to where I'm fishing, how I set it up.
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RockyRaab, I am curious how that looks with the spoon on the rig, could you send a pic?
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[#646464]For perch, I use one line with one jig with a spoon about 6 inches above it. I can always detect both on the flasher and I like to coat the spoon with TD's bright glow stuff.[/#646464]
[#646464]On the flasher screen, the perch will either come up to get it as it is nearing the bottom or they will take it about 2 inches off the bottom. [/#646464]
[#646464][/#646464]
[#646464]I too have snagged up too much on the bottom of the hole, when using two jigs. I have also found that they don't hit the top jig that much.[/#646464]
[#646464][/#646464]
[#646464]I use a fly clip to attach pre tied rigs.[/#646464]

[#646464]Now if I only had a GPS to find where I put my GPS,[/#646464]
[#646464]I'd go fishin.[/#646464]
[#646464][/#646464]
[#646464]Trout is a whole nuther story.[/#646464]
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when retrieving a fish with the spoon below the hook/drop shot style, what happens to that line below the hook, especially with a wiggling crazy rainbow? does it tangle every where? especially when it's flopping around out of the hole?
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One thing I like to do, is tie on all my jigs at home where my hands are warm. I also take 8 poles with me so they are all tied up with different colors or types of jigs. That way if I want to change, I reel up switch poles, and drop back in.
Usually ahead of time you know where you are going and what type of jig you want to use, so you can get all that done before you leave. Spend more time fishing than tying hooks on your line.
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Here's a poor photo I just snapped. I simply hung a rig on a file cabinet, so the barrel swivel at the top isn't visible. This is "drop shot style" with six inches between the top jig and the snap/lure below.


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I see, thank you! I'm going to try that set-up for tomorrow's trip. Thanks again
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This is what the snap looks like that I use for Ice fishing.
It makes changing out the jigs very easy in cold weather.
http://www.basspro.com/No-Knot-Fas-Snap/...4349011711
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I just started using similar snaps (Mustad) this winter and I love them. I get them here [url "http://www.fishusa.com/Product/Mustad-Hook-Snap---Model77145"]http://www.fishusa.com/Product/Mustad-Hook-Snap---Model77145[/url]. They are a little less expensive and much cheaper S&H. I like how they allow good lure movement but don't significantly change the lure profile.
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