How well do glow jigs work for you

[FishinHippy]

This year I have started using glow products more and more. I must say they don't seem to work as well as white or natural colors, unless I am fishing at night.

I have mainly been fishing for trout, perch, and crappie.

I am just curious to see what everyone else has experienced.
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[RyanCreek]

I love glow jigs - with white glow being my favorite. I use glows pretty much everytime I icefish and they always work for me. Many times a nonglow will work just as well, but there have been specific instances I can recall glows outperforming them. In my view, it doesn't hurt to fish with a product that has glow elements, and often does better, so I just use glow most of the time when icefishing or jigging deep (unless I want more flash/light reflection, which is another thing). The good thing is, you can get good lures or set up combos with flash AND glow, so you can have your cake and eat it too.

Having looked at various jigs under the ice with my underwater camera, it is amazing how much more visible glow jigs are at depth. That being said, fish find their non-glowing natural food sources just fine. Sight is just one part of the equation. It doesn't matter how good it looks if the fish don't like the size, the vibrations it puts off in the water. or the smell. Also, nomatter what you're using, fish follow feeding patterns at specific times, even under the ice with thick snow on top.
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[richyy31]

I agree that Glow is the best for ice fishing. Sometimes it's something small though like a glow head on a white body. But I always use some sort of glow.
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[Troll]

I have a lot of glowing things in my ice box. I prefer them after the ice is snow capped or in deeper water. They just seem to hook more. I have glow tails of all shapes and sixes, most in white and glow green. I also have some colors that glow and several glow/color.

Do you recharge them? Even in the daytime they should be recharged every 10 to 15 minutes, that's what I do anyway.
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[FishinHippy]

Thanks for everyones input, I guess I am the exception. []

Troll: I am pretty good about recharging them often, and I do catch fish with them, but when the fish are being picky I do better with a white, rainbow, or perch pattern jig, that doesn't glow.

I also throw a gulp minnow on a glow jig head and have had mixed success with this as well.

Does anyone think the fish shy away from the glow later in the season, due to a lot of people using it?
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[fuzzyfisher]

oh guess i'll be giving out one of my secrets here but here go's.. all the custom jig heads i make have glow in them.. there is some other things i do to make them a little more appealing to the fish.. the colors i have found to be best most the time is chartruse yellow and green, pink, orange, and regler glow green.. i put them inside the pearl tube's so it turns the pearl tube whatever color glow i put inside it.. [sly] works good for me!
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[FishinHippy]

Thats a great tip, Thank man!

I have been toying with idea to start making my own jig heads, since I go through so many...might have to try that.

Do ya ever try two glow colors like green with a pink strip, to mimic a smal rainbow.

Are you headed to the Bash this weekend?

If so, I'll buy ya a beer or two and maybe I can get some of those secret spots out of ya![sly][]
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[fuzzyfisher]

well i was not going to go to the bash this weekend.. but where i'm going to be up there for the next 4 day's i guess i could stop in and give it a try.. i'll be headed up tomorrow and going to stay there tell sunday i hope..
we are going to see if we can put some big mac's on the ice.. [sly]..

as for the beer sorry dude dont drink it any more.. but ya still might be able to get some of them secret spots from me.. lol but not any on FG sorry..
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[PowerBate]

I wouldn't ever leave the house without glow jigs. White and chartreuse usually are the best. Pink actually works well later in the winter for some reason. Radical Glow jigs are the best. Glow paddle bugs are a must as well. I tip all of them with a meal or wax worm along with a drop of glow powerbait (but it is hard to find and I've run out). I also have a large supply of glow ice flies in various colors and sizes.

I know there are lots of of ways to "re-charge" jigs and flies, but I just shine a flashlight on them for a minute or so and that seems to work okay.

I also always use a flasher a foot above my jig or fly. Silver on sunny days and gold on cloudy. I'm not sure there is any science behind that, some dude told me to try it years ago and it worked......

Thanks,
PowerBate
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]As others have stated, non-glow colors WILL work...even under thick ice and with low light penetration. But, there are many trips that glow jigs out produce "plain" stuff by a wide margin. Like humans, most fish are visibility oriented (visuals) and will hit something they can see a lot faster than something that they can't. In low light conditions and the clear water under ice glow jigs bring the fish in from greater distances and stimulate more "reaction bites".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Early in the ice fishing season there is more oxygen in the water and more light penetration...before ice and snow build up to darken the underwater environment. Fish are more active and they can also see non glow lures much better. The longer the ice is on the water the lower the oxygen levels in most lakes...and the less visibility. Toward the last weeks of ice fishing season the fish in many lakes slow way down and feed less actively. They hit smaller lures and the bite is a lot less aggressive. A bit of glow can make the difference between whether they see and munch your lure or just slowly swim by, waiting for spring.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is foolish to make a generalized statement that either glow or non glow is better. There are times and places for both...sometimes even on the same day. It is always good to have both in your tackle supply and change up if you suspect that having something different would get more bites.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When you come over I can show you all the stuff I make, and the tools and materials needed to create your own goodies. During ice fishing season I would never leave home without a couple of boxes of glowing jigs and flashers. But, I also carry and use a variety of non-glow stuff and it works too.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Rainbow? I make several different kinds of lures in a "Bitty Bow" pattern...non glow. Pics attached. They do catch fish, but probably not any more than several other color patterns I make. However, they do catch fishermen...who seem to think they are purty.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is difficult to make a good "glow" rainbow. There are no good glow paints to make a good facsimile. And the glow colors all have their own glow properties. Some glow longer and brighter than others. What's worse is that the glow color is not always the same as the liquid paint color. In other words, you can paint on an orange glow paint but it still glows green in the dark.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When learning how to make your own stuff you have to work with the different paints and materials to learn their unique properties. Over time you understand better which things to use for what desired effects...and how much is too much, etc. That is a never ending process. I have been doing it for many years and I am still learning new things every time I whup up a new batch of jigs.[/#0000ff]
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[Coldfooter]

[quote fuzzyfisher] put them inside the pearl tube's so it turns the pearl tube whatever color glow i put inside it.[/quote]

True enough. I will add its my belief that super white glow work better as far as maintaining the actual golor of the tube. But to this point I havent found a "white" glow worth coating a jig with because all of the white glow I've found fades to fast and not worth the bother..
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[FishinHippy]

Cool dude hope to see ya come through....

Good luck on getting into the big macks.
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[FishinHippy]

Thanks for the run down today, I really do appreciate it.

You gave me some good things to think about and have me even more interested in starting to make my own stuff.

I really need to take some pictures of your tackle room to show my wife, my collection is just starting [cool]
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[FishinHippy]

Good stuff everyone, I plan on trying some of the things mentioned on this thread, in my upcoming trips.
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[Fish-or-die]

So how do you put glow in the jig heads? Do you just paint them with glow paint, or is there a glow substance that you put in the lead? Either way I was wondering where you get it? Thanks for all your input.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]There are several glow paints on the market. I have tried most of them and am not impressed with either the colors or the GLOW properties. They usually do not glow true to the color of the liquid product and they do not hold a glow charge very long.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]For several years I have been using a glow powder and mixing it with clear gloss vinyl jig paint (see pic). I apply it over a white or chartreuse base and then paint whatever patterns I am using over the glow coating. It is expensive and difficult to work with but it produces a fantastic glow that lasts for hours.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][url "http://glowinc.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=3"]HERE IS A LINK[/url][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This stuff really lights up, stays bright for a long time and does not degrade over time. When I shut off the lights in my tackletorium at night, the whole room is lit up with all of the glow goodies I make. Looks like an airplane cockpit. Then, when I come back down in the morning...usually before it is light...that stuff is still glowing.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Anybody who has ever fished with the glow jigs I make will tell you that there is nothing brighter or longer lasting...paintwise.[/#0000ff]
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[tlspyder13]

I can testify that the powder that Tubedude uses is great. Last night I ran a simple test to see what stays glowing the longest of several glow products I have. Some expensive some pretty cheap. The jigs I painted with some powder from Tubedude won the race.
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[WaveWolf]

[#502800]I'll second that.......That glow powder that you use is good stuff.......You don't need to mix a lot for a super glow, and the glow will last for a long time. [/#502800]
[#502800]I just bought a box of the Matzuo red jig hooks......I have been making stuff with the bronze........I have an opinion on red hooks for wipers in the summer, but does anyone have an opinion on them for ice fishing?[/#502800]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]As you know, I use them on quite a few of my jigs. In general, I use them for chartreuse and for Fire Tiger. I sometimes do some of my whites with red hooks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am convinced that in open water with good light and visibility the red hooks can help increase reaction bites...from predators that respond to the suggestion of red blood. However, I am doubtful that they do as much good under the ice or in poor light conditions. Red wavelengths disappear and become dark or black. But, some species of fish have better underwater vision than humans and may see more than we give them credit for.[/#0000ff]
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[toadly]

Have you tried the red powder or any other colors??Maybe green and red? I am ordering some today and was curious.[]
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