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Whats the best kind of jig knot to use??
I was sitting here getting ready for my trip to Causey tomorrow and started thinking about that. Is it best to use a knot the tightens right up against the head? Or a knot that has a open loop like a Rapala knot?
What do ya'll think?
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[cool]NO EXPERT here with one whole ice trip under my belt but i think one cinched tight works best for me. Good luck tomorrow just had a schedule change and hope to make it up there thur to catch some kokes About the only time i use a loop is on rattle traps and such for a little extra wiggle
aquaman!!!!!
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[cool] A trick I was shown a few years back was to not only cinch the knot up tight, but to rotate it forward, toward the hook, to make the jig rest horizontally, instead of vertially or at an angle. Experiment with the spot to cinch the knot. When you dangle it from the line, it should rest on an even keel. Check it after each drop and adjust it back after each fish.
One good way to insure that the knot is cinched up tight is to run the line around through the hook eye two or three times, before completing the rest of the tie...whatever your favorite knot is.
When fish are in a neutral or negative mode, and they don't want a lot of motion, they will often cruise up and eyeball the lure at close range. Sometimes the horizontal jig, resting motionless, looks more natural to them than one hanging at an angle...or vertical. It's worth trying whenever your sonar shows fish coming up to your jig and not biting.
That's actually an old crappie trick, but it has proven itself on trout and other species too.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]TubeDude hit everything right on the head. I live by the rules he described in his reply. Horizontal presentation is the best. When the fish hits the jig, the knot will naturally go to the "fwd" end of the jig, so adjust the knot back to the "hook" side everytime, even after a strike and a miss.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I tie a cinching knot. It's called a San Diego knot. It is one of the preferred knots that So Cal anglers use on long range boats. It is a knot that can serve serveral purposes. You can cinch it down tight on a jig or slide it down on a crankbait, leaving a loop, which will then cinch down when hit. Works good for me but it is a little bit of a pain to tie because you have to attach the hook or jig to something, like the guide on your rod to tie it. One advantage is it has 90-95% knot strength.[/size][/font]
"[size 1]When fish are in a neutral or negative mode, and they don't want a lot of motion, they will often cruise up and eyeball the lure at close range. Sometimes the horizontal jig, resting motionless, looks more natural to them than one hanging at an angle...or vertical. It's worth trying whenever your sonar shows fish coming up to your jig and not biting." [/size]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Like Tubedude said, Learn to read fish but that is another thread. Your sonar serves wonders for doing that. Bottom line it's "Attention to detail". The more attention you pay to every little aspect of what you're doing will ultimately show in more fish caught.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Great answer, Tubedude![/size][/font]
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I will give another yeah to what Tube Dude says. My experience with that comes from Flaming Gorge, those fish have seen everything made and a horizontal presentation may mean a hit or a boring yawn from a selective fish. I use a polamar knot. It is difficult to tie on a large jig, but it too has near 100% knot strength. Plus it can be tied in-line for drop shoting which has proven effective on those picky macks on the gorge through the ice.
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[cool] Thanks for the supportive vote. Got a question for ya, BLM, and other fans of the vertical presentation (jigging). Is anyone actively using any of the "blade baits"? One of the commercial models is known as the Cicada, and there are several others.
The reason I ask is that I have heard some favorable reports on using them for "spooning"...jigging up bass, walleyes, trout and other species that will smack a jigged lure. I have molds for 1/4 oz. and 1/2 oz. size, and I planned to make up some "Perch Urchin" flavors...to fish in the horizontal manner we have just been discussing.
For those not familiar with them, they have three holes in the back, to allow for different attachment of your line or snap swivel...to produce different slants when held steady...or different action when jigged or retrieved. I'm thinking that a little "rackabye baby" wiggle might be enticing. Just wanted to know if anyone else has tried them...and with what results.
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I have used them. The best one I have is a bandit, I believe it is made by church tackle. That psycho flutter on the drop can be nice. I believe this one is meant to be used for walleye, but whatever bites will do for me. I dont use it a whole lot, I prefer plastics or hair jigs or a combo for ice fishing.
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The only time to tie a loop knot is when you want your bait, like a crankbait, to have maximum action. And instead, I use a duo-lock snap--no swivel. For a jig, I tie a palomar knot.
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Hey TD, when I was fishing with Walleyebob a while back he was using a lure that looked like a Cicada and I think he called it a Bandit but I'm not sure, maybe he will see this post and respond. WH2
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I've seen them but never used them so I have no experience with them. I'm mainly a plastics kind of guy.[/size][/font]
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Hey Tubedude
I have used them a few times. The first time I saw someone use them was at Utah lake. He had caught a bunch of white bass on them. More than anybody else had caught. Me and a friend bought some, but we only found the unpainted ones. So we painted and put some flash stickers on them. The next trip to Utah lake my friend caught a 6 pound walleye. Somebody fishing by us told me he used them for large mouth by the bubble up and did pretty good. I have tried them at Pineview for bass but never had any luck. I have also tried them at Strawberry and haven't caught any trout. I have tried them at Willard and caught some nice wipers on them. So they do work. But I like my plastics better.[  ] Those perch urchins are working great at Pineview right now. Thanks agian. Wiper24
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Tube Dude,
You're right again big guy. I use the trilene knot. You run the line through the eye of the hook twice, wrap 5 or 6 times and the run the tag end through both loops that you formed with the hook eye. It stays in place better than any other knot I've tried.
A couple of weeks ago I fished the 'Berry' with a couple of friends. One guy has resisted the notion that the horizontal presentation makes any difference. He complained that I was catching fish, while he was using the same thing without any success. I trimmed his nightcrawler down to size, and leveled his jig. It didn't take 60 seconds for him to nail a 20 inch cutthroat.
The  part is that he'll probably forget the lesson there, and go back to his old habits next time around.[crazy]
Fishrmn
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[cool] I switch the standard trebles with single hooks on a lot of my jigging spoons. On some of them, I tie "bait bug" type fly/jig bodies on the single hooks, for extra color and attraction. The single hooks do make it easier to fish a strip of fish meat and keep the lure balanced.
There are two good reasons for "going single". One is that you get fewer snags. Two is that a good single hook holds better...especially in larger fish. I have never noticed a sacrifice in hookup percentages with a single hook, but I have noticed that fewer fish are lost on the way in than with trebles with smaller hook gaps.
I have actually experimented with my homemade blade baits for a couple of years. I have taken a few walleyes, largemouth, smallmouth, white bass, yellow bass and even some hefty channel cats on them. Only in rare cases did the fish hit the blade bait any better than my standard prism tape spoons. I have been in a couple of schools of big white bass and yellow bass that were eating anything that got close enough to pounce on. Not a good test. I kept the blade baits on only because I didn't want to re-tie.
They do produce a sexy flutter when jigged vertically. However, they are more prone to having the hooks swing up and tangle on the line...even when using single hooks.
When trolled or retrieved at fast speed, they have a tight wobble and put out good vibrations. I have yet to try them on stripers or wipers, but the big white bass really jump on them when you let them sink down and then burn them up through the level at which the fish are stratifying.
I now have both nickle and brass blades for my molds, and I plan to play around with them some more this year. I'll be experimenting with some of my new glitter paint colors, as well as the prism tape. I'll post some pics when I get the new models put together. Might need a couple of official field testers for Willard fishies.
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Did you say official field tester for Willard? I'm there for you TD, unless you want to give someone else a chance. WH2
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[cool] I knew I could count on ya, Bro. I also did a lot of experimenting with the use of rainbow colors in my lures this last year...rainbow glitter, chenille, sparklebraid, etc. I had a few days down here when they outproduced any of the "old standards" by a factor of several to one. I'll hit you with few samples of those too.
I have always done well with rainbow Rapalas and with the "clown", "wonderbread" or "confetti" colors...for several species. I have the theory that most silvery bait species (like shad) reflect different colors from the prismatic qualities of their scales. That's probably one of the reasons for the effectiveness of such lures as the Prism Shad. The use of rainbow colors possibly suggests that same phenomenon. At least the fish vote for it.
I started pounding out some more flattened sinkers for a new crop of Perch Urchins early last fall, but haven't finished them yet. If I were to tuck a few more of those into your Care Package, what colors did you find most effective?
I figure you owe me some boat time when I get back up there.
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Hey Teroy, just another observation about jig knots. I use the double trilene knot and cinch it down real tight. The position of the line tie makes a BIG difference when dragging jigs for Walleye. If the knot is straight up and the jig is hanging horizontal, it tips the tail up as you drag it. When you feel a little tention from a rock or whatever, you can hold it there for a second with the tail sticking straight up, then jump it over the snag. If the line tie is parallel with the hook it just lays down on its side instead of rolling up. Then snags. Lots of fish are caught while the jig is sitting there with just the tail fluttering straight up. Mkes it easy for the fish to pick it off bottom. Feel the "tick" and nail him.
As for the blade bait issue. I like them alot. You can feel them vibrating and callin in fish. I have sonar and cicada blades. Only certain times they work, but when they work, they are fun to use. I hooked a huge fish at Deer Creek one time on a black cicada. Saw him on the finder suspended in 55' of water and dropped down. Didn't get it to the boat. Bet it was a big Brown Trout.
They work great at first ice on Utah Lake for whites, LMB,Walleye and Crappie. The pink ones are really good.
O.K. BYE
WalleyeBob
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I think you are right about the rainbow colors, the cisco we caught a week ago had a rainbow color along the back and the prism shad does for sure. Have you ever made a rainbow Perch Urchins? The cisco are a rainbow color on the top and a light brown on the side. My friend was using a gold Kastmaster but your Urchin with a green top and bars changing to yellow worked best for me. TD, I've told you before you are more than welcome in my boat and when you get up here I'll even take time off from work to make the trip. Thanks, TD. WH2
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[cool] I haven't yet been able to find a true "rainbow" prism tape, but there are several new pearl/scale and holographic reflector tapes that look promising. There are also some new glow-in-the-dark tapes I want to try, along with that new super glow powder that I posted the link to a ways back.
Most of my experiments in rainbow colors have been with some new chenilles and different sized ribbon braids and craft cords. I have also been using "confetti" colors in my silver glitter paint for both jig heads and doctored spoons and spinners. I will whip up some new stuff this next weekend and post a pic or two.
I have a theory on the perch pattern you have found successful. If you were fishing below about 30 feet deep, it probably wouldn't make much difference what colors you were using...as long as the barred pattern provided a visibility enhancing contrast. Going back to my salt water deep jigging years, many of my most effective jigs were high visibility white or yellow, with contrasting dark red, blue, green or black marks...bars, stripes or zigzags. For sight-feeding predators, visibility is a big factor in triggering strikes.
Shoot me an email or PM and we can discuss some possibles on other colors.
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