presuper bowl day

[BASSTRACKER]

decided to head out and get an early start today, it was just a bit nippy at 58 degrees as we launched at 730, with the water feeling nice and warm at a balmy 69 degrees! beautiful day. sun came up and warmed up fast. little to no wind most of the day and clear skys. fishing was no so hot though. no tucs to be seen anywhere, largemouth bass are in hiding to.my son and i got 3 early , 1on a crankbait 1 on a buzzbait,1 on a jerkbait/stickbait. all around wood cover. there was a pretty well defined thermalcline at 16-18ft and thats where the majority of the hits on my fishfinder seemed to be. after lunch got down to some serious fishing and did find some better fish in that deeper range.got a couple of 2lbers on a carolina rig worked down some break lines.and at the end of the day got another small guy on a drop shot off a point. all in all much tuffer than its been lately. but still managed to squeak out a few nice ones with enough time looking for them. after months of catching 10in bass by the dozens, those 2 lbers felt like monsters!cant wait for the tucs to come around!!

[roadwarriorsvt]

You did much better than I did. After 7 hours of fishing, I got skunked! Not even a strike. I found the Tucs in their usual locations, all lockjaw and lathargic. Tried a bubblegum worm on a Carolina rig. Nada. Tried a beetlespin that I've witnessed spank the LMG, but nothing today. Even my favorite "go-to" jerkbait didn't do nothing but jerk me around. Oh well....

[BASSTRACKER]

wonder how kelton did?? hahaha he did lose his motor and putted in on the electric. long trip from morgans!! he didnt want a tow, wonder if he caught em today?? dare we wanna know hahahahah

[roadwarriorsvt]

When I was going out after talking with you, I saw him pull in a LMB dink near paperbark....

[Ca_Bass]

Gonna give this jig a fair shot tmw...I'm gonna fish it for at least 5 hours..then a crankbait the next 3. Anyone ever do well with jigs at wilson? I haven't fished them much here..only a couple of times and I gave up after 30 mins each time. But I'm determined to learn how to fish a jig..hopefully the rain let's up a bit and the fishing picks up a lot.

[roadwarriorsvt]

I'd think a dark green or black jig would be good. Remember to have patience and "hop, hop, hop,,,,," Just :"walk da dog", slow and easy... Large submerged structures are your friend!

[Ca_Bass]

Yeah patience is what I will need enough to figure out how to work it properly. I've done well flippin' jigs on the mainland but that is about it. I'm thinking I'm gonna work it similar to a plastic worm but I might have to hop/pop it a little harder since it's heavier. I have some watermelon, brown, brown/orange, black, black/blue and some green jigs of varrying weights. I guess I'll just try them all until I figure it out...probably rig a few rods with differnt weights and colors until I get something going...I'm gonna have to become a pro with a jig if I'm gonna start beating kevin van dam.

I've caught so many fish with plastic worms at many different lakes in warm and cold weather that I feel like I can catch a fish with plastic worms anytime and anywhere. I want to feel like that with a jig in my hand as well. I think I'm gonna have to do this for more than just one day..maybe the next few months.

[BASSTRACKER]

black and blue is my fav color on wilson for bottom bumping, switch to a white/silver for swimming. and black and blue or any dark color really for pitching/flipping. jig fishing isnt fast and furious for sure, but the rewards often are well worth the effort.i think the key in learning to jig fish is that the feeling of the weight is much more prominent than most soft plastics. dont try to figure what a hit feels like and concentrate on what the jig feels like, and when it dosent feel like it should, thats often the fish! swimming and pitching/flipping they usually set the hook on the grab themselves so not as hard as bottom bumpin. think the jig bites were much better when we still had crayfish in the lake, these days i dont know if the bass know what a crayfish looks like!

[roadwarriorsvt]

I think you're spot-on about the lack of cray fish in Wilson. When I do fool around with a jig, I'll put on a Paca Super Chunk trailer. Last month I saw some kids at the ramp had caught a crawfish, but that seems to be the exception, not the rule.

[Ca_Bass]

I fished from 1030 to 430 caught 9 LGM. First one I got on a crankbait on the big point by BSI. Then I fished the JIG! Got two on the jig first one was about 15 inches a little over a pound the next jig fish was 2 to 2.5lbs. Got the first on a brown almost rootbeer color the second on a pumkinseed colored jig..got bit a few other times on the jigs but missed em. My heavier jigs seemed to work better, I think they were 1/2oz. It was easier to stay in contact with the wood..I was fishing about 15 ft deep. Then I ran out of the jigs I was getting bit on and fished a plastic worm and caught 5 more. Only one was bigger than the standard dink and he wasn't that big maybe 1.5lbs. There were some tucs busting bait against the shorleine at mikimiki flats one hit and missed my rattletrap and the rest ignored..no schooling really but the tucs would be in groups of two and they were only about a pound. There wasn't much surface action except during the 30 minutes of down pouring rain they started to come up..got one on a little swimbait to scattered to chase around. Not a fantastic day but it wasn't bad.

[BASSTRACKER]

ya i like pumpkinseed for clearer water, and i like the heavier jigs too. 1/2- 3/4 i usually throw. i like rattles in em too with a splash of scent, why not right. funny cause denny brauer once said the first tap you feel on the jig bite is the fish grabbin it, the second tap is the fish spitting it out. the third tap is your partner telling you that you just missed that fish hahahaha. jig fishing can be pretty fun. glad you got some fish, once you build confidence then youll do alot better fishing em.

[Ca_Bass]

The jigs I got bit on both had rattle and I used scent switched between hot sauce and the berkley gulp crawdad flavor I think the hot sauce stays on longer...I figure why not as well. I don't think I get more bites but I do feel it makes the fish hold on a bit longer. The larger bass I caught hit kinda funny.. I had just got the jig over a limb and it started to fall, then it seemed like my half oz jig became a 1oz jig it just started sinking a lot faster..I never felt the bite but my jig seemed to be rocketing down to the bottom. The fished I missed I think we due to my rustyness with my flippin stick..I just wasn't reeling down to get the hook set quick eneough but I guess I really don't need to I have 7'6"ft of leverage. The worm rod I use is only 5'6" and I've been doing a lot of worming lately..I'm lightning quick with that rod. Now I need to order some more jigs. For the most part I fished it a lot like I fish a plastic worm but with less shaking and more of a hop/pop. Seemed like I had to pay a little more attention during the fall than I do with a worm. On a another note I got slammed on the plastic worm set the hook..man this fish felt nice then she wrapped me up in some submerged trees and broke me off, would have liked to see that one.

I've been reading a lot of good reviews of the booyah boo jigs and the baby boo's. Just what I need more lures. And I will have to get another plano water tight box.....And while I'm at it might as well get 2 and separate my soft plastic flipping baits from my jigs and use the box I have them in now for my drop shot and texas rig terminal tackle box...and my wife says I have a problem...psshhh.