Drop the meat for artificials

[CrappieKeith]

Since I was 6 I've use bait.Worms ,minnow,leeches crawlers,frogs and bugs.

I do agree from time to time meat may be the ticket for the day.
I've fished some lakes that those frisky walleyes only wanted a leech and nothing else.
Fishing for panfish I have found that I can drill thousands annually without using any meat what so ever.
I know this is a tough pill to swallow.
I was one of those guys that had to make the stop to the bait shop.

It took several outtings with the guy who tought me how to tie THE Jig and getting outfished consistantly to make the change.
It was like pulling teeth for sure,but there came that infamous day.

I can remember we were ice fishing and he had 30 crappies to my 2.
I had seen this too many times to count and he was really giving me the KING business.
I'm King he was saying and it busted the camels back.
It was the last straw.
I asked.....do you have another one of those.

Well that was the day I found I could consistantly pound those fish right along side him.
I found that no matter how tough the bite was I could catch those fish even when everyone around me was getting nothing or next to nothing.

As I read these posts in this forum and others I see guys struggle.
I want to take them by the hand and show them THE Jig ,but they just think I'm selling jigs.
Most guys say a jig is a jig.
That is ignorance speaking. They have never used THE Jig and have no idea how deadly they are or why they are so deadly.

At CKOutdoors.com there are many guys telling of their day on the water even with small children and how they pounded fish.
No meat,no minnows or worms or crickets....nothing nada zilch!

THE Jig is not the only tiny jig out there Zig makes one just like it .
There are also some small plastics out there like Lil Atoms or Maki's or Tournemet plastic baits.
These small baits really work well becuase they are small.
It's called finesse fishing which not many guys really understand nor do the baitshops.
Go to a baitshop.Try to find a hair or feathur jig smaller then a 32nd oz.
Good Luck!

Stop struggling find bait or keeping it alive.
The types of baits I use do not need air just water with fish in it!

[DaveIN]

How would you fish it for Gills and Red Ears?

[CrappieKeith]

Foat-n-fly!
Sometimes in the cabbage I'll verticle fish them right over the side of the boat.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/palisade1kid/Picture241.jpg

[DaveIN]

but, no where do I find an explanation of what you call finesse fishing. I notice a lot of Ice Fishing videos with the typical visual jigging motion. Is this what you are talking about?

[CrappieKeith]

Finesse fishing is the act of downsizing your baits and slowing down your presentation.
In the ice fishing videos I amlowering my bait to where the fish are then with the help of my electronics to see the bait and the fish I am lifting those fish.
As I pull my offering away I am triggering the strike sence.Thus it will take after my bait.
There is a point that the fish will stop.
We call that their ceiling.So drag or lift that fish to it's ceiling and wait for the hit.
If you came to my site there is some extra explenations.I believe I had posted some of that info here as well.

While fishing the fish are in different feeding modes.
Aggresive,neutral or negative.During an aggresive bite you can catch fish on just about anything.If it moves they will hit it.Fish are not aggresive very often.
You'll find more often they are nuetral.
then there is the other end of the feed mood spectrum.A negative bite is a bite where most guys go home skunked or catch just a fish or 2 compared to the fast action they had just the other day.

During these nuetral or negative days we can still go out and stay busy catching fish,but we need to change up to match what they want.
Downsizing our presentations and slowing down is the key here on those negative days.
Artificials are great in the respect of you can control your bait size.
So when that water gets below 50 degrees and or a front comes through and now you've got high pressure on the back side you can still go out and have fun rearing on fish.

I'm not just talking about my hair jig.All fish go through these moods.
When I go for waleye openers and they just got done with the spawn and the water is low oxygen and cold those eyes are on a slow or negative pattern.At best maybe nuetral so to get them I'll use a sassy shad swim bait on a jig.
During this time I know to downsize to a 2.5" size body.
As the weeds grow and fill the water with oxygen those eyes pick up on aggresion.
The females also get over being tired from the spawn.
Then is the time I'll go to a 3 or 4" sassy shad.
I can also pick up on my retrieval speed.Sure I have to go to a bigger jighead too to stay in the strike zone but I'm getting bigger with my baits and I'm working the water faster because they are more aggresive.

I hope all of this make some sence Dave.Is there anything else you do not understand?

[DaveIN]

I am chasing the monster Red Ears and sometimes Gills. I use all the principles you have outlined (quite well also), thou I mostly use the red ant jig tipped with a red wriggler. I go extra ultra lite spinning using 2 and sometimes 4 lb test Trilene. I agree totally with your concept of finesse fishing but, respectfully, I believe it does not just apply to lures without meat.

This is the handmade jig I get from from an ole boy in Minn:

http://www.whereifish.com/thepond/picture.php?pictureid=27&albumid=6&dl=1213273282&thumb=1

I think you and I are on the same page. We are just perhaps a little apart on the "meat" idea. Illinoisgiller sent me a couple of what I believe are your jigs and I will be giving them a try tomorrow as I continue the field test of the Acadia ES 25 reel.

I believe whether you use artificial, meat or a combo of each, the most important aspect is to have confidence in your meal you are offering.

My mind is wide open Keith. I am going to post to Giller after I get done here and if it is yours he wants me to try. If not, I will order a few from you to test. What color do you reccomend for my Red Ear chase?

[CrappieKeith]

Cool beans Dave.
By no means was I implying anything outside of the fact you may catch a few more fish.
It's funny how ...not you....,but others have taken so much offense to this post.
It's like I said you do not know how to fish.
Boy, try and change a guys game and it turns into a fight.

Good luck Dave and have a great day fishing!

PS Great looking ant!

[DaveIN]

Yeah, old habits, ways of thinking are hard to change. I have been using the red ant for some years now but, always looking for the newer, better.

I keep my small jigs in fly boxes. Here is one as an example of what I am talking about:

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TgCsGlcX4Y8ZG58csiX!v6Fehwd9uq8kG4EENG8ovmrNTysl3 0!dsLUwJWuenT7GUVRQyAdgJST7Jk*kmCkXsxgcYi6VpQfbaWf 224SnESjU3Mg8BrrIdw/P?dc=4675596301116195894

Best of luck................

[DaveIN]

Follow this link

X (http://groups.msn.com/IndianaPanFishing/logo.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=1114)

[CrappieKeith]

there ya go....there's some great looking jigs in there.

Have fun Dave and thanks for being a great fisherman who is willing to share stuff.

[dipper69_2000]

confidents,that is where the truth lyes. you have to feel it to believe it.take a guys go to bait away and u might as well sink the ship lol