IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Bluegill => Topic started by: bean counter on Nov 14, 2011, 07:51 AM
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Does anyone have the issue of gills hitting the split shot instead of the jig? I know it sounds dumb, but usually fish with a camera and have seen it happen...
I usually have the split shot about 18" to 2' above the jig and i'll see the gills hit the sinker. I'll quickly raise the jig to right in front of their face and they'll look at it, turn and swim away. I've tried every jig in the box that looks like a sinker - NO SOUP FOR YOU!!
I think i need to figure out how to attach a hook to the sinker!!!
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Have you tried using a second jig instead of the sinker? Or even just a second hook with a sinker crimped onto it might work.
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gills will hit anything, i have them hit my swivel all the time, so yes they will hit the split shot. I dont use split shot because it it much larger then the swivel and i know it will draw them. Griz makes a good point, use a second jig, or use a spoon like a buckshot spoon with a shorter dropper 2 to 4 inches. the spoon will give you the extra weight and draw them in
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or, go smaller in tungsten. If they're into sucking on sinkers and just looking at your bait, they're fairly neutral. They'll munch on something small but not interested in a major meal. Give them what they're looking for at the moment
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great ideas guys, thanks! I actually picked up 2 tungsten jigs this weekend, i think i found my new "sinkers"!!
Most simple solution is probably the best...
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I have gone with no sinker and no swivel tungsten jigs . I tye three lb sufix yellow ice line tied to 6lb sufix braid .
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I noticed this while sightfishing last season and decided i wanted to catch a bluegill on a sinker. I went to a local bait shop that sells fly tying equipement and purchased some size 16 dry fly hooks and some head cement. I clamped a splitshot on the shank of the hook and secured it with head cement. I then attatched it to the line using the eye of the hook. I fished it about 18 inches above an ice fly. It did take a few gills that were curious hit the sinker. It is alot of fun to show guys on the ice who are frantically rumaging through a box of jig heads trying to "match the hatch" that bluegills can be caught on splitshot. This summer I painted a few of my "splitshot" flys with a mixture of head cement and glow in the dark powder from glow in the dark powder from a company from glonation. They look like marmoska jigs but 20 bucks worth of supplies make 50 of them. I cant wait to try them!
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Tungsten really has helped me the past 2 yrs. I hated to drop 2-3 bucks per, but ive got a nice selection now and it really helps me. Most of my fishing is in the 25-35ft range for gills and crappies. i was getting tired of the split shot bites and occasional tangles also and they always shy away from my spoon dropper rigs(not sure why).
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No need for shot,I've never used them even when fishing deep 20 fow or more. 2 lb test and a very small jig size 10 is a big jig.
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When I find them hitting splitshots, they just don't want to hit anything with a hook on. Lucky that a little atom nuggies plastic can usually turn that around. Just thread the hook through the round soft plastic ball. Experiment with tail reversed.
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Had this problem yesterday only it was the big gills and crappies that wanted to chase the sinkers... Just had to bring the bait up faster than they were swimming and most of the time I would get them to bite the jig with 1 spike attached...
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Just for the sake of curiosity why the split shot. Are you fishing in crazy deep lakes, I realize cutting down the drop time to get back in the target zone. I am by no means trying to be a jerk here, just really wandering why, this is not at all a common practice in my neck of the woods, maybe I am missing a good tip. I fish Two pound Viscous line and like said before a number Ten hook is large. I just use the weight of the jig to get it down to the target zone. To me I do think if a split shot was necessary I like the idea of the previous post about using another jig in the place of the sinker. I also have One rod that is rigged up all the time with unweighted ice flies fro size 10 up to 14 it takes about thirty seconds to get down ten ft. but on a day where the bite is slow this makes a heck of a difference. So, I am completely open to ideas maybe I have missed the boat with not using a sinker. Who knows.
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I'm with bubbagill if your fishing in 15' or less try using a small black or lead headed jig 1/16 oz tipped with spikes . had to break a closefriend of using split shot . He the relized how many hits he was missing.
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Use Wolfram Jigs (Tungsten) for both Gills and Crappie. Sink fast no weight needed. Size 5-6mm for Crappie and 2.5-4mm for Gills. Love them and got many friends pardon the pun - "Hooked on them also"
(http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae296/slabhunter1/awolfram.jpg)
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Watched gill in shanty when I was a kid and they hit the sinker half the time. With todays tungsten jigs that should solve the problem.(using a sinker)
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so...maybe instead of a sinker...put a second jig with alittle weight to it?no sinker...two jigs.
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I just started useing two lures last year and think it makes a differnce tungsten on the bottom and a small fly or #12 or 10 hook about one or two feet above it. Some times I use live bait on the hook but most of the time i use plastics like a drop shot. Tungsten lures are a must have these days i think anyways
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Ok stop and think about it , they are hitting sinkers , so use something grey ,, why try and get them to bite something differant ? if they want grey give them grey , If you don't have a plain jig head crimp a splitshot on a small hook and fish that . I have done this many times and save my bait for other times
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Go find yourself some unpainted jigs and use that instead. If they are dumb enough to hit that, they deserve to be caught.
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thanks for all the ideas! i'm sold on tungsten since i started using them!! Now if we can only get some good ice in Northern IN, i'll be all set!