Jigging spoon ?'s

[slowkota]

Soooooo... I've got some jigging spoons (buckshot, forage minnow, macho minnow, and swedish pimple)
I've used one like once, and didn't know what the heck I was doin with it or how to use them, so I put it back in my tackle box and have never used any of them again! I even had it tipped with a minnow head

I bought them because, everybody and their momma who fishes walleyes says they are the "go to" lures... even the magazines (pros), and websites! Everybody suggests these spoons... but I havent read anything on the actual use, and presentation, and technique used for these spoons!

So I am here, asking my fellow IS'ers who frequently use and are successful with these lures... HOW THE HECK DO I USE THESE DANG THINGS!!!

Heres what I'm workin with

I just bought the macho minnow tonight... even though I don't know how to use it, I have a problem with buyin the "hot" lures, even if I don't know how to use them 

[StingingLips]

I just bounce them really fast to try to make them look like a dying minnow instead of jigging them up and down like a foot

[Waynesburgjay]

I just give mine a little snap up and let it sit for a few seconds, then do it again.

[tundraman]

I usually give it a few good long jigs letting it free fall, pausing it a second or to inbetween. then give it a long fast vibration with not moving it to far up and down. most of my walls hit it in the free fall. When i see them on the vex short vibrations can coax them to bite. Salmon and trout you never know when they might slam it.

[Bareback Jack]

I tip them with maggots,pearch eyes or minnows and drop them to the bottom and pick them up about a foot leave them dead stick and give the a bump every now and again.
BBJ

[Bill Collector Bob]

haha four different answers! nice! 

[daveyg17k]

Sounds like you can fish them anyway except for the way you have been. Actually trying various methods might help you decide which works best for your area. Also best presentation may change day to day the same way the best lure is likely to change.

[grumpyoldude]

Go to fish307.com home page and there it is, a book Hooked on ice Fishing. This is your soon to be bible. It will not tell you every thing but will give some direction as to how to jig. Most jigging is practice, practice, practice. But defiantly try tipping your hook with a  fish head or maggot.

[Reel_Force]

All the methods work, I think ya just need to mix things up - slow up and down jig, the quick jig up, quivering the tip, and bouncing it on the bottom. Tipping the spoon with anything will greatly increase your chances.Ya just gots to find the method that works for that day and conditions, and they vary day to day. Give the fish what it wants and be persistent and you will catch fish.

[wally-eye]

There is no real right way or wrong way.....all the ways mentioned work 99% of the time.

My favorite "trick" for walleye especially if I haven't marked anything in 15 minutes is to let my bait hang about 2 ft off bottom and take my other hand and literally tap the rod with my off hand about 1/2 way down the rod......if you've ever watched on camera this makes a tremendous amount of vibration spreading out calling the fish in..... I mean tap as FAST as you can on the rod.......   After a few seconds of this you can resume jigging.....   

Try it at home.  Hold your fishing rod in one hand and let the bait hang down a few feet then start tapping on the rod with your other hand as fast as you can, you'll be surprised at how much vibration there is.....

Don't laugh unless you've tried it...

[captain54]

What ever jig I'm using,from panfish jigs,to walleye spoons,watch your Vex,it will TELL you what way the fish want it,some days barely moving it to dead sticking,other day aggressive pounding,or even a slow free fall,that's what make it fun,trying to find out what triggers a strike.Not everydays going to be the same.

[slipperybob]

Lots of jigging techniques...try some until you can get the fish to bite.

Basic techniques
- bottom bounce
- quiver in place
- big lift and free flutter fall
- rod tap and pause

[wallydiven]

try taking off the trebble hooks and putting on a 2 inch dropper rig with a single hook and a minnow!!

[DaddyX2]

try taking off the trebble hooks and putting on a 2 inch dropper rig with a single hook and a minnow!!

whats a 2 inch dropper rig? thanks for the clarification in advance

[slipperybob]

whats a 2 inch dropper rig? thanks for the clarification in advance

Dropper rig is like a stinger hook, only that you replace the hook with it.

[DaddyX2]

so basically you tie on the pimple...and take the hook off of the ring, and tie some more line to it and then tie the hook to it again?

[slipperybob]

Yep.  If you go through all that trouble.  Try removing the split ring altogether.  I've personally found improved hook set results.  Plus your dropper rig now doesn't have a ring to accidentally hang up on if you ever need to jig aggressively.  It can be a hassle.

[DaddyX2]

what would work better on their in your opinion?....a shiner on the hook?

[slipperybob]

I don't jig shiners...I think they tear easy

[Bareback Jack]

Wax worms,meal worms,maggots,perch eyes,minnow heads all on a single work well

[slowkota]

Well I fished the macho minnow yesterday...

I tried all the techniques that you guys suggested, and I sorta liked the "hold the rod still, and tap on the rod" technique, then I would give a couple quick 6 inch snaps or so, then let sit still for about 30-60 seconds, then repeat.

Even had 1 strike, but I missed it   

Its an art that needs to be practiced... but I'm not gonna give up so easy this time!

Thanks guys... ALL very helpful! 

[slipperybob]

Getting a strike on all bare bones metal hardware is really cool feeling to me...I still wonder what kind of fish to this day for those missed ones.  I love it when I get a good hook set on them.

[DaddyX2]

I don't jig shiners...I think they tear easy

how i plan to fish that dropper rig is to tie the hook ten inches off the large kastmaster and hook a shiner to it, just to see if the reflection of light through the hole off the kastmaster will attract trout?

[FishingNy03]

i like jiging up n down about one foot then let it set for 5-10 seconds

[slipperybob]

how i plan to fish that dropper rig is to tie the hook ten inches off the large kastmaster and hook a shiner to it, just to see if the reflection of light through the hole off the kastmaster will attract trout?

Now I call that vertical trolling. 

Use a large spoon as weight and attractor.

[DaddyX2]

Now I call that vertical trolling. 

Use a large spoon as weight and attractor.

so it is possible to troll the ice 

[slipperybob]

I've yet to catch a fish with the vertical trolling method... However it sure attracts them into the sonar cone afterwards.

The only other method I can think of and used previously only as a joke on fellow neighbor is using the space bobber.

[DaddyX2]

havent heard of that one before

[slipperybob]

The space bobber?

It planes away and if you attach some lure to it, it will essentially be able to send it out 30-40 yards after a while and retrieve it back.  Once you get some kind of other tug that indicates a fish...or in this case someone else's fishing line tug...It's ON!

Spoons can plane out of the sonar cone.  After you get use to how to count down on it...you can achieve a certain depth of trolling back as it wobbles back into sonar range. 

[DaddyX2]

someday ill have some nice toys like a flasher etc, but i'm tryin the jiggin out for the first time this season, just gettin borin sittin there flag watchin sometimes