Help a newb out with jigging?

[Moonglum]

Hi folks,

I mostly lurk, and I really appreciate the insight and expertise I've received from a lot of you in the few years since I've started ice fishing.  This is, I think, maybe my fourth year ice fishing, and I fish a little lake just south of Traverse City.  I only get a couple ice fishing trips a year though, because I'm driving up from Ohio.

Anyway, long story short, I've never had much luck jigging.  then I read on this site a few days ago about Gulp products, so thought I'd place an Amazon order.  I ordered the 2.5 inch black shad, and I also ordered the Berkley Power Honey Worm.  Do you put these in any stinky dip before fishing with them?  Generally what I catch are pike and bass with tip-ups.  The bluegill population seems to be made up of very small fish.

Any help is greatly appreciated!  I have a trip coming up on Jan. 19, and again on Feb. 11.

[pooley]

Get some tungsten jigs, and gulp maggots. That should be a good start. Also, mousies, spikes, waxworms,......

[fishermantim]

I don't want to sound harsh and God knows , I've had to learn how, but are you jigging like you would for larger open water fish?
I ask, because when I started jigging I was jigging to beat the band, and had no fish to show for it.
Once I changed my method, and slowed it down drastically my catch rate shot right up.

If you are jigging too vigorously you will be deterring the fish from hitting your offering. It's simply moving too fast to strike.

Once I learned the simple method of moving the rod tip very little while jigging, and stopping for a few seconds to give fish a chance to attack, I had lots more fun!

Imagine making a circle with your thumb and index finger, like you are making the "OK" gesture, and concentrate on moving the rod tip only as much as that circle would allow. After awhile it will become second nature and you will be jigging up fish.


Now if it's a matter of fish just not taking your presentation or bait, try different lures and baits to see what works best, and try (if at all possible) to give yourself as many options as possible.

Lastly, get out as much as possible to increase your chances!

[Unclegillhunter]

One thing I have learned is not dropping your jig all the way down to the bottom. If you are marking fish on your sonar stop the jig above the fish and just vibrate it while keeping it right where it is. And like fmt said get out there and try anything that feels right!
Keep it safe! JDL

[crappieslayer37]

One thing I have learned is not dropping your jig all the way down to the bottom. If you are marking fish on your sonar stop the jig above the fish and just vibrate it while keeping it right where it is. And like fmt said get out there and try anything that feels right!
Keep it safe! JDL

x2 jig above to get the aggresive fish then drop down to finesse the haters

[OneMoreFish]

Is your rod sensitive enough to detect a light bite from a panfish? If not maybe use a spring bobber until you get the feel for it. I like to use Hali jigs with a couple spikes on them dangling down. Spring and fall gulp alive are my go to bait. I can out fish everyone around with them. Winter time I can't catch a cold with them.

[bearnoob]

Gulp are plenty stinky on their own. You don't need to add anything. The honey worms are less so, but I still don't add any additional scent.

[rdhammah]

before you drop the jig down the hole, see what it does just below the surface. see how it reacts to your rod movements.

[Moonglum]

Thanks guys, you're awesome.  Fishermantim, to answer your question, I think I have definitely been jigging too aggressively.  The image of the forefinger and thumb making a circle really illustrates well how little the bait needs to move.  I'll definitely keep that in mind.

And thanks bearnoob on the info on how stinky those baits are. 

The folks who contribute are greatly appreciated by me, and I'm sure by many other lurkers.  I hope to be able to contribute with equally helpful advice as my experience level increases.

[bmyrkle]

This is another opinion that others will no doubt dispute, but I feel like you'd be a lot better off buying some live bait at a local bait store when you get up to TC, rather than bringing artificial bait with you.

I have had luck with various artificial baits over the years, but if I was trying to cram a season's worth of ice fishing into two weekend trips, it would be live bait all the way.

[IceGunner]

it has been mentioned to keep your jig above the fish,  IF there are fish on the flasher.   If you aren't seeing anything on the flasher,  I recommend occasionally pounding the bottom,  little poofs of sand, silt, mud seem to be a powerful attractant and helps to bring them in.   Once you mark them, then stay above them and tease them.   

[fishermantim]

Of course we are all presuming that he HAS a flasher, and isn't jigging blindly.

A flasher / fish finder will show you what's happening while you are jigging, but knowing how to jig is paramount!

I agree as well, that live bait will be most favorable, but knowing how to jig the plastics could save the day when the bait isn't available or runs out.

Hey, the more you know, the better you'll do!

[Sprocket]

So jigging with a flasher is pretty well documented.

About how much time should you jig a given location - working without a flasher - before moving on?  Or what is the prescribed method etc.?

I've been shown that going to the bottom then work to the top slowly is one method.

Fishermantim has some great advice I've not heard described that way before and OneMoreFish has some good advice too - I've got some ultra-light rigs just for jigging the small ponds.  More on the specifics of moving the bait would be appreciated - twitch, one two - sing happy birthday - twitch, one, sing...

I've fished with rdhammah but don't own electronics - however his lessons are not forgotten.  He knows of what he speaks.

If anyone can add advice on jigging without electronic help, that would be good.  The types of contours, cover, bottom structure etc. - where do they bed, where do they feed, where do they make spawn beds (understanding the critters, not poaching preggers), etc.  Understanding the fish will help me find more fish than strictly watching a screen.

Thanks All!

[jitterbug]

 I think the jigging action depends on what you're fishing for   Predators like Pickrell walleye musky northerners trout etc  you should jig more aggressively it actually attracts a predator    If you were fishing for prey fish  like bluegills perch crappy etc. you need to slow down to a more subtle jigging action    You will actually scare prey fish  with an aggressive jigging action.  The choice of jigs themselves is important  some jigs are designed to be jiged aggressively while others are designed to be jiged very subtle   IMHO

[crappieslayer37]

Bluegill fishing I recommend blindly fishing from about 1 or two cranks of bottom and progressively jig up to 5 or 6 feet and back down and moving up in 1 foot increments of no action. All depends on your depth my example would be in 15-20 fow.

[Moonglum]

Thanks for all the additional advice folks!  I had not thought of pounding the bottom to create a dust cloud if there are no fish, that sounds like a great idea.  I do indeed have a flasher, and an underwater camera.  That's one of the reasons I'd like to become more proficient jigging; so I can see the fish strike the bait on the camera.  The water's pretty clear so I'm able to set the camera 10 or 15 feet away from the bait.

And I'm mainly fishing for pike, although I catch largemouth bass on the tip-ups as well.  When I jig I keep the bait about 24 inches above the bottom, same as with my tip-ups.  Maybe 18 inches.  Usually it's on a pretty steep slope, when the water depth goes from 15 to 30 FOW in just about 20 feet of distance.  I'll generally arrange my tip-ups in varying depths from 12 to 25 feet, and I've had success in all those ranges.  There is vegetation, but most of it's pretty low to the bottom.  When the vegetation is 2 or 3 feet high, I try to keep my bait just above the veg.

anyway, that's the strategy I've developed in my few years of doing this.   I'm sure I'm making mistakes, but I'm mostly learning by reading what's on here, and by trial and error.