Do you live bait a rapala jig?

[icejunky]

Hi, I usually fish live baits, but on this site I have come across a few discussions on jigging rapala's. My question is, do you add live bait to these? or let them do there own magic.

[Pasquatch]

Welcome to the site!
What are you fishing for?
 For perch, some guys tip the bottom treble with a spike or two, but don't put too much weight on the nose or tail hooks, it will throw it offbalance.
For larger fish like walleyes, I wouldn't tip it, because you would have to use minnows, but i guess some guys probably would, I don't know.
 JMHO
Tight Lines, and Stay Dry!
                                        Wes

[icejunky]

Thanx Wes, We will be fishing Walleye. I see the term spike used a lot. What does this refer to? grub? 

[sturgeon]

I tip the smaller one with maggots(spikes) for perch, but not for walleye.

Sturgeon

[swantucky]

Here on lake Erie we tip the bottom treble with minnows.  If we are missing bites I add a stinger hook to the back hook and tip that with minnows also.  This past week end 75% of my fish were caught on the stinger hook.  By the way we were walleye fishing.

[Pasquatch]

I would tip it with a small minnow if anything for walleye...

[icejunky]

When adding the stinger to the Rapala are you removing the normal treble or do yo leave it on?

[Pasquatch]

You would have to leave it on, or else it isn't a stinger...

[iceintheveins]

Often with active walleyes during twilight bites, tipping a jigging rap isn't neccesary. But often bait is needed to get a strike, including for walleyes. You have to put a small piece of bait on or you will ruin the action. A small minnow head, perch eye, or a single maggot or sliver of crawler works great tipped on the lower treble and generally will not affect the action of the lure.

Tyler

[Pasquatch]

Often with active walleyes during twilight bites, tipping a jigging rap isn't neccesary. But often bait is needed to get a strike, including for walleyes. You have to put a small piece of bait on or you will ruin the action. A small minnow head, perch eye, or a single maggot or sliver of crawler works great tipped on the lower treble and generally will not affect the action of the lure.

Tyler

Exactly. Screw up a jigging rapalas balance and you are not gonna catch fish...

[missedone]

Swantucky-  Where are you fishing on lake erie?  Just the general area would be fine

[icejunky]

Im fishing Scugog, 

[Kolby]

Just remember, if you do choose to tip the Jigging Rap, be sure to increase the size of the treble.  As your small minnow or minnow head will now become the target for old marble eyes.  Which can translate into more lost fish, because the nature of an end hook getting caught on the edge of the ice hole.   If you do not tip this lure, the fish will target the lure, often engulfing the entire thing.  So if their "sniffing" and just mouthing or not commiting, a smaller jigging spoon, with eyes on it, tipped with the tail section of a minnow will allow for more conversions from bite to flopp'n on the ice.  When you do have to entice the fish in this manner, it sometimes pays big time to just set your pole down on the ice when a fish comes into the area.  Baitfish will often try to dart away at the site of a predator, or freeze-up and hope they aren't noticed.  You can usually tell which presentation is the answer by how fast the fish approaches your offering. 

[cnyfishing]

I put one spike on each of the end hooks and two on the treble It has not failed me once this year for perch or bluegills.

[Garvdog]

I've caught nice perch with a Jigging Shad Rap, using a minnow head on the bottom treble hook. It worked quite well, and they wouldn't bite without the head on there.

[jacksmelt71]

i put either a small chunk of smelt on the treble or a strip of smelt on the rear hook. when you jig the strip acts like the tail on a tube lure and entices em' to bite.

[icejunky]

AHHHHH The memories, I think that this was the first post I started on this site

[madporider]

with perch i usually dont tip my jiggin rap if i feel they need live bait i will use a single blood red hook single sinker and a minnow.  For walleye i tip my rap with a minnow head never had a problem with it as far as balance.  Then again it depends on the bite if the fish are finicky i like to go smaller and then i couldnt tip the rap or whatever im using at the time

[Shrek]

I place a small head off a minnow on the treble and jig away, noticed without some scent, fishing is slower. if I'm going to deadstick with this pole I remove the treble and tie a short snell with the treble and bait with as small a minnow I can find or a minnow head. Works great when fish are slow to take the lure ,the snell I think will allow the fish to inhale the bait more easily.  Fish on!

[wojo]

Well yes I do tip the Rapala with Minnows. Been Breaking a  Minnow in half. Put the Tail on The Back And the Head on the front of the Rapala. And then use a whole minnow on the center bottom trebble. Work's !!! Ask Captain Brad.

[fishfinder24]

As said by others-I change the treble to a little bigger size and fish with the head of a smelt or emerald shiner.  I usually don't jig it much but more or less let it sit and just get it to twitch a little.  This is what I do for lakers in some spots anyways.

[sphynx_000]

what size rapala's are you guys using for walleyes?


Im gonna try swimming lures this year, I bought a small rapala (~2 inches long) wasnt really sure what size I would want.


Edit: Figured it out,... its a number 5

[Rockfish]

Do any of you guys use the rapala as a teaser.   I've found that removing the treble and replacing it with a 4" trace with a small ice jig tipped with a maggot really seems to slay perch when they're being shy, when they otherwise approach but don't take the rapala. 

I wonder if this approach kicked up a notch would work with picky walleye?

Rockfish

[bigredonice]

I wonder if this approach kicked up a notch would work with picky walleye?

yes it will

[fishincrazy]

Yup I use a fathead