Jigging tips - Fish coming but not bitting

[captstevepc]

I got a Marcum lx3 this year and I am very happy with it. I have not done a ton of jigging with it yet, but the couple times I have this season, I have had situations where i could watch the fish come to my jig right away and then just not bite it.. I have tried changing jigs etc and have caught some fish but it can be frustraiting when you know there are fish there but they are just not biting... i assume that is just part of fishing and you need to refine your presentation... slower jigging, keeping it still etc... This past weekend i managed to jig 5-6 perch in a couple hours with it but there were some holes where i just could not get a bite even thought i could watch the fish come right to the jig. I have been using really small gold jigs (tear drops) with a spike on the end. Does anyone have any other tips i may not be thinking of? Or favoriate jigs to try?  Again i primarily fish with tip ups and i use the LX3 to put my bait exactly where i want it relative to the bottom and weeds (which is really great) but would love to do more jigging. Any tips are appreciated.  I think i know the answer to the question --that it just takes patience and finding what the fish want but i will post anyway to see if anyone has any good advice.

[Ski Hunter]

Its one of the most frustrating things about having a flasher, knowing theres fish there, watching them come to your presentation and then swimming off. There are times I wanna take a hammer to my vex but I know over the years since I've got it I've caught tons of fish with it I wouldn't have without it.

The only advice is keep switching it up, if they come to it but won't hit it, switch jigs, switch from a spike to a waxie, ect ect. Just remember, you can't always make a fish that isn't hungry eat, just because they are coming to your jig doesn't necessarily mean they want to eat it

[Wizzofd69]

maybe thats why i never got a flasher. HAHA avoid the dissapointment.

[acabtp]

maybe thats why i never got a flasher. HAHA avoid the dissapointment.

i just use a regular fish finder, not even a flasher, and it is like night and day.  you don't know what you are missing, man.  it catches you TONS more fish.

[Kbfishing3]

Nothing like having the flasher.  I wont ice fish without it.  I had the same situation lots of times and switched jigs and caught the fish.  Also I will switch jigging styles fast jerks to stationary then back to slow movement.  Switch it up.

[captstevepc]

i do love having it  -  I feel a lot better about sitting there and jigging in a hole where i see fish... it will no doubt make you a better jigger....it is a great tool... i really think it helps with my tip up fishing too... positioning the bait exactly where I want it (especially in deeper water)

[Fred Dog]

Try using a spring bobber.

[fishgalore]

i just use a regular fish finder, not even a flasher, and it is like night and day.  you don't know what you are missing, man.  it catches you TONS more fish.

How does a FF catch you more fish? I have a FF but a flasher, it seems to me, is better. The FF only shows fish on the screen not a fish coming to take your bait or even checking it out. It will also show if the fish are suspended or on the bottom but so does a flasher. I know guys that would have left a hole a long time earlier if they didn't have a flasher. They then had more hook ups as a result of being patient and changing it up since they KNEW that there were fish checking out the presentation. 

i do love having it  -  I feel a lot better about sitting there and jigging in a hole where i see fish... it will no doubt make you a better jigger....it is a great tool... i really think it helps with my tip up fishing too... positioning the bait exactly where I want it (especially in deeper water)

You will need to learn different ways to present your offering. When they come to it and don't hit it see if they will follow it up but going slowly toward the surface. If they follow, stop, jiggle lightly and then slowly let it go back down.

"Another fish comes in. I lift-fall again and again, playing the jiggle game without a response. A deadly tactic at that point is to lift the bait a foot above the fish. Jiggle jiggle. Jiggle jiggle. Maybe another lift-fall. Boom".
Taken from the In-Fisherman:- http://www.in-fisherman.com/content/winter-walleyes/4

Also use small live bait on your jig. Either whole minnows or parts like tails and or heads. They usually cannot resist the smell. I think it works better than mousies, mealies, wax worms, etc.... but they all have a place during jigging.

[acabtp]

How does a FF catch you more fish? I have a FF but a flasher, it seems to me, is better. The FF only shows fish on the screen not a fish coming to take your bait or even checking it out. It will also show if the fish are suspended or on the bottom but so does a flasher.

I've checked out flashers, and i just can't see how to justify the cost.  I can see the fish coming to take my bait no problem on the FF.  The jig shows up as a small sonar return, weeds are shown accurately as a layer on the bottom and fish are larger returns moving around, schools are larger still.  It is easy too.  There was a guy out on the ice on Sunday that was interested in how I was fishing with it and I let him have a go at my hole.  He had no problem dropping his jig to the fish he saw on the FF and hooking into two bluegillsin about a minute.  It shows different sized fish indicators for different size and shape fish, so you can target larger ones.  This is the same cheapo Garmin Fishfinder 140 that I use in the summer on my fishing canoe.  Best $100 I ever spent?  perhaps...

[fishgalore]

I've checked out flashers, and i just can't see how to justify the cost.  I can see the fish coming to take my bait no problem on the FF.  The jig shows up as a small sonar return, weeds are shown accurately as a layer on the bottom and fish are larger returns moving around, schools are larger still.  It is easy too.  There was a guy out on the ice on Sunday that was interested in how I was fishing with it and I let him have a go at my hole.  He had no problem dropping his jig to the fish he saw on the FF and hooking into two bluegillsin about a minute.  It shows different sized fish indicators for different size and shape fish, so you can target larger ones.  This is the same cheapo Garmin Fishfinder 140 that I use in the summer on my fishing canoe.  Best $100 I ever spent?  perhaps...

I have a New Hummingbird Piranhamax 190c (color with an iceducer transducer) and it shows fish but not like the flasher. Also when you jig with it the jig shows up as tons of fish as it drops down. Same when you pull it up, so you really can't tell which is the jig and which is the real fish, if any, on the screen. A flasher, you know for sure what's happening. No doubt about it. It's the best tool for the ice IMO.

[pot-belly-perch]

I have  a fl 8   & I know how to use it
    here is what I found ..........
        #1  a fish swims  up to my jig  & goes  I think I know  what to do  #2 if  another fish  swims  up to my jig  & swims off  I know now  to check my jig !!!!!!!!!
  the hook is showing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1then i bring it up  & check it  it  IS SHOWing   the hook I mean & get it back down there  then I get FISH
 just A thought
     hope I helped you

[oldman]

I picked up a a color lowrance for the boat a couple of years ago.  I rigged it for the ice and have been thrilled with it ever since.  It has a flasher screen (which I've never gotten used to) as well as the standard sonar screen.  The sonar has a real time feature so there's no delay from what I see to what is happening.   Also, if I look away for a moment there is a bit of "history" that still shows so I don't miss anything.  With the flasher a fish can move in AND out in the few seconds you're looking at your   and you'll never even know it was there.  With color, the jig appears black and fish are yellow and finally red as they get closer. Also you can see "disturbances"(color fluctuations) in thicker weeds which indicate approaching fish.

Anyhow, as far as "window shoppers" are concerned, If I'm not getting a response to light twitches or deadsticking, I'll pop it hard a foot or more.  If it's smaller fish like gills they sometimes split the scene.  However, if the fish are larger they'll often eye it up for a long time and and will only hit when triggered by that sudden movement.  I've picked up alot of nice bass and picks with this method. (I've watched this work on camera as well-very cool)  Usually I prefer starting in a hole with something like a 1/16 kastmaster which can hook larger bass and picks more efficientlty than a teardrop but is small enough to attract perch and gills.  Move number two if there's no initial response is to go smaller first then larger.  I keep three rods rigged so I can make rapid changes in presentation as well.  Sometimes though, they just don't want to bite and I chalk this up to inactive fish or fish too small to hit even a tiny teardrop (baby gills or perch).  If I can't get em to bite in ten minutes or less I'll move and come back later.  If I was getting hits and then nothing with fish present I'll make sure I still have a mousie/spike bfore making a move.  Hope this helps.

[acabtp]

good stuff, oldman

[fishsammich]

I use a fish finder.  It's cheaper than a flasher. 

It works amazingly well if you know how to use it properly.
You have to have good knowledge to use it the right way and you have be able to "rig" it correctly.  If you are not good with electronics and not mechanically inclined a flasher may be a better option.  Also if you don't understand
sonar dynamics you will have a hard time receiving data properly.

In short, using a fish finder is complicated on hard water.  If I had my choice I would buy a flasher.  However, I am a little on
the cheap side and don't mind tinkering with things.

[fishgalore]

I use a fish finder.  It's cheaper than a flasher. 

It works amazingly well if you know how to use it properly.
You have to have good knowledge to use it the right way and you have be able to "rig" it correctly.  If you are not good with electronics and not mechanically inclined a flasher may be a better option.  Also if you don't understand
sonar dynamics you will have a hard time receiving data properly.

In short, using a fish finder is complicated on hard water.  If I had my choice I would buy a flasher.  However, I am a little on
the cheap side and don't mind tinkering with things.

That's why I converted mine from the boat to the hardwater and bought an iceducer. Are you using a transducer? If you are then it's tricky on how you "rig" it since the transducer is NOT balanced. The iceducer is made for the ice and balance is not an issue for reading the bottom correctly since it sits perfectly parrallel to the bottom. That's what it's made to do. A regular transducer is either portable with a suction cup or it is to be boat transom mounted. Hence, it's tricky to use on the hardwater and very difficult to get it to read the bottom properly because the proper angle is hard to achieve. This also has an effect on the "cone" (20 degrees or otherwise) that the transducer creates so it can read the bottom, structure and fish properly.

[iceslider]

PATIENCE  PATIENCE  PATIENCE

[fishinrichnp]

The thing with flashers (which I don't own.....yet) is that it's a tool not just to help you find fish, but to find active fish. To paraphrase Dave Genz, I'm looking for biters not lookers. The trick I guess , is how long to spend trying to entice the lookers before you move on and try and find some biters. With a few rods rigged with different presentations you should be able to give the fish you're seeing a chance to become biters. If they don't cooperate then it's time to move on. I don't use tip-ups, so I don't get locked into an area. I think mobility is key, but everybody has their own style. I do have access to a flasher which I use when I'm fishing with my buddy. We drill a lot of holes and move often in search of the active fish. You can get mesmerized by the video game aspect of the flasher for sure. LOL!
Rich

[fishsammich]

You are exactly right fishgalore.  You have experienced it, then.

Yes I use a transducer.  I wish I had an Ice ducer.  I know it would increase my catch because
I often do have difficulty finding the bottom.  However, I have a special "rig" that steers the transducer toward
my jig when I'm jigging on the bottom.  I can clearly watch my jigging and watch the fish take the jig.  However,
there are some problems receiving data from the bottom and I have to visualize what is happening in my head.

The experience would probably drive someone to buy an iceducer but I have gotten used to it over time.  I also
believe it's better than fishing without any electronics at all.

There is no doubt I can locate a lot of fish in 5% of the lake.  But it takes time and this "rigged" system
isn't for every fisherman.

[fishsammich]

Fishgalore regarding your message...

"I have a New Hummingbird Piranhamax 190c (color with an iceducer transducer)
 and it shows fish but not like the flasher. Also when you jig with it the jig shows
 up as tons of fish as it drops down. Same when you pull it up, so you really can't
 tell which is the jig and which is the real fish, if any, on the screen."



I have a pirahnamax 170.  I remove fish ID so I am just looking at raw data on the screen and I see and differentiate
anything swimming near my jig, big or small.  No pop up fishes.  If you remove the fish ID you will notice a difference and you will
start reading the raw screening data.

[Fred Dog]

You guys depend to much on all those fancy electronics. I could set up next to you guys with my $7.95 spring bobber pole with my little bucket and catch just as much if not more with no electronics.

[fishsammich]

You maybe right Fred Dog.  I'm not saying electronics are for everyone.  Fishing by sight is also a great method.
I like to use my sonar when I'm using new jigs and lures to try a work on a presentation that the fish like.

I also do not fish with live bait.  Not saying that live bait is bad.  It's just how I was brought up to fish.
I don't want to separate myself from the average fisherman.  I fish for fun but I also fish for food.

I also do not carry tip ups. 

Generally I only carry my sled, a cooler, a small seat, a slush spoon, and my rod and sonar.  And that's it.

Regards,

Fish

[fishgalore]

Fishgalore regarding your message...

"I have a New Hummingbird Piranhamax 190c (color with an iceducer transducer)
 and it shows fish but not like the flasher. Also when you jig with it the jig shows
 up as tons of fish as it drops down. Same when you pull it up, so you really can't
 tell which is the jig and which is the real fish, if any, on the screen."



I have a pirahnamax 170.  I remove fish ID so I am just looking at raw data on the screen and I see and differentiate
anything swimming near my jig, big or small.  No pop up fishes.  If you remove the fish ID you will notice a difference and you will
start reading the raw screening data.

Thanks I'll try that!!!

[fishgalore]

You guys depend to much on all those fancy electronics. I could set up next to you guys with my $7.95 spring bobber pole with my little bucket and catch just as much if not more with no electronics.

If you pick the right spot (50/50 chance) you're probably correct. It just depends on so many factors.

This is the 1st year for me to ever use electronics and I'll be 52 in April. However, sit a guy close by you with a flasher and I'd bet a weeks pay the one with the electronics (my bro as the example) will, I guarantee, hook up and land more fish. He outfished someone on Big S. tonight while not using a flasher and the other guy had one. That may or may not prove something. Odds are a funny thing, really just a mathematical probability, not magical thing. You never know really.

Why or how does one guy, out of 3 in a small boat, catch all the fish? They are all using exactly the same bait at the same depth and each one is within 12 ft or less of the other??? Can you explain this?? No electronics either.

I was the one guy in this scenario and we were fishing for Walleye. I caught 2 in a 5 min. span on Lake Hopatcong about 8 am while neither of the 2 other guys even had a bite. While I reeled up the 1st one the 2 others lines were in the water. Then I drop my line down again and before I knew it I had another one on. That was it the whole 1/2 day. Not another bite from another fish. Weird is all I can say. There was no skill comparison, no bait comparison, no depth comparison. Everyone was on equal ground, right???   Then why did I catch the 2 eyes???   There is no real explanation except maybe fate in this scenario.  

BTW:- fish have to be there and you won't really know that without electronics for certain. It's a guess. You can jig til the cows come home but if there are no fish under your lure you won't catch a thing.

[Bukshot]

I give all of you guys credit for jigging.  I do it sometimes, but never have too much success.  i try lots of different stuff too.  I just prefer tipups.  Love seeing the flags pop!  But seeing guys jig up tons of fish is impressive.  I think I don't have the patience for it.

[Ski Hunter]

I give all of you guys credit for jigging.  I do it sometimes, but never have too much success.  i try lots of different stuff too.  I just prefer tipups.  Love seeing the flags pop!  But seeing guys jig up tons of fish is impressive.  I think I don't have the patience for it.

5 years ago I didn't even own a jig rod...this year I've put somewhere in the ballpark of 2,500 fish on the ice, 2 were caught on tip-ups    I have very little patience which is why I never jigged, once I bought the vex though my confidence went way up as did the # of fish I got jigging    Can I catch fish without it, sure? But I never had any confidence in my jigging until I got it (maybe buying it made me focus more on learning to jig since I dropped the $$ on it)

[Wharf Rat]

Wow 2500 fish.....thats an average of 40-50 fish a day if you fished every day this season which is in about  50-60 days. Impressive. Nice job.

[fishgalore]

5 years ago I didn't even own a jig rod...this year I've put somewhere in the ballpark of 2,500 fish on the ice, 2 were caught on tip-ups    I have very little patience which is why I never jigged, once I bought the vex though my confidence went way up as did the # of fish I got jigging    Can I catch fish without it, sure? But I never had any confidence in my jigging until I got it (maybe buying it made me focus more on learning to jig since I dropped the $$ on it)

I guess you really prove my point then!!! Nice!

[knot2crappie]

5 years ago I didn't even own a jig rod...this year I've put somewhere in the ballpark of 2,500 fish on the ice, 2 were caught on tip-ups    I have very little patience which is why I never jigged, once I bought the vex though my confidence went way up as did the # of fish I got jigging    Can I catch fish without it, sure? But I never had any confidence in my jigging until I got it (maybe buying it made me focus more on learning to jig since I dropped the $$ on it)

  2,500 fish jigging in one season and only 2 on tip ups.... your tip ups must suck !

[Wizzofd69]

2500 lol

[HaveAuger]

all different factors. sometimes they want a vertical presentation, sometimes horizontal. I use a mobile FF too, this year at times.mostly at a new lake. to me the cameras are just too expensive for my budget.  i was told and saw (according to my rod tip)that the fish were looking and not touching. I went for a more aggessive jigging as well as changing it up a bit. when I saw a tap, tap, i kept setting the hook. fruitless. . So Next time I jigged up to 4 feet from the bottom and dropped to bottom . did this a few times to get their attention. maybe puffed some muck when hitting the bottom too. then twitched jigging up to a foot off the bottom. waited for the tap and instead of setting the hook, I dropped the tip paused and then raised the tip slowly to feel if anything was on. sure enough . . set the hook and pulled it in. this was a method that worked.
 
  Lure of choice for me has been a gold kastmaster 1/12 with 2-3 waxworms. I fished that combo all season. good results, i thought.
   just like fishing in the surf at the beach for stripers. .just when you think you know the pattern , the lure, the presentation,

 it changes.