I always like to ask at the beginning of each new year, are there any new lures or presentations that you plan to try out in the Boundary Waters or Quetico in 2017?

I don't having anything new at this time. Maybe this thread will give me some ideas? Last year it was the ZMAN RaZor used with my typical Zulu rigging.

Caught these on the RaZor in Quetico last year.......

Good question, Make. For decades, I've been a pathetic five-trick pony, catching bass a mere five ways: surface rap, surface popper, leech on hook, wacky-rigged Senko, and undressed brass blade Mepps. This coming summer, I intend to add some tricks:

jigging Rapala

drop-shotting

worm harness

soft plastic craw

tubes

twitch baits

I'm also going to use spoons for pike, muskies, rainbows, brookies, and splake.

This year will be my second trip . .outside of BWCA I don't get to fish much for these species . .but I consider myself a decent fisherman, I did OK my first trip and am building on that experience for this year.

For my first trip I did a ton of research but I also stayed a lot with tactics and presentations that I'm confident in. I plan to do the same this time. That being said . .here is the new stuff I'm going to try this time that I didn't try last time:

1. Tube baits. Nothing earth shattering but I didn't use them last time and I wished I had some.
2. Spinner baits. I didn't bring any but got the feeling that they'd be great for pike...and it would take the pike a while to destroy one.
3. Buzz baits . .same thing.
4. Swim baits. I have a huge number of saltwater swimbaits - like big hammers, etc. The 3 and 4" sizes I think could be deadly either straight retrieved or jigged off the bottom as I would in salt water.

Oh, yeah, I bought some swimbaits and buzzbaits too. The reason I've fished with so few lures is that I've been a quantity fisher for years. I like a busy boat and using a mere five methods and fishing the same few lakes, I average 60-100 fish per day, but I'm itching for new lakes and new methods even if it means catching fewer fish, which it likely will.

-Topwater. Unlike many here, the percentage of time that i spend using topwater lures has been slim. So this winter i've shored up my collection per folks on this forum and the bwj article covering the same.
-Pike Jig. I'm intrigued by this pike enthraller jig that MT poointed out so it's on the list.
-hook changes. not sure if this qualifies but i have a number of crankbaits with triple treble hooks. i like the baits but dislike all those hooks. i don't feel right about switching to a single hook thinking it will throw off the action of most of these baits. so the plan is to convert each treble to a double to try and keep balance and not lose the intended action of those lures. we'll see how it goes.
-Kastmaster modification. i like kastmaster spoons and particularly when windbound. planning to add a large single hook dressed with large twister tail and see how it goes.

I want to try a Live target golden shiner for jigging lakers this year. They are expensive as hell but im curious to try one. Live target

Not a new technique, but one I have gotten away from. If the bass are shallow but not hitting, I used to have decent success swimming this small, smoke-colored, 2.5" sassy grub. These are no longer available, but there are many similar ones available. Might be worth a try especially for anyone going in the springtime.

Has anyone used a walleye a plug behind a bottom bouncer with a leech..
Not sure if these are a little to big and should stick with a floating jig head.

This year I plan to try rapala jigging raps for walleye. Technically they are ice fishing lures but I want to see them on open water. I have high hopes for the yellow perch pattern. I also want to try more tubes on tube jigs, for smallies. I tried a bit last summer but damn they snagged the bottom a ton.

Mr. Onion, did you catch fish as well as rocks? What percentage of the time were you able to free your lure?

quote TheOnion: "This year I plan to try rapala jigging raps for walleye. Technically they are ice fishing lures but I want to see them on open water. I have high hopes for the yellow perch pattern. I also want to try more tubes on tube jigs, for smallies. I tried a bit last summer but damn they snagged the bottom a ton. "

\

I'm going to write an article on fishing smallies with tubes for the BWJ, hopefully it will be published and help you out in the future. They have produced some of my best smallmouth in late summer in the Boundary Waters.

@ BassPro69 -That looks like a really nice lure, but I would sure hate to lose 15 bucks if that thing snags or get bit off. I assume no leader? I might be tempted to use a thin wire titanium leader with that lure.

For months I have been refining my presentation for WCPP this next August. Mostly new approach. Did fine last year but maybe could do even better.

*Big emphasis on larger swim baits building on last years success with the Shadzilla lures.

*black Kalin grubs with an emphasis on the octo and big un (8" / 10")
The jig heads used will be the Barbarian sand eel by Hogy lures in 2, 3 and 4 oz sizes.

* Chatterbaits......they have always been a winner but never an emphasis. I have an assortment of colors and weights along with an assortment of trailers from Big Bite Bait.

*Under Spins / jig spinners........top of the line with ball bearing swivels and custom painted jig heads and matching blades. Primarily using Big Bite Bait lures as trailers. A bit more casting and a little less trolling.

* I have also invested well over $100 in making my own in-line spinners and have obtained the jig/ fixture to make the turns in the wire.They will be ALL black using the Octo Kalin grub as a trailer and incorporating an Owner 9/0 ballyhoo hook (Single j hook but long shank) and the blade is black willow leaf musky blade. The entire lure should be some 10" long. My research has shown black to be favored for trophy northerns. I cannot find this type of spinner manufactured in the retail market. They should be available by spring at MT Enterprises.com.......prepaid orders only, no COD.

And i am looking at the Pegasus lure from chaos tackle to use as a jigging lure for lakers. Probably pick one up.

Dynamite.

quote old_salt: "Dynamite."

I don't think that is legal in Quetico, not sure of the regulations on the American side.

I like using tubes but have not had much success with them north of the border. This has baffled me so looking fwd to the tube article. I've had a large black double treble buck-tail in-line spinner in my gear for 20+ years and have gone years without using it. This makes no sense so it's coming out of retirement and is back into circulation.

quote QueticoMike: "@ BassPro69 -That looks like a really nice lure, but I would sure hate to lose 15 bucks if that thing snags or get bit off. I assume no leader? I might be tempted to use a thin wire titanium leader with that lure."

I hear ya Mike, I can guarantee I wont fish it in a lake that has Northerns in it :-)

Did super last fall snap jigging with jigging raps and shimmer minnows on open water but all sand bottom would be afraid of loosing everything in th BW as I haven't fished many sandy bottom lakes over there.

I still have a bunch of senkos that I have not used, wacky or otherwise. I want to try drop shotting more as well.

QM, I am a believer in your Zulu technique. Not just with just flukes, works great with tubes and worms. Great advise...deadly!

MT, I have very low confidence level in your chatterbaits. Picked up a couple on your advise before my trip last fall. Threw them quite a bit in prime smallie and large mouth water with nary a hit. What's up with that? I do want to see your custom big in-line spinners...

quote Basspro69: "

quote QueticoMike: "@ BassPro69 -That looks like a really nice lure, but I would sure hate to lose 15 bucks if that thing snags or get bit off. I assume no leader? I might be tempted to use a thin wire titanium leader with that lure."

I hear ya Mike, I can guarantee I wont fish it in a lake that has Northerns in it :-)"

Is that even possible? Seriously, are there any lakes that have fish in it in the BW or Quetico that does not have pike?

quote Bdubguy: "I still have a bunch of senkos that I have not used, wacky or otherwise. I want to try drop shotting more as well.


QM, I am a believer in your Zulu technique. Not just with just flukes, works great with tubes and worms. Great advise...deadly!


MT, I have very low confidence level in your chatterbaits. Picked up a couple on your advise before my trip last fall. Threw them quite a bit in prime smallie and large mouth water with nary a hit. What's up with that? I do want to see your custom big in-line spinners..."

Have you tried the Zulu rig with weight-less tubes, just a hook and not a weighted jig head?

I have tried chatterbaits up there as well and they did not produce. I gave them a chance, but you only have so much time up there to try new things, so I switched back to something with more confidence.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote Basspro69: "

quote QueticoMike: "@ BassPro69 -That looks like a really nice lure, but I would sure hate to lose 15 bucks if that thing snags or get bit off. I assume no leader? I might be tempted to use a thin wire titanium leader with that lure."

I hear ya Mike, I can guarantee I wont fish it in a lake that has Northerns in it :-)"

Is that even possible? Seriously, are there any lakes that have fish in it in the BW or Quetico that does not have pike?"

Yeah even outside of designated trout lakes I know of a couple that have walleye but no pike. At least there were not any netted.

I spend the majority of my free time fishing and reading threads like this shows me how little I know about tackle and lures. I'm more of a live bait on a hook kind of guy I guess.

quote Gadfly: "

quote QueticoMike: "

quote Basspro69: "

quote QueticoMike: "@ BassPro69 -That looks like a really nice lure, but I would sure hate to lose 15 bucks if that thing snags or get bit off. I assume no leader? I might be tempted to use a thin wire titanium leader with that lure."

I hear ya Mike, I can guarantee I wont fish it in a lake that has Northerns in it :-)"

Is that even possible? Seriously, are there any lakes that have fish in it in the BW or Quetico that does not have pike?"

Yeah even outside of designated trout lakes I know of a couple that have walleye but no pike. At least there were not any netted.


I spend the majority of my free time fishing and reading threads like this shows me how little I know about tackle and lures. I'm more of a live bait on a hook kind of guy I guess. "

If would like to learn about the lures I use in Quetico and the Boundary Waters, send me an email at - queticomike@yahoo.com - and request the Grand Slam Lure article, it might help you if you are thinking about lure fishing in the area.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote Bdubguy: "I still have a bunch of senkos that I have not used, wacky or otherwise. I want to try drop shotting more as well.



QM, I am a believer in your Zulu technique. Not just with just flukes, works great with tubes and worms. Great advise...deadly!



MT, I have very low confidence level in your chatterbaits. Picked up a couple on your advise before my trip last fall. Threw them quite a bit in prime smallie and large mouth water with nary a hit. What's up with that? I do want to see your custom big in-line spinners..."

Have you tried the Zulu rig with weight-less tubes, just a hook and not a weighted jig head?


I have tried chatterbaits up there as well and they did not produce. I gave them a chance, but you only have so much time up there to try new things, so I switched back to something with more confidence.
"

Yes, only weightless. That is the only way I have used tubes as of late. If I need weight, I will pinch it above the swivel. I think that darting, random action with the Zulu rig is killer. You can speed it up and keep it just below the surface. Will occasionally zip up to the top. Or you can slow it way down and give it a slow death twitch. I've had pretty consistent success whether a fluke, tube or straight worm...

I want to get trilling figiured out, i am going to try building my own inline spinners to run very deep for lake trout.
I would also like to try tubes for bass

I want to try my new Dr Spoons this year for Pike. I will cast and Troll with them. I also want to experiment with tipping them with a 3" or 5" grub.

quote Bdubguy:


MT, I have very low confidence level in your chatterbaits. Picked up a couple on your advise before my trip last fall. Threw them quite a bit in prime smallie and large mouth water with nary a hit. What's up with that? I do want to see your custom big in-line spinners..."

Oh yea of little faith! Chatterbaits burst on the scene over a decade ago by winning THEE big tournament ($$$) here on Lake Okeechobee. They have went on to be a solid option in many pros arsenal and have been written up quite favorably by in-fisherman. So maybe its just the guy throwing it ;-)

All kidding aside I have limited experience with them. Notable exceptions occurred.......On West lake in the Quetico I smacked the crap out of the walleye by a lift and fall jigging method in the thick weeds there. I also trolled up a lake trout on one in Jeff Lake (surprise, surprise). But what sealed the deal for me was in WCPP this past summer where I got hammered by lots of walleyes and several smallies. Of course I should note that trip was the most walleye I have ever caught and it seemed regardless of what I had on they were going to jump on it.

So I will know more this next summer........I think I have 8 or 9 with a variety of weights and colors........black and gold blades mostly. I do believe that the trailer used is absolutely key to their producing. 3" Kalin curly tail would be a good option but I really liked the Big Bite Bait warmouth rigged sideways........it looked deadly and indeed it was. Be sure to secure the trailer with a dab of super glue. I think it imitates a crawfish and I get colors which mimic and use it near the bottom with a lift and fall style with short bursts of speed. Make sense? That was how the guy used it on the big O to win. He would let it sit on the bottom and then burn it and then let it sit again etc. etc. I can picture a fish going over to check it out while it is on the bottom, looking at it and then RIP.......the combination of vibration and movement gets a reaction strike. At least in theory LOL.

I had wanted to get with Quetico Mike and fish smallies on his river this past fall but he was busy (likely story > I had already agreed to sign a contract that I would not fish anywhere he took me ;-) I was going to bring nothing but a few 1/8 oz chatterbaits and several Kalin grubs. Maybe next time i'm through that way.

quote Savage Voyageur: "I want to try my new Dr Spoons this year for Pike. I will cast and Troll with them. I also want to experiment with tipping them with a 3" or 5" grub. "

A few thoughts.......I would gravitate towards using a "hitchhiker" which is a spiral spring which is clamped onto the rear of the treble and the twister tail is threaded on. This would create a free swinging presentation with a bit more wobble i would think. Hogy lures carries them as well as Helens Muskie shop.

Another option is the Esox assault curly trailers designed specifically as a treble hook trailer.

Esox assault

@ bdubguy or QueticoMike

What does it feel like when a bass hits a fluke? Sudden heavy? Or can you feel the collision?

MT, it could very easily be user error :) Pretty sure I just used the trailer it came with, spilt tail grub of some sort. You had suggested the Big Bite trailers previously. If I don't give up on chatterbaits totally, I may need to look at them. I have really only been casting and retrieving like a spinnerbait, could also try different retrieves...

Missmolly, for me, the hit can be different, maybe depending on the retrieve. Sometimes explosive, sometimes you can see it, but most of the time it's a fairly subtle tap. Like a jig/grub hit.

quote missmolly: "@ bdubguy or QueticoMike


What does it feel like when a bass hits a fluke? Sudden heavy? Or can you feel the collision? "

Most of the time it feels like when they hit a curly tail grub or a tube bait. Typically you feel a little tick on the line, pause for a second, make sure there is no slack in the line and set the hook.

Other times the line will just feel heavy or you will notice it swimming off in another direction or right towards you. Again, reel up any slack and set the hook.

Sometimes if the lure is on the surface you can see them swim through the lure or make a big swirl or boil.

quote Bdubguy: "MT, it could very easily be user error :) . I have really only been casting and retrieving like a spinnerbait, could also try different retrieves...

No dice.......I suppose they will catch fish this way but why not just use a spinnerbait if a steady retrieve is the game plan? Instead Fish chatterbaits like a jig interspersed with snaps which send out tons of vibration and then let them fall back towards the bottom. This lure needs be fished near the bottom IMO.

It also works wonders in the weeds. The blade helps keep the lure clear of debris and the fish can locate the lure via vibration.

The guy who won the big dollar tournament on the Big O several years ago was fishing a clear, shallow, mud bottomed flat. He would make long casts and let the lure sit for fairly long periods of time before burning it 5 ft or so only to let it sit again for a long time. He racked up quite a stringer of big bass this way. Pretty sure he was using white with a silver blade.

Thanks for the info, guys. Fluke fishing, here I come! Now, if I catch bass as big as QM using his method, will that be a fluke?

quote missmolly: "Thanks for the info, guys. Fluke fishing, here I come! Now, if I catch bass as big as QM using his method, will that be a fluke? "

I get the pun..... but I would never use a fluke :-) I have heard only good things about people using the Zulu rig, so I think you will do just fine. The ZMAN StreakZ (single tail) and ShadZ (split tail) are much better lures. Strike King sells the same exact lure, they purchase from ZMAN and resell the lures with different names - Zulu (single tail) and Z-Too (split tail). They are made from ElaZtech and they last and work so much better than a fluke. Spend the extra money, in the end they are cheaper than flukes since they last so much longer. I think they also move more natural. The cheapest place I have found these lures are at www.tacklewarehouse.com. I mostly just use ShadZ these days in the gray glimmer\pearl color. The new RaZors I have been using are in the Bad Shad color. These are the lures I find that closely imitate an injured cisco.

Don't order direct from ZMAN they charge too much for shipping.

OK MT, maybe I'll give 'em another shot... I suppose you're going to tell my old Clackin Rap is a real killer too.

QM, by fluke, I mean a fluke style of soft plastic. I have some ZMAN stuff, but I don't mind using up my old flukes too (Berkley mostly).

MM, no fluke :)

QM, I already bought the ones you've been suggesting, but not in bad shad and I'll be fishing lakes with ciscoes. Dang it! You're costing me money, Mike!

quote missmolly: "QM, I already bought the ones you've been suggesting, but not in bad shad and I'll be fishing lakes with ciscoes. Dang it! You're costing me money, Mike! "

The other colors work too and sometimes better than the cisco looking lures depending what they are targeting for prey. But I do try to throw lures that at least have half the body in some type of pearl variation. Most of the fish in the Boundary Waters and Quetico are feeding on ciscoes at some point so using the gray\pearl ShadZ or Bad Shad RaZor is the right choice for matching the hatch.

quote missmolly: "Mr. Onion, did you catch fish as well as rocks? What percentage of the time were you able to free your lure? "

I think I got my lures back 100% of the times they got stuck on the bottom. I was careful not to tug too hard and then paddled back over the snag and pulled from the other side. Had to pull out the lure retriever a few times. The clear water helped a lot.

I plan to bring everything I usually bring and this year actually trying something else then the 4-5 lures I have so much confidence in....so I guess in a sense it will be something new?

Found a couple old Gold Nuggets I had forgotten about. Thought I'd try them up there this year. Tipped with ........whatever.

I have fished a lot of tubes on my home waters but never up north so will bring some and try them, as well as some Ned rigs, and want to experiment with drop shooting. My son and I began drop shooting on a trip to Lake Michigan last year and had success so will see how they work in Quetico. Some great ideas on here and am counting the days until our June trip.

Correction: drop shotting. I realize no firearms are allowed in Quetico.

To Bdubguy: years ago, I set about LEARNING how to fish, learning the different genres of lures and how to use them. I spent an entire season fishing only jigs,including all manner of plastics, a year with spinnerbaits, short and long arm including horizontal and falling presentations, a year with just cranks. Whatever was the year, I read up tried it that year. And then, when something new came along(sluggo, for instance) I went to farm ponds to learn how to use it. Pond fish, out in the country where they are rarely fished, are easy. When you want to learn a new lure, go where fishing is easy...a pond, or on those 100 fish days when catching is easy. You will "learn" the nuances, retrieves, weights, colors. Also, regarding tubes, try it Texas rigged, with a Shaw Grigsby tube hook and a bullet sinker.

Beware of the new stuff. Most of it is just variations on the same theme. Back in the day, we crawled the original Fliptail worm, weightless, through weeds, and then to open water where it fell to the bottom... but then the Sluggo came along... then Zulu, then Senko. We pitch/flipped Salt Craws( shoulda bought stock!) endlessly, now there is no end to the "creature" baits. Frankly, Salt Craws work just as good!

There are some lures that just seem to go on....Zara Spook, Crazy Crawler, Jitterbug. What do they have in common? Surface...hard for the fish see exactly what it is, but sorta resembles a lot of things. Erratic movement....things flailing on the surface are easy to catch. Not mechanical...quality fish understand mechanical movement "ain't right"(seen it before, maybe caught them). Jigs....plastic, hair, feather. Has virtually NO inherent movement, you do it!! What would you like to mimic??

My trip up north this year will be in the fall... heavy swimbaits, jigs, jogging spoons, and I think Silver Minnows, big, heavy ones to get to 35-40ft.will be included. Decaying weed edges and deep rock faces(where fish can move vertically with ease) seem interesting. Maybe a 4in. Pork lizard to make it larger.

I'm no stranger to slip bobbers, but I've started using them to vertical jig artificials in current down in Tennessee with a lot of success. Seems to be the best way to get a bait in front of smallmouth and walleye when they are a bit sluggish. Vertical jigging down shoals without hanging up is great, and the fish don't seem to mind the commotion the bobber makes, even in shallow water, I kind of think it attracts them like a popping cork used in inshore fishing.

Got big plans for using it in some current areas during my upcoming may trip.

quote tnvol: "I'm no stranger to slip bobbers, but I've started using them to vertical jig artificials in current down in Tennessee with a lot of success. Seems to be the best way to get a bait in front of smallmouth and walleye when they are a bit sluggish. Vertical jigging down shoals without hanging up is great, and the fish don't seem to mind the commotion the bobber makes, even in shallow water, I kind of think it attracts them like a popping cork used in inshore fishing.


Got big plans for using it in some current areas during my upcoming may trip."

Do you fish a lot of moving water in the BWCA or Quetico? I wish there was more moving water up there, not enough for me. I'm a river fisherman, so I really like moving water. My next smallmouth article is all about fishing moving water in the Boundary Waters.

Whenever I come across it. Have had a good deal of success on the Little Indian Sioux and Horse Rivers. I was surprised at how many groups that were obviously fishing passed me by while I was fishing some of the holes on those rivers that were on their way to the various lakes. One group even gave me some unsolicited advice that I would probably do a lot better fishing pauness, and while I'm sure they meant well it was obvious it never crossed their minds that there are fish in the river too. They looked at me in bewilderment when I put another walleye on the stringer while talking to them and finishing up my limit for dinner for the family back at camp. In the only late two summer trips I have taken most of my fish have been in the rivers, just like southern fish beating the heat getting to the coolest oxygenated water.
Also not what I would call current exactly but I'm sure the vertical jigging under a slip bobber would be good working with the wind past wind swept points too. I'll be in the knife lake area this year so I may end up fishing the wind more than traditional current for most of my trip.

I am trying to grow beyond the old faithfuls - Red and black daredevils, floating Rapalas with a couple of split shot to drag them down when trolled slowly, big Mepps bucktails,and jig with a leech. Knowing where to find the fish is the bigger issue for me and I am going to invest in a simple depth finder that will work in a canoe.

In between morning and evening attempts for walleye, I think it's so fun to target smallmouth. In early June last year, I couldn't get myself to try too many lures for any length of time besides the Heddon Torpedo top waters......so much fun seeing smallies and pike hit it! This year, I am committed to changing up when the top water bite slows. Besides working some tube baits, I am excited to try some Erie Darters. I have had particular success on small and largemouth bass in Indiana on a few of the green colors, one of which is called cucumber (almost a stone green color with nice fleck, see pic). Plan to rig on a slider head to make as weedless / snagless as possible. I also have never thrown the infamous Mepps Aglia or Black Fury in the past, but this year I plan to give them a go in areas that are likely to hold pike and smallmouth.

I like it Bumstead.........But why rig weedless? Lots harder to set the hook and thus heavier line is required. This seems like a finesse bait to me unless your plan is to fish in the weeds........much of canoe country is fairly open especially with an jig style hook which rides upright.

I would go with a slider type head........check out the Charlie Brewer pro series slider heads in say 1/8 oz. Get the pro series as they have premium black nickel hooks.

Poor boys slider type heads would also be an excellent choice I think. Check it out......yup they are pricey but the quality is superb. I like a tiny dab of super glue to adhere the plastic to the head of the bait.......it has a keeper barb but the glue will last much longer. Don't glue your fingers together.......stuff is hard to see! Anyway........stick with the jig and your walleye numbers will go up dramatically compared to the Torpedo ;-)

Poor Boys Darter heads

The Charlie Brewer slider head is the one I have and am hoping to use, MT.

The offset hook on these is what I was referring to as 'weedless'. Fished a couple tubes last year on regular tube jigs and some 1/8oz jigs with Kalin's 5" grubs, but always seem to get hung up. Maybe my bottom hopping method needs radical improvement, but I seem to find all the right places for snaggage. Different than the sandy, small gravel, or muddy bottoms of some Indiana lakes I fish. Weeds are the most common snag there. Looking forward to QMike's tube article and any input on other methods from you all who have fished the BW way longer than me is always welcomed.

If only that torpedo would get some walleye too, then I might never take it off! I have yet to get a top water hit from an 'eye.

I believe you will find that the "weedless" design will not prevent you from getting hung while fishing in the rocks and weedless presentations are best used in timber or thick weeds. The reason being is the hook is not whats getting hung but rather the jig / lure is getting wedged in the rocks. Most of these type of hangs in rocks are easily retrieved by getting behind the snag.

Here is what I want you to do.......shoot me an Email with a mailing address and I will send you 2 Poor Boys darter jig heads.......notice how the flatness of your bait matches the flatness of the Poor Boy jig head? This is a supremely good looking little package with top of the line hooks and provides a very sweet glide to the bait instead of a more vertical drop. When you get it hung just go get it. If a pike nips it off have a stick of dynamite handy........when it floats up the jig will usually be in the top of the mouth about 3/4 of the way down. You may have to check several fish however.........

A few further thoughts.........only cast as far away from the boat in rocky conditions as need be. Of course if its clear and skinny (shallow) then long casts might be required. But medium casts might be better especially if your rod is short. What you are trying to achieve is a little better angle. On a long cast the angle is not so good.......more horizontal than vertical and thus your bait has a better chance of getting wedged on the retrieve. Chew on that for a while.........here is where a little bit longer rod is better than a little bit shorter rod........say a lightweight 6.5 or 7 might be more useful for "hopping" or "swimming" that jig via casting than say a 6ft rod and that because the angle of the line is coming from above or more vertical (I like 5.6 or 6ft rods for jigging straight down) Thats another nice thing about the Slider type heads on the Poor Boys jigs........they tend to swim / glide a bit more and it should be easier to maintain them above the rocks unless of course the depth changes and then all bets are off.

FWIW.......Charlie Brewer also makes a slider type head which is different than the offset weedless design you are showing. Spend a few extra bucks and get the premium pro style which has excellent hooks. These also will achieve a bit more glide.......the hook rides exposed which is what you really want anyway IMO.

Pro series slider heads

My only beef with this company is I wanted the pro series in the 1/16 oz and all they have is the cheesy little crappie hook. I have caught lots of big bass on that little crappie hook but I have lost several heartbreakers as well. I even contacted them offering to send an entire box of Owner jig hooks if they would make that run for me..........they never got back with me.

One last thought.......what sort of line are you using? If you are using braid your entire package is very apt to sink quickly and stay down due to the thinness of the braid. Everybody's different and I assume lots of guys can jig fish with the braid just fine and in fact might prefer it. But if you are getting hung in the rocks a bunch and are using braid I would go to mono which might very well make a huge difference for you. It is my preference unless I am fishing deep water (straight down) or moving water like a river and need the thin diameter of the braid.

Here's something new I'm going to try for big pike:



The highlighter is in there for scale...it's about 6-7" tip to tail. It's a knock-off of the Musky Bull Dawg, but about 1/2 size. Picked up a few color combinations.

quote Atb: "Here's something new I'm going to try for big pike:





The highlighter is in there for scale...it's about 6-7" tip to tail. It's a knock-off of the Musky Bull Dawg, but about 1/2 size. Picked up a few color combinations."

I like it...good hooks, looks like a micro bulldog...........you might get some walleye with it for sure besides a pile of pike.

There is a 50/50 chance that your tail will last the day as pike like to grab onto them. Bring some super glue in case they just rip part of it off. If they chew the whole thing you are out of business.......but then again maybe not ;-)

Here is an idea which will prolong the life of your lure indefinitely even if the tail does get nipped. Its a scewlock which can attach to baits with a place to use a treble as well. Sort of a slick set up.......just add another grub!

screwlock

Click product details to get an idea of usage. Its big but seems just right for a 6" mugambo grub. It could likely attach to where the treble hook is and you could put the treble onto the clip with one tine stuck into the grub. Hey it might work..........I'm going to get some of these to attach big grubs onto body baits like in the picture.

quote mastertangler:


I like it...good hooks, looks like a micro bulldog...........you might get some walleye with it for sure besides a pile of pike.


There is a 50/50 chance that your tail will last the day as pike like to grab onto them. Bring some super glue in case they just rip part of it off. If they chew the whole thing you are out of business.......but then again maybe not ;-)


Here is an idea which will prolong the life of your lure indefinitely even if the tail does get nipped. Its a scewlock which can attach to baits with a place to use a treble as well. Sort of a slick set up.......just add another grub!


screwlock

Click product details to get an idea of usage. Its big but seems just right for a 6" mugambo grub. It could likely attach to where the treble hook is and you could put the treble onto the clip with one tine stuck into the grub. Hey it might work..........I'm going to get some of these to attach big grubs onto body baits like in the picture. "

I wouldn't be suprised if I got some walleyes on it, here's a 15"er that side-swiped a 5" swimbait a while ago:





I like the idea of the screwlock with a mugambo. I've never used those, but I was eyeing them up. I am attracted to the upsized baits this year!

quote Atb: "Here's something new I'm going to try for big pike:





The highlighter is in there for scale...it's about 6-7" tip to tail. It's a knock-off of the Musky Bull Dawg, but about 1/2 size. Picked up a few color combinations."

Now that's what I call a big ugly. It looks awesome.......if they don't want to eat it, they'll want to fight it. Either way, you probably get at least one hook in 'em!

That's what I'm counting on QM!

Atb: the Mogambo is a big piece of plastic. And frankly, a tad stiff. For good action, wait until the water temp is above, say, above 60. Until then, the 5inch kalin grub has a real thin tail that undulates good down to about 48-50 degrees. Really like a Mogambo, it's a big bite and versatile.

quote old_salt: "Dynamite."

That's really "OS-code" for jig-and-a-leech.

ATB

Another thought on that screw lock............have you ever seen the Chaos lures Medusa? They have several tails going. I like the idea of adding another black tail to that lure. Could be interesting.

quote mastertangler: "I believe you will find that the "weedless" design will not prevent you from getting hung while fishing in the rocks and weedless presentations are best used in timber or thick weeds. The reason being is the hook is not whats getting hung but rather the jig / lure is getting wedged in the rocks. Most of these type of hangs in rocks are easily retrieved by getting behind the snag.


Here is what I want you to do.......shoot me an Email with a mailing address and I will send you 2 Poor Boys darter jig heads.......notice how the flatness of your bait matches the flatness of the Poor Boy jig head? This is a supremely good looking little package with top of the line hooks and provides a very sweet glide to the bait instead of a more vertical drop. When you get it hung just go get it. If a pike nips it off have a stick of dynamite handy........when it floats up the jig will usually be in the top of the mouth about 3/4 of the way down. You may have to check several fish however.........

A few further thoughts.........only cast as far away from the boat in rocky conditions as need be. Of course if its clear and skinny (shallow) then long casts might be required. But medium casts might be better especially if your rod is short. What you are trying to achieve is a little better angle. On a long cast the angle is not so good.......more horizontal than vertical and thus your bait has a better chance of getting wedged on the retrieve. Chew on that for a while.........here is where a little bit longer rod is better than a little bit shorter rod........say a lightweight 6.5 or 7 might be more useful for "hopping" or "swimming" that jig via casting than say a 6ft rod and that because the angle of the line is coming from above or more vertical (I like 5.6 or 6ft rods for jigging straight down) Thats another nice thing about the Slider type heads on the Poor Boys jigs........they tend to swim / glide a bit more and it should be easier to maintain them above the rocks unless of course the depth changes and then all bets are off.

FWIW.......Charlie Brewer also makes a slider type head which is different than the offset weedless design you are showing. Spend a few extra bucks and get the premium pro style which has excellent hooks. These also will achieve a bit more glide.......the hook rides exposed which is what you really want anyway IMO.

Pro series slider heads

My only beef with this company is I wanted the pro series in the 1/16 oz and all they have is the cheesy little crappie hook. I have caught lots of big bass on that little crappie hook but I have lost several heartbreakers as well. I even contacted them offering to send an entire box of Owner jig hooks if they would make that run for me..........they never got back with me.

One last thought.......what sort of line are you using? If you are using braid your entire package is very apt to sink quickly and stay down due to the thinness of the braid. Everybody's different and I assume lots of guys can jig fish with the braid just fine and in fact might prefer it. But if you are getting hung in the rocks a bunch and are using braid I would go to mono which might very well make a huge difference for you. It is my preference unless I am fishing deep water (straight down) or moving water like a river and need the thin diameter of the braid. "

MT, tried replying to the email that comes up below your tag and it kicked back saying 'not deliverable'.??? Maybe try and send email my way. Anyway, copied it here:

Thanks for your reply regarding my snagging issues. Will take the shorter cast idea to heart! Totally makes sense, yet when I'm in a canoe, I want to 'cover more water' so I release a maximum cast frequently. I do typically cast a jig on a 6'9" rod. Drifting / vertical would use 6'. I use 6 lbs mono (Berkley XL green or clear), occasionally throw 8lbs.

Also appreciate the offer to send some darter heads, but I won't make you do that. I live about an hour and 15 min SE of Poor Boys city of Warsaw,IN. I assume you like the lighter weight CB slider for shallow water, slower fall, less likelihood of snagging? Perhaps I'll swing in to poor boys sometime when passing through to parley for a 1/16 oz Darter head! Anyway, if you really like the jig, I'm willing to give my local Hoosiers some business (when I say I'm a Hoosier, it's only by state, not by schooling....tried and true Boilermaker here). Love their darter series, and in the past have used a worm/stick bait type plastic that I believe they discontinued. Assume you prefer the lightest 3/16oz?

Appreciate your insights, and love the visual of dynamiting in order to retrieve a jig head...good laugh for me on that one.

Thanks

Bumstead

Bumstead

Your not the first guy to say my email won't work......odd, I will have to look into it sometime. Some get through from here, some don't. Otherwise I must get 50 a day.....Blah!

I like the CB slider heads in that 1/16 oz size when I go ultra light with 4lb green XT and the CB 4" worm in motor oil with that little orange tail. I can't tell you how many nice bass have fallen for that.

But for 1/8, 3/16, 1/4 I like those Poor boys heads especially with the type of bait you pictured. They would match up very nicely.

Some thoughts on line.......Thicker line grabs more water and slows and "flattens"your fall........the "track" of the lure will be more horizontal than vertical as a result. Fishing and physics.......they go hand in hand. While I am a light line advocate heavier line can have advantages as well. If I am not mistaken I am pretty sure QM uses 10b trilene XL and he seems to do just fine........walleyes might be a bit more fussy however but you get my point.

You might have some issues tying 6lb XL to some of the larger jig weights like 3/16 and 1/4 which have a bit thicker wire hooks especially if you fish black nickel premium. A few things you can do to help match diameters better. First is to scrape any paint off the hook eye. Second is to use a tie fast tool which likes to tie to a thicker diameter i.e. thin diameter 6lb XL to a 1/4 oz jig eye. The other option is you can get a small Fas snap and pop it on the jig and then tie to that. The fas snap is teeny tiny and the diameter is a perfect match for 6lb test. You will go from a knot which probably has 50 to 75% strength to 100% all by matching diameters........very important especially when the margin for error is quite slim.

quote mastertangler: "ATB


Another thought on that screw lock............have you ever seen the Chaos lures Medusa? They have several tails going. I like the idea of adding another black tail to that lure. Could be interesting. "

good looking stuff. maybe I'll add a grub to my existing lures first and see how that goes.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote TheOnion: "This year I plan to try rapala jigging raps for walleye. Technically they are ice fishing lures but I want to see them on open water. I have high hopes for the yellow perch pattern. I also want to try more tubes on tube jigs, for smallies. I tried a bit last summer but damn they snagged the bottom a ton. "

\


I'm going to write an article on fishing smallies with tubes for the BWJ, hopefully it will be published and help you out in the future. They have produced some of my best smallmouth in late summer in the Boundary Waters."

Tubes are my go-to in canoe country waters. I have a spinning rig with an exposed hook tube ready to throw 75%+ of the time when fishing in general and 100% of the time when fishing topwater. If the fish blows up and misses my floating plug more than once, they get "tubed." It's simply the best performing/most versatile bait I can think of in that situation, especially as a follow up offering to over (or under aggressive) fish.

If I'm in rockier bottom with higher snag likelihood I'll Texas rig them with a bullet sinker and that'll reduce snags quite a bit. In addition to the many big smallie this has caught, my personal best pike was caught on a tube...8lb test, no leader.

Tuna

My tube article will be coming out in the Summer issue of the BWJ. It is called Dog Days Smallmouth. It is always a good idea if you have two rods to always have one rigged with a tube or curly jig for follow up fishing as Team Tuna indicated.

quote Atb: "

quote mastertangler: "ATB



Another thought on that screw lock............have you ever seen the Chaos lures Medusa? They have several tails going. I like the idea of adding another black tail to that lure. Could be interesting. "

good looking stuff. maybe I'll add a grub to my existing lures first and see how that goes. "

Got some new supplies from LPOL