Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - View Single Post

FishermanTim · 01-04-2011, 11:38 AM

I have small circle hooks for trout, but I prefer jigging for trout with small spoons and microtube jigs. My favorite experiences were fishing the shallows of my favorite late season pond, and being able to see the trout when they swam by the hole. When they went after the lure, you could see them striking just below the surface.
I jigged up more trout last season than in all my prior years, primarily because I learned HOW to jig properly.

I started out jigging with a kiddie fishing rod (from Kmart) and added an old trout reel. The rod was medium action, which for a small rod made it feel like heavy action. I started out jigging like I was jigging for cod, which was completely useless when targeting trout and panfish. Then I saw a TV show that showed one proper technique for jigging through the ice, and viola! A star was born. I started catching fish on every trip. It took patience and perserverence, but I knew what I needed to do and was able to do it with that clunky setup.
Now I have ultralight jigging rigs (as well as a couple mediums for big lake fish) and I love the sensativity these things convey. I can feel a fish if it just thinks of hitting the jig.

I started out using traditional "J" style hooks for shiners, but the gut hook ratio was way too high, so I experimented with circle hooks (some 5-10 years ago) and have never looked back!

01-04-2011, 11:38 AM	#11
FishermanTim Registered User iTrader: (0) Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Hyde Park, MA Posts: 4,152	I have small circle hooks for trout, but I prefer jigging for trout with small spoons and microtube jigs. My favorite experiences were fishing the shallows of my favorite late season pond, and being able to see the trout when they swam by the hole. When they went after the lure, you could see them striking just below the surface. I jigged up more trout last season than in all my prior years, primarily because I learned HOW to jig properly. I started out jigging with a kiddie fishing rod (from Kmart) and added an old trout reel. The rod was medium action, which for a small rod made it feel like heavy action. I started out jigging like I was jigging for cod, which was completely useless when targeting trout and panfish. Then I saw a TV show that showed one proper technique for jigging through the ice, and viola! A star was born. I started catching fish on every trip. It took patience and perserverence, but I knew what I needed to do and was able to do it with that clunky setup. Now I have ultralight jigging rigs (as well as a couple mediums for big lake fish) and I love the sensativity these things convey. I can feel a fish if it just thinks of hitting the jig. I started out using traditional "J" style hooks for shiners, but the gut hook ratio was way too high, so I experimented with circle hooks (some 5-10 years ago) and have never looked back!