Need help bushwhacking

[HugoBox]

One of the main lakes I fish changed a bit since last year so with that I need to adjust my approach to some old haunts. Water is lower and weeds are REALLY thick in places so I have a few questions.

One: Are Grinders better than others? (I already have a slough of safety pin baits but no Grinders)

Two: What size jig do you use for shallow-ish (6 FOW) weed choked areas?

Three: Do you add trailers if you have a huge shad or grub tail?

Four: Are Esox Bait Rigs significantly better than the rest?

thanks - Erik

[50inchpig]

hey eric, i threw a 5/8 oz j-mac with a shad body on it quite a bit last weekend and i think it'll fit the bill for your thicker shallower weeds, pointed head comes through weeds well and 5/8 seemed like a good weight for your depth range.

gotta finish painting the living room and i'll have more time during the week starting next week, we should get out there for an evening this month yet.

[cbrooks]

Raddogs spinnerbaits are the best in my opinion going through weeds. I put a grub tail on some of mine. Also the slopmaster are good. Give'em a try.

[RK]

Hiya -

Grinders are very good in cabbage and coontail. Not so good in rushes or anything else with rigid stems. With the short arm design, they tip sideways when they hit a rush stalk, then tip back upright just in time to bury the hook point in the stalk. For versatility, you cannot beat a Rad Dog. Jack Shriver's HiJackers are also exceptional.

For jigs - I bet I use Bait Rigs Cobras 98% of the time. Surprisingly weedless even without a weedguard, great hook, and perfect head for swimming jigs. If I'm fishing pretty shallow I use the 1/2 oz size, but I think the 3/4 oz is the most versatile. If you're fishing above the weeds, and want to keep the bait up, get some double-tailed shrimp bodies for trailers. On a 1/2 oz jig you can almost get them to hover - they're like a parachute back behind the thing. Most of the time I use shad bodies though. Rig them vertically most of the time (the swimmer head wobbles like a crankbait). Rig them flat on occasion too.

I wouldn't worry about a trailer hook on a standard size jig. They're a fairly compact bait to start with, and when fish hit them they usually rush them from behind a woof the whole thing. You rarely miss a fish... Jigs are about the best hooking muskie lure there is.

If you're in cover thick enough to want a weedguard, look at the ERC Beast. JMHO, but I think the hooks on the JMacs are lousy. The Beast is a similar design with a big UltraPoint instead of a nickle-cad O'Shaughnessy.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[JRedig]

I like grinders A LOT. You can borrow one and try. I've got a few jigs too, I like having a paddle tail on them, bigger means it will stay higher.

[Hillbiehle]

I have difficulty keeping the J-Mac hood sharp. I prefer the other jigs as the quality of hook is better and easier to keep sharp (in my opinion).

[dudeness]

Box, I am pretty sure I know what lake your talking about. Havent' been out there yet this year. Live right down the road and can see how bad she is. Was hoping the milfoil wasn't going to be so bad so early. I am gonna hit it a couple mornings this week.

I like the esox bait rigs and Lil' hustler jigs for what it's worth.