What's your favorite Custom Jigs and Spins lure?

[Guest]

Hey all,

One of my favorite "Go-to" baits for crappie and bluegill is the Custom Jigs and Spins Rat Finke.

It seems that this lure has outproduced any of the other lures out there consistanly ever since I started using them back in '91.

The plain Glow (glowbrite), chartruse glow, orange glow, yellow, black and purple are my favorite colors depending on the fish's mood, water clarity and light conditions.

Tip one of these with a waxie or maggot and you are usually in buisness.

I have also had good success lately with the Ratsos and the Shrimpos and the Demons have always been a good bait for crappie.

Who else uses Custom Jigs and Spins tackle and what are your favorites?

[Note from Editor: You can get Custom Jigs and Spins Glow Demon, Crappie Kits and Panfish kits with all the hot jigs and lures by - CLICKING HERE for the deep DISCOUNT and to see Custom Jigs & Spins!!]

[Tofishem]

Tom ~

I love the (plain) Glow Finkee and the Chartruese, actually anything that is glow is great! The Ratsos are phenominal! Prefer the horizontal baits over the vertical. But in the vertical category the glow shrimpos or blood red work great for crappies. The Demons are awesome tipped with finnese plastics.

Bruce

[delmuts]

i don't do much ice fishing. but my main lure this fall was the CJ&S wedge, follow closely with the rasto. many times the white was the hot color, but at times the glow would be better. i want to try these for ice fishing too. del

[metrojoe]

I clicked on your link and I have to be honest I wasn’t aware that all the jigs I’m familiar with all come from Custom Jigs and Spins. It seems I’ve always bought a number of them out of the bulk type displays at the bait shop.

The Demon is one of my all time favorites. I started using them quite a few years ago and they are still a go to jig. I really hammer them crappies in the spring with the Demon.

The Nuclear Ant was one I tried for the first time last year and it produced very well but the sunfish kept pulling the little rubber skirt off the jig.

My boys got a few Flu Flus from Grampa last year and caught a bunch of crappies on them the first time they used them.

I’ve used the Ratso and Shrimpo in the past but I don’t have any at present, may have to stop and pick a few up and give them another try.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Trick question for me tom.. I can't just name one... For bluegills I am totally with you.. The Rat Finkee is the tops. Just a great lure! Color is going to depend on how bright a day and how dark the water is...

But for crapies.. MY #1 lure is a pink head glow body Demon... No doubt about it!

[Dennis Steele]

My favorite has got to be the Shrimpo, followed closely by Nuclear ants. Those are my go to baits for sunnies.

[Matt Johnson]

For panfish I have to go with the Ratso and Shrimpo. For walleyes, pike and bass I like the Slender Spoon.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[CrappieJohn]

When I have to go smaller, but remain horizontal I like the Ratfinky. Tipping that pup with a goldenrod grub and just hanging it in front of the tight-lipped fish is a good way to force feed'em.

[icehousebob]

Tom, Got a question for you. Many times when I go out to the So.Dak. lakes for Perch, they're so full of Fresh Water Shrimp that they're lazy and won't hit anything actively jigged. Which of those jigs do you think is the best imitation of a shrimp that could be deadstick fished with a spring bobber, and which color?? I've seen Perch well over a pound so lazy that they barely move the lightest coil spring bobber that I've got.

[Matt Johnson]

Bob,

The Shrimpo is a good choice. I would go with either black, smoke or all glow. A size 10 Shrimpo can immitate a scud pretty well. Should be hot underneath a deadstick.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[CrappieJohn]

If you look at a shrimp they are full of little leggy things that seem to undulate in the water without the critter actually even moving. In a situation like the one you describe, the fish are likely either negative or neutral in mood. Doesn't mean they will not hit, it means they are going to be VERY hard to convince them to hit.

Thry the ratso with the whippy little tail and try downsizing to the smallest one you can fish and still take the coil out of the line. Fish it on a rod that the tip sags on while holding it straight in front of you with nothing on it or use a rod with one very sensitive spring bobber on it. Deadstick this pup using a maggot for some flavor and do not take your eye off the rod tip/line while you are working the other line. Now here are some other tricks I have used on tight lipped fish.

Always use some sort of physical food when the fish go negative. Try adding a little drip of cod liver oil to the bait or maybe a touch of a prepared scent. If you want to do something way out of touch: take a smaller rat finke of your color choice and, while at home yet, apply just two (2) of those whispy fibers of maribou from a summer jig to the rear of the hard body with super glue. Trim these to about a third of an inch. What you want is to end up with is a jig that has these two little hairy legs coming straight back off the body. These things will move even when in a deadstick holder!

Do a mess of jigs like this up so the smell of the glue has a chance to get gone. These will last for about three/four fish each if handled carefully when removing. Do not use any liquid scent products with jigs modified in this fashion.

If you tip these modified jigs with anything be sure that whatever it is is not big. I like to use just a piece of an old waxie that has been through the mill already.

Often times the jig as it comes from the package is all that is needed, but there are times when a little tinkering can pay big dividends. The ratso is a good jig for emulating some of the micro creaures that perch feed on especially when the bite gets less than aggresive. That tail will move with a bare minimum of work and will move due to subtle underwater "drafts". The maribou enhanced rat finke will have movement in an almost absolute vaccum. Very effective.

[icehousebob]

Thanks guys. On some of the Dakota lakes, the Perch are so fat that they look deformed. I've pulled the auger up from drilling a hole and had over a hundred of the little shrimp buggers wiggling on the ice. They show up like a cloud on the Vex. Those Perch are like hogs laying in a corn crib. They're not going to work hard for a meal. I've also seen them go active and come several feet off the bottom to meet any jig you throw down the hole.

[Ed Carlson]

Rat Finke and Shrimpo, with assorted scented plastics or sumo larva.

[Matt Breuer]

icehousebob,

I would defintely look into the Custom Jigs and Spins Purest. This bait is made to imitate the fresh water shrimp. It falls extremely slowly, but once it's down there it'll make those lazy perch bite!

As for my favorite, I have to say the Shrimpo has outproduced anything I've ever used for crappies. Followed closely by the Demon and Rat Finkee. The new precious metal Rat Finkee's are awesome! With the addition of the blood red color you can't pass on the Ratsos either. It's too hard to pick just one!!

[Borch]

For me it's the Ratsos in assorted colors(no tipping required). This past winter they often outfished livebait for me for crappies, bluegills and bass.