Rat Tail -n- Stub Grubs

[Slyster]

OK CT, bought a few hundred of these babies. Heard good things. Now how do you rig them for early open water? Add anything to them like waxworms?

[Note: These plastics and collarless jigs can be found at OutdoorProstore.com.]

[markkstanley]

No need to add anything. Just thread them on the hook like any other plastic. I like to use them under a slip float and slowly pop them back to the boat. Just a little motion is all you need.

[Tyler Holm]

1/32 oz collarless jig is my favorite way to fish CT's plastics. Meat is optional in most cases, but if they are being finiky, sometimes a waxie will seal the deal.

[CrappieJohn]

Once I step up to the full-sized crappie plastics of any kind, I fish them solo- no additions. As Tyler has specified, a collarless 1/32 head is recommended and will not split the inner core.

[Slyster]

10-4. Just experiment with colors?

Do these sort of plastics work well at ice out? Or more a summer thing?

[CrappieJohn]

Sly....One more thing about the jigs here....use one with a #4 hook in the 1/32 size. The extra hook gap will be appreciated. Scenic can deliver on these and black, purple or chartreuse heads will do the trick.

When to use these?

When I designed and developed these, they were intended for open water. Last year I was catching late ice crappies with them when they showed that they were a little more aggressive. Their primarily an open water tool though and are super effective on post-front, pre-spawn crappies when a slow falling bait that stays in the strike window longer is a bonus. After the spawn they work just as well when fished without the float on spread out or deep fish. In the fall again when the crappies are hit with fronts day after day, these will come into their own again under the same float when fished in sunken wood and shoreline brush. These are a versatile tool.

My favorite of the colors in both styles is the purple/chartreuse tail.

As Mark Stanley stated, they fish very well under a small float. My absolute go-to float for fishing these baits down to 6 feet is the Thill Mini Stealth #2. The float is rigged up in the fixed option.

[CALVINIST]

Sly,

Make sure you get COLLERLESS jigs for your panfish plastics. Hard (impossible?) to find in the stores around here. OutdoorProstore.com have these. They are cheap, and your plastics will last alot longer. Just a thought .

[gspman]

Cabelas Owatonna has a boat load of collarless jigs in 1/32 oz in a variety of colors.

[tw12spot]

CT- Were do I find these plastics everyone is talking about? I'm just starting to figure out the plastic revolution. It works through the ice so why not open water, I dont have much experience open water fishing but I have learned a ton in the last year from everyone here on FM.So I hope to do more softwater this year.

Thank You all

Travis

[eyepatrol]

Scroll back to the top of the page, click on the Outdoor Pro Store under the HSO logo, then on the left side of that page (the outdoor pro store page) you'll see JR's Tackle and CrappieTom's Rat-tail and CrappieTom's Stub-grubs. Click on that and it'll take you there.

[Note from admin: here it is OutdoorProstore.com.]

[kdawg]

Calvinist, I don't know what a "collarless" jig is, but are these the crappie jigs that scenic tackle has? I've got my CrappieTom plastics on checkout there and would like to get the correct jigs as you fella's have recommended. Thank you.

[Slyster]

I'm pretty sure it without that little tiny 'hook' that holds the plastic on.

[CrappieJohn]

KDawg....

You can order the collarless jigs I recommend right here on site. These are made ny Scenic Tackle and are to the specs I find essential to a good plastics jig head....that being the over-sized hook. Scenic makes these with a #4 instead of the usual #6 like what you'll find at Cabelas.

If the site's pro store can't help you, contact ScenicTackle.com and look for ordering information there. If it catches fish, Jeff can set you up.

The Outdoor ProStore Banner in the Mille Lacs forum will get you on track.

[Note from admin: so will this OutdoorProstore.com - Click here please.

[kdawg]

for the umpteenth time, thank you.

[delmuts]

we finally got some fishable open water for panfish this week.( river sys. are up and dirty!)the little bay had skim ice on it as i started, but it did melt off. early the crappies wanted some thing small.( like a black rasto body ) but in the afternoon, as the water warmed; the fish got very active ,i made the move to CT's rat and paddle tails. the fish would really hammer those! thanks CT !

[eyepatrol]

Just got done ordering my Scenic Tackle 1/32oz collarless jigs and CT plastics...yipee! Now, if mother nature can just help us out a little and turn up the furnace a bit, I'll be in action!

Thanks for the helpful info CT. Can't wait to use this stuff.

By the way....I hope the Thill Mini Stealth floats you refer to are the ones made by Lindy (just ordered a few of those too).

[CrappieJohn]

All Thill products are now Lindy products, so you are on the right track.

[cybermuskie]

Anyone know if these plastics are going to be available in stores anywhere in the northern part of the state? I don't order much off the net, and I usually don't want to wait for shipping. Dad got me some at the outlet store last year, are they going to be there still?

Thanks

[Tyler Holm]

You can get them locally in Rochester at Gone Fishing. I don't know about up North. Maybe somebody else will chime in.

[cybermuskie]

BUMP

Quote:

---

Anyone know if these plastics are going to be available in stores anywhere in the northern part of the state? I don't order much off the net, and I usually don't want to wait for shipping.

Dad got me some at the outlet store around the cities last year, are they going to be there still?

Thanks

---

[Matt Johnson]

They should still have some there, but your best bet would be to give them a ring and check. But as far as I know they have quite a few of them...

[cybermuskie]

Thanks Matt!

[Matt Johnson]

No problem cybermuskie. Looks like you're going to play with a few panfish until muskie season opens eh?

Those Rat Tails and Stub Grubs are the real deal. I used the Stub Grub with a lot of success last year. A great presentation for both aggressive and negative fish, depending on the hook/weight.

[Slyster]

I still can't find collarless jigs..

On this page.. (link below) there's no mention of collars but it LOOKS like (from the photo) that the "crappie jigs" (down in the middle of the page) are collerless? Am I correct? (They should tell us)

http://outdoorprostore.com/pro-series-jigs.html

[hanson]

The Scenic Tackle "Crappie Jigs" located halfway down the page are collarless. They are available in 1/32oz & 1/16 oz sizes. They are right about the Go-Devil Jigging Spoons.