Fall Eyes and Jigs

[Surface Tension]

This is sort of a repost from someone asking about Fall fishing and a new lake. I thought it be useful here as well.

Before you break out the stick baits give jigs a chance.

Lets start out where. You'll be looking for oxygen rich warm water piled on the shorelines or on the first break next to those shorelines. Minnows are what the eyes are feeding on and that movement is what you have to follow. Have an assortment 1/8-3/8th oz jigs. The lighter jigs with a large minnow are perfect for the shallow water, shallow as in a couple ft of water and 3/8th oz jigs to work the break. You can catch eyes on any brand jig but when working rocky shorelines, humps and breaks you need a hook with a tip that won't curl over. Thats especially true now when the strike is going to be ultra-light and hook sets are less then ideal and one reason I use Scenic Tackles Pro Series jigs.

28.5" CPR'd Fall Eye caught on a jig/minnow.

Back to the light bite. With the cooling water temps you have to slow down the presentation and stay as close to the eyes zone as possible, that'll be tight to the bottom most times. A pickup can have less resistance then a blade of grass or a pebble. You can't set the hook on every thing you feel and you have a short window of opportunity to get the hook set before Mr. Eye spits out your jig. Its finesse fishing with heightened awareness of feel, a fast decisions, and sharp hooks.

Thats not the only location and pattern that'll work but it one you can identify.

[eyepatrol]

Nice post ST. I enjoy reading that kind of info. Question....in order to detect the lite, subtle bites, do you use or recommend using a braided line? What do you use?

[Team Otter]

Nice post and fish, all in one.

In order to detect a light bite, first and foremost, you need a good rod. Superline will definitely help and if you're in clear water, a fluorocarbon leader will help even more.

[eyepatrol]

When the fall feedbag gets put on, is it better to go with larger minnows or stick with the medium sized fatheads, shiners, etc.?

[Surface Tension]

I get the job done with 6# mono. Being and old Steelheader before the days of graphite rods, differentiating bottom to a very slight nudge of a pickup is something you learned to do over time.

Graphite rods being more sensitive but also just as important being lighter has made detecting weeds, sand, gravel, muck, rocks, and pickups easier for everyone but its still something you have to develop. That being said I don't need the braids for pitching jigs. I do use the braids in most deep water situations where stretch is a concern like jigging deep Lake Trout.. I'm usually in rocks and that means I'm loosing jigs, with that I'd be tying on a leader and a jig quit often, just another reason I stay with mono but by all means use a brad if you want.

Detecting those subtle pickups is hard to explain, kinda like getting spaghetti perfectly around your fork and into your mouth without getting sauce on your shirt. Its unique to the individual. Takes time on the water. I can suggest some things that can help. Start with a good rod matched for jigging. One of my favorite rods for jigs was a 6' 6" Abu Garcia conolon 800 hellbender. I say was because I broke it.

Keep in constant contact with your jig. I anchor on the deep side of structure and jig back from the shallow water to deep with small hops made from a horizontal rod movements as opposed to vertical lifts. This next one goes back to keeping in contact with your jig. Position your boat so your casting down or up wind. Cross winds blow belly in your line, thats not good. Whether a light pickup or good strike, 9 times out of 10 is on the drop, your next lift is when you have to think quick. I always start with a gentle lift when the pickups are light and make the determination within a second whether to continue the lift and onto the next drop, continue the lift for further evaluation because something wasn't right , or pop the jig out of a rock or out of the weeds. Its that time of evaluation (gentle pull)that you try and shorten and perfect. Like I say time on the water.

[Surface Tension]

Quote:

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When the fall feedbag gets put on, is it better to go with larger minnows or stick with the medium sized fatheads, shiners, etc.?

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The shiners come out of the deep water in the fall. Walleyes know this and you have to think are targeting those shiners.

Tipping a jig with a large shiner is going to slow you drop, for light biting eyes thats a good thing especialy for light jigs in shallow water.

[Mike Walerak]

Don't forget about plastics this time of year. My favorite fall presentation for lakes is a jig and 5" Power Minnow or Jerk Shad. I always have minnows along though just incase meat is needed!

Note: Plastics seem to work better as the water starts cooling down to that high 40 to low 50 degree mark.

mw

[Northlander]

I agree Mark. Usually I like the plastics in the spring right up to about 50 some odd degrees. Some years they will stay on plastics longer. One thing though is I will use plastics in current all year long.

In Fall I will go back to plastics in the mid fifties and keep with them til ice up. In our area there isnt a lot of time between the two.

I remember a ex-Pro Staff posting to never use a spinner atachment on your jig head with plastics. I have found the opposite. I will put a small spinner (Northland makes them) on my jighead with the plastics and it seems to trigger more strikes at times. Not all the time. The color of the spinner can at times be a big factor.

As far as jigging and whats best as far as rods and line its all about what works and feels best for you. Some guys like a 5'6" light rod and others like me like a 6'6" to 7'6" med/light or med with a super fats tip. I also love the Power Pro to jig with. When water is clearing I will tie on a Gamma leader about 6' with a back to back uni knot.

So many good rods out there now days. Find one you like and put a nice real that makes the combo well balanced. For jigging most guys use too big of a reel. No need for a big reel jigging because usually line capacity isnt a issue.

One tip as far as jigging plastics. The new Angel Eye jigs with the wide gap and sticky sharp hooks work great on just about any plastic. I really like them in current and they seem to fall a tad faster than a round head so you can get away with a little smaller jig at times.

Jigging is my favorite way to fish. Something about that sharp "TICK" on your line or even the feeling of a wet tissue or no feeling at all that makes it interesting. Experience and practice are the #1 things you need to be a good jigger. Have fun this fall the jig n minnow bite should be coming quick.

[PierBridge]

Greatly impreciated information guy's......Thanks for taking the time to post....

[eyepatrol]

I sure do hope there is a plastic bite this fall. I bought nearly $150 worth of plastics this spring and haven't caught a single fish on them yet. Kinda tough explaining the money I spent to my wife.

[Fishing-Around]

Quote:

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I always start with a gentle lift when the pickups are light and make the determination within a second whether to continue the lift and onto the next drop, continue the lift for further evaluation because something wasn't right , or pop the jig out of a rock or out of the weeds. Its that time of evaluation (gentle pull)that you try and shorten and perfect. Like I say time on the water.

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Gent's - Thats the trick!!!!! Well said and not utilized by most weekend anglers. The only cure for not knowing how something is supposed to feel is both, know your equipment and make sure you have GOOD equipment. Yes, good rods and reels are not cheap, so you have to justify to yourself what your financial lines are and stick to them!

No matter if your fishing with a $20 Wally World rod combo or a $300 made to you rod, KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT. Feel is everything and everyones is different!!!

See Ya on the water

Carmon

[Jim W]

Spaghetti Frank???????

Nice lookin' Northwoods fish by the way!

Hope your well?

Jim

[GAF]

headin out tomorrow and Sat morning, hopefully not for the last time this year, but two questions...

what about crappie minnows?

and what about lindy rigs this time of year?

[Northlander]

Big minnows and jigs and rigs will work as well as lager cranks.

[Surface Tension]

You have to match your presentation to the situation.

If your working a flat then a lindy rig will work so would spinner harnesses. What you have to consider is cold fall water temps and where to find fish. Depending on the lake turnover can be over with in a day. When that happens I go about looking for eyes the exact same way I do in the Spring, look for sun warmed water on the warm days and on the cold days drop back to the breaks. You'll have the bonus of weeds in the fall, granted they will have layed down in most cases but theres enough there to hold fish.

Eyes can feed but not be aggressive, thats what the start of this thread is about. You have to slow down and be in tune.

You can do that with a lindy rig, in fact a benefit of a rig is you can stall it and let off it hair and feel without an eye spitting it out. Downside is you have two objects to get hung in weeds, the hook and slip sinker and you loose a direct connection that a jig would offer. Meaning you have a slip sinker between you and an eye.

Trolling cranks have their own time and place.

Troll a crank over and resting the on bottom and it'll let it swim by. Troll a crank during feeding time and you'll get it to strike. The previous posts of mine about catching eyes all day long on jigs.

If I was going to troll cranks in the Spring and Fall it be in the evening and into dark.

One thing to note is both times of year eyes will congregate in preferred areas and not scattered around the lake. Finding that area would be first thing I'd do and I'd do it with a jig or rig worked slow long before sundown and when they aren't aggressively feeding. They might move from that daytime haunt but 9 times out of ten they move shallower.

[tunrevir]

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Big minnows and jigs and rigs will work as well as lager cranks.

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I am going to assume that what you meant to say was "LARGER" cranks here Northlander. If you have a few of those lager cranks don't they tend to run with a bit more wobble then the rest? I never could get them to track straight myself!

Tunrevir~

[Northlander]

Ya larger cranks and sticks. The lager cranks tend to work like he77 for about a hour and then fade quickly.

[Aberdak]

I had good luck tonight with a white and chartruese shad rap until a lost it on a submerged snag. I was casting in lanes on some flooded snags. I then had to switch to a shallow shad rap and again white and chartruese with a split shot above the invisaleader. Also had one nice Northern pike that I caught and released. Get ready for tommorow, a gusty Northwester is headed your way.

[Northlander]

Yup looks like my 2 days off we be in the house watching the Vikes and in the garage cleaning the boat up.