mop jiggin' variations

[jiggerjohn]

Hey Frank, That's a great idea for us to build separate sections of the mop jig to stimulate fish provoking ideas ! We're gonna be like two sections of the old donkey /two people costume -unfortunately with our combined efforts YOU will be the rear end !! Naw, I'll dig out some mop jigs to send ya, but only if you'll keep a couple for serious testing in your waters next Spring!

As to your simple but basic ,genius Spoonminnow design for tipping mops, I was first enthralled with it when reading an old copy of the out-of-date book(1960s?) "Bait Tail Fishing" where the author went thru elaborate description and fish pics of his similar (but stiff) eel like design for saltwater fishing ; the guy claimed nothing could beat his simple jig anywhere, and certainly displayed his evidence! When I first tried yours(similar design to the bait tail, tho yours is much softer and more actionized) in the salt for seatrout and bluefish, I went thru my whole supply in one session! Freshwater fish loved it,too, with your sparkley colors -still love that speckled emerald green color- and the wiggly, vibrating tail really compliments the mop underbelly with its subtle belly wagging. I guess the spoonie really looks like everything, tho resembles nothing real -its basic shape is just a proven winner ! I do believe the "Mop-Spooner" comes into motion so easily with a slow, twitchy rod retreive that its subtle vibations reach a long way out.

 

[jiggerjohn]

Yeah, that's the little beauty of a trailer -even in my favorite bespeckled shade of green ! Cool thing is, these spoonminnows are relatively thin and light, so almost any length will contribute to the overall mop package - a 1 1/2" spoonie with mop neck will attract crappies and trout, whereas a 4 or even 5" mop-necked spoonie can fish muskies! Above ,you picture a Spoonie fished in a more normal, tight-to-head manner, but for the mop jig, I allow the mop nub a bit of its own freedom of movement,by giving a bit of open hook shank space between its collar tie position and the spoonminnow body -say 1/4 to 1/2" of a gap. Usually my pin-on is at the very bend of the hook. This supplies the all-important "double swimming" of mop and minno, especially important as the lure dives down, a critical time when gamefish can't seem to help themselves from striking !

 

[jiggerjohn]

Frank, You reminded me of my early Fall "discovery" of a small overhead willow blade harness on the eye of a mop jig. This was one of those tough days when no fish seemed active, yet my first cast -with a drop- of the willow mop got me a dandy smallmouth! I took my lead on this from a previous farm pond experience several years back, when I employed the same tiny overhead willow spin on a slow sinking 1/32 oz jig -nothing at first with a standard straight retrieve,but when i went with the vertical dead drop-with blade whirling above- I caught 44 largemouth bass! Then, this October I used a mopjig with overhead willow harness, below a small float for trout ; they were excited over this little package as I saw ripples and water bulges around my lure during a straight retreive(but no actual takers). However when I'd pause to let the spinner and mop body flutter down, it rarely bottomed out before a chunky rainbow would latch on ! So , "mops n metal" seems a very good coercive combo ! Definately a go-to for '22 !!

 

[jiggerjohn]

Yep, a lot of enjoyment can be derived by putting COMPONENTS of old lures together, in such manner that we know some of those PARTS contributed to success. On the MOP jig, for instance, I suppose the original form was the famous "green Weenie" fly, developed here in Western PA -according to the nephew of the guy who invented it, a group of them were sitting around tying, when one guy wanted to tie a simple pattern based on a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball announcer, who waved a moldy green hot dog to hex opposing teams, So his fly was merely green chenille wrapped around a hook shank -long shank hook to get the weiner look ! This "gimmic" fly was incredibly successful on rainbow and brown trout,and even bass and salmon.now among the standard patterns. But the green weenie had little action, so the loosely hanging,free flowing mop material in even brighter chartreuse, orange, and purple offers much more attractive motion and vibration ! A revitalization of a proven old favorite!

 

[Microbaits]

A lot people seem to hung up on the natural look presentation. I have always tinkered with the odd types of offerings, like running the hook sideways in a soft minnow bait. Using different shaped jig heads and colors. The fall rate can make or break a day's fishing. Experimenting is the always something that I have been into for a long time. There are plenty of people that just fish with what's the newest gimmicks or lures. I like what you guys are doing, it gets the imagination stirring. Though I may need to take the batteries out of the smoke detector!!

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

"Though I may need to take the batteries out of the smoke detector!!"

Good one!

A lot people seem to hung up on the natural look presentation.
Thing is fish don't read books and probably wouldn't believe half the crap even if they could. As I've stated on different forums, when I read the
words natural or realistic as the reason to choose lures, I want to post videos of the many lures that catch fish - none natural or realistic. Granted,
photographic print jobs on the sides of soft and hard plastics are pretty as well as shapes meant to simulate prey, but the lures that do best always
address presentation and one of two actions: subtle or extreme. Maybe superstitious on my part but the lateral line accounts for more strikes than
any of us care to believe along with lure size and shape that accent lure action.

While smoking my pipe and watching the boob tube, while hovering over the floor tile cutting board surrounded by different lures scattered on the table, it suddenly occurs to me to connect a part of this lure to a part of that lure. Instinct usually tells me there's no doubt it will catch fish - heck I'd bite that if I were one! - or not - in which case - back to the cutting board.

Question: is it possible fish learn to avoid lures they see all too common in a body of water? I figure we may never know considering how many fish are re-caught
and that most waters have so many fish that the chance of catching the same ones is like winning the lottery.

 

[Microbaits]

I'm going to try the whacky style it appears this would be a slower rate of fall ,Crappie like to strike from below. I have used the lift and drop with my rod while drifting and if I watch real closely I can see my line go slack when a fish takes my bait.
I try different presentations and I sometimes forgot to tell my brother. Oops! Close but not him!

 

[jiggerjohn]

I absolutely agree on a very subtle, slow, dropping of a light jig. This is why the mop fly approach, which took the flycasting crowd by storm (they call it te "ultimate junk fly" because it looks like nothing natural!) proved to be so productive. A light jighead just enhances this descent, plus has that fat little mop piece gently flapping around. Also the easiest possible jig to tie (as my friend Keith of Hawnjigs says, a K.I.S.S. tie!), and the moplet can even be retied with mono onto the jig collar when fish tear it apart (which they will, even tho I've had mopjigs last thru an entire session!). But when I first tried using my 1/28 oz mop jig on Lake Erie piers, after a very successful Spring on trout and crappies, I was concerned that the bigger largemouth, smallmouth, jumbo crappies, and hefty freshwater drum would not even notice the 1" (before I experimented with tipping) look-like-nothing morsel. Yet as it slowly waddled down toward bottom, some giants came out from rocks, ledges, and boulders to ATTACK ! A tiny tick that I'd feel, soon turned in to a long battle on my light gear! Perhaps, even tho a tiny critter, these big gals are PROGRAMMED to destroy anything that appears to be struggling and sending out irregular vibrations! As Spoonminnow says, never discount that lateral line!!

 

[jiggerjohn]

Hey Frank, I have a really nifty self published book by a very proficient saltwater bay guide titled "Fish Have No Hands", where he discusses light jigging and detecting very light strikes by concentating on the tiny tick we feel thru line and rod. Maybe their ATTACK can be too strong of a word, but certainly the finny computers are "pre-instructed" to ELIMINATE any slightly thrashing debris in their vicinity. Nature's clean-up machines! And, as my "no-hands" friend insists that their completely by mouth suck-up ( no hands!), especially on a small lure like the mop jig, can go unnoticed (that saltwater guide says that a usual strike is like lightly pulling 1/4" inch on your t-shirt). So, I've always been convinced that we miss way more hits than we can imagine! To that end, sometimes this past season, in my initial mop jigging experiments, I'd allow the mopper to glide downward,offering tiny rod twitches to encourage its fluttering, then just slighty set at nothing -always amazed at the unknown fish that were stung !

 

[jiggerjohn]

Frank, yeah, I've been in position to WATCH trout quickly strike my jig (without hook-ups), but if I didn't over-react and let the jig drop, they seem to turn on a dime to reattack -hard and sure! It's almost as if they sense (vibrations?) stunning a prey and instantly turn a 180 to slurp it in. Same thing, especially, when I float fish a mop jig - as you've seen the float will nod, but if ya just move it toward you and allow the jig to DROP, it'll only be an instant when that float submerges completely for a solid hook-up !

 

[jiggerjohn]

Frank, it's probably from our strange lure and unique riggings that the new expressions pop up! My wife says I'm full of it (HMMMM!)! A new term I'm just searching for, involves a self made oblong wooden float (sometimes cut from old bass surface plugs) that I discovered will "trip" when even a cautious ,easy gulping crappie takes a taste of a mop jig. That is, as I slowly retreive (with slight pauses for the ever effective drop) that 1 to 2" plug,attached at only one end, doesn't necessarily pause, rather the free end mysteriously tilts upright (no feel of a hit,bobbing, or sudden jerking). and if I gently apply rod pressure, there's another unfelt crappie!!

 

[jiggerjohn]

Frank, Heck, I coulda included a float rig in your package ,but my ever efficient better half took it down for mailing already ( those wives are great for lotsa things, especially when we can't get around!! But headphones sure are useful sometimes!). But here's a word picture - tie onto your line a duolock snap with a simple palomar knot, but leave a 30" tag line end. Use the snap to attach the single ring of the precut surface plug's back end (think of the rear end of a jointed Creek Chub Pikie minnow - Tho any cedar surface plug will work . Snap on to the thinner tail end, usually already with a rear eye in place, hook removed. Or you can buy cheap oblong wooden casting floats in bright colors with a single ring attachment). Tie the end of the tagline to your jig and Spoonminnow. The OBLONG ,pointy plug-float will slide smoothly over the waters surface, coming back flat and with hardly any resistance, UNTIL a wary fish SIPS in your lure, then the wider back end of the float just casually "asses up" !! From many experiments this past Spring, a fish has lure and hook in mouth, gently hanging on (tho you don't have all day before he lets go !) The first time you see this, your mouth will drop open, but don't forget to set the hook during your fascination!! Only problem I had when doing this, once in hopes of getting nice trout with your smaller spoonminno, was that ravenous largemouth bass and chunk bluegill loved the spoonie more !!

 

[jiggerjohn]

Hey Frank, the styro float that you show will work in the manner I describe, if you only snap it onto the line on only one end. However, I find my cedar wood models seem to have a better leverage on the water's surface to angle upward during a non aggressive take. This is not a sharp movement, and I've learned to never rely on any type of float to "go under" ,whether a standard bobber,water bubble, or a wooden oblonger .Sometimes trout will rip one under with their very fast swoop and grab, but don't even count on that. Just during a slow stop-n-go retreive, watch for a flat swimming float to "give you the finger", then lift back into him !! By the way, your wacky rigged mini stick is perfect for this subtle detection method !

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

"your wacky rigged mini stick is perfect for this subtle detection method !"
Haven't tried it with a float but rest assured it will be seen by fish this coming year.
The float does stand straight up even with a slow boat drift and ripples the water caused by even the slightest of strikes from a fish in the mode: do I or don't I want that little bugger?

The next strike pulls it down ever so slightly, signaling it's time for me to drag the lure away also ever-so-slightly. Funny though, if the fish doesn't commit to a full-fledged strike the first cast, arcing the float & lure high in the air allowing it to splash where the hit happened, it seems to excite one or more fish that weren't sure the first time, but have no doubt on the second cast when they sense the lure dying a second time via the slow drop. Guess you could call it a splash & croak presentation. LOL

 

[jiggerjohn]

Frank, That styro float can work ,if ya remove the weight on the end which causes it to sit upright. Tho then it becomes a bit light to cast. This is why I like wood. Hmmm, seein' how I desire to get it to "perk up". maybe I'll call this "Woodie fishing" !

 

[Hawnjigs]

Hahaha, splash and croak your Woodie.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Does anyone make their own wood floats? I'll never (never say) use em but have made surface plugs back when I roamed the ocean on a paddleboard. My uncle had a lathe and it was fun to cut and shape hardwood dowel segments. For a jig drift float I think a cone shape with a 3 way swivel on a stainless eye screw in the middle of the wide end may be functionally ideal. With the right size float for a jig weight downward pull would tip the narrow end upwards.

 

[jiggerjohn]

Hawn, Once, while teaching Jr High, I used to take my lunch hour in the school wood shop and do as you did, have fun with the lathe in forming rounded cedar wood plugs. Now, I use some of those old longer bodies (basically smaller muskie plugs) to cut down their ends to 2" for "Woodie floats". The cone shape which you describe sounds ideal, tho my experiences last Spring suggest that the screw eye in the narrow end, allows better rear end tilting. However, since "Woodie with a mop" fishing is so new (with ONE tester,so far!), you may be right (you usually are!) and I'll have to test this coming season with YOUR "backwards" configuration! Come on Spring, so we can get our woodies UP !!

 

[Hawnjigs]

Speculating, line attached to the narrow end will offer the advantage of less resistance and alarm to a downward pull biting fish.

A wide end attachment will be more resistant to diving and MAYBE a better visual indicator of a lite bite.

Coming from an zero experience rocking chair warrior haha.

 

[hookup]

Does anyone make their own wood floats?

I got a kit from the 60's years ago. Since I wanted to preserve the kit, I made up replica's - or found them online (much later).

As far as Woodie fishing, I've done something similar and deadly for trout and panfish with a slip cast spin float with little or no water in the float