Not often do I get blown away by where fish are caught but....

[SPOONMINNOW]

I fished weeds mostly early on with few fish caught. Not wanting to give up, I went north to the opposite end of the lake to a rocky area devoid of weeds. Earlier at the opposite end, another rock point produced some pan fish so I figured why not a flat in shallow water 3' or less? Sure enough, school pannies were waiting for my lures! Most important was proving the potential of a lure design I had caught fish used earlier in the year, the difference being - sunnies and perch SLAMMED the lure and HELD ON for easy long-distance hooksets using 8# test braid. In no time I caught 40 fish from two schools/ 83 fish for the outing. What's more, the major catch was from 12:30 until 3:30 pm. Here's the lure that knocked my socks off (if I had worn any with my sandals):
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Jig head weight need be only 1/24 oz for the 2.5' fish were caught in. I don't usually prefer a sickle hook, but being too lazy to change, it stayed on the line. When I say long-distance hook sets, I'm talkn' 40' or more - the weight of the lure significant.
Another design did well as usual - a curly tail hybrid connecting the tail to a larger body:
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...and a straight thin tail hybrid also using a larger body:
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Could the larger bodies have accounted for more and stronger strikes? The same thing for this hybrid paddle tail that kicked A along with the taper-tail:
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The paddle tail and thin body that attached to the thicker body, had a beautiful tight shimmy that was totally different than the wobble & dart of the taper-tail. I would have stayed longer but the wind had increased to over 25mph with waves - time to return home! Heck, 107 fish for two days - not bad; most important finding two lure designs that did well with hard strikes and easy hook sets. (BTW, hook size was #6)

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I love those variety pack days with multiple species caught , fun times for sure.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Do you think the color matters? Quote JiggerJohn "if it ain't troos ain't no use".

I rarely use chartreuse anything but the night before a 3" pearl Ripple Shad dyed chartreuse with Dip-n-Glo pinned on a 1/9 oz 2/0 Gami 604 troos painted head got 4 chunk wallys for a very satisfying session. First use of chartreuse this season as switching to different color/shape/action jigs every session allows catching the same fish again on consecutive nights before they wise up and either depart the area holds or learn to avoid anything but the live alewives.

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Hawn, you said a mouthful as always and I appreciate the ideas based on experiences you relay to this forum.
But....as usual... I have had different experiences testing and retesting all theories - yours included - before I accept them as undeniable facts.

On any day, color is less important than size, shape and action. Color may enhance those qualities, not to convince fish of anything but to 1. get their attention and hold it long enough for 2. annoy or irritate fish to strike.

Predatory nature aside, a fish's brain (IMHO) is wired to simply turn on and off a fish's reaction to a moving object whether animal or manmade. Like any predator, fish senses sense contrast against a background - sonically and visually That contrast can be extreme as in the case of a spinning blade or subtle as seen when fish stare at a thin spike tail barely moving before striking. Colors are either subtle or glaring and dependent on suspended algae, mud particles, water color and clarity in general as well as sun angle and brightness. To say that hue made all the difference ignores what fish actually see under those various conditions.

The photos of the lure shapes in the post don't come close to suggesting chartreuse had anything to do with the hard strikes by 4 fish species. I could have closed my eyes and rigged any of 4 colors in the box and would have done just as well - which I have proven time after time.

Just because fish stop biting a lure or lures isn't because as Hawn said, "before they wise up and either depart the area holds or learn to avoid anything but the live alewives" IMO they ain't that intuitive! Proximity to a lure is #!; a lure's potential to aggravate fish #2. #2 depends on many things I won't go into. Both combined set the stage for the senses to kick in as I found out recently where lure size may be a BIG factor. Of there is no rule when it comes to size. Ya just gotta cast different sizes in an area to find a range of sizes that work. But again, shape & action always come first.

I used to think that when fish are less aggressive, smaller and slower are better. The above example disproved that assumption. I went bigger and even smaller fish attacked like no tomorrow! Why? Don't know, don't care. But at times a larger size lure kind a sticks up the middle finger to a fish and challenges it to a duel - territorially speaking. A flashing, whipping blade does the same thing no different than a fluorescent color in any clarity water. A Zara Spook or Pop R splashing on the surface disrupts a fish's nap. I'd go nuts on the object if I was a bass! (As a comparison to human sensitivity, an a-hole that cuts me off on the road may get the horn or nothing depending on my mood/ sensitivity.)

So again, the above is food for thought and one angler's opinion as something for all to consider and test. Hell, 65 years has taught me a few things LOL! and especially once I started making my own and casting various lures in many different waters. Action speaks loudest - lure and a fish's reaction to it.

Hope some enjoyed the long dissertation.

 

[Hawnjigs]

I actually have no idea why the fish I target strike 3" plastic pinned jigs of varied appearance in the midst of an abundance of 6-7" alewives. I do know that most previously hooked fish either leave the area or do not bite thereafter, judging by their recognizable sizes ie: smaller than 10# wallys are no longer caught at my fave go-to (secret) spot. The four mentioned wallys from 2 nights ago were all 12-15# maybe 2 recognizable as caught again differentiated as being exceptionally wide and thick bodied for their size. The largest I think has been surprisingly caught 3x during the past 2 weeks due to her being in the same hold location. Last night only got two so time to give the spot a rest and try another area.

Wipers especially appear to relocate and the most recognizable biggest 16# was only caught once over 2 weeks ago. If around their feeding slurps and blow ups are more recognizably vigorous than other species. Its possible to distinguish the species by the sound of their suction slurps.

Since it works my presentation mindset remains mimicking an injured baitfish slower moving and twitching erratically. My question is how does one adjust to motivate fish striking due to non-feeding behavior?

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

my presentation mindset remains mimicking an injured baitfish slower moving and twitching erratically

You can label your presentation any way you want but it doesn't alter the action you give the lure.
I always assume fish are never feeding nor want to eat my lure when they strike. A lure design works some of the time, most of the time or rarely. I tested lures today that fall into those three categories. Curl tails caught the least fish today for example.

One thing I discovered were fish that nipped at a lure that had already caught over 20 fish in another area. To get those fishs' bully in motion, I shortened another finesse tail-style lure. No problem catching 10 nippers. Length and tail design changes saved the day!

I wish I could try my lures where you find fish. No fish/ no chance of catching anything. My sonar worked great today and tipped me off as did my lures that caught fish. Different designs worked in different colors - even this clear plastic mini swimbait.



Forage considerations are a complete waste of time IMO. I got 20 sunfish and 9 turtles in my pond that line up to be fed bits of bread thrown to them. Not exactly a forage animal item.

 

[Hawnjigs]

My limited seasonally available big lake shallow water shoreline fishing success, or not, always depends on 2 audio-visual cues both of which have to be essentially present. First is the noticeable presence of baitfish, second is the also noticeable presence of predators indicated by aforementioned feeding slurps. Due to needing to avoid 40 mph winds in my face kicking up shoreline slamming waves over a 4 mile fetch last night tried 2 formerly productive opposite lee shore spots. Hardly any alewives heard or seen and zero slurps - result was predictable with zero bites.

The night before 2 wallys down from 4 the previous night was also predictable by noticeably fewer feeding slurps. The absence or presence of wipers is also predictable by listening for their distinctive slurps present or not.

Don't know why so called thumper tails work better than curl tails targeting big wallys out here, judging both by my own experience and other angler's seeming consensus. Altho live baiting remains the majority method of choice practically all walleye jiggers here favor Keitech 4" "Easy Shiner" boot tail swimbaits. Chartreuse curl tails are popular at smaller wally moving water spots.

We both SM believe in "show em something different". For that reason I never use the aforementioned Keitechs or troos twisters, and have never seen anyone else using my preferred PB Twitchtails & Ripple Shads, or occasional cut in half Yum Dingers. Needless to say your creations are unique.

And yup, for me downsizing from 3" to 2" can sometimes stick nippers.

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Today was another day to remember - 105 fish caught on 4 rocky bottoms in 3' of water. Lures used were those that have done well since I first fished them a few weeks ago. The cone tail is at the top of the list and as usual, all fish attack it with gusto and held on. Different color combos did well. For nibblers, I downsized to small soft sticks until the school's aggression level increased. A curl tail grub caught only 2 fish and it will be removed from my tackle box.

In the middle of the lake, sonar showed some schools in deeper water (10 ft.) and for the first time I caught crappie, there though smaller and very few. All were caught on the same cone tail except with a 1/16 oz jig head vs 1/24. There was at times in shallow and deep water a bit of surface activity indicating fish.

81 fish yesterday + 105 fish today included yellow and white perch, bass, crappie and mostly very aggressive sunfish. Lure designs were tried and proved themselves vs being dependent on companies to offer versatile multi-species lures.
Time + place + lure design + a slow retrieve with intermittent pauses and 1/4 turn reel handle increases in speed = fish galore!!!!

Note: a small shallow dive crankbait and Pop R were tried but only got bumps.

 

[Hawnjigs]

What crankbait didn't work? One of our members recommended Strike King Bitsy Minnows. I bought several different colors but so far haven't tried em. Also recently got a buncha poppers which haven't gotten wet yet. Perusing online revues decided on the smaller size Yozuri DR-X in 3 colors. Never fished a popper in fresh water before, but during top water bites sometimes jigs completely fail to get bit.

Are you new to rock bottom jigging SM ?

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

I used a very shallow cb - don't know the brand. It got bumped a few times like the PopR but the time of day and bright sun were all wrong for both.

Are you new to rock bottom jigging SM ?

A skirted jig + trailer was my main lure fishing for SM in the river I fish - though rarely in 2' of water. Fishing for different species using UL jigs over rocky bottoms in 2' is something new for me and might not happen again next year. I always figured that after the spawn sunfish and perch would be under the pads or in the weeds, not chasing and then pounding the design shown - sometimes on the next retrieve after a missed hookset.

 

[SAJChurchey]

Jig head weight need be only 1/24 oz for the 2.5' fish were caught in. I don't usually prefer a sickle hook, but being too lazy to change, it stayed on the line. When I say long-distance hook sets, I'm talkn' 40' or more - the weight of the lure significant.

So are you attributing the good long-distance hook sets solely to the jig weight or do you feel the sickle hook had a part to play?

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

So are you attributing the good long-distance hook sets solely to the jig weight or do you feel the sickle hook had a part to play?

Combined weights of jig and lure get the lure to the fish hopefully 50' away.
The deeper the water or the faster the retrieve in shallow water, the heavier the jig. Just the opposite for shallow water and the slower retrieve needed which requires a lighter jig head.
I caught 25 fish in 2.5' of water and stayed with the 1/24 oz; I caught 15 fish in 6' using a 1/16 oz, - same soft plastic lure both times.

8# test braid and a light action rod not only detect the lightest of strikes (a bump) but allow easy hook sets with the fish setting the hook at a long distance. I raise the rod a bit to the side to change the angle of the hook once I know the fish has started the hook set and the fish goes into panic mode thereby keeping it embedded and deeper yet with each pull on the line.

 

[Hawnjigs]

And, braid enables the use of lighter casting weight than comparable mono equivelants, particularly in higher # tests.

My go to jig head weight on 15# Sufix 832 braid is currently 1/11 oz, on 15# mono back in the day it was 1/2 oz.

Use of braid requires continual focus and practice to avoid loose loop casting tangles and tip wraps., so especially kids & beginners who have not acquired the requisite skills to manage using braid might be better off with mono.

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

loose loop casting tangles and tip wraps

YOU GOT THAT RIGHT - ESPECIALLY IN WIND!!! As bad is when I have rod tips and line / jigs hanging close to each other with the inevitable tangles. My V-bottom is only 10' long and I need room for battery, livewell, large tackle/ misc. storage box, anchor, net, etc.
I used to use a mono backing but braid is resistant to abrasion and cheap. Besides, I have an empty line spool to reverse the line on the reel once a year if needed.
8# test braid = 4# test mono in diam. BTW

 

[hookup]

Do you think the color matters? Quote JiggerJohn "if it ain't troos ain't no use".

Color only matters when it matters. But when it matters, color really matters

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Any of the lures I cast that catch fish consistently can be of one color and catch fish where I find them on any day.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Any favorite colors that consistently work ?

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Now that you mention it... yeah, I am superstitious when it comes to color preference. If a prototype caught fish the first time out, I note the color. The hybrid shown is an example of part intuition/ part guess that the color combo would do well - which it has from the first day. Pumpkin/translucent chart for the visual effect in all color water, at all depths and light intensity. At least fish haven't rejected it for another color - yet.


A similar shape - the carrot stick - worked well in pearl the first time used and thereafter so now I prefer it to keep things simple.


I know next question you're going to ask: why do they work in those shapes? I would ask Rasputin if he was still around. But other than that, I go with a gut feeling and the confidence that follows when a lure does great in one or a few colors. Part of the gut feeling is this question as stated in another reply: does a color and/or color brightness contribute to showing off a lure's action? The above colors do that I'm happy to say.

Another question regarding color: do color laminates have their place? Granted, most forage have darker backs and lighter bellies - minnows especially. But other than that I figure that when a lure rocks & rolls , the visual effect is a subtle dark-light/ dark-light - hue not a major factor. Sure, a gray back/pearl belly kinda matches a minnow's laminate color combo, but then logic kicks in and, though that color combo does well, so do others in one or more designs.

What do you take into account - other than hue - when choosing color? Color brightness (darker vs fluorescent); color saturation or tint or, IOW, color opacity vs translucence; flake color(s) added to plastic; scale patterns, stripes or dots and other visually stimulating factors.

The other thing related to color choice: the color you see will be different than what a color-blind angler sees. Your eyes and my eyes - much less the eyes of fish - will see colors differently depending on many factors. No doubt color may contribute at times, but when a clear plastic lure catches fish, it proves hue less significant. This example does and has caught many fish:

 

[Hawnjigs]

Your carrot stick translucent whitish pearl is prob my fave go to for current night app, in fact a cut in half pearl Yum Dinger looks identical to your picture, cept the cut leaves a flat front end and length is 3" or maybe slightly less. Started with it last night, then when that got torn up useless switched to a 3" opening night color PB Twitchtail Minnow. Both got bit equally well for a solid nite bite 4 wallys, 4 cats, and 11 chunk white bass.

Don't use troos much as a pearl version isn't available in my preferred size/shape.

I started using lam minnow replica colors light pearl or clear glitter belly with blue/purple pearl back cuz they indeed best replicate baitfish appearance. Worth noting tho that when they get torn up usually at the hook exit topside I can re-attach the bait switching top & bottom and I don't notice any difference in bite attraction due to the reversed back/belly colors.

A fellow jigger once mentioned that he had every color available twister tails & whatever else in his arsenal. On the other hand I only need the solid whitish pearl with or without pink highlight and a blue or purple pearl back lam.

I might be wrong, but I THINK pearl colors are best choice at night due to their reflective properties.

Whatever works, right?

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Whatever works, right?

No doubt!
Confidence is key for using any lure. You have scenarios when to use certain colors; I use certain colors any time I fish knowing how well they've worked in the past. Good lures don't lose their catchability nor the colors that fish found acceptable in those lures.