Vertical jigging Master

[JUNGLEJIM1]

John looks cold in that picture,those nice trout should warm him up a little bit.

 

[Fatman]

Nice fish!!!

 

[ragged edge]

Thanks JJ, can't wait to personally try these jigs out. Sent some to a friend of mine in Texas and they caught 66 crappie walking the bank. He told me the jigs did not last long due to the wool hanging up in the lips. A strand here, couple strands there, etc. If that's the case they should do real good on walleye and muskie.

 

[plateboater]

Actually talked with "Red" yesterday for about 45 mins. Takeaways are keep it simple. Wool companys are different based on the chemicals used. You need to dip your jig after completing in water. The best wool (natural washed). Huge tip.....Pull out and pinch out the water. The more water the wool holds the better it holds form. I tried this test. It appears Lavender holds a little more water than Pendleton. Length behind hook can vary from day to day that determines length. Sometimes crappies want a longer body and somedays they want a shorter body. After a day of fishing, Red goes back home and makes ties for tomorrow based on the bite.
Red does not tip with minnow until later summer in his home state. Main focus is brush. Single pole and jig over the top of brush or may have to go deeper into the brush pending on mood. 1/16 95% of time 5% 1/32 early spring. Round head only with sickle jigs preferred. Red advised keep it simple. No multiple poles no double jigs. One pole one jig and pay attention.
Red advised he figured this pattern about 4yrs ago like others have stated in this post. Red believes the method is not popular because of the price per jig would be high $3 to $5 per jig and most do not want to pay.
Red has a 15ft boat found and fixed up from a junk yard. Red fishes everyday and laughs about our time on internet. Does not have time nor wants a computer.....just wants to fish and learn about crappies! I advised he is getting legend status! Red advised less talk on internet and more time on the water and meet on the water! Red also advised JiggerJohn has the knowledge!!! Red advised his recent trout stories have been amazing. I advised Red they were posted. Red again laughed about the internet! Just a great guy but advised his "ticker" is causing problems but intends on fishing everyday until the doc says no more. The doc already shut him down from his yearly trip to Canada. Still provides jigs for his friends at that lodge. Red is 81yrs old the tips can go on and on!

 

[redear]

thanks plateboater for all the info!! wow, I didn't realize Red was up in years that far.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Holy mackerel, check out JiggerJohn's Red Wool catch today !

View attachment 2

 

[plateboater]

Great Catch

 

[redear]

wow JJ!! congratulations! ya gotta tell us particulars. that is one beautiful fish!

 

[Fatman]

Thanks for all the info on Red and that is one really nice fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jiggerjohn]

Redear &guys, Dont mean to bore ya with yet another in this recent string of trout adventures,but particulars were requested!! We took my 7 yr old grandson, Andraes, over fishing at around 1 PM as it FINALLY started to warm up for the first time this week -figgered we'd never get a spot, though, with eager weekend fishermen on the prowl. However, there was an ice coating that had rebuilt itself over our favorite cove & nobody could work it. But there was a small casting lane thawing just out from us, and afternoon sun melting the rest. Sean & I had trouble at first getting a solid hit. Then Dra (Sean's son) started casting & slow reeling a freshly tied jig (Sean's tie) completely on his own -little bugger started getting one on every cast! Of course, he loudly told us about it - " I'm killing you guys!!!" and it reached 13 trout for Dra to 3 for me and 2 for Sean! Then Sean caught fire, while I was consistantly missing sets to extremely light tappers, to their constant teasing(no respect for ole grampa!). Checked my newly tied jig for sharpness of the sickle hook point & it was fine. Then I cast to the far out ice edge and felt a slight tick on the drop, set a bit extra hard, and felt very SOLID resistance!! Finally got the trout near the surface & Sean about soiled himself! "Dad,play him easily,that's the largest rainbow we've ever seen in North Park!" The fish ran out drag several times & I was hoping a new knot concept that I was experimenting with was as good as I had speculated! I finally beached the chunkster and we snapped a quick photo prior to a safe release. The big trout grabbed a basic Red's Woolie with purple & white longish Satin, over a touch of orange wool. The pace increased as water warmed, and we,for the first time, actually lost our usual careful count. Easily near a hundred or better, tho, based on our recent trips, especially with Dra adding 23 to the take (HE didn't stop counting-HIS fish!!!). A guy we'd met the other day came down to the other side & started fishing, asking how our home tied jigs were doing today. He didn't have much room to cast with ice over on that side,so we invited him over, gave him some jigs, and started telling him how to fish them. Shortly he started to get the hang of it, and about wet himself when actually hooking & landing a few trout on his initial attempt with woolies, He was thanking us profusely and obviously going to start a new jigging career!!

 

[plateboater]

Great updates on the story!

 

[Fatman]

Thanks JJ

 

[redear]

way to go JJ!! I love that story! thanks for telling it.

 

[jiggerjohn]

A neat little trick with Red's woolie/satin jig that I played with this morning very successfully: I attached a tiny overhead willow harness onto a Red's tied on a tin/bismuth alloy Hawn's roundhead (poured on a 1/24 oz mold,but actual weight of about 1/30 oz), obtained inexpensively from http://fish-n-spin.com/ .This company's spin harness is the most petite I've yet found for small jigs,with the thinnest wire.And it spins at a whisper, especially on the drop,where our trout have been taking. First cast this morning and I had my first trout! The rest of the morning was the same-if I reeled 2' then let it helicopter down a rainbow seemed to be waiting to nail it every time!Could be the extra flash & vibration, and the way the spinner shook the satin accounted for all the quick action -even ole Red is gonna be excited over this occaisional addition to his jig,for shallow weed work!

 

[Fatman]

JJ - this spin frame small enough for you

 

[jiggerjohn]

Yep, Fatman, That looks really good & should get the Redwoolies to jiggling!!

 

[Fatman]

That one is .031 wire. .024 is easier to bend - I've only made a few smaller than that.

 

[redear]

the best performing spin frames I have used are made by H&H lures I believe and they are called cajun spins if memory seves me, the mone I like the most comes on the 1/32 size. It has a tiny colorado type blade that is cupped more than others I have seen, and the3 chrome plating on the blade looks like jewelry. they never fail to spin even at the slowest speeds. I throw them on 2lb. test mostly for extra casting distance. I have seen the frames with the spinners for sale by themselves too, I like the silver but they have gold also.

 

[Fatman]

I'd definately have to go to the .024 wire for a small colorado blade like that, I've got 00 colorado's in nickle and I think brass that I got years ago that have a deeper cup than the new ones. I'll have to make some up and post em.

 

[jiggerjohn]

Redear & Fatman, Yep,the tiny spin frames may add a bit to our shallow Spring Redwool jig fishing! I was talking by phone to Red last night and he was quite aware (he's seen & tried EVERYTHING with his jigs!!) of a spinner frame with his lures! He usually has stayed with inline spinners under certain conditions (tho hard,from his results, to get him away from just the basic unadorned Woolie!),but is intriqued when I mentioned how tiny the wire frames are these days and how easily they spin on a drop. I know a few seasons back,we had a tough late Spring season with fronts & sunny ,clear "high skies" when local bass were not cooperating at all. I took one of the little Fish-N-Spin willow blades &jig & let it flutter straight down into depths to spearhead a catch of 43 largemouth bass,during the same time a major ,National bass tourney was going on here where these weather conditions completely blanked most of those pros!! So,now, I'm really excited about the potential of the willow spin frame in coordination with Red's wonderful, easily "jiggled" Woolie -my observations are showing a superb match that begs to be unleashed on shallow prowling crappies,bluegills, trout, and bass !!