secret shellcracker jig revealed!

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anyfish

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 6, 2008
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528
Location
cleve tn
well i guess since the shellcrackers and bluegills are starting to bed i would let everyone know what this jig is so everyone can have some fun! it is called a trout magnet you can get them at walmart they come in a pack with two jigheads and six bodies for around two dollars and they dont only catch shellcrackers they catch anything that swims they are so light that i always fish them under a small float to make them easier to cast all you have to do is cast them out and work them back slow and alot of times something will hit it as soon as it hits the water if you like to have fun and just catch something especially on a slow day get some of these you will catch alot of small fish but you will be suprised at what else you will catch we have been tearing the crappie up on these things lately and last year i hooked the biggest bass i ever saw fishing in a pond probably 10-11 pounds but it jumped one time and threw my hookemoBang then one day last year me and my dad were fishing and we found a bed of magnum size shellcrackers my dad was using a trout magnet and i was using redworms and he was catching 3 to my 1 so i started using the trout magnet also and was able to keep up but after awhile i went back to redworms to see what would happen and they wouldnt even hit them!needless to say we caught over 200 shellcrackers in about 4 hours of fishing on that one bed! if you dont believe me just get some and try them i have the best luck on the gold or silver head and black body!emoThumbsup emoThumbsup emoToast
 

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I have been using a 1'32 oz jighesd and tear off about a 1" piece of plastic worm be it green pumpkin, black, brown etc.
Been catching them this way for years. It's the cheaper than anything I've found. Looks alot like what you have in the pic.
 
That's great info anyfish. If you are fishing 5 feet of water do you want the bait near the bottom or somewhere in the water column? When I fish for bedding 'gills I normally fish with a dropshot type rig with nightcrawlers. I try to keep the hook about 6 inches off the bottom. This rig seems to work best for me. Some guys fish a carolina style rig but they hang up alot. I fished an area that usually has shellcrackers and struck out last week. I hope that I can get into some this week. They can really be fun.
 
polo it seems when im fishing for shellcrackers its better to set the float where it is just hitting the bottom and you have to pay close attention to the float sometimes it will just wiggle alittle bit and sometimes they will have it swallowed as for crappie and bluegills i set the float where it is up off the bottom if you have anymore questions feel free to ask!emoAngler
 
we usally start catching them from anywhere around the 2nd week in april through the 2nd or 3rd week in june they usally spawn somewhere in this time frame usually around the new or full moon and they are in really shallow water i have caught them in as little as 6inches of water but most of the time in 2-4 ft in the back of most coves we have alot of luck around rock or grass or stumps give it a try with some of these trout magnets under a small float set the float where the trout magnet just touches the bottom and work it in slow jigging it a little bit and hold on you wont be sorry pound for pound i think they are the best fighters especially on ultralight tackle and they are great eating to boot! ;) emoToast
 
anyfish - 4/28/2008 6:19 PM

well i guess since the shellcrackers and bluegills are starting to bed i would let everyone know what this jig is so everyone can have some fun! it is called a trout magnet you can get them at walmart they come in a pack with two jigheads and six bodies for around two dollars and they dont only catch shellcrackers they catch anything that swims they are so light that i always fish them under a small float to make them easier to cast all you have to do is cast them out and work them back slow and alot of times something will hit it as soon as it hits the water if you like to have fun and just catch something especially on a slow day get some of these you will catch alot of small fish but you will be suprised at what else you will catch we have been tearing the crappie up on these things lately and last year i hooked the biggest bass i ever saw fishing in a pond probably 10-11 pounds but it jumped one time and threw my hookemoBang then one day last year me and my dad were fishing and we found a bed of magnum size shellcrackers my dad was using a trout magnet and i was using redworms and he was catching 3 to my 1 so i started using the trout magnet also and was able to keep up but after awhile i went back to redworms to see what would happen and they wouldnt even hit them!needless to say we caught over 200 shellcrackers in about 4 hours of fishing on that one bed! if you dont believe me just get some and try them i have the best luck on the gold or silver head and black body!emoThumbsup emoThumbsup emoToast

A Southern Pro 1.5 inch worm looks exactly like this is case there is a run on the magnets at Wally World. Fished on a 1/32oz jighead should be dynomite! My favorite is a 1" squirming grub in the pumpkinseed color. That works well also.
 
I used the white/char tail version and I caught 90% of my fish, (crappie, bluegill, crackers, channel cat, bass) on it Saturday. The jig-head you get with it is crap, so I used a 1/32 with a jig keeper and it makes a HUGE difference. I will be using these again! Thanks for the tip!
 
yes spur you are correct the jigheads are junk i have lost a ton of fish because of them especially the bigger crappie and bass but sat. we landed several 5lb cats on them it all depends were you hook them and the hooks break pretty easily also especially if you bend them but i put up with it because if i lose a fish or my hook breaks i know as soon as i cast back out i will catch another fish right away! i am glad they helped you catch fish. i really like them alot!
 
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