SPOONMINNOW
Well-known member
SPOONMINNOW, Orange L., white and yellow perch, largemouth, sufish and crappie, 4/12/2022, solo
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">I'm sure many of you have had banner days when right place/right time allowed somerecord catchesand we've all dreamt of being that lucky. And so it went Tues. and Wed.
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">In the northeast, we had a record amount of rain in a short time that raised water levels like crazy in all lakes and rivers. In the lake I fished yesterday, the lake was up 2.5 feet affecting the spawn locations of yellow perch - one of the first fish to spawn in spring. Where perch spawn, most fish follow to eat their eggs. I'm talking about four to five other fish species that are in dense,mixed-species schoolsin water no more than 3' deep. I'm talk'n crappie with perch and sunfish; white perch with crappie, yellow perch with crappy and a few bass in the<u>same</u>school.
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">wetland channel I had to row to get to schools of fish:
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</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">Granted, a child could catch fish-after-fish in that scenario, but one thing it allowed me to do is to discover and rediscover more things about lures - particularly about soft plastics on light ball head jigs. When fishing a wetlands shallow water pattern, it pays to work lures slowly, mid-depth. To do that 1/32, 1/64 and 1/24 oz jigs are a must along with hook sizes to match. A lure can be 3" on a 1/32 oz jig but the hook size/gap must be at least a #2 hook, like this example of a 5" plastic worm that caught all kinds of fish yesterday - many on the same lures:
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">perch, sunfish and bass caught on the<u>same</u>4" plastic worm:
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</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">Float fishingisn't my forte and especially not in 3' of water, but when you find dense schools of<u>very</u>irritable fish, anything is possible. When I tried a small cigar float it opened doors as far asultra-slow fishingusing arod pull & pause presentation!! Cool was seeing crappie attack the float once it plopped down, at times jumping out of the water! Many lures worked under the float and one that excelled over all others was theMojo grubmade from usingclear plastic:
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">Using a cigar float:
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">I've poured clear plastic shapes before, but the clear plastic Mojo - even in murky water - did as well as any color! The thin, straight tail flutters with the least motion imparted.
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">Another find was theChubby Grubmade from cutting 2" off the front of a plastic worm (like the one shown above), blunting the end with a lighter: Nothing says, come & eat me like the wagging of a Chubby Grub rigged on a 1/32 oz jig!
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">I try to learn new things on every outing and confirm what I already know. The cigar float (recommended by a buddy) was amazing and a presentation I will always value. The Chubby Stick was another along with the use of aclear plasticlure ( I poured more shapes today in different molds.)</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">I'm sure many of you have had banner days when right place/right time allowed somerecord catchesand we've all dreamt of being that lucky. And so it went Tues. and Wed.
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">In the northeast, we had a record amount of rain in a short time that raised water levels like crazy in all lakes and rivers. In the lake I fished yesterday, the lake was up 2.5 feet affecting the spawn locations of yellow perch - one of the first fish to spawn in spring. Where perch spawn, most fish follow to eat their eggs. I'm talking about four to five other fish species that are in dense,mixed-species schoolsin water no more than 3' deep. I'm talk'n crappie with perch and sunfish; white perch with crappie, yellow perch with crappy and a few bass in the<u>same</u>school.
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">wetland channel I had to row to get to schools of fish:
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">Granted, a child could catch fish-after-fish in that scenario, but one thing it allowed me to do is to discover and rediscover more things about lures - particularly about soft plastics on light ball head jigs. When fishing a wetlands shallow water pattern, it pays to work lures slowly, mid-depth. To do that 1/32, 1/64 and 1/24 oz jigs are a must along with hook sizes to match. A lure can be 3" on a 1/32 oz jig but the hook size/gap must be at least a #2 hook, like this example of a 5" plastic worm that caught all kinds of fish yesterday - many on the same lures:
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">perch, sunfish and bass caught on the<u>same</u>4" plastic worm:
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">Float fishingisn't my forte and especially not in 3' of water, but when you find dense schools of<u>very</u>irritable fish, anything is possible. When I tried a small cigar float it opened doors as far asultra-slow fishingusing arod pull & pause presentation!! Cool was seeing crappie attack the float once it plopped down, at times jumping out of the water! Many lures worked under the float and one that excelled over all others was theMojo grubmade from usingclear plastic:
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">Using a cigar float:
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">I've poured clear plastic shapes before, but the clear plastic Mojo - even in murky water - did as well as any color! The thin, straight tail flutters with the least motion imparted.
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">Another find was theChubby Grubmade from cutting 2" off the front of a plastic worm (like the one shown above), blunting the end with a lighter: Nothing says, come & eat me like the wagging of a Chubby Grub rigged on a 1/32 oz jig!
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">
</div><div style="color: #333333; font-family: "google sans", sans-serif, Roboto; font-size: medium">I try to learn new things on every outing and confirm what I already know. The cigar float (recommended by a buddy) was amazing and a presentation I will always value. The Chubby Stick was another along with the use of aclear plasticlure ( I poured more shapes today in different molds.)</div>
