ok guys it my first year for the spring bite i was planning on throwing some blades this year what size and what colors do you guys use?? what kind of rod?? and how do u present them?
also what size of jigs do you guys use??
thanks jeff
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ok guys it my first year for the spring bite i was planning on throwing some blades this year what size and what colors do you guys use?? what kind of rod?? and how do u present them?
also what size of jigs do you guys use??
thanks jeff
My buddy uses Vibes. Wonder Bread is his favorite. Jigs? Multiple Colors because the water clarity can impact choice and it changes. I like 3/4 oz. I also tip the jig with a minnow. The standard jigs now have stingers hooks also. I recommend ya go into Happy Hooker Bait on Rt 2. Lots of fisherman and free advise. We fish right out front of Turtle Creek. I prefer to launch out of Fenwicks primarily because they have a nice fillet stand. Only $5.
Rods? I prefer 6', 1 piece graphite rods. Medium action.
Another good addition and comes in handy is a wind sock to slow down your drift.
Good Luck and Good fishing
Yeley0437 I too like to throw the wonder bread vib"e", like to hit them on a MH rod usually 6'6". I try to present them similar to casting a jig with a bit longer "pop" off the bottom. I know some people tip them with a shinner personally I do not. Stop into the shop and check us out this spring at dreamcatcher fishing bait and tackle, carry blade baits and everything else as well. Good luck hope to see you this spring.
Nice catch jiginitis69. I've never ice fished and hope to soon. Those walleyes look delicious. Personally when it comes to jiggin i like the larger, heavier blades. Some mornings they like the presentation really slow, just enough to get a small vibration and then other mornings you have to be more agressive.
I'm counting down the days!
In the spring, we like to use a ½ oz blade bait (various colors / brands) with a medium action bait casting rod/ reel. We fish them mostly vertical but occasionally flip it out to the side a little ways if things are slow right under the boat. We almost always “pop” the bait about 2 feet up once it hits the bottom. I would guess we are popping it up once every 3-4 seconds. We also use ¾ oz hair jigs. Purple or green seem to work the best and we fish them the same way as the blade baits but I prefer a 5’ light action spinning rod / reel with the jigs. We do not tip our jigs with any live bait but we do use the firm / wire stinger hooks on the jigs. The mono stinger hook tends to get twisted and knotted up around the main hook so we immediately switch out to the firm/ wire stingers. You’ll definitely want to use drift socks / bags and/or a trolling motor to slow your drift down on windy days. You have to keep your bait bouncing off the bottom and just slightly off vertical as possible. As far as location, you’ll want to listen to this site on specific reefs / areas and those are usually good starting points. We like to start upwind of a reef and let the wind blow us up one side and down the other. This pattern seems to work from the end of March through early May, but depends on the warming trend of that specific spring. I hope this helps
I use a 6'6" Loomis with 10lb Fireline. A good quality high mod graphite rod is a must for all walleye fishing styles. 6 to 6.5 ft one pc. is best. There are a few ways manufacturers mark the rod quality. IM , Modules etc. I have IM7, 85 million modules, higher the number the better the feel. Go to IM 10 and it has good feel but is fragile. IM 7 would be the minimum and 60-70 million modules.
Bass Pro has a signature rod 85 mil mod that is very good and about 150 bucks.
If you like braid line, put a 15 to 20lb leader of a Vanish type line above the jig about 16 inches long. I use 17 lb Vanish as its the same line I use for making worm harnesses. It keeps the braid from getting wrapped around the jig. Early April on calm mornings you can start in as shallow as 6ft. 9-14 ft out in front of my marina and the to the first couple reefs is a great area to start. Hard bottom, rocky bottom. Spawn time the fish are laying tight to the bottom and can be hard to pick on fishfinder. Tip with minnow early April and by late April and first weekend of May, a bare hairjig will do just fine. Blade baits are more of a reaction bite, I dont use them often but will a can produce better in muddy conditions.
6ft medium action rod 10lb braided line with 16 inch fluorocarbon leader with a duo snap to connect to the jig.black and purple jig 5/8 and 3/4 jigs seem to work better for me than blade baits.short fast hops or higher slower ones depends on the day .keep tension on your line as jig falls back to the bottom so you dont miss a hit with slack in your line
One more thought. I put a barrel swivel up about 3 feet to reduce line kink. It helps because the motion of lifting and dropping lures creates the line to spin around itself after a while. Use a good stainless swivel. As stated you can get all these lures and amenities at the Bait Barn on Rt 2
We were using primarly purple jigs with berkley gulp 3" emerald shiner. I use my bass fishing gear which includes 7ft medium St. Croix and 10lb test florocarbon. The biggest keys we found last year is to stay away from the packs of boats and always keep tension on your line. Anything out of the norm and set the hook. Last year was my first year of getting the Lake Erie "itch" and we hit it for a month straight around Easter. Also if your not getting bit don't be scared to move. Can't wait till March!!!!