What kind of jigs?

[smhamilt]

Im going to fish out of Catawba first time early spring. What kind of hair jigs should I buy? color/size? And how do you guys fish them? Tipped with anything?

thanks

[wakina]

Why Catawba? The concentration of fish are further west of you there by several miles. Suggest that you leave from Wild Wings or one of the Marinas on Turtle Creek. Fish are present there from a few hundred feet off shore to a couple of miles or a little more. The distance out depends on the fish of course. The cost to ramp($5.00 to $10.00) will more than be offset by the savings in fuel.

In answer to your question here is my standard reply!

The jig weights used are 5/8 oz, 3/4 oz and 1 oz. Colors that are most often the best are black, John Deere Green and purple and not in any particular order. Those should get you started, they are all proven fish catchers. You can add more colors as you gain more experience. All jigs are hair jigs and all have stingers. I can recommend the jigs at Dreamcatcher Tackle, Dave ties his own and they are excellent. Use the lighter jigs on calm days and then increase size as drift speed increases. If at anytime you have trouble pounding the bottom with the 1 oz jig then you are moving to fast.

The debate about tipping the jig with a minnow will last for ever with some for and some against. I always take some minnows along and let the fish tell us what they want. If you go as a group have some tip with a minnow and some not. It is my thought that it is better to have them (minnows) along and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Any drift speed over 1.5 mph should be slowed down with a drift sock or sea anchor. Sometimes it pays to have a variety of sizes along so you will be more able to adjust your speed. On calm days with little or no drift you may have to move some and set back up until you find active fish, you don't actually have to be drifting/moving to catch fish but drifting helps you locate fish as the boat is always moving.

The fish are most often felt when you pick the jig up off the bottom they very seldom hit it and run but are just there as an added weight to your jig. So be ready to set the hook. If using braid a sharp upward flick of the wrist will be sufficient to hook up. Mono will take just a little more arm movement as the mono will stretch. I hope this helps you and if you have more questions just PM me and I will try to help.
Good luck
wakina

[smhamilt]

Thanks a million! Do you have lodging suggestion near Turtle creek?

[wakina]

That area is a rural area and there are no motels close by. You could check with Magee East Marina and campground they may have something as well as the Camp Perry military base they have rental units also. Other than those 2 your best bet would be to get a room in Port Clinton which is about 10 to 12 miles to the east of the ramps in question. There may also be some rooming available at the old Lamberjacks Marina also. Magee East would have ramps, bait and tackle on sight with boat fuel available on the way in or out at Turtle Point. Maybe someone more familiar with the housing issue will chime in and provide you with more or better options with the creature comforts you desire. What ever you decide you need to make arrangements as soon as possible as things fill up fast during the jig bite. I will post Magee East web link for you when I get home later today.

[wakina]

Here is the link to Magee East.

http://mageeeast.com/

[gregnwtf]

Some campers are also available to rent or if you are bringing a motor home, Fenwick Marina has semi primitive lodging and primitive. Wild Wings has 2 transient lots. Book camping ahead to reserve a spot. Wakina has all the main points down pretty good. I agree on staying further west which is close to rocky shoreline and the reefs are close compared to Catawba Isl. Most hair jigs have stingers but not all brands do. I use " Killer" brand jigs, my pref. I have more purple , black, green, white, black/purple in the same weights as Wakina mentioned. Take minnows, big ones early jig season. Braid line with a 15-20 inch mono leader tied to jig of flourocarbon line. I use 17 Vanish. Early April can start 1/4 mile offshore maybe 9-13 ft. Study a map of the reefs so you know where they are and how shallow they get, long points, drop offs, shallow flats on a reefs and slow tapers coming off of a reef. As in last season, you may be able to jig fish till the middle of May this year. You want to move the boat slow over fish or some even anchor very early month acting as if you are still on the ice. Most average days I throw a 3/4 oz black/purple jig with a minnow. There are days when a minnow is not needed but take them. Dont just drag the jig, keep it hopping so you dont get snagged in the rocks n muscles. The walleye mostly take the jig on the drop/fall to control the jig on the fall as you may feel the change when it hits. Some people dont feel the bite on the fall and when they lift the rod again its heavy.
Watch your depth when you catch a couple fish real quick. Alot of days its all 13.5 feet or 9 ft or whatever or while you are going across a point of a reef.
April is hardy fishermans time to fish, have fun and be safe !

[gregnwtf]

My bread and butter when jigging for walleye on the lake. Sizes mentioned in previous posts. The one purple with chartruse is called "purple flash".