Dead sticking a jigging rap

Ok, bare with me, this could get a bit lengthy; I will start with the question, then proceed with my theory. Has anyone ever put a whole minnow on the front hook of a jigging rap, preferably one of the larger jigging raps?

This would be to target walleye or northern. Now on with my theory; I’ve noticed at times when reeling fish in, sometimes a much bigger pike is following. This would explain why sometimes a pike grabs a smaller fish that’s being reeled in.

I think to some degree, either pike are territorial and why small pike tend to swim away fast after grabbing your bait. I noticed bigger pike swim off much slower. Or, fish are at a slight disadvantage for a short period of time when a fish is in its mouth, so a larger one will come in and target the fish, either the fish drops the bait so it can get away, or that fish is now easier to grab.

I saw this first hand the very first time I went spearing. I had a small plastic northern decoy and a sucker in a harness, but not a decoy sized sucker, just a medium sized one. I had the sucker about 3′ down, and once when I pulled up on the northern decoy, it circled and bumped the sucker head on. Immediately, a northern came in and grabbed the decoy. By the time I was getting ready to spear him, he dropped the decoy and swam off. I had not seen the northern prior to this happening. I don’t know if he was waiting in the wings, or just happened to be coming by, but that minnow nudge grabbed his attention.

A couple years ago when I took spearing up again, I wanted to convert or make a northern decoy that I could somehow put a minnow in the front of it, or in its mouth. But I made a golf ball spinner and that worked great for bringing in curious fish.

It wasn’t until last night when I got home from a two day excursion on the lake, that I realized, jigging raps have a hook on the nose, and while sorting through all my tackle on the lake, I noticed I have one of the large jigging raps, which is about 4″ long. I didn’t catch a single fish, but I was near cribs and there were walleye, northerns, bass and even musky, coming by all times of the day. There were panfish as well, but I wasn’t targeting them. I did have encounters with the bass, walleye and northern, but they were obviously pressured. This was both with live bait and jigging raps, with and without heads.

I think a jigging rap with a small minnow on the front hook would trigger that attack instinct. I would probably use a fat head on the big rap for northern and a crappie minnow on a #5. The struggling minnow would be all the action needed. BTW, I already put a 40lb floro leader on the big rap. I already tested the big rap with a dead crappie minnow and it only dips forward slightly. If a fat head is too heavy, I may put a small sinker on the rear hook.

Lastly, I haven’t given up on my much larger sized invention for big pike and larger bait. I may modify one of my giant Chubby Darters with a large hook in the nose, instead of a clip, which I was originally thinking. I was even thinking of adding a stinger hook, attached to the center hook post so I could add a small treble hooked to the minnow. I would remove the rear treble on the darter and replace it with a small bell sinker.

I haven’t tried that, but similarly, tail-hooking a fathead to a Z-Viber works really well for walleye on a deadstick rod. The minnow hangs sideways and fights relentlessly to right itself.

I’ve thought of trying something similar. Seems lately my dead stick has been a simple red or orange hook with a tail hooked fat head and has worked well enough. I’ve tail hooked minnow on dead sticks for a long time. They live longer and you get a lot of action out of them.

Heading to Mille Lacs this weekend………Anything is worth a shot!!

I have had slow days and tried everything and usually they bite on the weird thing at least once.

Seven year old son throws on all kinds of lures on the batman pole and usually outfishes me!! HAHA

To me, the reason big fish will follow and/or hit a smaller fish you are reeling in is because they see that it is in distress which can make for an easier meal. If the smaller predators hit and run faster than big fish, I’d probably agree that they are territorial and/or they know they themselves are on the diet of larger fish so they are trying to get back to cover quick whereas a large predator doesn’t have to worry about that.

While I get your logic targeting those territorial fish, I don’t see that as something that is going to get any more success than just a minnow on a hook seeing as there won’t be any more water disturbance than the minnow fighting being hooked (without the extra “decoy” acting as something eating the minnow). When a real fish has the bait in it’s mouth, you have both the bait fish struggling and the predator fighting which causes much more ruckus/attraction.

Certainly can’t hurt to try but that’s my opinion.

This technique was suggested by our guide on Winnipeg this weekend. Hang a full salted shinner from the middle treble of a Rippn Rap and just let it suspend 1-2 ft off the bottom. When you see a mark, give it a little shake and they destroy it. It was really effective.
Dan

I had the son-in-law out last summer. He threw a leech on the middle treb with a bobber. I’m thinking what the —-. 5 minutes later he lands himself a nice eye.
So I pretty much hang a chunk of meat off there quite often.

On Lake Mille Lacs yeas ago I would always put an airplane jig down(similar to jigging rap)on my dead stick rod with a minnow nose hooked on rear, caught several large walleyes with this rig.

I’ve caught a lot of eyes not jigging a jiggin rap with either a crappie minnow or just the head of a fathead. I usually jig 2 rods but sometimes ya have to take a break, an if that’s how they wants it, that’s how they gets it

Seems logical to me. I’m gonna try this next time out!