Rigging on the “Mud”

Alright fellas,
Let’s talk about rigging on the mud, seems like everybody has their opinion as to whether or not you “drag” your sinker in the mud or keep it up and out of the mud. I’ve done both and caught fish both ways. Let’s here your opinions or techniques.

I keep off bottom for the most part and touch bottom every once in a while just so I know I’m in the zone.

BIRDDOG

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I keep off bottom for the most part and touch bottom every once in a while just so I know I’m in the zone.

BIRDDOG

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That’s a yep……me too!!

Same here!!

I do both. What ever the fish are liking that day. I usually start out not dragging. I did that one day and my brother started to hand my to me, so I started to drag bottom like him and bam, fish within about a minute. Go figure. As always keep an open mind and if your not getting bit, change something up until you find a combo that have the fish coming to the net.

I do both, sometimes I let out 150 ft and I drag that big bottom bouncer thru the mud. Cause it to muck up the bottom, sometimes that’ll it drive em nuts. so I am about 50/50. Do whatever works

A couple things I learned is that often there is a layer of soft silt on top of the firmer mud that you feel with your weight. When you feel your weight “hit” bottom, it is already as much as 6″-2′ feet down in the silt, so I hold my sinker about 2 feet off while fishing so as not to stir the silt up.

I also try to use only a 3/8ths oz. bullet weight when rigging, and try to keep my line coming off my tip at no greater angle than 45*. This basically indicates what I have found to be my best speed for rigging and actually puts my bait in front of the fish I’m looking at on my graph.

I agree Jack. It feels like tomato soup instead of water.

EJ

I try to keep my sinker out of the mud as much as possible. I hold it 1-2 feet off bottom. It is crazy how that mud grabs ahold of the sinker. You have to jerk it back out.

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I agree Jack. It feels like tomato soup instead of water.
EJ

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Yep, and it’ll stick to your rig like velcro.

What Jack is saying is very true!! In the winter while ice fishing with my Vexilar FL-18 in the zoom setting, the Vexilar will show the bottom above the zero mark. In talking with Tom Zennako of Vexilar a few years ago, he explained what was going on. The Vexilar is reading the bottom through the silt. What I mean is the unit is showing just how deep the silt is!! which can vary as Jack said from less than a foot too over 2 feet.

Thanks for responding guys!

I dont think it matters. I once saw Bill Brasky rigging with a 28# Navy anchor and was pulling limits.

Are you sure it was Brasky, or was it Fellegy

That BE FUNNY D