Do You Find Yourself Downsizing?

When do you find yourself down sizing your baits and jigs, or don’t you?

I always find myself reaching into the arsenal of jigs and down sizing later in the season, especially when the bite starts to slow and the oxygen begins to deplete.
There are times when tying on a #14-#16 (when my fingers and eyes allow) Gill Pill tips the odds into my favor after removing a #10 or #12. Even if using the same color pattern.

Your thoughts or tricks of the trade you would like to share during these difficult bites would be greatly appreciated by all

I find myself tying on small jigs or hooks and throwing on the ice buster bobbers. Probably partially lazy on my part. But if I see a fish come in on the flasher I’ll jigs it a little if he doesn’t take it after a short wait.

I agree with you, Bret. Later in the year I usually down size to a 3mm fiskas either with 1 spike or more than not plastics. Don’t be afarid to upsize either. There have been days when the only bites you get are on big rembrandts or purists. My rational is when they are lethargic and only feed once a day why not go big. I guess 9 times out of 10 though I will put a smaller jig on when the bite gets tough. Also I will go with an array of plastics at that time. Feel free to pm me if anybody wants some secrets . Dan

Yes, I drop down from 2# or Guterman monofilament sewing thread which breaks at 2.25# and is .006″ dia. to 1# Micro Ice. I use that on a rebuilt Ice Blue Rod with a Schooley Reel. Then I use #14-16 jigs with half a Gulp Waxie or a single golden rod grub. Often you can eke out a few keepers during the doldrums when other anglers are complaining.
What I must say is I’ve never tried the ultra ultra lite stuff when the bite is hot, who knows?

Duke

Great topic Bret. We all seek the hot bite where fish are thumping the bait, but the reality of fishing demands a fisherman reacts to the bite on that particular day. Maybe your fishing a tough weather condition or a highly pressured bite.

The above suggestion on a small float is a great tip. I think often times anglers think a bobber is for kids. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nuetral bouyancy that can be achieved with an Ice buster bobber can be simply deadly in many situations beyond bait downsizing. anglers cannot hold a bait as still as a bobber can while suspending your presentation in the strike zone. This holds true both in both a hardwater setting or in the open water arena. I’ve witnessed multiple bites during the early summer months where you need to suspend a jig so those lethargic walleyes can eye it up before eating. Even as a Jigging Freak; Without the use of a float your often spinning your wheels.

I’d like to add this thought; I like to have a rod that is what I like to refer to as my “Cold Front” tamer. Lighter line than I’d prefer to use on a day to day basis, and usually laced up with very natural colored jigs that match the forage of our lake. For example in Mono I’ll lace up with 6lb test or in braid a 10/2 on my walleye rod normally. My “Cold Front” tamer will be in 4lb or 6/1 Braid. In a tough bite downsizing as you mention Bret can pile up a few more fish. This pertains to line diameter, lure sizing and colors and general presentations employed.

One catch all bait and technique simply isn’t realistic.

Too often guys are laced up with Marling tackle JUST IN CASE they “Barb” that monster Walleye. I think we all can predict the chances of that set up actually……..Hooking up.

I agree with down sizing your line. To me, this in when mono outshines lines without stretch. Some stretch in the line with these tiny jigs gives them a chance to stick, in my opinion. As mentioned in a post by Chris, the gap on the hook is opened and, sometimes turned out a tad helping these little jigs get a bite into the lips of the finned critters.

Instead of a bobber on my dead stick, I have been using a spring off the tip and always have the ShowDown Ice Troller keeping an eye on what is happing around the bait.

It is a great tattle tail unit giving me the heads up when a sniffer approaches

As with a bobber sometimes the sign of a bite during these periods of lethargic fish might be the spring coming up instead of down. It is important to watch for the slightest change in whatever it is you are using to detect a lipped bait.

There are great points being made by all that should help everyone of us during the light bite. Keep em coming Iceheads

I usually downsize under 3 different conditions…
1. Heavy fishing pressure
2. Later during the mid-late Winter Blues when it get’s really cold and slow
3. After cold fronts when high pressure systems move in

Just my 2 cents

I really like vertical jigging spoons. Not heavy ones for my crappies, but vertical. With treble hooks. I have lots of these, some glow and some are gold plated and doctored to my liking. If I go down in size with anything it is the plastic.

For the most part I have a Nuggie or Miro Nuggie or a similar plastic on a hook with the tail hanging down. If a change is in order, the first thing I do is turn the plastic on the hook so the tail hangs horizntally and then slow the jigging.

When I need to get smaller than what the Nuggies give me I’ll start nipping all but the button next to the tail on a replacement ratso body and hang that on a hook.

My jigging spoon sizes range from 1/16 ounce Go Devils from Scenic and the smaller Jigging Gem-n-Eyes from JBLures down to the smallest Jigging Demon and Jigging Frosty Jig by Lindy. That gold plated Demon spoon is by far and away my favorite since I can doctor these up with paint on one side along with very small dots of glow pigment of different colors. Gold, purple on ne side with a single small ultra-glow dot near the line tie is my favorite of favorites for crappies and gills everywhere.

The hooks get changed out on just about every one of these jigs. Some will be the same size, some smaller, some larger. When thinking small, the smaller treble offers way less weight than the next size larger and reacts to a breath instead of a puff.

I use lines anywhere from the monofiliment quilting thread to 2 pound for all of my pannies. Generally I have a spring to show hits [a modified St. Croix or a Thorne Bros panfish spring] but that sewing thread is so limp that even upward hits show up on it so no spring is used on a rod carrying it.

Lots of thoughts on downsizing. Good thread Bret.

I,m also one to downsize. It also works this time of year.

Guess I’m a little different, I’m about always downsized from the norm. Later in the year I might even go to just a bare hook or a fly, something different.

This season I am planning on trying upsizing more, even in slow bites to go bigger rather then smaller since I’m usually fishing small. I noticed one time last year the bigger bait was what they were wanting, which shocked me.

Experimenting is the key I think.

Giant crappie, bee. Congrats on the pb!

Personally I find myself “upsizing” more often than anything. Even in a super tough bite I find the biggest fish (bluegills, crappies, perch) seem to go after a swedish pimple or forage minnow. Under intense fishing pressure where guys are going through tins of waxies, a spoon tipped with nothing but a treble hook seems to ignite them. Granted, there are days where they simply won’t touch that offering.. when that happens its usually a #14 diamond jig with a small plastic trailer. Usually black or purple gets my nod. I have been known to play around with the smallest of the small marmooskas or some very light hair jigs when the the bite gets ultra tough, but thats just not my cup o’ tea these days.

I start to downsize when the fish start to turn a nose on my offering. That’s if until I know it’s midwinter and yesterday’s catch was all on downsized lures.

Similar to what other folks are posting, my answer is always…..”depends on….”. Much of what folks saw in the last IDO TV episode on those Devil’s Lake Perch was the result of us using an underwater camera to answer those questions. It’s an absolute luxury to be able to attach yourself to a relatively immobile school of big fish, and then study their reaction to a multitude of baits being dropped in front of them.

So my answer to the question is that I’ll typically lean on the camera if I’ve got clear enough water and fish that are somewhat stationary. Throughout the winter, I’ll have numerous rods already pre-rigged with a variety of offerings, different baits both large and small. Through careful tinkering, and judging reactions of the fish, I’ll focus on the bait/color that gets the most attention, and then up/downsizing for me happens as the last portion of that equation.

When fish are active, this game rarely takes place for me. Also, like most other people have posted, up-sizing has been more the norm than downsizing for me. When across the river in skonny – I’ll use alot more neutrally buoyant wet flies tied off of the main line on droppers with a heavy diamond jig on bottom. This gives you the best of both worlds.

Joel