Jig Weight for Dragging Upstream

Would like to add some heavier jigs for dragging upstream with plastics and Dubuque rigging. Thinking 3/8 oz, 1/2 oz, 5/8 oz & 3/4 oz would cover most current speed conditions. What are your most used jig weights for dragging upstream and Dubuque rigging?

3/8 most of the time pending speed of flow, heavy flow I might go as big as 5/8 .

you have a pm

JMHO Jeff

WHATEVER IT TAKES TO HAVE CONTROL OF YOUR RIG. WHATEVER IT IS A DUBUQUE RIG OR JUST YOUR JIG OR 3WAYING WITH STICKS. IF YOU ERROR. ERROR ON TO HEAVY SIDE AND NOT THE LITE SIDE.!! If YOU ARE TO LITE YOU WILL NOT HAVE CONTROL.! IF YOU HAVE THE WIEGHT RIGHT. PERFECT.! If YOU ARE A LITTLE ON THE HEAVY SIDE YOU WILL STILL HAVE CONTROL. DO NOT FALL IN THE TRAP THAT YOU HAVE TO USE THE LITEST JIG OR SINKER.! I DONT CARE IF YOU ARE PULLING STICKS DUBUQUE RIGS ETC.ETC. USE WHAT YOU NEED TO KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM.! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SPOOK FISH IN THE RIVER SYSTEM WITH A BIG JIG OR SINKER. UNLESS IT IS CLEAR WATER. HERE ON THE NORTH END POOL 4 NOW AN FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR THE WATER WILL NOT BE CLEAR AGAIN UNTILL DEC. OR LATER. ………… rrr PS for pulling stick baits I have used as high as 8ozs dubuque rigs 2ozs. The weight dragging on the bottom stirs up the bottom. It attracts fish more than it spooks fish.!!!!!!!!!!!! And with the right weight you can hold just off bottom if ya want.

Thanks for shouting RRR, I’m awake now…

Thanks for the info trumar & river rat randy!

Listen to rrr. Be gracious in the fact that he is retired but still offers river info! This is priceless stuff!

Tim Bossert wrote:

Thanks for shouting RRR, I’m awake now…

… WHAT ERVER … rrr

It’s the only way he can hear the buttons on his phone.

Either way solid advise unless your vertical jigging and getting a lot of short strikes. Most often the jig is too heavy and the wallabie can’t suck it in far enough to get hooked. Then again, if a person doesn’t know where bottom is, the jig could be completely out of the strike zone. So using the lightest jig possible while still feeling bottom is the ticket for vertical jigging.

THAT’S WHAT RRR TAUGHT ME ANYWAY.

RRR has a valid point with the jig weight on a river. In a lake the fish can strike from multiple directions where less is better allowing them to suck the jig in. On the river though most of the times fish are reaction strikes with the bait sweeping into their face. This allows you to get by with more weight due to the current pulling it towards them. Also on a river sometimes more weight is better than less to keep you vertical and feel them strikes where the fish often trap them to the bottom causing the hookups under the chin.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

It’s the only way he can hear the buttons on his phone.
Then again, if a person doesn’t know where bottom is, the jig could be completely out of the strike zone. So using the lightest jig possible while still feeling bottom is the ticket for vertical jigging.

THAT’S WHAT RRR TAUGHT ME ANYWAY.

…Wow.! Didn’t know you could remember back that far.! You are correct sir. What I was talking about was pulling what ever against the current. … Not Vertical or drifting a jig down stream to your target area. But once again you are better off one step to heavy than one step to lite… ….. rrr

So I’m fairly new with Dubuque rigging. Is there certain speed range to target going up stream vs down stream. Are they similar to dragging? Staying verticle is not a concern correct? When Going down stream when the current is up are you supposed to keep up so weight is more verticle and your dropper is still ahead of your snell or do u slow it down and still let the rig work against the current. Any info tips on this would be greatly appriciated

I also have used up to 2 oz jig heads for pulling rigs, and 6oz for pulling stick baits. In a tough bite, I like to hit em in the head with my sinker a couple of times till they get pissed and hit what’s in front of them. Sometimes that even include the sinker, just sayin! When you catch a fish that has a 3 oz sinker lodged down his gullet, you made him mad.

Last time out, I used a 3/4 oz jig head with plastic and a floating jig head with a minnow on my Dubuque rig fishing downstream, and in minimal current areas both up and downstream with some success. I tried to slow the boat just enough going downstream in the current to have a slight angle to the line going downstream. All of the fish were caught on the floating jig head and minnow. Not sure how much weight would have been needed to fish strictly up stream under the same conditions, keeping the line angle minimal, and actually making progress upstream instead of falling back. I would guess it may have taken a 1 to 2 oz jig head.

From my experience this year, if you go to the river with a mindset of catching them a certain way, ie dragging Dubuque rigs against the current, you are asking to strike out pretty hard. Nearly each day has been different for me, and I’ve almost always had to change what I was doing several times in order to stay on any sort of bite.

tetonkajohn wrote:

From my experience this year, if you go to the river with a mindset of catching them a certain way, ie dragging Dubuque rigs against the current, you are asking to strike out pretty hard. Nearly each day has been different for me, and I’ve almost always had to change what I was doing several times in order to stay on any sort of bite.

….10-4 … rrr