Rod reel line plastics tungsten jigs cadence

I was wondering what rod reel line jig plastic you guys are doing to catch the slowest fish and how you keep that really nervous quiver going for a long time?

Patience and the willingness to be patient. It’s not unheard of to have to sloooooooowly raise your jig (while jigging) more than 5-7 feet. Sometimes several times spanning several minutes.

Of course, it’s not really many people’s goal to catch the slowest fish unless you know that those slow fish aren’t just dinks and a waste of time. Which, relies heavily on the body of water rather than your jigging cadence. Most guys move when fishing gets that slow because why sit trying to tease a mystery fish for 5 minutes when you can just move and hit the more aggressive fish in a different spot?

On the average lakes I fish, more often than not, when a fish is really being that stubborn it’s usually a small one that’s probably been caught and released earlier in the season and is being very timid.

If you’re using a sonar, I like to pretend that my jigs mark is a laser pointer and the fish marks are cats. Panfish behave remarkably similar towards a jig like how when cats play with a laser pointer. Stay a couple feet above the school and try to resist dropping right in the center of it. If you move at just the right pace to keep their attention (not too fast, not too slow) coupled with very a subtle but quick jigging cadence, the fish will follow the jig at the same pace (start by jigging in a stationary position until a fish approaches). Once the fish gets about 6” from your jig, keep that cadence but try to keep that distance 6” distance by raising your rod and lifting your jig. If the fish speeds up, keep that distance by matching the fishes speed until it closes the gap. Then, set the hook.

To keep a quick subtle jigging cadence, I jig with both hands on the reel and the rod is essentially sideways (tee kicked off to the side). I use the rod tip as a kind of suspension (like on a car) for the jig. It’s all soft suspension bounces with the flexibility of the tip loading and cushioning each subtle bounce. If you aren’t soft handed enough, you’ll bottom out that suspension (just like on a car) and you’ll feel the “BANG BANG BANG” of the weight of the jig bottoming out that suspension matching your jigging cadence. I use my wrists to jig until I need to raise the jig (fish following it). Then, slowly raise the jig. If your reel is properly winterized, doesn’t freeze, and retains a fluid smooth retrieve, you can also throw the anti-reverse switch and use your reel to raise and lower your jig instead of physically raising your rod. I find by disengaging the anti-reverse, I can drop back down in very small precise increments. To go with the laser pointer analogy, sometimes if a fish is being really stubborn and just won’t close the gap, I’ll drop back down to just below the fish so it goes “wait, where’d it go” and the fish will usually follow it back down. Then the cycle starts over. If none of that works, I set my rod on the ice and dead-stick the jig. If that doesn’t catch the fish I’m after, well, time for a move.

You could also try different jigs/colors/baits etc. sometimes fish are slow because they want fresh bait on every drop. Happens more often than you think so when you think a fish is being slow, it’s just being extremely picky about what you’re offering. Kind of like a hotdog vendor trying to sell you a dog that the guy I from of you just took a bite out of. No way on that. But you’ll take a nice fresh one nomes touched yet. Fish can be the same way. My point? Sometimes our jigging cadence has absolutely nothing to do with slow fish. Sometimes it’s even the weather.

Just keep at it my man!

deadstick and just finger tap the rod blank.

dead stick with a bobber!

Here you go!

https://customjigs.com/products/finesse-spring-rod.html

I fish river backwaters(mississippi)most of the time. Most waters are skinny from 3 to 6 feet. I rely on my electronics even in skinny water to get fish to bite. I use panoptix to find fish. Then I use my 2D after. Usually I am drilling tons of holes in a typical bay. I am looking for active fish, not bottom huggers. You want fish up and moving in the water column, even in skinny water. Even in deep water also . Once you find this scenario you can usual be successful with jigging cadences for crappies, gills, and perch . Believe me, the planets have a way of lining up on a search and destroy mission.

For line, I run 2 pound to 4 pound hi-vis mono, with 2 pound getting the nod most of the time. Tungsten jigs, I use quite a few ball jigs in the 2.5 to 3mm size with plastics of different varieties. B-Y baits work well, Panfish plastics are great too. There are tons available and all have there place. For rods, I own too many. I use pulsator rods, TUCR rods, and even some HT rods which are plain fiberglass. Whatever works for me, may not work for you, but you get the idea.

In summary, I say finding active fish will make your jigging cadences brighter, ten fold. Lot’s of good info above by the other posters. Good luck fishing !!

Sometimes on those fish slight jigs and then let it sit has worked for me. Welcome to IDO.

For all the yak a yak in various media not much talk about cadence and its huge, great question.

tim hurley wrote:

For all the yak a yak in various media not much talk about cadence and its huge, great question.

It certainly is. Cadence is one of those things that to the untrained eye just looks like someone pounding jig when it’s more like someone orchestrating chaos. It’s a skill well worth trying to understand and implement. And, once you think you have it figured out, you learn something new.

I started ice fishing rather late in life, the number one way I learned panfish was by use of a camera, once you have seen their responses to various lures and actions you are way up the learning curve. Particularly on bites that a spring bobber barely responds you will see how fast you have to be to get them when they are doing the inhale and spit routine trying to get your bait off. On a active bite almost anything works, it’s the toughest bite that the camera shines. I don’t use it much anymore because I have learned it’s lessons.

I have a hard time keeping modern ice rods steady enough, especially on the pauses. I used to have a much smoother cadence with old school solid glass rods w/spring bobber.