Pool 2 Report

Here’s a quick pool 2 report from last night. My intention was to start out by working some new riprap shorelines and then set up on a favorite wingdam or two for the low light to dark bite. My pal Teal (5 month old black lab) and I ran to a riprap shoreline, dropped the trolling motor down, hit on button and saw nothing happen. After playing around I found a circuit breaker for the motor and we were powered up. I worked a long length of riprap and sand shoreline transition without a bite, hit, or as I was feeling, even a look. Teal and I then set up and pitched some shallow sand areas without a bite. Ok, this was getting old so I thought it was time to setup on the wingdams and actually catch some fish. Once setup with multiple rods rigged with different size jigs and multiple types of plastics I started working them deep and shallow with slow results until the sun was nearly set. All of a sudden the fish turned on with the first fish hit like a freight train on a 1/4 oz. jig and purple ringworm. This fish hit the tape at 29 1/2 inches and was as fat as any fish I’ve seen. I took a picture with my 35mm. camera but you know how that works… My digital camera is ordered and will sure help out on posting the fish without a 3 day delay. This fish ended up being the largest of the night with the rest of the fish being under 21 inches. As DeeZee has reported, keep changing what you’re teasing them with and move around on the wingdam. I would work the ringworm for five to ten casts and then switch to a purple pulse worm, then a green ringworm, then a 5 inch grub, etc. In the past when barges were working in an area I felt the water was too turned up and would leave for another area. This fall has proved this wrong and now I welcome the big trollers. Last night was a prime example of this; I had gone twenty-five min. without a fish when a barge started working across the river and I felt the water being moved towards it. The big propellers really move a lot of water, especially when the tug is turning around, and the water is sucked into the propellers which pulls the water from the shoreline. It actually creates a slight current which give the area your fishing a new look. When this happened last night the bite went nuts for a good 30 min. after the barge left. In total I caught and Teal licked around 18 eyes. What a blast! Lets just hope the weather holds out and we can comfortably play with our eyely friends.
Ron (Zim) Zimmermann

Nice report Ron!
Sounds like you had an active evening.
Congrats on your piggie! Cannot wait to see the pics of her!

Thanks Steve,
What a beautiful night on the river. I forgot to mention that while I was pulling in the piggie I heard a noise on shore, looked up, and saw an eight point buck looking at me. Pretty Cool!

Zim, thanks for this good report.
Are you using conventional jig heads? Or, are you into a competition type/style that you can share with us?
Dave Hoggard

Dave, I was using conventional style jigs last night, mostly because I need to restock on some specialty jigs. For working the wingdams the conventional style jigs are not ideal because they hang up more often than other slender or oblong style jigs. But my stock on those was low so I made due…

I know the feeling! I get a slug of jigs and in no time they are all gone (but… I have two young boys constantly digging in my box… ).

I have used the old-style Bait Rigs OddBall Jig (now the Nuckle Ball) and Slo-Poke Jig… for years. Yes, they are “spendy” but both of these jigs offer a unique approach to fishing… that out performs conventional jig heads. Hey they are not so spendy when I loose about four to one less.. to rock snags.

Conventional heads have a 90 degree bent-up hook eye that protrudes from the jig ball/head. This hook “eye-up” gives a conventional head the ability to hang horizontal.. but also allows a spot (where the hook eye and lead jig head meet) for the jig head to catch in cracks between rocks. Any sharp edge will stop a conventional head by holding it in this “snag catch-point”.

This is why I like the no hook-eye sticking out of the jig head design on the OddBall and Nuckle Ball heads. These round heads actually can “pivot” in a crack (will rotate without catching on a hook-eye), and have no exposed hook eye to hang up on…at all. They tend to just pop right out when hung-up. Give em slack and pull… most times… out they come. Of course, this is when the head is hung and not when the jigs are hung-up by the hook itself.

Hook-eye forward designs like the Slo-Poke Jig also allow the head to come back out of a crack without hanging. Again, nothing to catch on… but the hook point.

I love fishing plastics on Slo-Pokes in still water. Real slow falls.

Dave Hoggard