Dragging ring worms on pool #4

Speaking of slip bobbers, You guys ever let a slip float slide over the tops of those wingdams?

Hey Mike!
GOOD!!! I hope to have them smacking the heck out of those ringies on p4 this Sunday!

dd

Wats, when fishing the river in this neck of the woods doing this dragging technique do you go a little heavier with the jig like a 1/8 or 3/16 oz? I have vertical jigged/dragged ringworms just drifting wiith the current with 1/4 and 5/16 oz jigs and done really well but haven’t tried it with the lighter jigs, yet.

I use the heavier jigs like you if I am in the 15-24 foot range. A lot of the times I will drag cross current on the sand flats below the dams. It is amazing how many fish are stacked below where everyone else is fishing. In the real shallow water I go with whatever weight I can get away with. Most of the time a 5/16 is just about right. As long as you are not actually touching the bottom, just hovering, you will get hit. It does work going both directions. It seems some days they won’t hit unless you are going one way or the other. 1/4 does work a little better if you can get out of the faster current or right on a seam in the shallower areas.

Good thread. Got a couple ? Ihave alway verticaljigged going downstream. Have done well doing it.Done very well dragging up stream, but reading this I think I will have to think about dragging downstream. Faster than the current,or day-day see whats working. I fish mainly below the Winnoa dam and the bite has been very decent for the last 4 tims been there. 9-times since the first of the year. Another question, missed fish. Get a lot of hits, feel them on, let go.Had one on Wendsday that would have been my biggest but let go by the boat. Hard to say but I thinkit would have gone 30 inches. Is it me, or???

Just a note…match your jig size with the current flow…Just this past weekend I was draging 1/4 oz precision jigs with a fire cracker/chart tail up stream on Pool 9…we boated three nice eater walleyes and 4 cans of adult beverage

Has anyone ever tried using braided line with a mono leader, to get deeper with lighter jigs? What is the typical line size most are using?

Dave: What size jig and color ringie takes the adult beverages. Sure you share details on catching fish but keep the rest secret…

im heading down to pool 4 on sunday im woundering what is the current down there like rate now is it like last year when u had to use damn near 1/2 jigs all the time? also when using 3 way rigs what size weights are being used rate now? What color ring worms and hair jigs have been working so far this year??

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Has anyone ever tried using braided line with a mono leader, to get deeper with lighter jigs? What is the typical line size most are using?

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6 pound mono is sufficient. Most dragging in done in 10 feet or less. Superlines will cost you more fish than they are worth. I like the elasticity of mono, and it sets the hook better. On pool 4, 1/8 is about perfect right now.

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also when using 3 way rigs what size weights are being used rate now? What color ring worms and hair jigs have been working so far this year??

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Weights for 3 ways would be light if your fishing them from an anchored boat or if you are drifting downstream with them. Half-ouncers should do it. Upstream trolling 3-ways would require 1 – 1.5 ounces.

Jigs weights have been 1/4 – 3/8 out to 25 feet or so. The current is quite light right now and I don’t expect it to jump suddenly any time soon.

Hot ringie colors have been Cotton Candy, firecracker, chartreuse pepper, oystershell. Hot bucktail colors have been Kelly Green or Purple with or without meat.

Took about 2 minutes to get the following question by PM… “what the heck does Kelly Green look like?”

The quick answer is dark green. But then a pic is worth a thousand words.

Kelly Green Bucktail on a Black Head

I honestly have no clue why its called Kelly Green… lol It just is and its a VERY effective river color. One of my personal favorites right up there with Black Hair / Black Head.

Here’s a purple example while I’m at it.

I think until the water dirties up a little these darker, more natural patterns, will be the ticket. Later in March and into April look for the brighter patterns to start puttin the knock on fish.

For those interested, you can see some more bucktail samples online here >>> B FISH N Tackle – Hand Tied Bucktails

Just wondering why superlines might cost more fish? Is it the water clearity and it might spook the fish in shallow? I personally like using 2/10PP. I can feel bottom better and the lightest of bites. I do use #6-8mono, but mainly for slip bobbering.
Thanks

I lost a big fish Sat in the tourney using superline. The fish took off and with the no stretch, the jig ripped right from her mouth.

James, when anchoring with three ways. Are you just holding the rod over the edge of the boat and letting the current turn the blade or swim your cranks?

I don’t anchor and fish 3-ways very often. Like never. I slowly troll them upstream into the current with the rods in the rod holders. 2 rods per guy can cover a pretty good swath of water.

I’ve gone away from superlines for fishing jigs in nearly all presentations. No-stetch can be handy when vertical jigging very deep water but I rarely fish deep. When I hook a big sow walleye on 15′ of line in shallow water I want some line stretch working in my favor! Plus I feel the no-stretch lines keep the fish from engulfing the baits at times… they try to woof… no stretch in the line with a tight connection to the rod tip… equals poorly hooked fish.

My name is James Holst and I’m addicted to mono.

Thanks guys,
Those are some pretty good reasons for mono. Is there any brand to type you’d recommend then others?

I personally prefer 8# Trilene Solar Sensation. Its a hi-vis line. I’ve been playing with Hi-Vis P-line of late and with the limted time I’ve had using it, so far so good.

Other popular brands include Stren Gold. Too much stretch for my liking but some mighty good fishermen I know make good use of it.

To be very honest… I have so few line failures due to bad knots or fishing breaking lines that I’m a little complacent with line choice. Sensation works so well and never lets me down so I rarely have need to try others.

Cool thanks

Thanks for the post guys, I will save my money, and stick with mono.

Tight lines!!

Great info. James, I liked the “woof”… totally got it. I’m starting to go 50/50 on super/mono, but in heavy current and more turbid water, fireline or powerpro can be your best friend. I’ve also had a few fish shake the jig w/ powerpro. This usually happens in shallower water like James mentioned. Just depends on the application. none of them are perfect for every condition.

I like the braided 1lb. diameter @ 8 lb. strength. I can use lighter jigs this way. I back-off on my drag and I think I get some give here compareable to the give (stretch) you get from mono.

So far,I like Sufix Elite(HI-Vis yellow),plus Pline CX.The only place I have seen Sensation solar at is FleetFarm.Not even Cabelas had it.I have seen Fleet cleaned out of 4 and 6 lb test.I only use PowerPro for cranks,but maybe Pline CXX would work also?Hate losing spendy cranks to zeebies .

I also use the suffix high vis. I have had no problems with it. It does have a good amount of stretch, but I do not think it is a real big deal. I use 8 pound test, so far I have no complaints. I have used it for two years now.

It took one trip with James last Spring to get me turned on to the benefits of mono. I still like my fireline for the snaggy wingdams up here on Pool 2, but most of the time on Pool 4 and any time I’m fishing sand and/or dragging I’ve got a mono rod in my hand these days. Thanks, James!

Now that we have the Line issue covered. How about rod types? I have a a 6’6″ IM7 ML and a 6’6″ HMG40 MH. I’m actually thinking of getting a 7′ or 7’6″M.
What do you guys use?

I use 2 6’+ rods. One is a gander knock-off, the other is a St Croix Avid 68MXF. That Avid is one fantastic rod.

I really like the length of both for setting hooks on dragging fish, which for some reason seem to hit the bait and continue moving forward (at least for me they do….) So picking up a lot of line fast to drive hooks home is important for me.

That AS68MXF is a fantastic mono rod for pitching/dragging. James has been using it for a while, I believe. It’s pretty much perfect. I like the AS69MLXF for fireline.

Most mid-high end 6’6″ medium weight, fast action spinning rods are good for jigs with mono. 6’6″ medium light works best with fireline. I wouldn’t go too much shorter or longer, especially with mono. I used a 7’er with fireline for a while and that worked OK, but it wasn’t stout/fast enough to use with mono and I lost a lot of sensitivity because of it. The AS68MXF is so great because it’s very stiff until the last foot or so of the tip, which I think makes for a very powerful and sensitive blank. Plus, it’s very lightweight.

Reels? Any smooth 1000-2000 size reel with a good instant anti-reverse would work fine. I like a slightly shallower/longer spool over a snort, deep spool so I can cast better with light jigs. Shimano Sahara 1500 is a good mid-grade reel and the Stradic is awesome.

I like a really light-weight combo for pitching, so take into consideration the weight of the rod and reel. I think proper balance (very slightly butt-heavy) is an important, if not moreso than the weight. In my experience a properly balanced, light-weight combo = better sensitivity and reduced fatigue.

Hope that helps.

John

This may be a stupid question but that has never stopped me before. I see a lot of guys indicating they use hi viz lines. Why?? The ability to see a fish pick up the bait easier?? Thanks

I recently checked out the new for 2006 Shimano Compre rods side by side with the Fenwick HMG and the St. Croix Avid, and I think the Compre is an incredible buy at almost half the price of the Avid. Shimano’s over-the-counter lifetime warranty is pretty nice too – bring the rod in to any Shimano dealer, and they give you a new rod on the spot – no waiting. I too am looking for a rod in the 6’6″+ size, and the Compre is available in medium and medium light weights with fast or xtra fast tips in 6’6″ – 6’8″ (which I think is ideal, but wasn’t in stock) – 7’0″ – and 7’2″ version – that’s a pretty wide selection in that size range. The 6’6″ and 7′ models are available in 2 piece also. I recommend at least taking a look at them.