| Matt Johnson Outdoors Don't Stop Jigging Now |
| Matt Johnson Outdoors |
By: Matt Johnson
You bring up a very good point
and it is something that can be
applied to all species some way
or another. When attracting a
fish to the area it will often take
some aggressive techniques
added with some flash and
vibration, especially when
fishing a large body of water
over a featureless flat. You want
to draw fish in from a distance. Once a fish approaches you
don't want to stop aggressively jigging, just tone the sequence
down a bit. So instead of popping a spoon in 1-3 foot
increments you might want to start some jiggle-pause
sequences, but you still want to remain somewhat aggressive.
The fish were drawn in by the aggressive technique and that’s
what will ultimately seal the deal. Don't just let the bait/jig sit
motionless when a fish appears on your flasher, that will
sometimes have a negative affect. I prefer to keep the jig
moving, but I'll use quick, short shakes and jiggles, and if I get
a response or rise out of the fish, then I will add in pause
sequences.
I also like to slowly pull the bait away from the fish as I
continue to jiggle, this drives the fish crazy sometimes and it
will really trigger some reaction strikes. This technique works
well on panfish and perch too, not just larger gamefish. But
remember, when dealing with panfish and perch you are often
times on a smaller scale, so keep that in mind when you
determine how aggressive or how large the jigging increments
are. For instance, I'm not going to rip jig a size 10 Shrimpo 1-3
feet up and down the water column to attract fish. I'll use more
subtle movements like 4-6 inches. And, when a fish comes in
I'm going to use very small quivers to entice the fish to bite.
Keep the jig moving and if you have a really negative bite you
don't always want the fish to get a chance to scan over the
bait too long, you want them to take the bait without fully
knowing what it is.
Now, there are occasions when deadsticking and long pauses
are needed, but a very common mistake is when the fish
appears, to stop jigging or doing what you did to get that fish
to show up. Sure, you might have to change the technique
and slow things down, but you don't want to cease all
movement. Fish have a basic instinct to attack their prey right
before the prey takes off. And, if you pay close attention to an
underwater camera you will see that the fish's prey will quiver
very quickly before it darts away. That quiver tells the fish that
it's now or never, and you will more often then not see that
fish take the bait right then and there. And this happens on all
levels when fish are less then aggressive. Everything from
tiny micro-organisms all the way to large minnows. Fins will
tense up, feelers will pulse, and then the prey darts off. You
can mimic those movements by quivering or shaking the bait
while you slowly pull it away from the fish. A simple technique
that has helped me land a lot more fish during negative
conditions.
Keeping the bait moving is key. Even when a person
deadsticks the bait is moving, that’s the main point of
deadsticking, to allow the bait do all the work and perform all
its natural movements. Those are things that negative fish will
pick up on and that's part of the reason why your success can
increase with deadsticking. You might think the bait isn't
moving, but it is. Even when you use finesse plastics and no
live bait, no matter how hard you try, that finesse tail is still
quivering and moving, and fish WILL notice that and join your
offering for dinner.
The Chequamegon bite for smallies had a lot of negative fish
roam through, so I had to use a much slower technique when I
had fish appear on my LX-3. I used a pretty aggressive jigging
technique to draw the fish in, but once they got there I had to
really finesse those fish into biting. If I held the bait still those
fish would disappear, but if I kept it moving they would stick
around. I even watched some fish move in and disappear...
move in and disappear...three of four times before the decided
to strike. Keep things moving, but simple and you can
increase your chances of landing more fish on negative days.
Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson
***Watch the video that sparked this article...
Chequamegon Smallmouth Bass
You bring up a very good point
and it is something that can be
applied to all species some way
or another. When attracting a
fish to the area it will often take
some aggressive techniques
added with some flash and
vibration, especially when
fishing a large body of water
over a featureless flat. You want
to draw fish in from a distance. Once a fish approaches you
don't want to stop aggressively jigging, just tone the sequence
down a bit. So instead of popping a spoon in 1-3 foot
increments you might want to start some jiggle-pause
sequences, but you still want to remain somewhat aggressive.
The fish were drawn in by the aggressive technique and that’s
what will ultimately seal the deal. Don't just let the bait/jig sit
motionless when a fish appears on your flasher, that will
sometimes have a negative affect. I prefer to keep the jig
moving, but I'll use quick, short shakes and jiggles, and if I get
a response or rise out of the fish, then I will add in pause
sequences.
I also like to slowly pull the bait away from the fish as I
continue to jiggle, this drives the fish crazy sometimes and it
will really trigger some reaction strikes. This technique works
well on panfish and perch too, not just larger gamefish. But
remember, when dealing with panfish and perch you are often
times on a smaller scale, so keep that in mind when you
determine how aggressive or how large the jigging increments
are. For instance, I'm not going to rip jig a size 10 Shrimpo 1-3
feet up and down the water column to attract fish. I'll use more
subtle movements like 4-6 inches. And, when a fish comes in
I'm going to use very small quivers to entice the fish to bite.
Keep the jig moving and if you have a really negative bite you
don't always want the fish to get a chance to scan over the
bait too long, you want them to take the bait without fully
knowing what it is.
Now, there are occasions when deadsticking and long pauses
are needed, but a very common mistake is when the fish
appears, to stop jigging or doing what you did to get that fish
to show up. Sure, you might have to change the technique
and slow things down, but you don't want to cease all
movement. Fish have a basic instinct to attack their prey right
before the prey takes off. And, if you pay close attention to an
underwater camera you will see that the fish's prey will quiver
very quickly before it darts away. That quiver tells the fish that
it's now or never, and you will more often then not see that
fish take the bait right then and there. And this happens on all
levels when fish are less then aggressive. Everything from
tiny micro-organisms all the way to large minnows. Fins will
tense up, feelers will pulse, and then the prey darts off. You
can mimic those movements by quivering or shaking the bait
while you slowly pull it away from the fish. A simple technique
that has helped me land a lot more fish during negative
conditions.
Keeping the bait moving is key. Even when a person
deadsticks the bait is moving, that’s the main point of
deadsticking, to allow the bait do all the work and perform all
its natural movements. Those are things that negative fish will
pick up on and that's part of the reason why your success can
increase with deadsticking. You might think the bait isn't
moving, but it is. Even when you use finesse plastics and no
live bait, no matter how hard you try, that finesse tail is still
quivering and moving, and fish WILL notice that and join your
offering for dinner.
The Chequamegon bite for smallies had a lot of negative fish
roam through, so I had to use a much slower technique when I
had fish appear on my LX-3. I used a pretty aggressive jigging
technique to draw the fish in, but once they got there I had to
really finesse those fish into biting. If I held the bait still those
fish would disappear, but if I kept it moving they would stick
around. I even watched some fish move in and disappear...
move in and disappear...three of four times before the decided
to strike. Keep things moving, but simple and you can
increase your chances of landing more fish on negative days.
Good Fishin,
Matt Johnson
***Watch the video that sparked this article...
Chequamegon Smallmouth Bass
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