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Posts: 61
Location: Morgantown, WV | I want to try some bondy bait jigging on a local river. I've identified some deep pools in the 30-40 ft range. A couple places have some steep drop-offs and submerged rock faces. I thought this would be a good place to start. Am I on the right track? Is there anything else that I should look for?
Also, is there a time of year when this is technique is more productive or is it something that can work all season? |
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Posts: 1023
| Bondy baits work all season jigged or casted. Jigging for muskies feels odd at first but have faith - it works!!
In the Detroit R they r typically hugged between 16 - 24' but fish are caught in 30' and sometimes shallower like 14'.
They r a versatile bait. Watch Jon Bondys youtube musky jigging video and then do what he does.
Landry |
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Location: Northern Illinois | I have always wanted to try it too. Might give it a shot in the wisconsin river this year. |
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Posts: 1100
| A thing to have in mind.
To stiff a rod have resultet in more lost fish than a "soft" rod, my preferred rod for Bondys is the MI 8 foot 10oz rod, also tried my LT big dawg, and TI xxh, but had the best hooking percentage with the relatively soft MI rod.
That's my experience anyway  |
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Posts: 719
| Thanks guys...you surely on the right track, we do fish holes, but in the local river where we first jigged them we focus on the edges of drops as we drift down current. I really believe all the breaklines in our river here act like kind of a road way for the fish to swim along while they are migrating to feed or spawn. But holes are great and I have to admit I am stunned at the different places I hear about guys using them. Even for loner suspended fish out in the deep portions of Georgian Bay, etc. It's really just a big jig so anywhere they are deep it should work. Here is a you tube that we made several years back that may help. Thanks, Jon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCniMseL7Vk |
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Posts: 54
Location: Minnesota | Don't give up on it, just have a good lure retriever and be ready!! There is nothing like the bone jarring hook sets that come with this technique. Found this technique to be effective in a northern MN river fishing a little shallower due to water clarity. It's amazing the things you will catch walleyes, bass, northerns, snagged carp, and a shopping cart! It took some time and lost lures but, Oh yea musky!! |
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Location: Northern Illinois | Any particular colors of bondys that work best? |
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Posts: 54
Location: Minnesota | Contrast the water dark water light color, clear water dark color. Out on St. Claire river it was light colors in the morning and darker during mid day early October. My home waters are very dark waters white, chartreuse, pink. If I was to pick only 2 colors it would be one white and one black. |
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Posts: 1100
| I really like the Zug Island :D |
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Posts: 230
Location: St Paul, Minnesota | I fished with Gregg Thomas and who introduced me to the technique and my first two Bondy fish. We were using 8'6" and 9' heavy rods (not extra heavy), which I think the longer rods will help your success because you can get a greater vertical movement of the lure while not being forced to jig outside of your sweet spot for hooksets. Make sure you don't jig your rod tip too high or you could have no room to set on a strike.
Admittedly I felt dumb just jigging for an hour an a half with no casting, but when you get that strike everything changes.
A good lure retrieval system is a solid recommendation, especially of your jigging into submerged timber, cribs, or any other "snaggy" structure.
-C7 |
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Posts: 219
| Good advice here. We have done well jigging as all mentioned previously. Vomit Shad with orange tail is good as well as pearl. I like the standard for jigging and the Jr. as well. Jr. is easier to 'burn' and/or cast to keep high if you come into a shallow water setting as you drift between holes. |
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Posts: 50
Location: North Central PA | All talk has been rivers. Can they be jigged in a lake? Or should they be cast when in a lake? |
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Posts: 483
Location: NE PA | Absolutely need to try this. I have seen the video before, but not sure how effective it would be in the susky tho... |
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Posts: 719
| Great on lakes. I've sold more to guys fishing lakes than I have guys on rivers in my estimation, and of the 14 tourneys the bait has won, most were on lakes. Either jigged in timber, cast through open water, or jigged near suspended fish. |
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Posts: 162
Location: Chicago, IL | I agree with all of the above. I've caught fish on about four different color Bondys. Just fish a color you have confidence in- typically the same colors as the dawgs I through. All in the original size. 75% of the fish I've caught on the bondy have been on lakes/reservoirs with minimal current other than wind driven current- this happens to be where I fish most. I had the pleasure of fishing with Jon last October for a day, and he was an excellent teacher. I had already caught a handful of fish on the bondy before our outing so I was familiar with the technique but Jon was very willing to share the fine tuned details (many of which are displayed in the video). I historically only fished the bondy in the fall the past 3 seasons, but you can guarantee I'll be fishing it all year this year. In fact, I'm going to have a setup dedicated to it and rigged with one at all times. Gotta go deep for big fish! |
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Posts: 157
Location: Lincoln, NE | I fish a reservoir and once it gets low we lose most of our prime spots....rock reefs, weed bays, etc. I am absolutely going to use this technique along the river channel edge outside the weed area and in the deeper basin along the secondary break outside the rock reef this year to put some fish in the boat. There have been post frontal bluebird days when it seems we've throw every lure in the boat and nothing typical will work. I think this will salvage days like that for us this year. |
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Posts: 719
| Thanks everyone! Spending some time searching out the deep water bite will get you addicted quick. |
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Posts: 299
| What you'll love besides that they work is the strikes are violent, bone jarring and can startle you unlike any other Muskie strike. That violent strikes becomes addicting and you start to crave it. Stick with the technique and it will pay off. There is not a better strike in the Muskie game than a vertical jigging Bondy Bait strike. It makes all other strikes seem soft. |
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | Pearl, vomit & black w/purple flake are my bread & butter colors & I always have a couple extra in those colors onboard in case I lose one to a snag on Jimmy Hoffa's body incased in cement at the bottom of the river. I have caught a musky on just about every Bobdy Bait color except 2 or 3 of them. Be sure to keep some Motrin with you because you'll need it. The hard violent strike that you'll get when lowering the bait is AWESOME! |
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Posts: 1023
| Jigging them is hard on the wrist and forearm too. But it's worth it. |
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Posts: 2024
| How tight of a drag setting do you guys use for jigging Bondys? I typically have my drag almost locked down for casting. |
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Posts: 157
Location: Lincoln, NE | Out of these three rods which would you use:
Big Nasty
The Jerk
8' Premier Glass
I'm thinking the glass rod to absorb the strike better similar to trolling. |
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| The older Big Nasty is my personal fave. Enough backbone to drive the hook home with just enough action in the tip to keep em pinned. |
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Posts: 47
| The Jerk is too short and stout.
The Big Nasty is too long / heavy and bulky.
I think the big dawg is too heavy as well.
The sling blade seems to be perfect to me. |
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Posts: 219
| 8'6" Heavy Toothtamer is what we use; the longer rod seems to be a bit better for control, etc. I lock down my drags, just like normal... |
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Posts: 30
| ARmuskyaddict - 4/8/2014 6:33 PM
How tight of a drag setting do you guys use for jigging Bondys? I typically have my drag almost locked down for casting.
I used to run my 6500 Garcia with the drag locked as tight as I can crank it. Had a giant take line from it as if it were in free-spool. My jigging specific reel now is a Garcia Alphamar. It has a 27lb drag, and I lock it down as well. A rod with some tip is key here. |
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Posts: 54
Location: Minnesota | ToothTamer in 9' XHvy fast action. Paired with a Abu HC6600 6.8:1 with upgraded bearings and line pawl and leveler removed Carbotex drag washer upgrades. 80# Fins Windtamer line 18" X 150# flouro leader. Drag cranked down leaving the rod to handle the load. Setting the hook to pull the teeth through the bait with no slipping and keeping pressure and taking up line quickly without fighting line angles on leveler. Look at the set ups used in ocean vertical jigging. And watch Bondy's video on YouTube.
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