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Posts: 1310
Location: Washington, PA | For all of the folks who throw jigs in the fall, what tail do you prefer? I like the reapers, but have had results with others? Any input is appreciated as I want to try some different presentations this weekend. |
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| Tomy! I thought you were coming over to bow hunt? Hope ya got a good one. see ya, m |
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Posts: 32892
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I like a lizard/reaper combo I make with a knife and a lighter. Take the head of a 7" lizard, and cut off the tail, cut the head off a reaper and attach it to the lizard where the lizard head was, slap that puppy on the jig, superglue it, and you have a superb creature in whatever color combo suits you. |
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Posts: 127
Location: NW burbs of Chicago | Hey Steve,
I know from seeing one of your seminars that you like to use jigs to learn new waters and find the breaks, etc. Why else do you jig? Why is the fall a good time to use this technique, TommyV?
Crash McG |
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Posts: 4266
| I like Reapers in the fall too. They seem to do better in cold water. Maybe because of their lack of aggressive movement, I don't know.
Last year I walked through the saltwater isle at Bass pro shops and picked up an assortment of plastics. I have some 7" ringed curly tail grubs that have produced.......more walleyes than muskies. I found some Berkley Power Worms that are 8" long and have a big sickle tail on them. They are pretty soft, to the point that they wear out just from casting.
I found a good combo was a 7" waterdog that I found in the bass section coupled with a 1/2 ounce Chompers jig head and a fiber weed guard. I used it as a throw back lure last fall and picked off a couple fish. Nothing big, but it worked none the less.
Jacks Jigs used to make a 8" waterdog that was 4" of body and 4" of tail. I threw it a lot, but never in the right spot.
I, for one, don't think that there enough plastics made for muskie jig fishermen. They make big shad tails, big twister tails, but I'd like to see a variety of lizard type lures made. 6,7 and 8 inches. Some with curly tails, some with Reaper style tails. Any plastics people reading this?
Look at the success that Bulldawgs have generated. There is a market for plastics for jigs for muskies, but I don't think enough is offered.
Check out the saltwater sections of Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops and see what you can find.
This is the time of year that I love to run milfoil edges with jigs. There are still green weeds off the edges, and the muskies utilize those areas.
Beav |
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Posts: 32892
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I have used jigs successfully all seasons, they shine from the opener to the close of season. Really, a Bull Dawg is a jig, just used mostly to wim it more than a jump lure. The really cool part about creatures is they will catch anything, and the 'tick' on that line when a fish hits is addictive. |
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Posts: 5193
| Can we see some pictures of your jig creations Steve?Bill |
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Posts: 32892
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Here's a few from the Pelican fall selection for muskies and big 'eyes.
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 IMAG0001.JPG (109KB - 52 downloads)
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| do the reaper tails out produce a twister type tail? I would think that a twister tail would be better, but maybe not.
Hit em hard |
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Posts: 32892
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | They twister tails fall slower, so I use them in the top of the water column or in shallower water. Paddle tailed Super Creatures are for the big swimmer heads, and the reaper for lighter jigs or faster fall to deeper water. The creature with the reaper/lizard combo is my favorite and is the one I've caught the most big girls on as a result. |
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| I like the look of those super sized curtis creatures. Are they available commercially? |
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Posts: 32892
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Those are not 'Curtis creatures'. Gene took one of the Super Creatures Jim Cairnes and I designed and put a spinner blade in the tail replacing the paddle tail and called it the Curtis creature. The original design was manufactured by my lure company way back when. I sold that company to Dick Moore, and he still sells the original body as Jimmy and I designed it.
A couple of the lures shown were remakes of our design by a very good Muskie angler from the Pewaukee area, Jim Dembiec. |
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| Oops, sorry! 
I bought some of the smaller ones from Dick a few years ago but I didn't realize he did a larger size too. Great bait BTW, you should be proud. I always rig mine the other way up though, with the "wings" on top. Doubt it makes much difference, but I just imagine it makes them a bit more stable on the drop. |
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| when you jig them do you tap the rod on the rise to give a leech like action? Or just slow rise and drop with the rod? |
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Posts: 32892
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I don't fish them vertically, I cast them and retrieve. Fish with the wind or run the boat into the wind so you can watch your line. Cast the jig, allow it to hit bottom while counting it down, 1 foot per second is average drop time. The second it hits bottom, point the rod directly at the jig and reel quickly two to three revolutions of the reel handle. Let the lure hit bottom, again counting it down, repeat. If you hang on some weeds, pop it free, and let it hit bottom. A strike will be a 'tick' or almost an electric shock feeling in the line and rod blank. The fish usually hit while the jig is falling. |
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