TRY JIGGING SPOONS

As we mentioned last month, this crisp fall air that signals the approach of winter, also signals many anglers to hang up their fishing gear, but to us it sends the signal to change fishing techniques and presentations which often includes vertical jigging spoons since what worked during summer will not work once it turns cooler.
The jigging spoon is our specialty bait for deep fish when water temps dip to the 60s and when fish are schooling, although when fishing is tough we will pull out a spoon when other baits did not perform during the year.
Equipment would include ultra-sensitive rod, good quality line, a ball-bearing swivel, and a variety of sizes or colors of spoons and good electronics to help locate schools of baitfish. By using a swivel to prevent line twist, we find you can remove the split ring from the spoon.
We will usually go to a little heavier line in deep water to get a better hook set and Linda prefers to use Fireline because it gives her a better feel and the no stretch for good hook sets.
You want a spoon that flutters on the fall and with a profile of a shad which we highly recommend the FLE-FLY Minnow Slab that has good flash with the best wobble because it can be bent to change the amount of wobble. We have fished the Fle-Fly next to other spoons and found it to out fish most any other bait of this type. You can contact Dwight at FLE-FLY Mfg. Inc. by calling toll free, 1-800-598-1100 or look for them on the web after first of the year, or contact us for any info you need about the Fle-Fly slabs. Oh yeah, they also have crappie-walleye jigs too.
Size depends on depth and wind, when vertical jigging a spoon in shallow water, use a smaller, lighter spoon such as a 1/2 oz to 1 oz. If in deeper water, such as channel drops, use a larger spoon 1 oz to 1 1/2 or even a 2 oz if real deep. Also the colors can vary, but we find silver with white or chartreuse to be best with a bucktail or crystal dressed treble for added action.
Here is a presentation that works for us. First, free spool the spoon to the bottom and reel up slack line. Now lift your rod tip couple feet and while maintaining a tight line, let the spoon fall back to the bottom. Since most strikes will occur during the fall it is important to keep the line tight to detect the strike. Get into a cadence of something like a - jerk, jerk drop and changing how much you lift from a few inches to 4-5 feet until you find what the fish want.
The fish do not hold on long, therefore it is important to keep contact with your spoon and set the hook if you feel anything different. You need to pay attention to how far you drop to the bottom so if your line goes slack early, set the hook.
If it is windy, boat control is important to stay on hot spots and it is very difficult to cast lures to work a small area on the bottom, but you can hold the boat over a structure with the trolling motor and make a better presentation by jigging a spoon vertically.
Some of the best areas of structure are those that have access to deeper water and you will find a topo map will help to pinpoint these areas to not waste time searching. Start at major points going into creeks and then find break lines which can be a break from a large flat.
Nothing can imitate the erratic moves of a wounded baitfish like a jigging spoon that make vertical jigging spoons a versatile and productive way to catch fish during fall and winter...
GIVE JIGGING SPOONS A TRY.

Till Next Time BYE & GOOD FISHING