Would u ...

[Bluegillman]

Sell just one of your hand made lure if asked?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Are you addressing myself? The answer is No...not now...never.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, if you will send me a PM with your mailing address, and what kind of lure(s) you have in mind, Santa Claus might just show up at your mailbox.[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

[cool]Tubedude is very generous with his tackle.

zonker
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[tubeN2]

I'll second that, Uncle Z[cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, I should be able to still claim you as a dependent on my taxes.[/#0000ff]
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[zonker]

[cool]Maybe I need to send you a charitable donation receipt.

z~
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Nah. You traded me some of your goodies too. I don't keep score, but I guess we are even. Don't expect an invoice from me or an audit by the IRS.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Wait a minute. It is no longer the IRS. It's just the IR. There is no service.[/#0000ff]
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[Bluegillman]

[size 1][#0000ff]No...not now...never.[/#0000ff] [/size]
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[size 1]Understand, what is the best jigging lure that u would use for bluegills when they move out of their nest to deeper waters? I thought I would like to try different things on trying to catch them.[/size]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hey, my friend, I think you misunderstood. I meant that I wouldn't sell any, but I will give you a few for FREE. Just send me your mailing address in a Private Message and I'll mail you some samples.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When bluegills are on their nests you can catch them on just about anything. Once they move into deeper waters, you can still catch them pretty well, once you find them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have always enjoyed fishing for bluegills. They fight harder, ounce for ounce, than most other fish. They are also pretty good eating.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Bluegills have small mouths so you need to use small baits and lures. I catch a lot of them on small tube jigs on 1/32 oz. heads. 'Gills eat minnows, small crawdads and lots of aquatic insects and little tube jigs or twisters are a close enough match that they get bit pretty good.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also use a lot of my own stuff. I have been making and using "bait bug" jigs for many years. These have short tails and are designed to be fished with a piece of worm or cut bait. The jig attracts the fish and the piece of bait seals the deal. (see picture attached)[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also make little "jig flies". These are nothing more than small jig heads with fly patterns tied on them. They work well below the ice and just as well for vertical jigging when the bluegills go deeper and are schooling near the bottom. You can also add a piece of nightcrawler, meal worm or other bluegill food. (see picture attached)[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have found the darker colors, like black and dark greens, to work best for bluegill consistently. However, they also like the little white jigs or ones with some silver or gold in them. You just have to experiment wherever you find them and let them tell you what they prefer on that day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Float tubing and bluegilling are natural go togethers. Tubes let you fish a lot of the little ponds bluegills like, and you can work your way into spots the boats and bank fishermen can't get to. Nothing like having your own private bluegill pond.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just be careful when fishing those little buggers from your float tube. They have sharp spines and they are great at using them for defense. It seems like they know exactly what they are doing when they flip loose while you lift them from the water, and they manage to bounce off your tube spines first...leaving pinholes in your air chamber. After you have had to leave the water early and repair a few of those leaks you learn to be more careful about lifting them up over your tube without a net.[/#0000ff]
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[smallmouth89]

Tube,

I use tiny jigs on the flyrod. What is the smallest weight jig you can cast effectively with your spinning setups? I used to go to two pound test in my ultralight days in order to get a decent cast with the very small jigheads. Do you do a lot of vertical jigging with the smaller heads or can you actually cast them effectively with your spinning rods?
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[Bluegillman]

Cool hand made! Question to some of them...I see a few that has the eye loop to tie the line to is set at 45 than the others that is set at 90 what's the differences? How are they used? Just today at work we were talking about jigs like your photos. One of the guys say tie the line at a 45 to make the lure do something. Yet I thought to tie the line not tight to the eye so you can let it "dance" freely. Any pointers on those ideas?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I do not pour or use jig heads smaller than 1/32 oz. but I do use a lot of those. With a decent light rod, good reel and quality 4# line I can cast a single 1/32 oz jig plenty far enough...50 to 60 feet. And yes, I do fish them on a cast and retrieve, as well as vertical jigging.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When fishing from a float tube or pontoon, you should not have to make excessively long casts. You can position your craft near enough to where you want to cast that you do not spook the fish and you can fish more effectively. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Too many anglers want to try for distance on every cast. More important to have feel and control. With light lures, the more line you have between you and the lure the less "touch" you maintain. A lot of fish do not smash those "bitty bugs". Instead, the take will often be just a "tick" or a slight bit of back pressure as you reel. That is known as the "rubber band" feel. You have to maintain absolute feel of what is going on with your jig, keeping your wrist cocked and watching your line and rod tip. Whenever there is a twitch on your line or a slight movement of your rod tip, release your cocked wrist in a short hookset. If you don't, you will miss a lot of bites you never knew you had. Hooksets are free.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I often fish the small stuff on a tandem rig, using two of the small jigs. It gives slightly more weight and you can use either two of the same jig or one each of two different kinds. I like to use a darker color on the bottom (natural) and a brighter more visible color (attractor) from 18" to 36" above the bottom jig. I use a blood knot dropper for the top jig.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you are fishing water deeper than about 10-15 feet, you may want to make the lower jig a 1/16 oz. to help it sink faster and to give you more feel in the deeper water. I rarely use larger than 1/8 oz. unless fishing for larger fish in deeper water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When fishing my small stuff, I vary the retrieve until I find what the fish want. When I cast and retrieve, I am usually working on fish suspended somewhere between top and bottom. So, as soon as the jig(s) splash down. I click the bail and tighten the line. I keep the line tight, without reeling as I count the jigs down through the water column. Sometimes I get a "pop on the drop", when fish intercept the jigs on the fall. I make note of the count as I set the hook and reel in the fish. On my next cast, I wait for another bite, at the same count,or stop the drop and begin reeling slowly. I vary the depth and speed of the retrieve until I find what the fish want and then that's how I keep fishing until they change.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When vertical jigging, I let the jig(s) go all the way to the bottom. Then, I reel down until the rod tip is just above the water and begin slowly lifting and jigging up off the bottom. I pause every few seconds to let the jig sit motionless. Sometimes fish want action on the jigs, other times the want it "dead stick"...absolutely motionless. Again, watch your line and your rod tip. Some fish like crappies and bluegills will just suck in the jig and then spit it out. Those takes are very difficult to detect, so you really need to be alert.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Until I find where the fish are holding, above the bottom, I keep raising the jig a few inches at a time. If I get hits two reel turns off the bottom, then every succeeding cast I drop to the bottom, reel up two turns and start fishing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There is a lot to the "touch fishing" techniques I use. It is not just about size and color of jig. Everything has to be in balance, tacklewise, and you really have to stay razor sharp in watching and feeling what is going on at the other end of the line.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]You are very observant, Grasshopper. Jig hooks are made in several different shapes, for different jig molds and different applications. The "standard" is the 90 degree bend. That is what I pour almost all of my jigs on...but, I have 37 different jig molds, with a wide variety of head shapes and sizes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The ones you saw with a 45 degree angle are remnants of a 1000 heads I got in a trade, many years ago. A friend bought them from the FleFly company, who make and sell a lot of crappie jigs. That design is their own and they have the hooks made especially for their own jigs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I still tie up and use quite a few jigs on those FleFly heads. The hooks are sharp and I have caught a lot of fish on them. I use them mostly for casting and retrieving. They have an "aspirin" shape which helps them track straight on the retrieve.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For most jig fishing, especially vertical jigging, I use the 90 degree bend jigs. Then, I tie my line directly to the jig heads, very tightly, to help keep them at a horizontal angle when being fished straight down. Some fish react better to a "natural" attitude on your jigs. Sometimes it doesn't seem to make a difference.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You don't need a lot of extra action on jigs. Tieing lures on with a loop is a better tactic when casting spoons or "hardbaits". Using a snap swivel or a loop tie allows the lure just a bit more "swing" as it wiggles. I still tie all of mine directly to the line, without swivels or loops. Just my personal preference.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]It's all good. I have used spinning reels on fly rods and fished a length of flyline on spinning reels. Whatever it takes to catch some fish and get some enjoys.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are a lot of crappie fans that use their flyrods as long "crappie poles" in the spring to reach out and drop small jigs into the structure favored by spawning crappies. I have done it myself. However, these days I have two 12 foot lightweight graphite rods made specfically for "dipsticking".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have also made several long spinning rods from fly rod blanks. These not only work well for dipsticking but for "bubble-chucking" too. Out in the west we fish flies behind a clear plastic bubble a lot. Sometimes we add water for distance and sinking. Other times just the bubble for surface presentations. Those long rods can chuck a bubble a long ways on good light line.[/#0000ff]
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[smallmouth89]

Good Stuff, TubeDude,

I've been thinking of getting myself one of those long crappie rods. They have them in the Bass Pro catalogue. The store here in Ontario though is only a year old and they don't carry everything listed in their catalogues. I haven't seen the rods and I haven't seen those 300 piece crappie kits with small tubes, grubs and other small plastics. If I have to go through mail order not only will I incur shipping charges but I will also incur the wrath of my good wife who thinks I have far too many rods already.

How did the length of flyline on the spinning rod go? Was it attached to the mono on your spinning reel? I would suspect it wouldn't be any more efficient than using the casting bubble if it was a short length attached to your spinning line. I believe I tried that once and gave up on it,
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]If you get one of those long crappie rods, I think I got a B&N, through Bass Pro Shop and it has been great.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am attaching a short writeup I did on fishing flies on spinning tackle. It includes how to rig and fish the fly line on spinning gear. That is a good way to fish flies on small streams, where you can't make a backcast. It can also work along the shoreline of lakes where there is a lot of overhang to interfere with casting.[/#0000ff]
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[smallmouth89]

Thanks Tube,

I appreciate the attachment. It's very nice to be able to communicate with and compare notes with a kindred spirit. I keep looking fondly at my tubes hanging in my basement. I wish winter would go away. By the way speaking of winter my new furnace is working great. Hoping to save lots from its high efficiency. Maybe I'll save enough to be able to afford a few more flyfishing and tubing toys.
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