08-12-2004, 06:37 PM
You know, its funny to me that we as fishermen tend to find ourselves commited to our prefrences.
At times we tend to say things that suggest one lure or one presentation is better than another.
Examples would be, crankbaits are better than soft plastics, or jigging is better than trolling.
Since this is a mack fishing post, lets explore the issue of trolling riggers, steel, ond vertical jigging.
First off, we must realize the in order to catch fish, you must understand thier seasonal movements, and locations based on water temps, food scource, cover and structure.
Once you have figured out where the fish are, or should be, you can worry about your presentation.
Presentation is where this argument comes in.
Lets realize that trolling presentations and jigging presentations are TOTALLY oppostie. Trolling is a horizontal presentaion, because it runs parallell to the bottom, it is a very effective search method. You can cover lots of water to locate fish. But not only are you locating fish, you are always presenting your bait to different fish. If one fish is in a negative mood, and wont hit, trolling simply moves you along until you find active fish. Also, trolling lures are generally designed to trigger reation strikes rather than feeding strikes.
So, trolling gives up the following advantages. Targets active fish, sees more fish, and works when fish are relating to horizontal conditions.
Now lets look at jigging.
Jigging is a vertical presentation. Up and down, up and down in the fish's face. This method puts your lure in the fish's strike zone and keeps it there giving neutral or negative fish longer to become agitated or enticed into striking it. Also baits used in this method are generally designed to appeal to a fish's feeding response rather than triggering reaction strikes. Thats not to say they dont trigger reactions, we dont want to start a war about that.
So wich one is better?
If you think you have the right pick, I would suggest you need to rethink your answer.
The right pick is bolth.
Not all fish on a hump, or flat, or suspended in open water are feeling the same, and reacting just like one another.
Some fish are more prone to being caught vertical jigging, some fish are more prone to being caught trolling. If you restrict yourself to one or the other you are choosing to ignore the potential to catch more fish. You choose to restrict yourself.
Now lets get into riggers versus steel line rigs.
Whats the difference?
Well, for trolling rigs you cant get too different. One requires that you long line out TONS of line, and runs at an angle from the surface to the bottom. The other involes less line out, but puts the line straight down below the boat.
The ptions available are as different as well.
With riggers, you can run smaller reels with heavy monofilament line, with steel, you are running big heavy stuff with steel line tied directly to the lure in most cases. Wich one is better?
If you think theres an easy answer to that one, you can bet I am going to suggest otherwise.
Rigger balls run at a constant depth wich provides advantages in that you can avoid snags by setting them off the bottom. But when the depth dips, your lure looses contact with the bottom.
Steel will run the contour of the bottom and keep itself there at all times.
But what if theres suspended fish? Like BLM said, we know of a 44 lber that was caught suspended in 50 ft of water where the bottom was 80 ft deep. Now, with steel, putting your lure in that fish's face is going to be extremley difficult. But with riggers you just set your depth and you know where you are at. That lure gets in his face with little effort.
So, steel has its advantages and so do riggers. Wich one is better? depends on the fish. Location and conditions determine presentaion.
Let me say that again.
IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE SPECIES OF FISH, LOCATION AND CONDITIONS DETERMINE THE PRESENTATION.
One is never always better than another and anyone who tells you they prefer one to the other has thier prefrence, but anyone who tells you one is BETTER than another is someone you may want to think twice about taking advice from.
Fish are living creatures that are subject to changing factors. The versatile angler who changes with the fish will be the effective angler.
Where you are trying to learn the gorge, I would suggest you keep yourself open to all options, use the advantages of each presentation to best suit you. Trolling your steel rigs is going to be a good, and effective way to get yourself acquainted with the areas that hold fish at given times off year. But when you find fish in those areas and your steel isnt working you may need to switch up, do some jigging, or move to suspended fish up off the bottom feeding in another area.
Listen to the advice blm gave in his post.
You can give a guy all the lures, equipment, ect, tell him right where to put them, show him how to do it, and everything else, but until a guy puts in his time on the water, focuses, pays attention and adapts to the conditions and the fish, he wont be consistently effective. Thats very true.
Put in your time, dont get discouraged, keep your options open, and you will be alright. That goes for all species, on every lake, everywhere.
[signature]
At times we tend to say things that suggest one lure or one presentation is better than another.
Examples would be, crankbaits are better than soft plastics, or jigging is better than trolling.
Since this is a mack fishing post, lets explore the issue of trolling riggers, steel, ond vertical jigging.
First off, we must realize the in order to catch fish, you must understand thier seasonal movements, and locations based on water temps, food scource, cover and structure.
Once you have figured out where the fish are, or should be, you can worry about your presentation.
Presentation is where this argument comes in.
Lets realize that trolling presentations and jigging presentations are TOTALLY oppostie. Trolling is a horizontal presentaion, because it runs parallell to the bottom, it is a very effective search method. You can cover lots of water to locate fish. But not only are you locating fish, you are always presenting your bait to different fish. If one fish is in a negative mood, and wont hit, trolling simply moves you along until you find active fish. Also, trolling lures are generally designed to trigger reation strikes rather than feeding strikes.
So, trolling gives up the following advantages. Targets active fish, sees more fish, and works when fish are relating to horizontal conditions.
Now lets look at jigging.
Jigging is a vertical presentation. Up and down, up and down in the fish's face. This method puts your lure in the fish's strike zone and keeps it there giving neutral or negative fish longer to become agitated or enticed into striking it. Also baits used in this method are generally designed to appeal to a fish's feeding response rather than triggering reaction strikes. Thats not to say they dont trigger reactions, we dont want to start a war about that.
So wich one is better?
If you think you have the right pick, I would suggest you need to rethink your answer.
The right pick is bolth.
Not all fish on a hump, or flat, or suspended in open water are feeling the same, and reacting just like one another.
Some fish are more prone to being caught vertical jigging, some fish are more prone to being caught trolling. If you restrict yourself to one or the other you are choosing to ignore the potential to catch more fish. You choose to restrict yourself.
Now lets get into riggers versus steel line rigs.
Whats the difference?
Well, for trolling rigs you cant get too different. One requires that you long line out TONS of line, and runs at an angle from the surface to the bottom. The other involes less line out, but puts the line straight down below the boat.
The ptions available are as different as well.
With riggers, you can run smaller reels with heavy monofilament line, with steel, you are running big heavy stuff with steel line tied directly to the lure in most cases. Wich one is better?
If you think theres an easy answer to that one, you can bet I am going to suggest otherwise.
Rigger balls run at a constant depth wich provides advantages in that you can avoid snags by setting them off the bottom. But when the depth dips, your lure looses contact with the bottom.
Steel will run the contour of the bottom and keep itself there at all times.
But what if theres suspended fish? Like BLM said, we know of a 44 lber that was caught suspended in 50 ft of water where the bottom was 80 ft deep. Now, with steel, putting your lure in that fish's face is going to be extremley difficult. But with riggers you just set your depth and you know where you are at. That lure gets in his face with little effort.
So, steel has its advantages and so do riggers. Wich one is better? depends on the fish. Location and conditions determine presentaion.
Let me say that again.
IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE SPECIES OF FISH, LOCATION AND CONDITIONS DETERMINE THE PRESENTATION.
One is never always better than another and anyone who tells you they prefer one to the other has thier prefrence, but anyone who tells you one is BETTER than another is someone you may want to think twice about taking advice from.
Fish are living creatures that are subject to changing factors. The versatile angler who changes with the fish will be the effective angler.
Where you are trying to learn the gorge, I would suggest you keep yourself open to all options, use the advantages of each presentation to best suit you. Trolling your steel rigs is going to be a good, and effective way to get yourself acquainted with the areas that hold fish at given times off year. But when you find fish in those areas and your steel isnt working you may need to switch up, do some jigging, or move to suspended fish up off the bottom feeding in another area.
Listen to the advice blm gave in his post.
You can give a guy all the lures, equipment, ect, tell him right where to put them, show him how to do it, and everything else, but until a guy puts in his time on the water, focuses, pays attention and adapts to the conditions and the fish, he wont be consistently effective. Thats very true.
Put in your time, dont get discouraged, keep your options open, and you will be alright. That goes for all species, on every lake, everywhere.
[signature]