Panfish Jig Fishing

[cjrodarme]

What are your favorite methods of jigging for panfish? I've seen many variations of jigging from a method similar to ice fishing to a plain un-scented panfish jig and a bobber. What types of jigs do you use the most (grubs, metal jigs, etc.)? Just trying to get a general consensus of what are the most used and best methods of using jigs for panfish.

[obryan214]

never done well jigging for them but have trolled small grubs and caught them.

[tnj8222]

1/64 ounce gitzit jig no plastic tipped with wax worm under a corky and bobber stop put it on two or four pound line amd I don't think it gets any better than that for pan fish lol.

[FishinManiac]

Depends on what the fish want. I continuously change presentations and lure types until I find what they're looking for. Once I find fish, i fish with whatever presentation, then switch to vertical jigging with a hair jig. However, unless you're fishing deep or have a smaller boat (such as a float tube or kayak) the vertical jigging technique will be tough. To get around that, I use a bobber/jig anywhere from 6"-16" above where the fish are and throw a hair jig tipped with a Gulp! Maggot. Don't forget to retrieve the rig, otherwise it doesn't look like anything! Quick side note, when you're jigging, make sure your jig sits horizontally in the water. If it isn't horizontal on a snap or swivel, directly tie it on. Makes a huge difference.

[dwh4784]

I normally use a small tubelike jig, maybe an inch long in total. Growing up we just called them "crappie jigs" not sure what the real name is. Underneath a stick bobber, varying the depth depending on where the fish and/or weeds are at. Cast out and do a slow twitch/pause retrieve.

[noah the angler]

power bait grubs work fine for blue gill.

[Salmon King]

power bait grubs work fine for blue gill.

Will they work on Crappie??

[TMBob]

Trout Magnets and Crappie Magnets catch everything! Well pretty much. Having good luck with their 1/32 Crappie Magnet jig but with a Trout Magnet Body on it instead of the Crappie Magnet Body.

I use 2 or 4 lb main to a Bobber Stop for a Thrill Weighted Slip Bobber, a Split shout under the Bobber if there is some wind to get the line to slip down. You can add a bead under the Bobber also for an attraction and it not hitting the barrel swivel. Then 18” of Flourocarbon leader and tie the jig on with a loop knot.

You can cast super far with this set up and you can adjust your depth with the Bobber Stop. I mainly fish 3.5 to 5’ deep. The smaller the Bobber the better to detect light bites (trout are really light) Thill Pro Series Slip are nice because the top hole has a metal insert with a bigger hole than normal so the line can slip down better without getting hung up. Sometime the Bobber Stop with get stuck in the hole because of how big it is and that can be a small problem at times. I have Zero reason to try anything else jig wise and body wise. Sure, something else might work better on certain days, but I rarely have a off day with this set up and that time Jig has gotten me very big trout, LMB, SMB, Crappie, and BG’s. I pair it with a UL rod and a tiny reel and only structure and Lilly Pads are my Issues with this light of a set up.

[Salmon King]

Interesting sounding set up. Thanks....I’ll have to give that a try!

[TrackerPro16]

My first thing I try is usually drop shot, then jigging. I will keep switching up combo's until something works. I have had days where nothing worked then 'boom'! Hit the right combo/color and it's on! I have all kinds of jig shapes and sizes as well as colors of powerbaits and scents I will try, or try it with nothing at all, though 'bare' rarely works for me with lead jigheads, painted or not.
I will usually start with a round or football head with a Thill slip float above it that is just barely enough to keep it floating. With the Garmin Panoptix it sucks that you can see the fish swimming all around the lure and maybe even bumping it but not taking it. Even with the float barely keeping it floating and watching the fish come up to it there are times there is no water rings or any indicator anything is down there messing with it.
I have had days where leaving it sit works, and days where fairly aggressive lift and drop works. Well, and days where NOTHING works!
Nearly always these days I am using an ultralight set up of various lengths in casting or spinning.

[Sideburns]

Ive been jig fishing a lot lately. Trout, crappie, bluegill and bass. Casting a jig or tube with a 1/32 jig head seems to be the best for me. Hook size is small on most 1/32 oz heads, but bigger hooks can be found in that weight. That ultra slow sink rate allows for a very slow retrieve, and a very slow spiral when sinking, I usually catch way more fish with 1/32 oz than 1/16 oz even though my casting distance isnt great with the light weight head and 4 lb test line. I will use a slip float sometimes, if I need to drop a jig through a hole in the pads.