Jigging for Trout?

[Scotty P.]

I have been doing some reading on hard water fishing for Trout but I have a question. I have been pouring over a buch of articles in old magazines that claim that jigging can acctually help you catch more Trout, but I'm not so sure. Has anyone had better luck jigging as opposed to just still fishing? From what I've been told and read, Trout can be easily frightened and I would think that Jigging would decrease your number of fish not increase it. Any opinions/tips are as always greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Hunter Trav]

Was jigging through the ice for brookies on sunday. It was definately helping me catch them. Not huge jigging action, but a little bit just to keep them interested. They were also coming at a still presentation as well, so I guess it can go either way. Hope that helps...

[nicemustang]

I think that a question that has a very open ended answer.

And the standard answer for it is: it depends on the day and the fish and the conditions.

Some fish like action. Some do not. Then at other times you can get any bites on either presentation. Sometimes it will be only one presentation.

Although, who goes fishing and doesn't jig? No one wants to just sit there and stare at a still line. So why not do both anyway? Set one up that is still and see how much action it gets compared to a jigging action.

Brookies ususally like agressive jigging. Rainbows too on most days. Lakers half and half, usually strike on the fall of the jig for me though. So my answer is jig. Use spoons and buzz bombs or 1/64 jig heads.

[Cal]

More often than not I have more bites on my dead line than the one I'm jigging when fishing for trout. Watching them through the ice my observations have been that while a jigging action can often bring them in to have a look it also seems like they are often less likely to actualy bite a jigged hook.

Like everyone else says it all depends on the day but I have a couple alternative ways to manipulate my hook that sometimes work better than jigging.

Very slowly inch the hook up towards the ice with frequent pauses, once its right under the ice let it fall back down to the bottom, repeat.

Hold the line between your thumb and index finger and roll it back and forth to make the hook spin.

Hold the line between your thumb and index finger and sort of flutter your middle or ring finger against it. Depending on the tempo and how hard you do this it will either make the hook vibrate or make very small hops.

These work well on perch and whitefish as well.

[nicemustang]

More often than not I have more bites on my dead line than the one I'm jigging when fishing for trout. Watching them through the ice my observations have been that while a jigging action can often bring them in to have a look it also seems like they are often less likely to actualy bite a jigged hook.

Like everyone else says it all depends on the day but I have a couple alternative ways to manipulate my hook that sometimes work better than jigging.

Very slowly inch the hook up towards the ice with frequent pauses, once its right under the ice let it fall back down to the bottom, repeat.

Hold the line between your thumb and index finger and roll it back and forth to make the hook spin.

Hold the line between your thumb and index finger and sort of flutter your middle or ring finger against it. Depending on the tempo and how hard you do this it will either make the hook vibrate or make very small hops.

These work well on perch and whitefish as well.

Yeah good post. Walleye too.

[gordfishing]

years ago I had good success jigging a Swedish pimple for trout
in Kananaskis country

[Bigtoad]

I mix it up quite a bit but when a fish does come in, I usually stop jigging and let the fish have a look. If it doesn't bite, I give it a very small twitch or two and often will get the fish to come back in.

If I haven't seen a fish in a while, I'll "go to town" and really heavily jig and then let it drop, often into the sand (depending on bottom) and jig it in the sand to make a bit of a small sand-cloud. Then I raise it up from the bottom and then just let it sit there. Often, immediately after I go to town and then rest it, a fish will come in. They are curious by nature and action will get them to come in. Getting them to bite is a different story.

Cheers.

[Badback]

Here is a video I took when I was at Chain Lakes...So look at the replies and one could say that it depends on the fish....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qylim__23HY

[WayneChristie]

Welcome to the forum Bigtoad
I didnt usually fish for trout anymore, but I found last winter that when I was aggressively jigging for perch the trout would come in and have a look, I would just slow down the jigging and they would circle it a few times and then take it. Or not. :fishing: