Rigged And Ready At Ice-Out

And the retrieve is easy. Cast, let the jig-grub or jig-worm slowly sink a few feet (about halfway to bottom is optimum on shallow flats), and start reeling with the rod tip pointed down or (in water shallower than 4 feet) parallel to the water. Reel just fast enough to keep the jig from sinking, and just slow enough to keep it from rising. With a 1/16-ounce head, it’s a very slow retrieve, almost suspending.

Not every grub or worm operates on a 1/16-ounce head. The light head cannot make some baits fall fast enough, or force you to reel them fast enough, to make the tail work. With some grubs, when the tail tries to kick, it makes the package spin or turn up on its side, which is why I referred to Berkley grubs, one of the largest baits (4 inches) that operates on these light jigs. Many 3-inch grubs work, but a slightly larger grub seems to trigger more fish most days. Soft, handpoured worms, like the Persuader Curly Tail, tend to function nicely on 1/16-ounce jigs.

Before the surface of most bays reaches 46°F or so, I’ve witnessed hundreds of smallmouths over time following or bumping a grub on a 3/32-ounce head, which is barely heavier than a 1/16. Switching to the smaller jig, those bumps become bites more often than not. A 3/32-ounce Gopher Tackle Mushroom Head, one of the best hookers out there, is perfect for swimming grubs on shallow flats throughout most of the spring season, even when the water is colder than 45°F at times.

The perfect rod for presenting a 1/16-ounce jig-worm or jig-grub combo does not exist. My favorite is a 71⁄2-foot Lamiglas that is no longer in production. My partner, Dawidiuk, likes the 8-foot St. Croix Avid AVS80MLM2. The tip needs to load in order to throw this light package any distance. Tough to find a stick with a tip that soft that remains moderately fast. The added length is required to provide a longer sweep and faster tip speed during the cast. When throwing 3/32- to 1/8-ounce heads, I jump to 6-pound Maxima Ultragreen, and I often depend on 7-foot Fenwick rods, especially the Techna AVS 70MLF, a very sensitive, fast stick that protects light line well.

Creating Signature Colors

When testing colors side by side during a hot bite, all other factors being equal, I generally find that one or two specific colors or combinations catch more fish than any others. I’m prejudiced, yes, and I probably feel more confident with certain colors. But I find it hard to believe that, during a hot bite, I’m not going to anticipate a strike no matter what color I’m throwing, so I tend to think color is relatively important. One good response for pressured fish (and we all have those, these days) is to create unique colors. Show them something they haven’t seen, by bleeding colors into grubs and worms.