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Did anyone catch the Lindner's fishing show where they were using jigging raps on walleyes from a boat? Anyone fish that way around here? Obviously (as the segment mentioned) you need to make sure you're doing it on a snag-free bottom. But they were catching a lot of walleye that way.
Thoughts?
would love to try it on the menominee BUT... I'm afraid of losing those expensive lures... i've been using odd ball jigs, when you lose one of those it only costs a couple bucks, not $7... would think that the raps would work great... maybe if you jigged under your bow mount locator and kept it off the bottom you wouldn't lose any... want to try it, but i've got to work up the nerve!!!
Friends and I have used jig Raps (and other winter tactics) many times in open water. We use high-tech style line - especially Spiderwire - tied directly to the lure to help reduce snag losses. Works for perch on the bay as well.
Another great presentation is a Swedish Pimple in open water. A modification that works especially well is to remove the treble hook and replace it with a Northland Tackle single hook stinger which is available in a 2" length with a clip on one end and a single hook. This short stinger allows the bait to swing away from the lure when the fish inhales it, without moving the entire lure. Results are better hook-ups and usually, more fish. The pimple is both an attractor and a weight. I really like anchoring over deep water perch with this rig.
There is a great article in the april issue of North American Fisherman by Al Lindner. He describes how to use a sweeping method in deeper water over 20ft really interesting definatly gonna give it a try already loaded my summer tackle boxes with the #9 raps that hammered the eyes this winter. Best part about it is you don't need bait!
ray (or others): have you tried the Fin-Tech "Nuckle ball" jigs? Thinking of picking some of those up this spring.
I do love to jig...I'd much rather fish that way than about anything else.
I did see that epsiode and it got me thinking about trying it at the mouth of the Menominee this spring. I'm not sure how well the jigging Raps would work in strong current however.
I think the Jigging Raps would work especially well in the current. A friend of mine grew up fishing walleye in the Mississippi River in Minnesota through the ice and he uses Jigging Raps in the current there. Also, off of a boat the jig is at a more horizontal angle the swim motion should mimic a dying minnow more closely, as it may swim up and down more in the water column. If you are jigging stationary just off of the bottom you will be able to vary your distance from the boat by size of Rap as well with 5's, 7's and 9's. I think with the success in the Mississippi I know of, the idea of using them off of a boat in strong river current seems the best to me.
Stinkbait,
You might be right. Linder's show had underwater shots of him dropping the jigging rap onto the sandy bottom and then sweeping it forward with a lift. I never saw the rap circle back like it does normally when I ice fish it.
Back when Bob's Bait was open in GB he told me that if the current got too strong for a jigging rap to work well to put a small whole minnow nose hooked on the single hook on the back of the rap to stablize it. He said it was like putting a tail on a kite.