Tip of the Week

An ultralight rig can be a compass, pointing directly at the highest concentrations of fish. The same principle works for most species, with heavier gear. The principle is to play on the aggressive characteristics of fish that are grouped. Groups get competitive, and aggressive lures will make the most competitive specimens strike. Or at least follow! That's the key. Wear polarized sunglasses and watch closely when retrieving the smallest lures in your box—those Yo-Zuri Snap Beans, Rebel Cat'r Crawlers, and tiny floating Rapalas. Crappies and bluegills almost always follow in a pack after a tiny lure intercepts the edge of a big group. If they won't bite the lure, switch to smaller jigs and bait under a float or pitch tiny tubes and grubs. The best ultralight rods are 7 feet long, have a moderately fast action, and are rated to protect 2-pound line. Spool them with 4- to 6-pound braided line, and tie in a 3- to 4-foot 4-pound fluorocarbon leader, to make the longest possible casts, covering more water faster. Remember: Panfish are always grouped. The idea is finding groups quick, so work the lure slowly all the way back to the boat.

Tandem rigs find crappies quick in early spring. This year, the water warmed faster than usual. When the trees are budding and robins have been around for weeks, crappie enthusiasts think fish should be shallow when they’re still deep. Crappies have their own calendar, and their responses may be cued by “day length” or photo-period, as opposed to conditions like warming water in the shallows. Look for them outside those bays where you typically find them in spring. Use sonar to find “Christmas trees” of suspending crappies over depths of 15 to 20 feet, and slowly troll through them with tandem tube jigs.

Slow down for early-season smallmouths. Where you might use a 3/32- to 1/8-ounce jig with plastics in summer, back off to a 1/16th.  Choose jigs with a long shank, to accommodate 4- to 5-inch grubs and worms. Some of the best light jigs for bass are provided by TC Tackle, Northland Tackle, Owner and Gamakatsu.  Lighter heads allow for a slower drop and a slower retrieve in shallow water, where most of the bass will be until they spawn.

Nail polish. Shopping for it is so much fun. Never fails to attract a store clerk. "Can I help you sir?" Nail polish beats every other form of jig coloring for shades. Nowhere in the world of powders, acrylics, lacquers, or paints will you find this many shades. Pearl versions of every color in the spectrum. Some are flat, some glossy. Nail polish provides the versatility of an artist's palette for fishermen to use when matching conditions and water color. Cannot describe, here, how often we've caught steelhead only on one particular shade, despite trying many others. Scary stuff.