SUMMER TACKLE YOU NEED IN YOUR BOX!
Fishing is a big focus my life so in addition to absorbing every bit of information and knowledge that I can from media, friends and whoever I share the boat with, I’m a tackle junkie and am always looking to feed fish the best bait for each scenario that I’m faced with. In my garage, I have a bunch of tackle for all of the species we have to chase here around home on Lake of the Woods. Most of my “tinkered” baits are for bass, because they are the species I catch to make my living, but some of these baits have crossover to other species as well. I am always open to checking out and trying new baits, looking for the next best thing.
“For the bass anglers out there, if you are not including marabou jigs into your arsenal yet, you’re missing out.”
Over the past 20 years I have weighed more bass in tournaments around home on Rainy Lake, Shoal Lake and Lake of the Woods on a marabou jig than any other lure, it’s not even close.
The question I get most often from people is “what do you think it imitates?” To be honest, I don’t get that analytical about it, I just know that they catch fish. I really think they do a good job at imitating the smaller invertebrates that bass eat as well as a small leech possibly. More importantly, I think these small jigs are just an “after dinner mint” for these fish and when the conditions are right, they simply can’t refuse eating them.
KEYS ON USING MARABOU
The key when fishing a marabou jig is you want to use a light jig and you don’t really ever want to let it touch the bottom. As you fish with them you’ll get the feel for swimming or gliding them through the water column. Bites will happen sometimes when the jig is falling but most often when you’re simply swimming it along. I also catch a lot of bass that I see hanging around clumps of cabbage weeds on hot summer days with it. A 3/32 oz jig is the most common size that I use but I’ll switch to a 1/16 oz on hot days when smallmouths are suspending around weed clumps and I’ll carry some 1/8 for windy days or for use in current.
MATCHING EQUIPMENT
Since it is such a small, light bait, using the right rod and line is important so you can cast it out there and get the natural action that makes them so appealing. You want a seven foot plus medium or medium light action rod that is whippy enough to be able to cast the jig and not tear the small hooks out of the fish’s mouth. G. Loomis has designed some 7’6” rods in their NRX and IMX PRO line-ups, 901 and 902 models that are basically designed for fishing these jigs. The longer rods allow you to cast them out and you never lose a fish with the parabolic action that they have. These rods are also excellent for fishing spy baits.
LINE CHOICES
When it comes to the line, you want a light braided mainline with a fluorocarbon leader. I always use 8 lb. Power Pro and tie on an eight-foot leader of 8 lb. fluorocarbon with an FG knot. I always use yellow (or another easy to see colour) braid because I want to be able to see my line. I will often notice bites by watching for line jumps while I’m swimming the jigs along. If you use green braid, you’ll get a headache trying to watch your line. I am going to have a video out on my social media channels by the time this story goes to print so if you want some details on how to make your own marabou jigs, you’ll be able to find that. Otherwise, the absolute best marabou jigs you can buy can be found at Lake of the Woods Sports Headquarters.
USE BAITS THAT IMITATE NATURAL FORAGE
We all know that all of the sport fish in our lakes here in central Canada eat minnows so you can always do well to use minnow imitating baits. Last year Z-Man Fishing Tackle became a new sponsor for me. I had been using their Ned rig baits and Chatterbaits in my tournament fishing for years so it was a great opportunity to promote baits that I was already using and catching a lot of fish with. At some point during the summer last year I started using their 3” MinnowZ swimbait and I can honestly say it could be the best multispecies lure you could tie on your line in this part of the world.
SWIMBAITS ARE HOT
I have been using small swimbaits for years around home for smallmouths and walleyes but I don’t think I really used one that wasn’t made by Keitech. This Japanese company makes a nice swimbait but they are soft and often only good for one fish per bait. They are also expensive.
The SwimmerZ is made with durable, stretchy, Elaztech plastic and when threaded on to a ¼ oz jighead nice and straight, swims perfectly. If you put a dab of glue on the collar of the jig, the plastic will never get pulled down and you can literally catch dozens of fish on one bait. You just need to get lucky and avoid bite-offs from pike.
TAKES PRACTICE RIGGING
The biggest challenge for folks using the Elaztech plastic is it is a different than regular plastic and it takes some practice to push the plastic up on the collar of a jig and to make sure it’s rigged nice and straight on the hook. These are both critical elements to consider, so take the time to do it right. If the plastic is not straight on the jig, it will twirl and spin in the water, unnaturally and it twist your line.
EQUIPMENT CHOICES
I’m throwing these swimbaits on a 7’3” (872S) G. Loomis NRX spinning rod, Shimano Stradic CI4 reel, 10 lb Power Pro braid and a 10 lb. fluorocarbon leader, also attached by an FG knot. As I mentioned, a ¼ oz jig is usually the best option but I would go to a 3/8 in water deeper than 15 feet.
So far this year, I have caught hundreds of bass and walleyes on these swimbaits already, They have really eliminated the need to buy minnows when I go walleye fishing. They are awesome for finding the feeding wolf packs of walleyes that can be found in the shallow coves throughout Lake of the Woods. Give them a try.
NEW TACKLE BOX SERIES
Two years ago Plano released a new line of tackle boxes called the Edge Series. These are probably the most high-end tackle boxes on the market but when you consider all of the thoughtful features that they have, it’s worth the investment to protect your higher end tackle, your jigs, chatterbaits and hard baits.
The boxes are durable and come with the Rustrictor product that Plano developed to eliminate rust formation in your boxes. They are offered in some unique designs for terminal tackle, crankbaits and chatterbaits and they all have a tight seal to keep any water from entering. A lot of thought went into their creation.
I have transferred probably about half of my tackle into these Edge boxes over the past year and they hold most of my crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater baits as well as my chatterbaits and jigs.
SEE THROUGH LID A KEY FEATURE
The see-through lid allows me to know what is inside each box and they are holding up really well to the beating that I give them. With all of the traveling that I do, I have to bring the tackle that I think I might need when I’m on the road. I have to keep it within reason so I’m not hauling way more than I need with me. This is something that I have gotten better at over the years. I put my best tackle, my tinkered, tournament grade stuff in these boxes and have been happy with them.