First Cast Jigs.......they work!

[Redhook]

Well today I was able to accomplish a couple of things for the first time.  I hooked AND landed my first jig caught steelhead, a 6 lb hatchery buck on a First Cast Jig.  It was also the first time I landed a decent fish on my new float rod setup.    It did not come easy though as it took the entire day to find him.   I used sand shrimp, eggs, corkies, pink worms, jigs, etc. and went up and down the river.  Finally towards the end of the day, the hookup.  At first I thought he might be a spawner from the couple of lethargic headshakes.  Then he went on a nice run and got airborne.  After a couple more runs and jumps, I was able to get him in close and see he was a brat.  I knew he was in there because he had recently surfaced twice.  After he ignored eggs, shrimp, and a white jig I found the winning combo, the orange/white beaded jig   



It was a long day, but ended on a great note.  Thanks again Mark for the quality jigs 

 

[First Bite]

Right on.  Way to go.   

Now that you have the first one under your belt the rest will come easier.

[bighoof]

Nice job Dean!!!!!!

[BC Steel]

Sweet!

Nice fish 

[Brian]

  Nice job! Glad to see you get a fish on Mark's jigs. Keep after em!

[zonker]

Good job Dean. Glad you found one.

Is that mint colored line on your reel Ironsilk? Curious.

zonker

[Redhook]

Zonker,

it is the "solar mint" color of ironsilk, good eye  .  I'm not completely sold on the line yet.  It is very soft, which is nice for the spinning reel, but I think that it gives up some strength.  My nail knot float stops seem to rough up the main line, and I have broken it several times.  I run 10 lb main, and was using 10 lb flourocarbon leader, but yesterday went to 8 lb leader (which makes me a bit nervous for winter fish)  Any thoughts?     Thanks

 

[Drifterat]

Nice job Dean! Now you're Jiggy.

As far as line for float fishing I'm sold on the super braids. I use Power Pro and am happy with it. The benefits of braid over mono are numerous as I'm sure you've already heard them. Give the braid a chance and you won't be disappointed.

[Redhook]

thats probably my next step shane.  question?  what pound braid line would you use on a float rod rated for 6-10 lb line?  Would you use the same line for winter/summer?  I would think you could, and then just adjust your leader. I am tired of losing floats    Thanks for your help

[Dragfreedrift]

Toldja so!


 


DFD

[iwantchumluvin]

The power pro 6lb diameter/20lb test is probably the best bet. Its strong enough for those times when you want to run 12lb leader and you can fit tons of it on your reel. And by the way...NICE FISH!

[zonker]

I presently am using 20 lb. Powerpro for my float fishing and I like it a lot. My one and only drawback with it is in tying knots. All the ones I have used are a pain to tie when it comes to joining braid to mono. With winter fishing I just tie in an inline sinker between mainline and leader. No problem with knots. With low water and summer fishing I kinda like to go without any items on the line besides the jig. In fact, with braid and summer fishing I'm experimenting with a 10' long piece of mono above my float. Other than the knot thing, I love the braid and probably won't switch anytime soon. I was just wondering about the Ironsilk as I read of a guy on a Great Lakes centerpin site liking it. I have since found out that it does not float so it would have to be greased with floatant. Also, I've heard several guys say that it is weakened and becomes brittle once you have had to stretch it (like in breaking off a snag.)

zonker

[bighoof]

The Tie-Master is an awesome tool for tying braidhttp://www.tie-master.com/ I have several stashed cause I loose them some how.

[zonker]

The Tie-Master is an awesome tool for tying braidhttp://www.tie-master.com/ I have several stashed cause I loose them some how.

Bighoof,

Interesting. I checked out the Tie-Master website. Some pretty tall claims - I must say.

"Full 3 lbs. from 2 lb. test monofilament without line curling." 

I can accept such hype if the thing really works and I guess you're saying that it does. Strong knots? Easy to tie? Braid to mono efficiency? Can you relate your experience with it?

Thanks.

zonker

[Drifterat]

Dean, I'd use the 30lb PP. It's plenty thin enough and much more forgiving than the 20lb. When I say forgiving I'm talking about tip wraps and wind knots. The 20lb, for me, was much more prone to both of those problems. Another plus to using the larger sized line is that it works better on a baitcaster.

Float fishing with a baitcaster, you ask? Yes, it's the ticket out of a driftboat. Spinning reels and floatfishing go hand in hand when fishing from the bank. But when fishing, on the move, out of the front of your guy's sweet Willie boat a baitcaster and a 9.5-10ft rod is the ticket for 95% of the fishing that we do. The precision of cast placement needed when you're trying to "pick a pocket" for steelhead is too high for a spinning rod.

IMO, a spinning rod is only good for floatfishing from the bank and boondoggin light lead out of a moving boat. Other than that the "coffee grinder" is good for little else.