Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan ■ Saturday,April 10, 2010PAGE 4B www.yankton.net
OUTDOORSUPDATEOF THE OUTDOORS:
For Better Fishing, I Suggest Using A Jig OUTDOOR
REPORT
BY GARY HOWEYHartington, Neb.
When it comes to choosing the cor-rect tackle to buy and use, there are somany different types that fisherman use,at times, it can be down right confusing.
There are spinners, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, crankbaits, live bait rigs and thelist goes on and on.
Over the years, I know I’ve thrownalmost every imaginable type of bait andat one time or another caught fish on allof them.
If I would have to choose just one-baitthat would catch all species of fish, I’dhave to say, I’d choose a jig!
And the reason forthis would be simple! Ajig can be used yeararound, Spring, Summer,Fall and even in theWinter to catch “ALL”species of fish.
Pretty simple deci-sion really, it works andit’s my “Go To” bait, thebait I generally like tostart fishing with.
If you look at a jig,it’s not what you’d callreally sophisticated bait,
nothing more than a hook with a piece oflead attached to its shank.
Put simply, a jig is nothing more thana bait delivery system, it gets your baitinto the fish catching zone.
What makes a jig so effective is that itcan be fished in so many ways.
Listed below are a few of the ways ajig can be fished in the spring.
SPRING JIGGING METHODS• Casting jigs tipped with minnows up
along the shoreline is a great way to takewalleye and sauger. Look for spots alongthe rocks where a slack water pocket iscreated, an area where the fish can lieout of the current.
• Use a jig tipped with a minnow andjig it vertically as you slowly work alongthe breaks for walleye and sauger. If thefish are biting short or dropping yourbait, add a stinger hook to the back ofyour jig.
• For Smallmouth Bass try casting a
smaller jig and pig into those pockets inthe weeds that lie along the shoreline.These could be spots where a beaver ormuskrat came in and out of the water.These pockets in the weeds are idealspots for Smallmouth to lie in wait forlunch to drop in.
• Largemouth Bass will be tucked inor alongside of beaver dams, downedtimber and other natural pockets. Trypitching a larger jig & pig into these areasas in the spring these shallower waterareas will be warmer and the bass willcongregate there.
• To take Pike during the spring, trypitching a larger jig and pig combinationup into the emerging vegetation and thenretrieve it with a steady pumping action,allowing it to hop over the top of theweeds. It’s a good idea when fishing forNorthern Pike to add some type of aleader in front of the jig.
• Crappies and other panfish can betaken in the spring with a small jig tippedwith a small minnow or Powerbait sus-
pended underneath a slip bobber. Castthe rig up close to downed brush oralong a boat dock as these places attractpanfish as they prepare to spawn.
By dressing up your jig with live bait,crawlers, leeches, minnows or some sortof plastic bait, it will give them a littleaction and added scent.
When I’m jigging, I try to use the light-est jug possible, which can be a 1/32ndounce in calm shallow water or a ? ouncejig in deeper water or in heavy current
There are micro jigs used for troutand panfish up to 1/32nd ounce and the1/8th & 3/8th ounce jigs used forwalleyes and bass. Then there are thereally big boys, the several ounce or larg-er used for the big fish like the pike, laketrout and the salt-water species.
You’ll want to fish with the lightest jigyou’re comfortable with, to some its1/8th while others prefer a heavierweight jig.
Like the many different weights thatjigs come in, the colors you’ll find jigs
available in is unlimited.I have a simple rule for fishing jigs in
shallow clear water. In clear water, I use amore of a natural color jig.
In deeper darker water, I’ll go with aflorescent jig, as fluorescents hold theircolor better at deeper depths.
If it’s a bright day, I’ll go with a lightcolored jig and on a dark day, I’ll go withdark colored bait as it gives me a con-trast against the sky and fish all feed up,so it’s easier for them to zero in on thebait.
From one day to the next, it’s hard tofigure out what color will turn the fish on,so I like to use a multiple colored jighead, especially when I’m fishing forwalleyes.
I’ll use a combination florescent green,orange and chartreuse jig head or aFiretiger color a lot. This way, I feel that Ihave a better chance the bait I havedown there has at least one color thatwill turn the fish on.
The key to using jigs productively isto fish them often and to fish them on atight line, which means, don’t allow anyslack line.
If you have slack line when your linedrops, a fish can inhale and suck your jigin, spitting it out so quickly you won’teven know you had a pick up. This iswhy you need to fish with a tight line.
When I say keep a tight line, I mean thatyou shouldn’t let you jig just fall to the bot-tom. Keep your line tight, following the jigdown, which keeps you in contact withyour bait and there’s no slack line.
Jigs are truly simple bait, nothingfancy, easy to use really remarkable baitthat works in all conditions and the onlyway a person can use a jig wrong is to“Not” use them.
When all else fails, tie on a jig, tip itwith live bait or your favorite plastic bait,cast it out and then hold on, because it’sgoing to catch fish no matter how youfish it!
Gary Howey, Hartington, Neb., is thepresident of Outdoorsmen Productions LLCand the producer/host of the award winningOutdoorsmen Adventures television series.For more information on the outdoors, out-door articles and outdoor videos and towatch Outdoorsmen Adventures on-line, goto www.outdoorsmenadventures.com and
TT RR OO PP HH YY SS PP OO TT LL II GG HH TT
PHOTO: MISSOURI VALLEY GUIDE SERVICEJoel Vasek of Geddes shows a walleye he took using a Hippies Bleeder Chain jigright after ice on Lake Francis Case this spring.
GaryHowey
Snowmobile Trails InS.D. Close After
Extraordinary SeasonPIERRE — Only a few times
since the South Dakota snowmo-bile program started in the 1970shave excellent snow conditionseast of the Missouri River stolenthe headlines. This year was one ofthem.
“It was a phenomenal seasonfor snowmobile trails in easternSouth Dakota,” said Ryan Raynor,state Game, Fish and ParksDepartment snowmobile trailscoordinator. “East River snowmo-bile clubs had their hands fullwhen it came to grooming. Once atrail base was established, it was amatter of keeping up with all thenew snow and drifting.”
Trails officially closed March 15on the eastern trail system,although grooming stopped at theend of February because ofspring-like conditions.
The Black Hills trail system hada good year as well, peaking withsignificant snowfall over Christmasand New Years’ holidays.
The Black Hills trails officiallyclosed Wednesday, March 31, butgrooming was halted most of themonth because of warm tempera-tures and poor trail conditions.
S.D., Wyoming YouthHunting
Championships May 8PIERRE — South Dakota and
Wyoming are teaming up to pres-ent youth hunting championshipsfor each state this spring inWyoming.
The Youth Hunter EducationChallenge will be held May 8 inUpton, WY. Young hunters do notneed to qualify in a regional or dis-trict tournament to compete in theevent. All South Dakota andWyoming youth 18 and youngerwho have passed a hunter educa-tion course are eligible to show-case their hunting skills and prob-ably learn more in the process.
This is the third year the chal-lenge has been hosted at the Uptonclub, and the second year of SouthDakota participation.
The challenge tests youngstersin sporting clays-style trap shoot-ing; .22-caliber firearms; muzzle-loader firearms; archery; wildlifeidentification; orienteering; andhunter safety.
The event is sponsored bySouth Dakota Game, Fish and 14and younger — are eligible toadvance to the international com-petition July 26-30 at a top-notchshooting complex near Mansfield,Penn.
The event is sponsored bySouth Dakota Game, Fish andParks, Wyoming Game and Fish,Upton Gun Club, Wyoming friendsof the NRA, and various local busi-nesses.
While youth from both SouthDakota and Wyoming will partici-pate in the event, they will not becompeting against each other. Awinner will be crowned for eachstate.
To participate, youngsters mustsubmit copies of their hunter edu-cation cards, birth certificates andphotos, and pay a $10 entry fee.Entry forms are available throughthe Wyoming Game and Fish Website at http://gf.state.wy.us/down-loads/pdf/education/2010%20YHEC.pdf
Entries forms must be submit-ted by April 30.
Crimestoppers SeeksInformation On
Antelope ShootingsLINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska
Wildlife Crimestoppers is offeringa reward for information aboutantelope that were shot and leftlying in Kimball County.
There have been four incidentsin recent months in which a total ofseven antelope where found shotand lying within a few miles ofeach other. The most recentincluded two antelope foundMarch 30 about 14 miles south ofDix near the Nebraska-Coloradoborder.
Conservation officer ScottBrandt of Gering said the mostrecent antelope found, a buck anda doe, were lying near a road,about 20 yards apart. They weregut-shot with a large-caliber rifle.In the three earlier incidents, theantelope were shot in the neckwith a small-caliber rifle.
The reward of up to $1,000 isfor information that leads to a con-viction in the case.
To report any information onthe antelope, or any game law vio-lation, call Nebraska WildlifeCrimestoppers toll-free at (800)742-7627. Callers may remainanonymous.
Fourth Of JulyCamping SpotsIn State ParksOpen Soon
PIERRE — Campers makingFourth of July plans can beginmaking camping reservations onApril 3 for a Friday, July 2,arrival. Reservations can bemade by calling 800-710-2267 orby going online towww.campsd.com. A three-daystay is required at all parksexcept Custer State Park for holi-day weekends.
“Fourth of July weekend isalways a busy time in the parks,”said Doug Hofer, state parksdirector. "Campsites arereserved well in advance, socampers will need to plan aheadand make reservations as soonas possible to get their favoritecamping spots."
Reservations for campsitesand camping cabins in SouthDakota state parks can be madewithin 90 days of arrival dates.Reservations for group lodgesstatewide and all campsites atCuster State Park are currentlybeing accepted.
The telephone reservationcenter is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.daily (CDT). Online reservationscan be made 24 hours a day.Reservations open at 7 a.m. onthe first day of the 90-day win-dow, both online and at the callcenter.
There is a $7.70 per site non-refundable reservation fee (notapplicable to South Dakota resi-dents). Camping fees must bepaid when reservations are madeand can be paid with creditcards, money orders or personalchecks. Daily or annual parkentrance licenses are requiredfor all vehicles entering theparks. Entrance fees are in addi-tion to camping fees.
For more detailed informationon making reservations or toview the 90-day window calen-dar, visit www.sdparks.info orcontact the Division of Parks andRecreation office at 605-773-3391or email [email protected].
BY DAVID CASSTEVENS(c) 2010, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
LAKE EDDLEMAN, Texas —Sipping light beer and smoking amenthol cigarette, the woman wear-ing a blue NASCAR cap insidePeanut's Crappie House pulled herline from the murky depths of LakeEddleman.
Not a bite. Nary a nibble."They're down there," Debbie
"Peanut" Reynolds assured.Catfish. Bass. White and black
crappie galore.Hercules, half-napping, looked
up and barked as if in full agree-ment.
Three other mutts lay along theplank floor or sprawled on a dilapi-dated plaid sofa. On television theuniformed crew of the USSEnterprise faced another intergalac-tic crisis on a rerun of "Star Trek:The Next Generation"
Reynolds, 49, inspected her hotpink tube jig.
"I love sci-fi," she said, noddingat the screen.
Best of all she loves fishing andthe ebb and flow of her uncompli-cated life.
Peanut's Crappie House sitsnear the end of a winding, potholeddirt road, about 100 miles north-west of Fort Worth, Texas.
The sheet-metal structure _ anenclosed dock _ isn't much to lookat, but from the comfort of her
favorite swivel chair the owner canfish all day, watch TV, talk to herpets ("Beethoven, be-have!") andwelcome anglers of all ages as theyrenew their springtime pursuit ofcrappie, the most popular panfishin Texas.
"It's sad. There aren't manyplaces like this left," Reynolds said.
Her business, open every day,and similar operations are slowlydisappearing from the landscape.Rocky Creek Marina operates acrappie house on Lake Benbrook.Lake Weatherford Marina has onetoo.
"I'm told that as these places getold they aren't replaced," saidPhylis McQuern, an employee atLake Weatherford Marina."Droughts and storms have taken atoll. There are very few to go to,now."
Lake levels have taken their tollas well, said Tom Hungerford, anassistant biologist with the TexasParks and Wildlife Department inFort Worth.
"The water level fluctuationsover the last five years probablyhave made business pretty toughfor those (crappie house) folks," hesaid.
‘Best Eatin’ Fish’Reynolds, an Amarillo, Texas,
native, spent many years in Phoenixand held various jobs while livingthere. She managed a grocery store.
She drove a taxi and a city bus. Afterher parents died, she moved toYoung County 21 years ago and, ona whim, bought the crappie housefrom Cloyce Shadwick.
Cloyce and wife Lu now run C &L's Bait and Tackle, which is justdown the road a bit. Both are partialto crappie.
"Best eatin' fish there are,"Cloyce Shadwick declared.
Reynolds enjoys the delicate fla-vor of the white, flaky fish, too.
"You can deep-fry crappie. Bakecrappie. Broil it. . . . I put crappie ina nice pot of tater soup." The crap-pie house owner spoke in a meas-ured cadence, like Benjamin Buford"Bubba" Blue reciting all the ways toprepare shrimp in the movie"Forrest Gump."
Under ideal conditions,Reynolds said, a person who drops
a line in the 30-foot waters of herfishing house can hook a couple ofdozen of the schooling fish in 90minutes.
"If you can't catch them in here,"she said, "then the fish just aren'tbiting."
In Texas, crappie are subject to a10-inch minimum and a per-persondaily bag of 25. White crappieweighing 41 pounds have beencaught in Texas waters, accordingto the wildlife department.
On Feb. 3, Reynolds said, sheand her customers caught 85 "keep-ers."
She watched a local supermar-ket butcher reel in a yellow catusing a lightweight rod. The fishweighed 13 pounds, 10 ounces.
"It was like pulling a refrigeratorup with a string," Reynolds said ofthe 20-minute battle of wills.
PHOTOS: CAPTAIN NORM’S
Devron Leonard, Lincoln, Neb., caught this3-pound Smallmouth Bass on April 4.
Myron Ptack of Vermillion caught this 7.15-pound Northern Pike on March 29.Marv Cline caught this 5-pound Walleye on
March 21.
Jay Fountain of Sioux Falls caught this19-pound Northern Pike on April 3.
Warren Stocking of Yankton caught this 7-pound Walleye on March 21.
Tanner Eining caught this 10.5-poundWalleye on March 18.
At Crappie Houses, Simple Rules Apply For Anglers
