JUNGLE JIM 1

Anyone shooting ducks? Hoping for some flank feathers.

Thanks for your support with the feathers, look forward to getting some. I've been painting some heads and gluing eyes getting ready for them. I hope you guys have a great duck season, the more feathers I get the more jigs I make. Hope to tie a bunch this winter.

I tie in the flash under the duck feathers to add bulk and attraction and try to make the body shape like a teardrop before adding the red or yellow hackle to the throat. The flash underneath becomes more prominent as you catch fish and lose some duck feather strands. I've caught over 100+ fish on one jig if I don't lose it first. These are crappie killers.

No, marabou has a lot more action than duck feathers. I think it's the natural minnow color that get's the fish to eat them, maybe it tastes like chicken to them. Whatever the reason is they work. Been literally catching tons of fish on them in the 25 years I've been tying them. I caught my PB crappie and bluegill using them. Drake feathers color and barring is the best feather. I tie most on #2- #6 jig hooks.

I tie a lot of jigs using mallard flank or gadwall feathers, killer jigs for crappie, bass and about anything else. If you think about it send me some feathers from the ducks you harvest and I will tie some jigs for you in exchange for the feathers.

I had to make some since they killed all the fish at Horseshoe Lake at Carondelet Park. So many big dead sunfish due to the duckweed infestation and I'm still mad. I've had some success crappie fishing at a lake I've been fishing since the 80's. Float n fly jigs and pill spins have been working for me.No 15's yet but have caught decent numbers in the 11-14 inch class with some bonus bass. I don't keep crappie this time of year so everything has been released . Some of the baits I've been using. Lot's of fun using 2-3lb test line except when you snag up.

Was out there for a week and had a blast fishing for gills at Lake Perris. Caught my personal best right at 12" with a girth of 15.5". It was just under 2.5 lbs. Bluegills here have been averaging 9-10", wish I could find them that size here. I know 3 lbers are swimming in this lake.

I wouldn't waste my time wetting a line, fish are dead except for maybe a few carp or goldfish. Middle section of the lake had some open water but north and south ends are still putting greens.

The crayfish in the lake weren't getting enough oxygen either so they moved up to the shoreline,some totally out of the water to breathe. A lot of them didn't survive. They repaired one of the drains in the lake and put in a water pump on the south side of the lake but still haven't touched the duckweed. I walked the lake and didn't see even a minnow, water is super clear.

Went yesterday morning but didn't catch as many nice crappie as I had been. It was very humid and cloudy with no breeze at all, other days wind was blowing into the areas I fish. Did catch a bass about 15 inches and a little flathead cat which was a first for me there. It fought like crazy on the long rod but manage to shrink in size by the time I got it in. Only caught one crappie over 12 inches and some 9-10 inchers.

I met up with Harris122 this morning at Unger Park for some crappie fishing and neither of us were disappointed. Both of us had pretty good days there. I don't do selfies with fish but finally had someone there to get pictures with me in the picture instead of a hand/fish photo. I caught quite a few 12-14 inch crappie with a technique I call "JUNGLE FISHING". I broke out the 12 foot crappie rod and waded in to fish the heavy wood cover dropping my jigs into little pockets and when one hit I wrestled them up and over logs which is tricky but a blast. Float n fly jigs that I make with feathers accounted for most of my bigger crappie, they were really thumping those jigs. This kind of fishing is addictive and healthy. I checked my fitbit several times and those fish had my heart rate up around 120. I might go again tomorrow depending on the weather.

I went again yesterday to Unger and had a better day than I did last Friday. Same area I found them last time but they didn't start biting until the sun came out. Only caught a couple crappie, small bass and even some little white bass until I tried a little pillhead spin that I make. It definitely was the magic color for the day. Everything was released. Lake was up a foot from last week from the rain and appeared to be still rising. I had four of them but lost three to brush and trees so when I got home I poured, painted and tied more up. Going again tomorrow if anyone wants to stop by and say hello.

That fish and another one just like it have been swimming in that lake for close to ten years. Duckweed took over the lake and when some genius decided to shut the water and fountain off it became a solid mat of duckweed, lake looked like a huge putting green on a golf course. When duckweed takes over a lake fish can't get enough oxygen and they suffocate. Lake suffered two fish kills and the second one which happened five days ago wiped out 99% of the fish in the lake. Did see one of these giants floating dead, .. Only thing that might have survived are some big carp and minnows. Such a waste, this lake had potential for growing state record redear sunfish. I caught two 13 inchers last year in the spring that were 1.5- 1.75 lbs. I have been fishing this lake for over 50 years and I'm ticked off because this could have been prevented. This lake is dead.

I hadn't caught a crappie in a couple of months, almost forgot what they look like so I went to Unger Park yesterday to see if I could find some. The lake is loaded with small bass under 6" that hit every jig I tried. I caught several bluegill that were bigger than the bass. Finally, found some crappie and ended up catching five. All were eater size, 10-13 inches but I released them.

Thanks everyone, it should be a lot of fun. Last week some 4 and 5 lbers were caught, they are bedding now at Havasu. Pictures are up on Crappie.com in the panfish section there if you want a look. Probably won't fish Havasu but hoping for a 12 inch coppernose gill from Perris. One that size can break 2 lbs. Maybe I'll get lucky.

After not fishing out west for a few years I'm heading out to California on Monday to give it another go. Mainly fish Lake Perris for bluegill, redear and crappie, friends have been catching bluegill up to 12+ inches with lots of 10-11 inchers. Lot's of fun on ultralight. Would like another crack at Havasu but temps there in April are supposed to break 100 so maybe not going to happen this year. Hopefully lot's of pics when I get back.

These are 1/4 and 3/8 oz. and are 4-5" long. The craft hair really dances on these. I think it hunt's more with the split ring too, but believe it can be a weak link. Need small but strong rings.

I pour my own heads and can't attach the blades to the hook until I'm finished. It's definitely better for them to be attached directly without a split ring. Even make them with football and ballheads.

Watching it snow when I made these chatter style baits with an Arky style head on 4/0 Trokar hooks.These are 1/4 and 3/8 oz. Maybe something will hit them.

Went for awhile today and didn't get a bite. Only thing to show for it is some muddy boots and numb hands.The earliest I've caught them in past years has been March 21st so it's still early. Only know how to fish from the bank or wade fish, but would like some company when I get stuck in the mud so you can pull me out.

Great price, how's the selection? Probably have more than I need now but I certainly am interested.

I fish the lower Meramec usually where small creeks feed into it. I've caught them out of several different spots which are open to the public fishing from the bank. I use hair jigs first, then the blade baits and then topwaters once it gets warm enough.

I plan on throwing these in the Meramec once it warms up a little for hybrid stripers, love how hard they pull. I lost several of them last year when the hooks pulled out so I made these with 4/0 Trokar jig hooks using craft hair, saddle hackle and a little flash.

We got to get together sometime, nice fish.

I fish the jigs under a small weighted float when I need distance and for shorter casts I take it off. Most important is the small size of the jig, I try to keep them around an inch long or less but vary the jig weight. Usually pour these from 1/24 to 1/80 and use size 8, 10 and 12 hooks with a #10 probably my favorite for Redear and gills but they will catch bigger fish as well. Lot's of little bluegill, crayfish and snails in these lakes for these fish to eat as well as insect nymphs so I try to make baits look like the forage they eat. I like reels with bigger shallow spools and use 2 lb. test which makes a huge difference when the water is clear.