Jadesjigs

Thank you very much!! That is all great information. I would really like to figure out the drop-shot bite this summer using my electronics. Sometimes I have to really force myself to get away from the bank. Please keep the great posts coming Sir!

I was in the Aunt's creek area during the day of 06/11 and also noticed the post-front conditions early. I was able to catch a few with a swimbait off the points at daylight where there was a lot of shad activity. I didn't have luck with any topwater baits. I was about to call it a day around 11:30 and I was fishing in the back of a cove with a breeze blowing into it. I found a large school of shad in the back of the cove. They were in the middle of the channel that was 12 ft. deep - and it was game on! I spent the next hour catching them on a 1/2 oz. skirted green pumpkin football jig paired with an Okeechobee colored beaver style craw. There was so much activity on my graph that I thought I was drifting over brush piles, but after the bite ended all I could see was the bottom. I've learned so much from your reports Bo. You often report that the key is to spend more time searching for the productive water where both the bait and fish can be viewed together. That got me thinking about how much time I fish unproductive water. I can often find bait with no fish, or fish with no bait. The story above is one of the first times that I have been able to put both together and had great success. I would have never expected those fish to be in the back of a cove on a blue-bird sky during the middle of the day. That would also go along with you saying to keep an open mind and use your electronics! Do you have a certain method that you use to graph an area before you start fishing it? Are there any specific patterns or areas that you start to graph. I've got a small boat so I don't like to run and gun across the lake. I would really like to learn how to break the water down in specific areas and fish the most productive areas. Thank you very much for all of your informative posts Bo!! Sorry, the screen on my graph is so dirty. There was a lot of dew that morning. I wanted to get more pics of my graph so I could show both the bait and the fish, but I was getting too many bites to take the time lol.

Thanks for the report. It saddens me to hear this because that is such a great stretch of river. You definitely saved me a wasted trip of driving. Unfortunately, there are too many people who ruin the opportunities of fellow fisherman that truly love and respect nature.

FLIPPING NED I fished the James Sunday morning and had some success. The numbers weren't great, but the size was decent. We've had so much fluctuation in the water level and flows lately that I think this locked the fish into the tightest of cover. Luckily, I recently did some research on flipping jigs. I never really knew what the difference was between flipping and pitching, but they are both very effective techniques when the fish are tight in cover. Flipping worked fantastic today! The areas the fish were located was so thick that there's know way I could cast or pitch into it without getting hung. I would flip a 1/16 oz. Ned Rig with #4 sickle by collecting an arms length of line in my non-dominant, left hand. After I had the line collected, I kept the bail closed on my spinning reel. This technique also keeps the slack line away from the end of your pole which may cause snags. I was able to lightly drop the Ned Rig right in the middle of the thickest part of the cover using my non-dominant hand to control and feel the line. I would work the jig a couple of seconds and then repeat the process until I covered the entire area. I was using my Ned Rig in areas where most people would never even consider using a finesse jig with an exposed hook. I would like to challenge everybody to try to use the smallest weight and hook that they can stand. Not only does this create a wonderful finesse presentation, but a #4 hook will go through cover that a bigger hook would never make it through. You can't catch fish if your snagged and retying continuously. Happy fishing!!

I wanted to thank all of the Ozark Anglers members by currently offering a 10% discount on Midwest Finesse Style Ned Rigs. Use the code: Ozark Anglers at checkout to receive the discount at http://www.jadesjigs.com I am a local fisherman and discovered the Ned Rig from reading all of the informative posts here. I have learned so much from everybody. This created an obsession of finesse fishing that led me to starting a business selling jigs. I use a lead-free alloy and have several variations in stock. Please go to http://www.jadesjigs.com to see all of my current options. There are some wonderful people here that make jigs and I definitely don't want to take any business away from them. I just wanted to let members know what I have to offer if interested in something a little different. Thank you for making this the best forum for learning and sharing! If anybody has any suggestions on the website or on the jigs, then please let me know. It would be an honor to have anybody here fish with my jigs.

Just wanted to give everybody a quick heads up. There is a new tree across the river just down river from Delaware Town access, and just above Hwy 14 bridge. It is where the water is still fast before it slows down at the bridge. You will definitely have to portage around the tree so please be careful. Quick report- obviously, the water is still high and flowing fast. It is starting to clear a little, but still pretty stained. I stayed above Delaware and fished all of my spring honey holes and got skunked! I knew it would be slow, but figured I could have managed a small rock bass. Still a beautiful day to be out. Please be careful out there.

Thanks for the great report and wonderful pics. I would say you guys definitely have it figured out to catch fish like that in those conditions.

I don't know if I would necessarily call it fly fishing, but I love catching creek smallies with my fly rod and ned rigs. There's just something about the natural drift you can get with a fly rod and the excitement of watching a floating line. I use a 1/16 size head that is lead free - so it is approximately 20% lighter. The jigs have a light, #4 size sickle hook on them. I also cheat and glue a plastic onto the jig as a trailer. I often use the same baits as you would on a regular ned, but I regularly cut them in half horizontally to make them more finesse. Trout power-worms also work well-especially when you tie a little marabou and flash around the jig-heads. Obviously, I'm not doing a lot of false casts, but this setup is deadly. I can usually catch at least 4x as many bass with this set up as I can with traditional streamers. I use a 7wt, tfo rod with floating line and a fluoro leader. I've never heard of anybody else doing this so I just had to chime in. Kinda scared the true fly fishermen would not approve lol.

I have seen a lot of guys post about how effective the mop fly is. I wonder if the Ned Rig may present similar to the mop fly? May be a good alternative to the fly when fishing deeper water and faster current below trophy area.

Thank you Mr. Babler, I would let the jig glide to or near the bottom. Then I would pop the line and reel in the slack and let the jig drift and glide back down. They would often hit the jig right after the pop of the line as the jig was gliding back down. This was frequently detected by watching the line. The line would usually just have a short pause or twitch in it during bites. I really enjoy watching the action of my baits in the clear water of Taney. It's helped me learn a lot on how to get the jigs to have a natural presentation. Thanks!

These baits were the 2.5" Ned lengths so I just cut about .5" off. Then I cut the bait horizontally along the whole 2" of length. The Deal color is a shad looking bait that has both light and dark colors in it - so I tried to cut it horizontally where I kept both of those colors. If you're not careful, you could cut one of the colors out of the bait pretty easily. This makes the bait flat on one side of the whole length. I noticed when I would snap my line that the jig would rise and then slightly roll during the fall. I don't know if the current was causing this, or if the flat edge of the bait created this action. Whatever caused it, the fish sure seemed to like it!

I have a friend who fishes a reservoir for trout in Colorado and he has tremendous success using a Ned Rig. I haven't heard of many fisherman on Taneycomo using the Ned Rig - let me tell you, the Ned works well! I caught over 20 trout yesterday afternoon between Monkey Island and The Landing using a Ned. I was using a 1/16 size Ned Rig with a #4 sickle hook and a chartreuse head. I paired the jig with a 2" Z-Man TRD in "The Deal" color. I also cut the TRD in half horizontally so the trout would be less likely to short strike the rig. I fished the Ned just like any other jig and the trout were violently striking it. What a blast! I also had pretty consistent luck using a pink power worm 7 ft. under an indicator on a 1/100 oz. jig with a #10 hook. Most of the fish were caught in the 12-17 ft. range. I didn't get many strikes when I was in water in the 20 ft. range. Maybe it was because I wasn't getting my baits deep enough. I don't post much on here, because I usually don't have much to report. If wonderful people on this forum such as Mr. Lilley, Mr. Doty, and Mr. Babler didn't post such detailed reports, then my fishing success would continue to be futile. I try to absorb all their expertise that I can. Hopefully I can contribute more and more in the future. Thank you to everybody who shares such great information!!

Hey Seth, I've caught nice fish on both sections of the river you mentioned. However, I haven't fished either one enough to really tell if one is better than the other. If the water is low, I think the shelvin to hootentown may be better-especially after the Finley runs in. With all the recent rain I would think that either area would be good floats. I also think the shelvin to hootentown float may be busier in summer due to canoe rentals. Sorry I know this doesn't help much, but maybe gives you a little insight. You won't regret either route that you decide. Let us know how the trip goes. Thanks!

Those pics are awesome. Thanks for sharing!

Got out to the river today to get my gear that I left behind during the flood. Water had dropped quite a bit, but it was still moving at a pretty good pace. The water color was dingy, but it wasn't muddy. During the first part of the float, I didn't have any fishing gear with me. It's very rare that I don't have a fishing pole while on the water. It's pretty amazing how your mindset changes, and the things that you notice when you're not looking ahead for that next place to cast. There's something about being one with nature while you're fishing and how your senses are heightened. However, it was quite peaceful just enjoying the river without a rod-at least for awhile. Got to the bluff where I had left my gear and luckily all was still there and in good shape. The water was moving a little fast for my usual finesse tactics. Plus my ned rig reel needed to be lubricated after sitting in the rain for the last 3 days. I tied on a homemade 1/2 oz., bladed jig paired with a 3.25" grub on a heavier rod that I had. I'm starting to like these bladed jigs the more that I use them. It's like you get a jig, spinnerbait, and crankbait all in one. I usually work them on the bottom like a crankbait (you can tell by looking at the head.) Also, treble hooks and myself don't get along very well which makes these jigs an excellent substitute. The quantity of fish was definitely down, but the quality was awesome. They were off the treadmill today and sheltered in the cover in the backwaters. Had one 12 plus inch (didn't have an official way to measure) come unbuckled on the bladed jig, and landed another one about the same size in the backwater at the head of a riffle. Found another backwater area right in the middle of a riffle and hooked into a nice 17" smallie (unofficial paddle measurement.) She immediately made a run for the current and pulled my kayak halfway down the riffle before I was able to get her in the boat. Man that was a blast. It was one of the funnest fights and one of the largest river fish that I have ever caught. Sorry, I know the pics aren't great. I was taking the pic through a waterproof case and wanted to get her back to the water asap. After I released that smallmouth, I couldn't help but think about how many floods she had survived, how many times she had been caught and released, and how blessed I was to catch her!!

I'm not real familiar with the area, but I put my kayak in one time on Crane Creek at Hwy AA. I floated into the James and down to Galena. When I arrived near the confluence of where Crane meets the James, there was a log over the creek. I crossed the log and there was a deer standing nearby that I watched for awhile. Threw a popper out with my fly rod. As I was distracted by the beauty of the area, I felt a lot of pressure on my rod. I immediately thought that I was snagged, but pulled in the nicest smallmouth I had ever caught with a popper (on accident!) Definitely a beautiful place!

Thank you! Worst part about it is I left a tfo fly rod that I had just got back from the company because my 1st one broke. I got to say temple fork outfitters are an awesome co. 1st nice fly rod I've had and they stand behind their warranty with no hassles. I'm sure it will be there. It's on high ground in in a discreet location.

Had the day available to fish my local river. There was a 70% chance of rain. To me this means there's a 30% chance it won't rain!!! My days are so scarce that I get to fish that I try to not let weather dictate when I go-unless it's just obviously going to be bad. I've ducked out of storms before, no big deal. Some of my best days of fishing have been on days like this. Started out catching a few rock bass by dipping trees with a ned rig that I tied some marabou and flash on (marabou ned) . I always try to find unique things to do with these jigs. This reminded me of dipping trees with jigs or minnows for crappie. The sky got dark and it started to storm so I took shelter under a rock ledge. It rained pretty hard, but it eventually passed as expected. I got on the river again and the fishing started to pick up. The smallies were really liking the 1/16 size ned paired with a 2.5" coppertreuse bait. I was drifting through eddies and current seams until, it started to get dark again. Luckily, I found another rock ledge to shelter in. This time the lightning and rain came with fury. I'm not to worried about rain, but I don't mess around with lightning. Had to wait this one out quite a bit longer due to the lightning. The river was turning brown and rising fast. I contemplated hiking out of there, but I knew I could navigate the river. I had to move fast and there was no room for error. Therefore, I left all of my fishing gear and equipment on the bluff. I didn't want any extra weight in the canoe and I wanted all the room available to maneuver. The paddle got a good workout, but I made it to the takeout without incident. Looks like I get another river day soon to retrieve my gear! I always try to be prepared for the worst and have a back-up plan. Thank the lord for giving me another day to enjoy your creation!

I just received the honor of having Ned Kehle do a review of some jigs that I make in an online In Fisherman publication. Mr. Kehle is very supportive and extremely nice. He gives so much back to the sport. I attributed my knowledge and success to everybody here on Ozark Anglers. who unselfishly provide so much valuable information. This is mentioned in the article as well. There is also a pretty good description of why I started making these jigs and how I fish them. I look forward to meeting more of you guys in the future. Thanks for everything!!! Click on the Jade's Jigs part to see the review. Here's the link http://www.in-fisherman.com/midwest-finesse/

This is a picture of a monster smallie one of my customers sent me today with one of my skirted jigs. Too bad I can't take credit for it .

Hello everybody. I'm new to posting on oa, but I have learned a lot from everybody here and wanted to say THANK YOU!! The ned rig is one of my favorite tools thanks to you. I don't want to take any business away from fellow members selling these, but I seen this post as a great opportunity to let people know about the ned rigs I sell. I make lead free ned rigs with a bismuth/tin alloy. This alloy is slightly lighter than lead. This allows you to fish a little larger head, yet keep that tantalizing, slow sink rate. I can do whatever hooks, sizes, or colors people want. I powder coat and temper the paint on the jigs by baking them. I can add stainless steel wire keepers to help hold your trailer of choice. These keepers are compatable with elastec style baits. I usually use a drop of superglue to help bond the trailer to the jig head. The true ned guys may slaughter me, but I've had a lot of success and have received a lot of positive feedback on some of my non-traditional hook options. Some of which include: #1 sickle hooks, 1/0 hooks, 3/0 hooks, and skirted finesse jigs with the same style head. I can go as heavy as 1/4 oz. Like I said earlier, I understand that some of these options don't fit the "traditional" ned rig theory, but they catch fish!! I've even been using a small ned with a #2 sickle hook and catching lots of smallies in the river with my 7wt fly rod. Sorry, figured I would make the fly fisherman mad also! The possibilities on these jigs are endless. If interested, please send me a message or email me at jadesjigs@yahoo.com Once again, Thanks for everything you guys do for the sport!!!