Jugging

[Krazo]

Anyone juggling this weekend? I dropped about 15 last night & will go pick em up shortly.

[blue79]

im headed out now.tried to find some shad last night but couldnt find any so im gonna use shrimp like i always do.

[Krazo]

Id never used shad before but last night some guy at the ramp showed me how to use a throw net. i took him out in my boat for about 10 min and in about 4 throws of the net we had enough shad for my 30 hooks and a TON left over. I'm sold on the nets now, as long as you can find the shad. I just hope the shad catch fish. cant imagine they wont.

[Feathers and Fins]

I enjoy jugging myself from time to time and have not had issues with people taking mine but I also take care to be near them at all times and not set them out in areas where they could interfere with boating traffic.

I have though seen guys who throw them out and then disappear for the night not to show up till the next day sometime. I can understand why people grab jug lines and remove them. Some don't know what they are others don't want them floating unattended as a obstacle. I had to remove one out of a prop a few years back and that is enough to piss anyone off so I understand why its happens.

If you jug you should IMO stay near the lines at all times to monitor the situation, don't set them out in the main lake where they can become a navigational hazard or in places that could be an issue at all.

When I jug I like to find a creek channel and release one about every 2 minutes in the current using different baits. Normally I will use live bait then chicken liver and stink bait. If one is producing better I will pick up the others and reset with the bait that works best. It requires more work than putting out jugs just where they land but it produces more fish as well IMO.

[blue79]

I scattered my jugs this morning and caught one almost instantly.I trolled around the corner and caught a small walleye and a small bass.was out of sight around the corner for about 15-20 minutes and the wind had pushed all my jugs into the brush.I went looking for calmer water but couldnt find any so i trolled around awhile.I did find 2 nice boat bumpers in the logjam in the back of the cove.My girlfriends son said the water is down enough to catch shad at Caplinger Mills and hes catching cats.It has always been easier for me to go get shad at Caplinger Mills than driving around in the boat looking for shad.

[Krazo]

We caught shad at aldrich but small ones. No real luck with em though. 4 channel cats total but 3 were small & the other only bout 18". We drifted jugs across creek channels & mud flats & had stationary ones by flooded fields. Surprisingly slow for us.

[blue79]

They might be full.The water has been up a couple of days now.We just got back.We went to caplinger mills and got shad.I cut them all up and have 3 jars in the freezer.Frozen is better than none.We just got done putting our trotline out.Will pull it in in the morning and then go scatter some jugs.

[Krazo]

what size shad are you getting at caplinger? what is considered a big shad a stockton? The size of the shad we caught at aldrich was only about 2-3". we were putting 3-4 shad on each 6/0 hook but I think the shad came off the hook relatively easy. We found a lot of empty hooks. I usually hook em through the back under the dorsal fin. but considering how small the shad were and that we didnt have a shortage of bait, we just loaded the fish on the hook.

[Old plug]

Well as far as running over jugs on purpose. If he does that much it is destruction of private property and he can be arrested for it. Then again maybe by using 1/4 inch nylon cord line on on the jug for the first say 10 ft might cause the guy a lot grief.

[WettinLine]

I think is bs leaving jugs in main channels overnight, there is no way to see them and if I run one over (not on purpose) I hope it tagged with your personal information (to make it legal). The issue I have with it destructive, the line will wrap around a prop jacking up the seal, and believe me I'll be at your door and you'll get your 7Up bottle back!! I have no issues with jugging, I jug, but keep them out main boat paths be respectful, people already think its barely a step up from littering. Would you run trotlines across the James on March 15, or plant trees in the middle of boat ramps?