Getting jiggy below the dam

[mhumke]

Spent the past three days fishing 3-4 hours each day mostly early once late afternoon.  I've fished Taneycomo for 20 years and never caught a trout on a jig.  Granted I've only tried a few times, but I keep seeing these guys doing this one cast and I think well heck that doesn't look too hard!  For the record my 10 year old daughter thinks Ryan does the best one cast.  Well not only did I catch a brown and rainbow, but also a white, small/mean mouth, spot bass, a sucker, and blue Gil sorry no pic, all on orange and peach brown and black 1/8 ounce jigs.  I also saw I think a big paddle fish corpse.  

Friday:  Started out fly fishing, first three fish fly fishing were all brown trout at outlet 1 on San Juan and scud which I thought was highly unusual for this time of year to catch three straight Browns.  Only fly fished for 30 minutes and then walked almost to the cable and started throwing brown and peach jig.  I never threw my fly rod again  the rest of the weekend.  First jig fish ever was 17 inch just a tank of a spot that was puking up what looked like shad when I landed him.  Then a rainbow, then a white bass, then a smallie and another smallie and another.  At one point I caught a fish on five consecutive casts.  Just stupid fun.  Then something really heavy which turned out to be a big sucker.  I would guess 15-20 bows, 4 Brown trout, 6 smallies, 2 spot, 1 white bass, a blue gill and a sucker.  Those smallies were just angry mean fish that wanted no part of being caught.  They fought like crazy and the quality was amazing most were 14-18 inch range w only a few smaller than 14!!  Some of the smallies were prob mean mouths I can't tell.  It was an absolute blast not knowing what was going to be in the other end of the line!!

Saturday: Less variety but still tons of action 15 rainbows 5 smallies 3 spots!

Sunday: This was the day of the smallie caught way more than any other fish!!  At least 10 small or mean mouth one spot and 8 rainbows best rainbow was 19 1/2 inches.  I swear the hatchery breeds them to stop growing at 19 inches every time I've caught one I think is 20 it's 19-19 1/2!!

Anyway fantastic weekend I'm hooked on jig fishing.  A few of the pics should have the jigs I used.  Happy fishing to everyone keep those lines tight!!

[Haris122]

I got one, maybe two trout the entire time I've been fishing on jigs (probably even less of anything else), but I just can't seem to get bites regularly on them for whatever reason. I fished the same color jig as you when I was down in the trophy area last week, but after a short while of no bites I gave up on it. Did have what looked like a fish scale on it once, when I thought I had a bite, so who knows.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Not holdin your mouth right

[Travis Swift]

Guys other than a trout magnet there is probably no better bait or lure to both numbers and sizes on taneycomo than a jig.  Sometimes you have to try different colors and sizes etc.   I would highly encourage you to get on you tube and watch phils video's over and over, not just for fun but study his style of snapping the rod and reeling down with it etc.  He snaps it hard and pretty much holds his rod in the 9 oclock position and snaps it to the 12 oclock position.  After you watch his videos' then I encourage you to watch some with Duane (ducky doty) in them, he fishes his a little different than Phil, he doesn't seem to snap quit as hard.  But if you watch these 2 guys and study their methods then try to duplicate and apply them your next trip it will make a huge difference.   Lastly a word on line size, not sure what you guys use but I use 2 pound test on my jigs and magnets 100% of the time.  I know you can get away with 4 quite often and especially now but I stick with the 2 because I have almost 11000 yards of it but it will help your fish catches tremendously as well. 

[vonreed]

You may not be letting them get deep enough also.  Usually as slowly as possible will help with bites with an occasional  snap of the rod and let it settle back.

[mhumke]

Yea I had tried jigs a few times before too and had no luck and it was easier to catch them other ways so I just gave up quickly too.  The key for me to catching all these this past weekend was letting that jig get all the way to the bottom before working it at all and there were times I didn't work it much at all just let it bounce.  I did keep my line tight and gave it a twitch every few seconds, but I didn't snap my pole near as hard as the one casts guys.  Once you catch one you kind of get the feel for them and can recognize a bite!  At one point I caught a fish on five straight casts so much fun!  I'm hooked and will definitely be jig fishing again next time!

I used four pound vanish it seemed to work ok I was fishing fairly swift current just down from the cable.

Thanks to the one cast guys for all their great info!!  They kept my interest in jigs and was just enough to get me to keep trying the jigs until I finally figured it out!!

[Seth]

If there is flow and you are using 1/8oz, you are fine with 4#. Anything 1/16oz or lighter is better on 2# simply because of the added casting distance. As for working the jig, try "snapping" the rod more and then just reel slow and pump it. Sometimes they like one over the other. I have a better hook up ratio when they are biting the "reel and pump" retrieve because I feel the bite before pulling back on the too hard. I suck at hooking them when I am snapping it and feel the weight of the fish on the snap. Most of the time they spit it out after feeling me pull on the jig and before I can set the hook.

[Haris122]

I watched how Phil and Duane jig, and try to mimic them, but I still don't seem to do it right. I have a hard time judging when to jig it back up, when current comes into play, cause it's harder for me to tell if it's on the bottom again. I was getting it to the bottom though cause I lost several jigs to snags and actually setting the hook on a rock or something on the bottom, when I initially thought it was a bite.

[Jhoff]

Do you guys use floro or mono when using #2 for jig fishing and what brand?  I have been able to catch a few fish on a jig with#4.

[Seth]

16 minutes ago, Jhoff said:

Do you guys use floro or mono when using #2 for jig fishing and what brand?  I have been able to catch a few fish on a jig with#4.

Pline CX Premium in moss green for me. I started using it last winter and I really like it.