Hellgrammite trials

[MNtransplant]

Hey everyone,

Hope summer is treating everyone well. I just wanted to share a few fish pics from my past several trips to the James. I've been itching to try out some new hellgrammite plastics and the bite has been a bit different each time....a few weeks ago I found some really quality fish right at dawn in fast riffles on a bigger 5.5" tackle hd helgrammite. One was exceptionally good size for this stretch...at least I thought.

I forgot how much i love fighting smallies!

Got a decent smallie on a whopper plopper that same trip and had 2 goggle eye smash the plopper as well.

Then I had another trip a few days later where the water had come down some and they vacated the faster stuff and were on outside bends and near shade and or wood..caught a mix of large and smallmouth mostly on the smaller nedmite size and caught a few on trusty ned too..

Then this past trip the fish were piled up in the stagnant eddies right next to the fast riffles....caught mostly goggle eye but still a few smallies.

Anyone else have reports for the James this summer? I sold my kayak a few months ago but looking to upgrade to a better fishing setup in the next week or two..would love to do a float with someone who has some knowledge. I can actually contribute to a shuttle now that I got myself a little truck now too!

 

[Mitch f]

Try these Hellgrammites next time

www.tackle-max.com

 

[Seth]

I wreck smallies on a Zman Big TRD paired up with an EWG weedless ned style jighead. I'm assuming it resembles a hellgramite. One thing I know for sure is that there isn't another bait out there that will outlast a ZMAN product, which is my favorite quality about them. Basically lasts until I break it off. Buy jigheads and baits at a 1:1 ratio.

[Flysmallie]

11 hours ago, Mitch f said:

Try these Hellgrammites next time

www.tackle-max.com

 

I’ve got some of those ready to go on a trip tomorrow! They’re pretty excited. 

[MNtransplant]

33 minutes ago, Seth said:

I wreck smallies on a Zman Big TRD paired up with an EWG weedless ned style jighead. I'm assuming it resembles a hellgramite. One thing I know for sure is that there isn't another bait out there that will outlast a ZMAN product, which is my favorite quality about them. Basically lasts until I break it off. Buy jigheads and baits at a 1:1 ratio.

100% agree on Zman stuff. Put a dot of super glue between the plastic and the head and you're good until you break off. I have caught a fair amount of fish on the standard TRDs here lately. I may have to try the bigger size.

[Mitch f]

9 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

I’ve got some of those ready to go on a trip tomorrow! They’re pretty excited. 

LOL don’t let them bite you! 😂 Good Luck tomorrow!!

A guy caught a walleye on one today

[MObassin95]

On 7/6/2023 at 5:49 PM, MNtransplant said:

Hey everyone,

Hope summer is treating everyone well. I just wanted to share a few fish pics from my past several trips to the James. I've been itching to try out some new hellgrammite plastics and the bite has been a bit different each time....a few weeks ago I found some really quality fish right at dawn in fast riffles on a bigger 5.5" tackle hd helgrammite. One was exceptionally good size for this stretch...at least I thought.

I forgot how much i love fighting smallies!

Got a decent smallie on a whopper plopper that same trip and had 2 goggle eye smash the plopper as well.

Then I had another trip a few days later where the water had come down some and they vacated the faster stuff and were on outside bends and near shade and or wood..caught a mix of large and smallmouth mostly on the smaller nedmite size and caught a few on trusty ned too..

Then this past trip the fish were piled up in the stagnant eddies right next to the fast riffles....caught mostly goggle eye but still a few smallies.

Anyone else have reports for the James this summer? I sold my kayak a few months ago but looking to upgrade to a better fishing setup in the next week or two..would love to do a float with someone who has some knowledge. I can actually contribute to a shuttle now that I got myself a little truck now too!

 

I did a trip on the lower James yesterday. Caught more than I could count. Nothing huge but enough 12-14 inchers to make  it a blast. Best baits were a Hellgrammite imitation in the fast stuff and a swim bait in between. Below Hootentown is beautiful.  

[trythisonemv]

Nice work tyler! Canoe fishing is fun

[Gumboot]

On 7/7/2023 at 11:16 AM, Seth said:

I wreck smallies on a Zman Big TRD paired up with an EWG weedless ned style jighead. I'm assuming it resembles a hellgramite. One thing I know for sure is that there isn't another bait out there that will outlast a ZMAN product, which is my favorite quality about them. Basically lasts until I break it off. Buy jigheads and baits at a 1:1 ratio.

Seth

Are these the ned heads on an offset ewg worm hook? 

[Seth]

On 7/19/2023 at 8:51 AM, Gumboot said:

Seth

Are these the ned heads on an offset ewg worm hook? 

Yes. Search weedless ned on Tacklewarehouse and you'll see quite a few show up.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/search-tackle.html?start=0&count=30&prevsearch=flatland&searchtext=weedless+ned