Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3807 Mar 15-29 2019 | Page 7

March 15 - 29, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 6 5 Spotlight On Kayak Fishing... Sponsered by Kayak City in Citrus Heights, CA Kayak City.Com Crappie Jigs For Trout… I enjoy trolling for trout from my Hobie Pro Angler 14, but at times whether I find a concentration of fish or just want to take a break from peddling, I like to loiter around a relatively small area either fishing vertically or making short casts. I’ve found that tube style crappie jigs are ideal for this work. There are few things that excite trout as much as an injured minnow. Now I’ve never spoken with a trout, but I’m pretty sure that an injured minnow is what trout mistake a tube jig to be with its seductive dipping and darting action. Yet, the action a tube jig displays is only part of its charm as far as the trout are concerned. Beyond its action a tube jig has a soft lifelike feel and the hollow body lends itself perfectly to being filled with While tube jigs work great, old school marabou one of the various Pro-Cure crappie jigs also do an excellent job of imitating small baitfish. Super Gels. All of these Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. factors add up to a bait that trout hit and hang on to. When using tube jigs from a kayak I employ two basic approaches, casting or vertical jigging with the tube jig suspended beneath a slip bobber. When casting and retrieving tubes, I like to work around areas of shoreline structure such as rocky drop offs and fallen trees. Typically, I cast the lure out and count it down a few feet before I begin the retrieve. One of the key things to remember when retrieving a jig is not to overpower the lure. Give the lure a couple of light twitches and then wait a few seconds and then twitch it a bit more. Most strikes occur as the jig sinks, so it pays Braided line works well for a lot of different applications, but when it comes to slip bobber fishing standard monofilament works best because it slides through the bobber easily without hanging up. Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. 916.565.1400 By Cal Kellogg to keep an eye on the line and set the hook if you see the line jump or move in any unnatural way. When teaming tube jigs with a slip bobber you’ll want to adjust, your bobber stop such that the lure will come to a rest at the depth which you suspect the trout are cruising. This can vary from 5 to 30 or more feet deep depending on the time of the year and the water temperature. When working at depths beyond about 15 feet you’ll need to add some Tube Jigs like these baits from Berkley extra weight to the rig in the form of are outstanding minnow imitations for slip shot from 16 to 24 inches above kayakers interested in hooking trout. Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. the jig to get the rig down. Working a jig beneath a slip bobber is a pretty simple proposition. You should start out by dead sticking the bait, without adding any action. If that approach fails to produce, start giving the jig some subtle movement by wiggling the tip of your rod on a semi tight line. If this doesn’t produce you can get more aggressive by slowly reeling the jig upward several feet before lowering it back down to its original depth on a semi tight line. In terms of color selection, I like to go with natural minnow imitating colors like pearl and smoke/glitter hues first and if those fail to attract trout, I’ll deploy the bright colored pink, orange and chartreuse stuff. Over the years, I’ve used tubes from a number of different manu- facturers and they will all catch fish, just remember to use plenty of scent. Not only does scent help trigger strikes, it also encourages the trout to hold onto the tube giving you that extra second or two Both clear and foam slip bobbers will work for fishing vertically with small jigs, but the to set the hook. foam bobber is the better choice because it’s easier to see. This is especially true if there is chop on the water. Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. Turner’s Outdoorsman Now Open In Tulare With More New Locations Coming Soon! THE FISH SNIFFER (800) 748-6599 FishSniffer.com FISH SNIFFER DIGITAL!!! Digital subscription now available to the Fish Sniffer. Download the app from iTunes or Google Play. Check us out on magazine.fishsniffer.com or Email digital_subscriptions@fishsniffer.com T urner’s Outdoorsman, Califor- nia’s leading Hunting, Shooting Sports and Fishing Tackle Retailer, announces the debut of its third new retail location in Central California with the opening of the Turner’s Outdoorsman Tulare, located at 981 E. Prosperity Ave. next to Smart & Final. The store features an extensive selection of firearms, ammunition and shooting sports accessories including hunting equipment, as well as a vast selection of fishing tackle that is certain to fill the needs of the valleys hunters, shooters and anglers. Turner’s Outdoorsman, California’s leading hunting, shooting, and fishing specialty stores, began in 1971 as a single store in Long Beach. Over the years, we have grown to over 20 stores, located throughout California. We have been here for nearly 50 years and take pride in being your neighbor- hood store, completely dedicated to you, our customer. We are now open in Fresno, Salinas, Modesto, Tulare, Sacramento and will be open soon in Stockton and Roseville. Check us out online at www.turners. com for more information.