Different soft plastic shapes on light jigs do well

[SPOONMINNOW]

At times body shape seems to make a difference as well as tail shape.

 

[hookup]

I've been fishing trailers forever. Charlie Case had a couple I was weened on. I'd modify them a bit and tie a couple silicon strands of hair between the lead head and plastic. Very old school but effective on bass and a few other bonus fish

 

[ramjet]

Thanks for posting. The version with only the "pork frog" on a ball head jig looks a bit like the Strike King "Pad Hopper". I had bought a half dozen of these and carried them in the boat for years. One day, fishing a new lake, I just couldn't get bit -- found them in a box and tied one on. On that day, they worked magic.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any more of them. I wound up trying to sculpt my own out of some other miscellaneous plastic lures and came somewhat close. Anyway I think the action of their legs flapping on the fall was what flipped the switch that day. Hadn't thought of trying to make my own using the basic pork frog profile as the starting point. Have never poured my own plastics, but I will give that a try when I get back home for the summer.

Thanks again.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Backwards flitting crawdads or forward swimming frogs?

In my experience a twitched baitfish imitator works for all species. As mentioned only targeted largies this year and only a few times during weather too warm for my favored targets walleye, wipers, catfish, & smallies in that order.

 

[Hawnjigs]

With big lake spawning alewives still present hugging shoreline warming water eventually offers only catfish night time and smallies daytime. Guessing the wallys & wipers migrate out to deeper cooler water along with already spawned baitfish. Might be more the post spawn absence of alewives than increasingly warming nearshore waters which eventually outmigrates even the catfish and smallies which is when I resorted to largemouth bass ponds warm enuf to wade in shorts.

Walleye in particular are cold water preference species like trout and yesterday in a warm water species canal only a few wallys bit with water temp just above freezing. Here in Nebraska anyway.