KISS

[Hawnjigs]

20 years ago I'd never even seen a live trout up close, then my wife's daughter moved with family to Colorado. So once a year on vacations I got to gradually explore fresh water fishing including at the time tiny wild trout in urban creeks & pond stockers. Thru the years got to explore still and moving waters in CO, WY, & NE at most a few weeks at a time on annual vacations. 11 years ago my wife & I separated so moved to a small town in NE the only familiar place where I could afford to buy a very modest house. Being single again got lots more fishing time including stockers & holdovers trout in a nearby managed for trout 300 acre lake. Back then a 12" was a welcome respite from cookie cutter 8-10" fresh stockers. As the years went by eventually I got a hint that the outflow into a river might offer better opportunity so I explored. Sticking to EZ access public area there were a few & far between bigger ones.

Then I got the idea to ask permission to access private river front from landowners, and surprisingly all 5 conditionally allowed access meaning do not encroach on hunters as some properties riverfront was leased for seasonal hunting Oct thru Feb and of course used by landowners + family & friends.. So I avoided weekends and otherwise stayed away when shots were audible or decoys were set in the river or even if anyone was present.

Since not all the hunters or landowners exploited the piscatorial resource there were some spots that held really nice trout, not a lot but some of a size I never dreamed I would encounter in Nebraska. Tackle continually evolved to adapt to the challenge, even now I'm still learning.

Which brings us to the point of this post. Long ago in CO I mostly used trout specific crankbaits until Jigger John McKean sent me a few shank propeller Boolies tied on 1/16 tube jigheads with rabbit fur & gold Flashabou. Back in those days just getting acquainted with fresh water gear & tactics I used tube jigs somewhat successfully for all species with trouting results the mediocre exception. The results were posted & archived in this forum transitioning me into a jig purist.

So back to the point, after all this time experimenting with all manner of jig variations of heads, tie materials & patterns, pinned plastics, colors, discovered today that back to basic may be the best pick one jig. Got lucky with six nice ones in an EZ access public river area on a fair weather weekend with a simple black head black mink no flash or prop 1/16 #6 jig the same one for all the fish in 2 different holds. Due to continual harvest by all manner of anglers including worm dunkers this perpetually plundered area has been fishing poorly with me trying all manner of jigs changing every session.

Back to black, & thinking of dismantling a lot of my other jigs and refurbishing them to match.

 

[Hawnjigs]

It was inevitable that last week Friday finally got skunked on the river trying both tied jigs and the metal slab swim jig. So switched to fresh stockers in our trout lake which required a downsize in 1/16 jigs to a #8 instead of #6 hook, black head gray mink + a few strands of pearl Flashabou tied short & skinny. Since 10-12" stockers aren't challenging or exciting decided to try the river again yesterday with the same 4# stocker gear & downsize jig. Surprise surprise first cast off the most heavily fished stand in the heavily fished public access area stuck a bigun which was smart enuf to find a rock to rub and break the light braid main line. So switched to the usual for the river 8# gear tying on another same pattern downsize jig and after a lengthy session trying all available spots ended up with 2 nice ones and a few migrated stockers. Also missed 3 nice ones which dropped off almost to the net.

So the takeaway here was that what I thought was a depleted resource wasn't, just the remaining fish had gotten perhaps able to better distinguish real food from fake lures? Did the appearance change from fluffy black #6 to downsize gray mink + flash #8 may have been the different look that didn't trigger a familiarized alarm response?

And the lack of worm dunker crowds certainly helped, maybe allowing repopulation from inaccessible to casting areas of the river.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Winter is kicking in most days avoided due to frigid weather. Last river session Thanksgiving day was indeed thankful, temp hovered just a few degrees above freezing but the hot bite made it survivable. My area offers exceptional size (?) trouting opportunity so I've avoided posting catch sizes which might discourage those with lesser opportunity from posting, but since there have been zero replies on my recent trout topics here goes.

On the same single 1/16 #8 black ball head dark mink fur no flash jig nine "inchers" 16-19" and three "pounders" 5,7,12# the biggest best of the season so far. Don't need to post catch sizes again, but perhaps this might more clearly indicate the efficacy of the KISS jig. That same size 1" jig is also my choice targeting 12" stockers.

The pounders were caught from the same popular public access stand and the inchers further down river in permissioned private water.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I look forward to the local trout stockings they do in winter here. Mostly trout in the 8-14" range with a few brood stock lunker trout thrown in. I carry two rods with a darker jig on one and a baitfish pattern on the other and alternate between the two. I got out a couple days ago with temps about 35 degrees with lake half frozen and snow on the ground. Throwing 1/24 jigs with #8 sickles caught five in about a 15 minute window. Only bites I got before wet cold feet got the best of me. Wrong shoes to wear in the snow. In the past five years are so the best color for me has been a Bright green head with a black or olive hand tie. Trout love that bright green.

 

[Hawnjigs]

JJ1 ain't you got Winter boots? I just got below the knee rubbers for deep snow & shallow wading to supplement my insulated ankle boots..

Those are some nice fatties, never tried bright green since nowadays I mostly color heads with black or red nail polish. You must be using lighter line than my 8# braid?

I'm not sure tail color is critical, since your olive (& green) tie materials appear to work as well as my black or brown?

Past 2 river sessions 12 was again the magic # including a few pounders. Since the dam controlled river water flow has slowed for Winter with minimal broken weeds & debris decided to try JiggerJohn's Boolie design shank propeller on the black head 1/16 #6 hook dark mink fur 1" jigs and results were as good as it gets.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Had boots in truck but didn't bother to put them on. Winter started early here but I was fishing like it was fall. Dark colors are better for me when it comes to trout. The bright green head gets their attention and gets them chasing. Water is getting clear and see some following the jig and usually by letting jig drop deeper gets them to bite.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Never tried deep dropping to entice followers, as my river spots get shallower towards the bank, but I'll remember to try that when appropriate. What does work for me sometimes when close enuf to spot a follower is to uptick the jig retrieve from slow twitch to frantic escape jiggling.

Permissioned private river continues to produce, but already exploited formerly productive holds the trout wised up and declined to bite. Further away unfished (yet) holds delivered last outing with 13 nice inchers on 1/16 #6 black ball head black mink tie.

Trout very rarely second chance bite a jig they hit and missed, and apparently remember what stuck them previously for days. S'why I like to let holds rest for a week or so before revisiting.

1/24 #8 jigs on 4# gear are my choice for still water speshly if shallow, but river 8# gear requires minimum weight 1/16 jigs.

 

[Hawnjigs]

OK, last post attesting to the effectiveness & durability of short 1" mink fur jigs. Today going down river to some new (permissioned private riverfront) spots the same 1/16 #6 black mink jig as the aforementioned session got 15 nice inchers and 4 pounders making the total catch on a single jig 32 trout worth counting not including smaller stockers. The jig is still good to go for more fish but since most of the nail polish is worn off along with a fair amount of the fur fibers think I'll refurbish with a new Sally Hansen Black Diamonds head color job and mink fur tie.

Worth mentioning that my choice of hook Mustad 32833 2x remains in original condition.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Consistently windy from the west blowing straight down river which line bow excessively speeds up retrieve and hampers bite feel and hookset efficiency. Only spot reasonably fishable is a corner lake cove with wind at my back buffered by high banks right behind water's edge. Only opportunity is stockers which in 2 months have grown to a feisty 12-14". These smaller fish requires a downsize from 1/16 #6 to 1/24 #8 same short black mink fur tie. The art of jigcrafting is best served with creative adjustments & today a Boolie version #0 gold prop added to the aforementioned 1/24 #8 black mink jig got bit really well at least 20 stockers + a surprise 20" holdover. Dunno why but the #8 2x Mustad seems to stick & hold better than a #8 Matzuo Sickle. Honing down the hook barbs to a nub seems to hold fish on even on jumps and de-hooking is way EZer.

The 1/24 incher jig is adequate for moderate casting distance on 6# braid and totally outfishes guys throwing bigger lures and even worm dunkers. The #8 2x hook seems best choice for targeting stockers while retaining the capability to land em as big as they get. A new this season 4'6" UL Ugly Stik makes the fight feel of these smaller trout funner.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Update: The aforementioned lake cove got fished out a month ago so switched back to the river pool below the lake dam. Big fish are mostly gone but still provide an occasional bonus among the drop down 12-15" stockers which #s decline due to continual angler pressure still rewarded me 15 or so today better n nuthin since night temps are still too low and shut down canal flows negated walleye opportunity. Short black mink fur jig still a best choice tho off white has produced occasionally with 1/16 the better choice for decent casting & handling on 6# Daiwa J-Braid Grand than lighter or heavier. Best hook size remains a mystery with drop offs on #8, 6, & 4 annoying with no clear best choice.

Jig crafting remains a day to day mindful adaptation today testing a gold flashabou undertie below the black mink overtie. Got bit well enuf to shred the jig which I will shortly retie for tomorrow. The Flashabou exhibits a nice jiggle shimmer which bite results will be compared to pure fur.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Weekend test results: 1/16 #8 KISS black mink tie got bit & held fish better than 2nd round testing 1/16 #6 gold flash undertie. Unusually warm weather brought out the crowds but I did OK with a fair amount of stockers + 3 bonus holdovers. Search cast roaming daily enabled better knowledge of best holding areas.

For what its worth ending yesterday at the fished out highest pressure nearest to parking spot yielded 6 small perch on the now shredded KISS jig. Thats more than the total caught in many years in the lake + outflows system.