KISSing Winter Smallies

Hawnjigs

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Mar 23, 2010
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Ogallala, NE
Don't ice fish, so wait for warmup windows to access flowing open water. Been sunny enuf to melt some snow from south facing banks and in high 30s temps guide/line icing isn't an issue. Could see it coming earlier in the cold season, river trout appear to be fished out and a 6 mile RT hike few days ago only gave up a single 16".

So with no better choice, this is my first Winter in 8 yrs here targeting warm water species. Lakes & ponds are solidly capped, but luckily the canals are now open water till the next chill.

Altho the pearl BG Baby Shads have been producing a few smallies, occasional stray wally, & apparently hungry enuf to bite jigs carpsuckers or buffaloes (can't tell them apart yet) decided to go with my smallest castable on 4# braid 1/16 #6 plain black head black mink tie jig at 1" long. Canal water level remains low with 40-70 cfps outlet flow release compared to 1,000 during the warm season, so fish are holding in deeper pools generally below bridges.

2 bridges and a whole afternoon later 20 smallies mostly 12" + decent size 3 cats & a wally all jig biters.

Previous years brief cold season canal sessions were generally skunks so really glad to have discovered a reasonably productive open water Winter option. Since the fish are cold water (ice floating) inactive slow as possible retrieves and persistent repetitive casting are necessary to trigger the few biters.
 

hookup

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Nice job - any warm water discharges in the area you're fishing?
 

Hawnjigs

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The reservoir water source does have a power plant discharge into the middle of it, but in the canal floating ice ain't melting.

Tried a different area further down canal today and only got a single smallie on the same jig, and switching to a different color didn't work either. So guessing either yesterday's 2 productive bridge spots are special, or the bite can drastically change day to day ?
 
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hookup

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That's smallie fish'n for you.

In rivers they move around allot depending on the season. One day you can have a 100 fish day, the next day it's like "What happened?"
 

Hawnjigs

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Every jigging session can be a learning experience, for the moment anyway. Yesterday hit the canal with Tim who has a MASSIVE arsenal of store bought stuff. For example, his traveling 3 tier + bottom crank box is completely stuffed & I'd bet he's got lots more at home.

So, considering my success several days ago we revisited that spot. I suggested that UL gear & tiny jigs worked for me so luckily he brought along a 4# test gear option. Tim is a successful multi species do whatever it takes angler so he started with thumper tails & tube jigs without a bite during which time I got a few smallies, so he accepted my offer of an identical to mine 1/16 #6 plain ball head gray mink tie jig. The bite was slow but eventually he was pleasantly surprised that 2 wallys bit the tiny jig one an unusually chunky for the spot and time of year 19" which he decided to keep for dinner for himself and his gal. Surprisingly he got no smallies and I ended up with 6 + a 16" wally.

As for learning, maybe in Winter cold water the mostly inactive predators bite react better to slow, small, and drab because they are cautiously hesitant to bite something unnaturally bulky, colorful, or flashy? The mentioned gray mink jig was tied the night before with a lighter tin head than the previously successful black mink jig. Dunno, after hammering the spot for hours 2 days ago felt they needed to be shown something of different appearance and possibly slower moving?

So yup, bite may be slow in Winter but still possible to stick a few open water warm season species.

Tim remarked that the Victory #6 sickle hook was the sharpest he'd ever used, and was impressed the small hooks stuck & held his decent sized wallys.

Interesting that covered with snow in a plastic bin for several hours the keeper wally was still kicking when Tim got home.
 
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Hawnjigs

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Low water canal still ice free reservoir release 70-80 cfps. Still possible to catch a few yesterday 9 smallies and 3 carpsuckers which I finally positively IDed by differentiating the sucker down facing mouth and buffalo more forward facing. They both have chunky wide bodies and iridescent shiny scales.

Poor bite on previous session 1/16 #6 gray mink jig with only a single smallie but switching to a same size black mink jig was the ticket for the rest of the fish.
 

Hawnjigs

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Well, ain't gonna get bit staying home intimidated by snow, ice, & mud. Never used 1/32 heads before but poured some tiny plain balls with #4 2x hooks last nite, glued on bead collars, and pinned with 2" pearl BG Baby Shad. Figgered the light weight could enable slower retrieves than my usual 1/16 and hit my canal smallie spots today. Pleasantly surprised that the plastic pinned 1/32 jigs cast almost as far as 1/16 tied jigs on 4# red Power Pro with no line management problems.

First spot with the Baby Shad 6 smallies and surprisingly 2 wipers biggest a decent 3#. Next spot was kinda slow on plastic so switched to the proven 1/16 #6 black mink jig for 6 more smallies. Winter storm starting right now so won't be getting out again till hopefully Sunday depending on snow-ice accumulation. Plenty of time to tie up some 1/32 black mink jigs for a test drive.
 

hookup

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I've been taking 1/32 ball jigs with no collar, putting them into a vice, and pounding the head until it's flat

Yup - home made ned rig
 

hookup

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#4 and #6 black nickel little nasties chasing smallies

Think modified ned rig for a fraction of the price

It's all about the flutter on the drop
 

Hawnjigs

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Tried a 1/32 #8 dark brown mink jig yesterday thinking the lighter weight slow sink would be an advantage. Nope, no bites, switched to the usual 1/16 #6 black mink and altho slow eventually got 4 smallies + a bonus 20# carp. Good thing my 4# Power Pro and 4# tuff mono leader likely overtest & had my net along to reach over the rocky shore edge ice.
 
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Hawnjigs

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OK, posted this topic to share my efforts to catch warm water species from shore in Winter. Bout done, nothing more to add as it seems the black 1/16 #6 mink inch jig is the most productive and haven't been able to improve on it. Today was again slow but lucky to get 17 & 18" wallys + 3 smallies + a smaller catfish to bite that jig while the sometimes effective BG pearl Baby Shad was ignored.

Carp aren't very exciting fighters just gotta hold em till they tire out as they don't run very far. Still a nice change of pace from 12" smallies.

Next project is using the same light gear and jigs to target wallys at night at another spot starting hopefully end of this month.
 
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