tipping jigs

[redear]

just want to make a suggestion to those of you that at times would like to add something to their jigs for added attraction, for years me and some friends always used a small minnow or 1/2 a redworm etc. on the hook depending on weather we were trying for crappies or gills etc. but now we have been using crappie nibbles on our 1/32, 1/24 and 1/16 kiptail jigs when fished under a bobber, we have slowly been weaning off the live bait to the point where we hardly ever buy it anymore because we have just had too many good days on the nibbles. we use all sorts of colors and they all seem to work but our favorites are pink or green chart. and I have seen white work the best at times. alot of times when you first throw the jig and bobber out there it takes a minute for a new nibble to start dissolving and putting off it's scent cloud, and in the case of the white ones the cloud is visible, they take these small kiptail jigs like it is live bait and you don't have to hurry on setting the hook either. we catch crappies, bass, bluegill, yellow perch, fliers, small pikerel, heck everything in the pond and I have used these in several ponds and small lakes in my vicinity. just throwing it out there because they are so convenient and you don't have to worry about the worms or minnows dying etc.

 

[redear]

oh, forgot to mention, the guy I fish with has been using these pinky type kiptail jigs for 45 years and always used a live bait tipping, I talked to him the other day after he had a good day on the nibbles for tipping and he said no more live bait for him, and his buddies are slowly switching too. the first couple years I had these in my tackle box I didn't have any confidence in them and would hardly ever use them, things have changed.

 

[Bucho]

I´m very interested in canned tipping material. After several tests with scented flies, I find it most important that the bait is not too oily, sticking together the delicate feather material, especially marabou fluff. Since we have neither crappies nor crappie nibbles over here, I guess this trout pellet stuff is the closest to it?
https://www.google.de/search?q=berk...DQAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1517&bih=741&dpr=0.9
Can you recommend something that works and doesn´t smere? I have made good experience with berkley gulp alive grubs for my cod bucktailing, but they come at quite a price and don´t dissolve which makes tham hard to portion on smaller jigs. Too big a chunk of them will make the lure too stiff, causing problems on slow- or dead drift presentation.

 

[AtticaFish]

I have only used crappie nibbles a few times and was not all that impressed because i could not seem to keep them on the hook. I had only bought 1 jar of them..... they fell off frequently just by casting so never really tried them again. In general, how long can you keep a 'nibble' on a hook Redear? Maybe i had a bad jar?

One other option with the Gulp! juice, is to use a material that will absorb some of the juice. Certain chenille material absorbs it but other synthetic do not. If you can find thin leather or suede, cut them into small strips, tie them on to your jig as a trailer. They will have both action and absorb some of the juice. The skin from rabbit strips does work.

For tipping jigs with any bait in general, there are certain times when i always will use bait and others when it is simply not needed at all. Even on days where i figure we will need to have bait to get bit, we try fishing for a little while without at first. Maggots, waxworms or crawler pieces on inland lakes...... crawlers or minnows on Erie.

 

[jiggerjohn]

I rarely tip my "woolie jigs" but find if I soak these little wool/satin combos in corn juice for trout or carp, that the wool absorbs& distributes this scent quite well. Also dabbing the wool center in fresh caught fish blood (or even my own!) really does the trick! However, last Fall in the ocean bays of the Outer Banks, my son & tipped our woolies with tiny specks of a big selling product called "Fishbites" (http://fishbites.com/ ). This stuff comes in strips which can be cut down easily to fit any size jigs, a single piece will last for hours even during a strong bite, is odorless (to us) ,no mess at all, many colors available (we used red "bloodworm") and requires no real safe keeping. Tho primarily a saltwater product, I used em on our home base trout and they worked extremely well !

 

[Lost Pole]

Russ,
Empty the jar on a piece of paper in the sun for a bit when you get em. They stay on better.
OR
bake em in oven a bit
Can even sprinkle a "super secret" scent over em bf baking.

 

[plateboater]

Similar to jiggerjohn but I am dipping the woollies in the gulp minnow juice! From the small jars

 

[redear]

yeah, they wouldn,t be that great for casting and retrieving, too soft for that.

 

[Ron Don]

For crappie, I've never found anything better to tip a jig with than a big ole live minner! We tried feeding fish off a friends dock some nibbles. When it hit the water they would swim up to it but never eat it. Dropped corn they ate it. Bread they ate it. Crackers they ate. Crickets they ate it. Minners they went nuts. This turned me off the nibbles but there's tons of folks that feel differently.

 

[StumpHunter]

I rarely tip my "woolie jigs" but find if I soak these little wool/satin combos in corn juice for trout or carp, that the wool absorbs& distributes this scent quite well. Also dabbing the wool center in fresh caught fish blood (or even my own!) really does the trick! However, last Fall in the ocean bays of the Outer Banks, my son & tipped our woolies with tiny specks of a big selling product called "Fishbites" (http://fishbites.com/ ). This stuff comes in strips which can be cut down easily to fit any size jigs, a single piece will last for hours even during a strong bite, is odorless (to us) ,no mess at all, many colors available (we used red "bloodworm") and requires no real safe keeping. Tho primarily a saltwater product, I used em on our home base trout and they worked extremely well !

I ordered two packs of the Fishbites and plan to try them when I start bream fishing next month. Will report on how well they work for tipping the small jigs.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Is there anyone else that doesn't tip or dip on the principle that adding an organic attractant to a jig is actually bait fishing?

 

[fishindad]

I tip when the bite is slow. When the bite is finicky, it makes a big difference. I am not a purist though. I like to catch fish.

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[redear]

yeah it depends on how you fish, casting and retrieving you don't need it but fishing under a cork around cypress trees it really helps. and I have seen many days when the nibbles outfished the minnows.

 

[LedHed]

Like using crickets - for the added weight for casting - and slow sink rate.

 

[huttaroo]

Im a worm man - I actually have worms.
I keep a large ice chest as a worm bed and keep them going all year. Being as I fish from a canoe, I dont have much room for fooling around with minnows. Worms get the nod.

I have tried both the much lauded Gulp! products and the Crappy Nibbles - and both have left me flat. The only fish Ive had to really go for them were large shiners. It was alot of fun to catch them, but they will bite most anything small and "nibbly." So the jury is still out.

Ill keep trying these bottled baits, but I usually bring along some worms to hedge my bets.

 

[goodtimesfishing]

I like the sounds of the fishbites! However we are not allowed to use bait or scent on the river I fish. Not allowed to have barb on your hook either. It is what they call selective gear rule. However if allowed I would want to give fishbites a try....sounds like great stuff.

 

[Jig Man]

Is there anyone else that doesn't tip or dip on the principle that adding an organic attractant to a jig is actually bait fishing?

Your statement is true, but I have been known to tip with a shinner... But not very often.

 

[huttaroo]

Is there anyone else that doesn't tip or dip on the principle that adding an organic attractant to a jig is actually bait fishing...

I resist baiting on principle, for that reason.

I know a lot of guys who sing the praises of some special jig or fly... Only to then admit they were tipping with "organics."
That's when I point out, "...it's just a fancy hook. You can't announce that your jig caught bunches of fish - if you're hanging a night crawler or cricket off the thing! If you praise an artificial bait, then THE LURE must be the sole part of the fish catching equation!"

As you might imagine, this has started a few heated discussions. These usually end with them saying, "well... I do what works for me."
Knowing a losing battle when I see one, I usually nod and just say, "Of course."

At the same time, my principles are "flexible" when it comes to catching fish. I DO tip with bait if that's what is working. What I'm also gonna do is say so, and not give the impression the jig was doing all the catching.

 

[Bucho]

I´m still having some real-life issues on this topic here at the moment. I´m about to come up with the first true lure for the small-mouthed, invertebrate-feeding european flat fish we have. The only confirmed case of this jig outfishing bait comes from a guy who admits adding "just a snip" of worm to the tip for scent....

Problem with the flounder bait is not the purism among anglers but the availability. Lug- and sandworm are expensive, hard to come by and won´t last more than a weekend. A reliable lure or at least a lure/canned scent combination would be a real gamechanger.

 

[huttaroo]

I´m still having some real-life issues on this topic here at the moment. I´m about to come up with the first true lure for the small-mouthed, invertebrate-feeding european flat fish we have. The only confirmed case of this jig outfishing bait comes from a guy who admits adding "just a snip" of worm to the tip for scent....

Problem with the flounder bait is not the purism among anglers but the availability. Lug- and sandworm are expensive, hard to come by and won´t last more than a weekend. A reliable lure or at least a lure/canned scent combination would be a real gamechanger.

What do these fish feed on? Most of the lures I've seen the Baltic guys making resemble shrimp.