Okay,

I have an idea for catching trout that you may want to try, if you haven't already. I regularly fish for Steelhead and Salmon using jigs and floats, usually in the 1/8 oz variety. On just about every trip I end up catching a nice cutthroat or two, and on a recent trip I even got two big 4-5lb Dollies, on jig and float.

Last weekend I floated the Yakima to try specifically fishing for trout with some "micro jigs". These are jigs in the 1/16-1/32 oz size. I was fishing in a selective rules area, so no bait was allowed, nor was scent. I ended up hooking a few rainbows on the 1/32oz jigs, all in the top of the mouth near the snout. I know that jigs will work in moving water. Here are some jigs in different sizes from 1/32 to 1/8th oz.

So here is my revolutionary idea. Ready? Okay. Tie up a few of these micro jigs using the Gamakatsu pre-poured jigheads in the smallest weight available. Use chenile, or even the chenile pipecleaners available at the craft store if you don't have a fly vise, for the body and then, here's the revolutionary part, smear your powerbait on the chenile, but don't cover the hook. Wet the jig first so the chenile will keep the powerbait on the jig shank so you don't have to use those tiny size 14 trebles. Next, fish these "sinking" powerbait rigs under a float within two or three feet of the surface. Here is what one looks like, ready to fish.



This technique should work during the very early season when the stockers are near the surface. You can adjust this technique for later in the season by using slip bobbers to probe the deeper depths.

Forgive me, Zen, for co-mingling fly tying, jig fishing AND powerbait. The shame of it all, I know. I am still trying to perfect my "powerbait" fly. I think it will involve spawn sac netting, but I'll get there.

Let me know of this works, cause My boys nd I will try it come opening weekend.

Andy

i've fished power bait under a bobber before, but this idea never occured to me!

great idea

I don't normally use bait anymore, but the few times a year I do (usally opening day when fishing with kids), I try different things. What was hot for us last year fishing just after midnight was slow tolling small jigs with tips of work or coated in powerbait. I started out doing this and the other 2 were trying rapalas and pop gear. After I quickly started out fishing them, they all swithed to this technique. We tried it another time with no bait or scent - just slow trolling the jigs and applying some slight jigging motion and did almost as well.

I first saw jigs used for trout at big bear lake in southern ca. the trout hug the front of the dam , which is only 100ft across, so the guys there will use a miro jig 20 to 80 ft below a slip bobber. you just cast your bobber at the damm(smack) and free spool while your jig sinks. I have used this method in a lot of places since then and it really works. try steep cliffs near shore and big drop offs at the end of sangy flat beaches with grass beds on them. there was a articale in the cal. game and fish about a guy who does nothing but miro jigs in small mountian streams for big trout and browns. I cant remember the month publisted. tom

Dogfish -
The use of jigs for trout have been around for quite sometime. I remember the world record brown trout (about 40# - maybe still the record) was caught on a crappie jig on the White River in Arkansas.

Bottom line all trout (lakers to stream rainbows) love jigs.

If you are serious you might try tying some up in blacks, browns, and olives in the smaller sizes - fair copies of the small insects trouts normally eat. On the smaller size marabou may have better action. A visit to your local fly shop will provide all kinds of ideas for materials to try. Don't forget to pinch the barbs down if going to places like the Yak.

Tight lines
Smalma

Andy...Andy... Andy...,

Powerbait on jigs.... dang... you are gonna go to hell and I'm not going to be able to save you!!! <tsk...tsk...tsk... and all that other kind of stuff>

What really gave me a grin about all of this was the line you put in your original post where you knew I'd write something about this.

Back when I was playing around with Dr. Juice's scents I was putting it on lures and some ...ah... er... well.... flies <downward look>. Yep, I've done this too.

What I found was that for me it didn't work and the downside was it caused the marabou tails to get all sticky and stuck together until I was able to get them cleaned out again. Eventually I gave it up as it didn't help me to catch any more fish.

But, I would think it would really work on little jigs suspended under bobbers. We used to use that method for fishing for crappie on the east coast. Bet the addition of powerbait to your chenille bodies would work great.

Uh... me and the wife were using Lemon Twist, Rainbow, Glitter Orange and other colors over at the seep lakes last weekend. Weather wasn't conducive to good fishing, but it was fn to get out camping and let the dog run.

hey, DOGFISH, thanks for triggering some brainstorming and recollections.

Hmm...I'm thinking black micro jigs for Lenore cutts...I think this idea is worth some exploration!

Thanks Andy, good stuff!

Nice jigs, I need to learn how to tie my own.

Buying them has got rather expensive.

Kurt,

I can attest that the black jigs work on Lahontans, think all black weighted leeches.

Zen,

I figured I'd head you off at the pass. By the way, no bobbers, I use floats or "indicators". Bobbers sounds so, .........Walmart. Indicator is much more dignified.

i use micro-jigs alot in low and clear (on the rivers)instead of going to dark colors right away and i do well with them. i do catch alot of suckers and whitefish on them though.

In the late 80's I was playing around on a BC lake with 2 inch black rubber grubs on a small jig bounced across the lake bottom.

They work.

We were trying to see what trout wouldn't bite on. Later I figured they were taking that little grub as a leech.