Shooting Jigs

I went to the Boat show last night and met my friend Jack Jones who is from Lake Weiss. He always brings some big fresh crappie with him each year. This is his twenty-fifth year coming to the show. Because of cancer, he has sold out his camp down there and is now crappie guiding. I fished with him ten years ago and he has always been so helpful when teaching how to catch crappie. He reminds me of Elwood when it come to helping people understand the finner points of catching fish. He was telling stories about him and Billy Westmoreland fishing for crappie down on Dale. Jack said he had fished all morning and had one crappie when he met up with Billy. Jack said he was having trouble finding crappie, and Billy said he was not fishing in the right places. So that afternoon he and Billy fish together, and Billy was skipping crappie jigs up under docks and catching lots of crappie by doing so. Jack said he watch Billy time and time again skip the jig under the docks but he just could not get the hang of it. If you have ever tried to skip a jig you will see how hard it is. You can skip a fluke really well if you don't have any weight on it but if you add weight it becomes much harder to skip.

Well, Jack said he tried and tried but just couldn't do it. So being frustrated, he just laid down on the boat and threw the jig by hand up under the dock. He said after a few hours of that he was one sore guy. After he got home being a bow hunter, he started to think how he could relate shooting a bow to shooting a jig. Twenty some years ago he deveopled the "shooting technique" to shoot jigs under docks. Now he can put a crappie jig into a coke bottle 15 ft away. This technique can also be used to shoot jigs under docks for bass.

Jack now cappie guides on Lake Weiss and has become an expert on trolling techniques for crappie. Like Dave Stewart, he is a great guy when it comes to educating. At this point, I guess I should try to explain the shooting technique before you ask. You need a 5 ft medium action rod, even though a 6 ft willl work, with an underspin reel if fishing for crappie. You can use an open-faced reel, but you must get use to the spinning reel of choice. The 5 ft rod with the underspin reel is ideal for crappie with this technique. Use a 6 lb test line and your favorite crappien grub jig. Pull enough line out down to the last eye on rod next to the reel. If you are right handed, grab the hook with the hook point pointed away from your hand. If you don't, you will soon realize why. Point the rod straight out "level" at your target in front of you. Then take the jig between the index finger and thrumb and pull the jig down "under" your rod, not to either side, until you "bow" the rod. Aim, let go of the jig a split second before you let go of the reel trigger and the jig will shoot out in a very low projectory across the water surface. All you have to do now is practice to develop accuracy. You will be supprised how far and accurate you can become with this technique. You can not skip a lure anywhere near the distance and accuracy you can with the shooting technique.

If you get the chance, stop by and say hellow to Jack if you are at the Boat Show. He is one class act.