What Size jigs and spoons do I need?

[christensonjes]

Heys Guys I am coming up for the first time at the end of the month. I have always fished crappies and sunnies during the winter. Never caught a walleye during the winter.

What size jigs and spoons should I be bringinb up? The jigs I have seem pretty small.

[luckydog25]

Go bigger, the crappies you can lip like a small mouth bass. The walleyes are most common in the 14-22 inch range. Also you risk them swallowing the smaller hooks and killing an over sized fish. Just my opinion. I would purchase some bigger sized glow ice fishing jigs (demons are my favorite) and bend the hook out a bit, and watch your bobber close. Good luck!!!

[Roscoe16]

I was up there this past Friday and caught most of my fish on a pink Gamakatsu hook and fathead.

Roscoe16

[Grainbelt]

My wife and I were up Wed. thru Sunday. Glow green out caught everything else 10 to 1. Small teardrop with a fathead about 1" off the bottom. Deadsticking caught about 90% of the fish. We had caught 5 crappies at the end of the road of the 5.6 mile turnoff on Saturday in 14 foot of water. Buddy came and plowed us out and said we should move to the main road because of the storm and wind coming. Thank you very much for plowing us out. The snow was about 3 foot deep where the road was and you could walk on it. With out these guys there would be no fishing out of a wheelhouse. We ended up moving to the end of the 6 mile road and got into some crappies again along with all the walleyes and perch. It was a great trip, see you guys in a month.

[The Donk]

For the size, common hook size on Red lake is a 4, dont go smaller than a 6 or you will not get decent hooksets. Also, get into a few jigging spoons with the trebles.

Good Luck and you are going to the right place to try for walleyes, you may not go back to pannies!

[CC Rocks]

Grainbelt you were only one inch off the bottom? I am surprised at your depth. I haven't ever fished that close to the bottom. I was up there a week ago and it was 6" to 12". Tip ups were 4' off bottom and were still nailing eyes. What jigs were you running?

[christensonjes]

Thanks Everyone! Cant wait to get up there!

[bak2MN]

The small hook issue of a fish swalloing the hook I hope you dont try to get the hook out with any size hook cut the line and rehook. The fish has alot better chance of survival. A hook isnt that expensive to replace. Just think of the money us as taxpayers spent to get the walleyes back into the lake.

BTH #4 or #6 is a good size as Grainbelt said the glow green grub did very well for us as well see my report in frind needs help.

[THEDOGG]

as far as what jig or spoons to use you could try the northland buckshot rattle spoon or a Angel eye and if you want to jig try a rapala or airplain jig a vexlar is helpful to see where the fish are but walleye and perch will be within a foot of the bottom

[Grainbelt]

CC I am not sure of the name of the jigs but they are a small teardrop shape in a glow green. We were setting the bait down with the Marcum and on the zoom setting there was just a fine crack between the bottom and the bait.

There is something else that lives on the bottom and steals bait. I think that they might be eating it off the hook. We had two rattle reels set up that kept getting the bait stolen and they never moved or made a sound. We would see the line bouncing like an active minnow would do but there was never any weight to it or anything there.

[Random guy]

There is something else that lives on the bottom and steals bait. I think that they might be eating it off the hook.

Runt perch, they peck and peck and peck at it until they have basicaly shredded the bait. These little guys hug the bottom and are very persistant, like rats persistant.

[lucas]

We were up there the other day and we cought all of our fish on buckshot spoons that glow green and glow green gemin eyes.

[kelly-p]

"We had two rattle reels set up that kept getting the bait stolen and they never moved or made a sound."

When the crappies are staying down low and biting light they'll take your bait and never move a rattle reel. Try putting a dead minnow on a light rod and when you feel any movement set the hook.

[Grainbelt]

Kelly, the crappies that we caught were very light biters that without sonar you would have no indication they were there. We would see them, feel the line and there would be a little weight there. Set the hook. Once again you are probably correct sir.

[steeplechaser2]

on our last trip, we had enough sonar in the house to run a small airport...and we needed it...sometimes even the bigger walleyes would be <6" off the bottom and just hang on it.....when we check our bobber lines, we had a few minnow MIA sporadically during the day and night....check those baits at least once an hour.....

[kelly-p]

"sir."

I've been called a lot of names in my life but Sir has very seldom if ever come up. It's usually [badWordUsage], [badWordUsage] or somthing along those lines

[groove]

Yea, don't call you sir as you work for a living..