Rum River - Favorite Bait?

[CRET]

I love to use 1/16 oz. jigs(black) tiped with a crawler or Fat head Minnow. 1/8 Jig also, Gren and Black are killers for me. I hand tie my Jigs for the river! What works for you guys?

Cret

[EBass]

I like those sizes as well. Crankbaits work well sometimes. So do jerkbaits. The pike like tubes!

[Daze Off]

Geez, I use spinnerbaits (white/chartreuse), carolina rigs, and jig/plastics (3/8 and 1/2 oz) in black/blue and craw patterns....this year I'm going to try more buzzbaits and propbaits.

1/16 oz? Isn't that a crappie jig?

Daze Off

[CRET]

Daze, I hand tye Marabou jigs also put a little secret in them, Tip with Fat head minnow, and throw at the shore or vertical jig, see what you get. It works awsome, Smallies, Walleye's, rockies, and of coarse, Northern.

Cret

[Daze Off]

CRET - have to give that one a try - thanks for the tip!

Daze Off

[EBass]

OK 1/16 maybe bit a bit too small, but that may do the trick when it's clear. I normally use 1/8 to 1/4 depending on the current. I'm talking about a jig and twister tail.

For a bass jig 1/4 - almost an ounce if the current is real strong.

I used to only toss spinnerbaits back in the day. (8 yrs ago) and caught some real nice bass, but I haven't had much sucess in recent years. I always have one rigged though:)

Last year I turned into a jig guy. Now I can't stop. I also like plastics a lot, and I put them on a jig too. See it's contagious

[Daze Off]

EBass -

I was watching what Hank Parker was using in that show from the Rum - 1/2 oz Manns Stone Jigs with auger tail plastic trailers thrown way back into cover (wood). Was killing the smallies in the 16-20" range. From what I could tell he never went more than 1-2 miles in either direction from the Anoka landing.

I bought a couple small buzzbaits and a tiny torpedo to try on the Rum this year.

I hear you on the jigs - VERY fun way to fish! Another fun one is 1/4 - 3/8 round ball head jig with 3-4" curly-tail grub (Yamamoto or Kailin seem best) swum very slowly (at least in the late fall).

We should hook-up sometime and hit the river....

Daze Off

[CRET]

I use 1/16 oz. when current allows me, seems to get me different varieties. I use the 1/8 Black jig head with black feathers also. I have caught multiple 16-20" Smallies out of the Rum. My Biggest Walleye was a 26" out of the Rum. All caught on hand tied Jigs. I know There are State record Red Horse Suckers in the Rum, I just havn't known how or where to record them. Very fun to catch from shore. (red Horses)

Cret

[EBass]

Hank Parker was on the RUM? I never saw that show. I did see that show People Who Fish with Billy and Bobby something and they had on Al Linder going for smallies on the sippi. I thought that was pretty cool.

We'll get together one of these days.

[Daze Off]

EBass - I recorded the Hank Parker show and you can clearly see the smoke stack, the railroad bridge, the concrete overlook down toward the dam, and several distinctive overhanging trees/wood piles so it is definately the Rum although he does not identify it as such.

I saw the one you are talking about too and it was on Rice Lake in Brainerd - another one of "my" spots - I've seen the Lindner boys out there a time or two. Awesome fall smallie spot.

Daze Off

[Bassboy1645]

I used to fish the rum a few years back and this is what we did. 1/32 ounce jig and a hair sized piece of crawler to catch bait. Hold ur rod like a cane pole and dip this little rig in the rapids. Not sure what kind of minnows they were but we called em redtails cause of you guessed it the tails. Some kind of suckers though. use the smaller minnows hooked through #6 hooks for 'eyes and bigger minnows for bass, northern, and whatever else swims the river. Cast to the head of a pool and let the bait drift in and circle in the pool. most of the time ur line just tightens or goes tick when u get a bite. Just flip your bail open and give em about 3 to 4 feet of line. Slowly reel this up and when ur ready stick em. Northerns hit it faster and usually rip the line off. Good luck!!!!!!!

[Johnnie15]

What is the best technique for the high water periods? I have been out 5-6 times already this year and I have only had one bite that got off at the boat.

[EBass]

When the water is this high it's real hard to fish. It's too muddy. You'd think close to shore, but everywhere looks like it could hold a bass. I struggle when it's this high to. Wait a couple more weeks till it drops a couple feet. Well if it drops with all the rain we keep getting.

[Lunker]

I've only fished the Rum once, but I caught all the bass with a little crawfish shaped and colored crankbait.(Forget what the name of it is but the make em to look like craws, bugs, frogs, etc.)

[EBass]

Lunker, I think Rebel is the brand.

[Lunker]

Yea, that's it

[Johnnie15]

I made it out after work on Friday and the smallies were biting pretty well. Nothing too big, but it was fun to finally get a couple in the boat. Thanks for the tips.

[riverwader]

Has anyone heard about the Rum being a no wake zone all the way from the fair grounds to 7th? I was out a month ago and got a tongue lashing from a resident, I only saw the signs south of bunker so I thought I was clear north of bunker bridge.

[EBass]

Yup the whole county of Anoka is no wake on the Rum. It's gotta be like 4-5 miles of no wake. If you make it up far enough there is a big ol sign that says "Ending of no wake zone" Too bad it takes 1.5 hours putzing upstream to get there. Now that the water is low big boats prolly can only go up 2 miles.

And at the Anoka county fairgroud lauch there is a sign posted that states that residents can take a picture of you on wake and send it in to the CO. Then comes a huge ticket in the mail. A few years ago like 8 or so my buddy got tagged there. $195 dollar fine. OWE!

[rockingroy]

I've fished the Rum twice, south of Milaca. The first time I used sucker minnows (about 4") and caught 3 northerns (two over 30") in 45 mins. The next day I caught 3 more (19-26") and my wife caught a 3/4 lb sunnie on a leach. The next time I got skunked and my wife caught one 8" smallie. The river was very low the second time compared to the first and that may say alot about our luck, but several nearby residents said they had never seen a sunnie caught there before.