Arizona Lake Fishing

After a long summer and hundreds of anglers throwing in spinners, the bass get wise and a jig could be just enough to land that big one. Swimming a jig takes a little fineness and technique to get the presentation just right for a strike but after reading this post you’ll be casting it in like a pro.

The key to swimming a jig for a big bite is all about presentation and how to attract a bite. You want to pay attention to color, the bite (if you’re getting any), your retrieval speed and most importantly setting the hook.

Jig Swimming Tips: Pay attention to the bite.

1. If the bass is inhaling the jig, make no adjustments and keep hauling them in.
2. If they seem to be just nipping at the end of the jig, make a change with your trailer. It’s possible you could be getting the wrong action from your jig.
3. If they are following your jig but not striking, make a complete change in color. If you’re using a dark jig, switch to a bright color with a flash.

Jig Swimming Tips: Pay attention to presentation.

1. Hold your rod tip at about 10 o’clock.
2. Vary your speeds by dropping and ripping through cover.
3. Be sure to set the hook properly. Once you feel that bass on your line give it a good rip back and set the hook before he even knows what hit him. Make it one smooth motion.

Using a drop shot can be tricky at times especially when you don’t know when or where to use it. But a drop shot can be one of the most effective rigs in your tackle box when used properly. Here in Arizona, our fishing lakes can be pure rock bed, making using a drop shot rig a little difficult but we have some tips for this as well.

Once you learn the ways of rigging a drop shot, you’ve won half the battle.

Where to Use a Drop Shot Rig Fishing Arizona Lakes

• Drop shot works best in deep water where the fish are suspended just off the bottom. Look for deep points, beds, and humps with a smooth surface work best.
• You can also work a drop shot in shallow rockpiles, around docks and artificial habitats, so popular in our Arizona lakes.
• Also try weedy areas. Just be sure to rig your line with a weedless hook.
• The key is to focus on where you think fish will be holding.

When to Use a Drop Shot Rig Fishing Arizona Lakes

• The drop shot works best when bass are suspended because you can vary the length of the leader and put your bait right in front of them.
• The best times of year for suspended bass is during the fall and spring spawn.
• If the bass seem spooky from a lot of fishing action, give them a drop shot. This may cause interest with a different approach.

How to Use a Drop Shot Rig Fishing Arizona Lakes

• Use a slow presentation. The longer you can keep that bait in front of them the more likely they are to strike.
• Use the drop shot in deeper water. This allows you to drop the bait right in front of them.
• Give the bait a little wiggle action. Just give your rod tip a little shake. This is more effective than any other rig.
• When using in shallow water, keep your rod tip high to bring the bait further off the bottom. The higher the angle, the more distance between the bait and the bottom.

Spinners can be used to catch bass in just about any weather or water temp or time of year. Tournaments can be won fishing a spinner. They’re a great lure for spring and fall when the bass are feeding heavily as well as in winter when the water is cold. You can also fish them in the warmer waters of summer and just buzz them by the fish to entice them to bite.

It’s a good idea to keep several spinners in your box and keep spare blades and skirts on hand so you can test the waters and see what’s biting. But the go-to spinner in my box is always a 3/8th ounce spinnerbait with a #5 willowleaf and #3 Colorado blade. Have one of each in gold and silver. A chartreuse and white skirt and a 3″ white curly tail trailer.

Spinners in Warm Water

Warm water, at and above 60 degrees, means fast retrievals. When the water is warm, run the bait just under the surface fairly quickly until the blade just brakes the water. Then slow down and let the skirt flare.

When the water is warmer, and the feeding is slower, speed up your retrieval and try for reaction strikes by buzzing it right by the bass and letting it brake the water’s surface.

Spinners in Cool Waters

Cool waters, bellow 60 degrees, you want to slow it down. Use a heavier spinner, around 1/2 once. Get heavier and slower as the water gets colder. The added weight will allow you to fish deeper and slower.

Tips for Using Spinners

1. The clearness of the water will tell how quickly to run your lure. In clearer waters you can run it fairly fast but slow it down in murky waters.
2. Try bigger blades. Up to a #7 blade has caught fish and was a popular method a few years ago and still catches fish.
3. Try different colors of skirts and trailers if the fish aren’t biting.
4. Attach the lure with a clip and swivel to allow for quick and easy changing.

Spinners are one of my favorite lures. They are easy to use, easy to fish and you almost never lose a fish on one. The big hook seems to keep them on the hook effectively.

A Palomar Knot is commonly used in fishing and is a popular knot to tie when using a drop shot rig for bass fishing.

How to tie a Palomar Knot

1. 
   With 4 to 6 inches of line make a loop. Pass the loop through the hook eye.
2. 
   With double line tie a loose over hand knot. Leave the hook hanging at the bottom.
3. 
   Hold your overhand knot between your thumb and forefinger and pass the loop over the hook.
4. 
   Tighten down the knot by pulling the line and the tag end. Trim the tag end once tight.

Photo: Marabou Jig

Bellow you’ll find a how to step-by-step guide for tying a classic marabou jig. These are excellent jigs for fishing in freshwater around Arizona. Marabou jigs are especially good at catching trout, shad and crappie.

Small marabou jigs are great for catching crappie because the smaller jig will stay in the strike zone longer, where a larger jig can be used while trolling. Last week’s article I talk about using a Ford Fender for trolling. At the end of the Fender you want to add a lure. This would be a perfect use of a marabou jig.

How to Tie a Classic Marabou Jig

You will need:

• heavy duty thread and bobbin
• fly tying vise
• fly head cement
• zap a gap CA
• sharp x-acto knife
• jig heads
• marabou

Tying a Classic Marabou Jig

1. Add a small drop of zap a gap behind the head of the jig.
2. Wrap your thread over the zap a gap and down the shank of the jig (about 1/8″)
3. Now spin the hook up side down and bring the thread as close to the head as possible.
4. Take a piece of Marabou, pinch the end of the quill with your fingertip and run it down the feather to the tip.
5. While the feather is still pinched, lay it down onto the shank of the jig.
6. Leave a tag near the head so that you can pull the feather later in the process. Wrap the feather with 3 semi-tight wraps close to the head of the jig. You’re too tight if you can not pull the feather. You need to unwrap and do it again.
7. Pull the tag until the tip of the feather is about 1/2″ from the bed of the hook.
8. Now that your feather is in place, you’ll want to add several tight wraps to hold the feather in place.
9. Trim off the tag with your X-acto knife.
10. Rotate the jig back into normal position.
11. Add several more tight wraps.
12. At 1/8″ from the back of the jig head, start your finishing wraps and wrap towards the head.
13. Tie your knot and add a layer of head cement.

Time to Assess Your Tackle Box

It’s that time of year again. Time to go through all you tackle, chuck the bad and keep the good. You just can’t head out to the water and not know what you have and what you are going to use.

One thing to keep in mind is that as the pre-spawn grows closer there are some baits that offer advantages over the others. For example, crank baits. Fall fishing with cranks are far different from pre-spawn fishing with crank baits in the spring. In the fall, the crank is used to match the size of the baitfish, but in pre-spawn the size makes no difference.

It’s All About the Action

During the pre-spawn, all you need to focus on is the action. Flat-sided crank baits are the masters of action at short distances and are ideal for the pre-spawn season. With a flat-sided crank, you get immediate movement upon entering the waster which is needed during the spring spawn.

Advantages of Flat-Sided Crank Baits

• immediate action to catch the fish
• More movement over other baits especially round crank baits
• Allows more precision and accuracy with your cast
• Less likely to be effected by the current

There are many things we keep in our tackle boxes from old pieces of rubber to new fishing lures still in the box. Mine seems to be getting bigger and bigger each new season and it needs a cleaning so I have more room for what I need – more lures.

But before you clean out your tackle box here is a list of must haves so you know you have at least the essentials before you go out again.

1. Water – Bring as much fresh, cold drinking water as possible. It doesn’t take much time for the Arizona sun and dry heat to dehydrate an angler. Pay attention to your body. Dehydration can come on quick with the intense Arizona heat. You know your body best so you must be the judge on whether you are maintaining hydration. For me, I know that when I begin to get a mild headache, I need some shade and I wasn’t getting enough water.
2. Sunscreen – Highest priority in Arizona, next to drinking water, sunscreen is a must and even more so if you will be around water. The reflecting sun light off the water’s surface is even more intense than the sun alone. Nothing can ruin a day of fishing in Arizona like forgetting your sunblock. I purchased a tube of sunscreen just for my tackle box so I will never forget it again because an Arizona sunburn is not an experience I want to repeat. Get the highest SPF possible with both UVA and UVB protection.
3. Asprin – Nothing can ruin a day of fishing like a headache. Put a few tablets and maybe any other medicines you might need in a small container like an empty film container.
4. Water Proof First Strike Matches – You never know when you will need a fire whether for emergency or to keep warm or both. First strike matches are just that, they light on the first strike. They will burn longer than normal matches giving you enough time to get the fire started. They are more resistant to the wind and won’t be blown out as easily as normal matches or a lighter.
5. Knife – Get a good strong knife that won’t rust. I prefer a stainless steel pocket knife. A good knife is a must have for any outdoor adventure but especially useful when fishing. One nice blade can cut bait, open aluminum cans, cut line, clean and fillet fish and many other routine fishing tasks. Some knives have been designed just for anglers and come with a scaling blade and a hook remover.
6. Small Knife Sharpener – Cleaning a fish with a dull knife is a waste of time and you end up just ruining the fish. A whetstone is too heavy and bulky to keep in a tackle box. But a simple knife sharpener will do the trick. You can pick one up at a kitchen supply store. It’s small, light and will get the job done nicely. I have one that came with my fillet knife and it works great. It’s about the size of a half dollar and made of light weight plastic.
7. Needlenose Pliers – A good leatherman will get this job done but they always seem too bulky for me so I just go with your standard needlenose from the hardware store. I also look for pliers that have a cutting feature like wire cutters, a rubber surface on the grip and a grooved mouth that can grab hold of a hook without slipping. Pliers are useful tools for fishing. They can smash a splitshot, crimp leaders, remove hooks from you and the fish, and several other useful tasks.
8. Snips – These are miniature scissors, about 2-3 inches in length. I use these to trim my line while rigging. They have become quite useful because they are quicker and easier to use than a knife. They are helpful when cutting open a bag of plastics, trimming skirts on lures, opening a bag of chips with one hand and many other uses.
9. Toilet Paper – Nature calls, right. You need it when you need it and nothing is a very good substitute. Keep a generous portion in a ziploc bag in your tackle box. It also will come in handy for starting a fire or wiping your hands off after applying sunscreen.
10. Extra Fishing Line – I did run out of fishing line one time and it won’t happen again.

It’s a good idea to always tie on a split ring, swivel or clip in front of your lure. This will help improve the action of the lure and lessen the time it takes to change out lures. It also works best for any lure that needs to move at the end of your line such as crank baits, spinner baits and top waters.

If you’re like me, I’m sure you’re wondering which one is better for certain situations. I’ve had experiences where I almost lost a catch or a lure because the clip came open. But we continue to use that clip or split ring because we like the convenience of the quick switch of the lure that a clip or split ring allows.

Which one is best for what?

Use Swivels:

• On flukes or other soft jerk baits
• On rigs like the Carolina rig
• Use on a light line – 10 pounds or less
• Do not use on baits. Try a loop knot instead

Use Snaps:

• On a light line – 10 pounds or less – with crankbaits
• On spoons with a light line
• When you need more movement
• When you need to change out lures fast
• Use on baits

Use a Split Ring:

• On all topwater plugs
• On all crankbaits
• On all spoons
• Use on baits

Whatever your choice, use a method that works for you and that won’t lose a fish! Also keep a little bag of each in your tackle box just in case you need them.

Z-ray – A brand name of heavy spoon typically used in trout fishing.

wooly worm, or wooly bugger – A popular type of wet fly often used by fly anglers fishing lakes.