Fish-Hawk.Net

Well it's Saturday night so you can bet it means only one thing - that's right...it's time for the Thursday Night Tip.

For walleye and smallmouth, ya have to like your points, but what is the best way to fish them? In this case, if you were to troll parallel to the shore, you'd be trolling in 25 to 40 feet of water, gradually rising to 10 to 15 feet deep as the point approaches.

Who likes fishing points? Even if they are not your first choice of structure to fish, what would you do?

I'll kick it off. I like three-way swivel rigs when I am drifting across the underwater hump that typically exists straight out from a point. If I'm using something like a floating jig head and minnow on the three-way, I hardly ever get hung up and if I do, it is usually the weight that I end up losing as opposed to the jig and minnow. Keeping the minnow about a foot off the botom seems to work well for me.

When summer comes and bass season opens, I like points for smallmouth. I like small texas-rigged worms retrieved real slow, or jigging tubes straight up and down underneath the boat as we drift over and over again across the front of the point. Small jigs and twistertail grubs are favourites for smallies in this spot as well. Be prepared with black or white tails.

Well I would first off troll a lindy rig with floating jig to see if there's any active fish in the area,if I get a hit I shoot out a marker then I would set up in the deep end (25' plus) and cast a jig into the shallow and jig it back to the boat incase there's a school of walleyes there

As I would have a Wally Diver on one rod, I'd try that first, casting across the point.

If no luck, I'd try a carolina slip sinker rigged with a worm with a trailer hook.

Steve G wrote:As I would have a Wally Diver on one rod, I'd try that first, casting across the point.

If no luck, I'd try a carolina slip sinker rigged with a worm with a trailer hook.

Hey Steve - you ever inflate a nightcrawler with air? That works real well when you want to keep a worm suspended a little off the bottom. Oh he'll still wiggle around, but he'll be a little fatter and juicier.

I used to blow up my worms all the time in Quinte.
I'd probably drift over this point a few times with a worm on a pink & white jig head.
Or I'd troll it with a bottom bouncer and a worm harness.

I'd definitely use jigs for smallies. (one jig that's always worked good for me is the black foxee jig by blue fox (i think))
casting a crank bait would get the real agressive fish for sure. for both species.

Have not tried the worm blower, but will give it a shot this weekend...

I'm learning every day from you guys...

Also for this point, for Bass I have had great luck with a Pink Jig, and a white Mr. Twister grub tail...had them hit as soon as the jig hits the water. Great Fun!

Some may also want to try injecting some scent into the worms to give a slick of additional attractor. In europe many people who fish with dead baits for pike inject fish oils and air into the bait for extra attraction and to lift the baits up slightly off leaves and branches etc...

I good trick when it is tough or you want to present a bait in a certain way.

Just to add to John's post- definitely add the scent! I've been fishing crappie the past few days and my Kick'nBass scented tubes have been outperforming live minnows and unscented tubes by a huge margin, both while jigging and deadsticking. Bonus 4lb. and 12 lb. pike, too, while no one else caught any.

CCB- won't leave home without his K'nB Garlic!

Steve G wrote:Have not tried the worm blower, but will give it a shot this weekend...

I'm learning every day from you guys...

Also for this point, for Bass I have had great luck with a Pink Jig, and a white Mr. Twister grub tail...had them hit as soon as the jig hits the water. Great Fun!

Just so I don't get myself in any trouble with these tips, I feel like I should warn you guys that when I am talking about inflating nightcrawlers, I am not talking about anything like artificial respiration - OK? Don't be doing anything that is best left for pieces of spaghetti or licorice. I know some of you guys will do anything to improve the bite, but in this case I was honestly talking about the Lindy Blower like in this tip...sheeesh!
http://www.fish-hawk.net/tips/LindyRig/lindy_pg.htm