Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest impact. I say this only because I have overlooked this idea a time or two while on the water. Since my father shared his passion for the outdoors with me at a young age he was able to teach me many life lessons I implement on a day-to-day basis. This fishing tip is no exception. My dad taught me how to finesse Walleye and other targeted fish using just a “hook and tail.” Not just any hook, however.
The Northland Fishing Tackle RZ Jig has the colors and the specifications that appeal to me beyond any other brand. One overlooked asset is the paint-free eyes where you tie your line saving you time and we all know how important that is when the fish are biting. Again, the little things. Another is the size of the actual hook. A lot of times the hook size itself on jigs are too short resulting in many missed hook sets because the fish only had a grab on the tail. Some hooks can be too long causing your live bait to “sag” on the hook resulting in an unattractive look to a selective fish. The RZ Jigs have great overall size for any of the weights that Northland provides. Lastly is the wide color selection, which is what catches most of our eyes. (No pun intended) I always challenge myself to match the colors with what the fish are currently feeding on or what would stand out in the given water color (clarity) I am fishing. Without bait on the hook, however, you won’t catch much. I prefer to use leeches and nightcrawlers. Recently I have tried the Northland Tackle Impulse Nightcrawler on a Butterfly Blade Spinner or bouncing it off the bottom with an RZ Jig and it has landed some nice fish.
Next time you find yourself struggling to land fish, put all your electronics and top-of-the-line lures aside and KEEP IT SIMPLE. Find yourself some weeds or structure and remember all those fishing stories our fathers and grandfathers told us usually came from a simple jig and worm combo.
By: Jimmy Treslley