As winter blankets, and blankets, and blankets the region with snow, it is becoming more apparent that it will be a long season indeed. That’s not a bad thing if you need some time to get your tacklebox ready for one of open water’s early quarries – prespawn slab crappies! If you remember the excitement of picking huge specks out of the reeds in April, those memories of last spring should spark your efforts at the vise!

Once active crappies are found, a quality crappie jig is all that is required to catch them. I don’t recall an outing in the past year where I needed live bait to haul in a dinner’s worth of crappies; they all came on custom crappie jigs and doll flies which are easily replicated at home. What follows is a tutorial on how to make your own custom crappie jigs for use on your favorite water. From here, you can tie walleye jigs, bass jigs, or big bucktail jigs for pike – just let this column serve as a gateway to a winter full of fun lure-making projects!

Custom Crappie Jig Materials (Figure 1):
Jig – 1/16 ounce jig, with no barb or collar
Thread – 6/0 to match pattern
Body – Medium Chenille
Tail – Marabou and Krystal Flash

In this example we’ll be tying up a jig with a chenille body and marabou tail with Krystal Flash accent. I’ve included some pictures of other modifications and combinations that you can put together as well. Use this pattern as a guide and then test the limits of your imagination.

Secure the jig in your vise and form a base layer of thread next to the head (Figure 2). Take a pinch of strung marabou and tie it on the top of the hook shank, wrapping several times along the shank to secure the material to the hook (Figure 3). You can shorten or lengthen the marabou tail by using a shorter or longer pinch of marabou.

Rotate the vise and select another pinch of marabou the same length as the first. Tie it in on the bottom of the hook as you did the first portion (Figure 4). Once completed, wrap the marabou down firmly, forming a thread bed. Select a couple strands of Krystal Flash material to accent your marabou tail. In this instance, I’m using silver.

Pinch the Krystal Flash strands on either side of the hook shank and tie them in place securely. They should run down the middle of the marabou tail. Wrap the tail materials into place one more time and advance your thread about half way down the hook shank (Figure 5). Apply head cement to the tied-down area to secure the marabou and Krystal Flash in place.

At this point, cut a four-inch piece of medium chenille to wrap around the hook in order to form the body. You should be able to pinch and scrape one end clean, revealing the string in the middle of the chenille. Tie the chenille in by this string, advancing your thread right up to the jig head (Figure 6).

Wrap the chenille evenly up the hook shank, each wrap sitting against the other, until you reach the head of the jig. Tie down the tag end of chenille with the thread several times near the jig head and trim the tag end of the chenille as close to the hook shank as possible (Figure 7). Whip finish and apply a drop of cement to the back of the head, it will sink into the thread and the last wrap of chenille, binding them to the hook. Your jig is ready for action (Figure 8).

There’s more than one way to dress it up, as there are a lot of different materials to work with (Figure 9) and a variety of jig styles and sizes. For even smaller crappie jigs, you can skip the chenille body. Shorten or lengthen the tails to adjust to what the fish want. See what fish-catching combinations you can come up with this winter to try on those hungry slabs next spring…in our outdoors.

Related Articles

• Winter Crappie Tips and Tactics – Q & A Session (3)
• Ultralight Fishing Tackle (2)
• The Old Crappie Fishing Hole (0)
• The Fishing Preseason – Spring Crappie Fishing (0)
• Standard Fishing Knot – The Palomar (0)

Lindy Rigging revolutionized live bait fishing in the 1960′s and is still one of the most popular and productive methods for taking walleyes throughout the country.

Lindy Rigs can take panfish, walleyes, bass, northern pike, trout and any bottom feeding fish wherever they are–in natural lakes, man-made reservoirs, rivers and streams. With Lindy Rigs you can troll, drift, cast, still fish or “bottom fish” from bank or dock.

The Lindy rigging method embodies two important principles of live bait fishing:

NATURAL BAIT PRESENTATION – The Rig’s components and proper presentation present your minnow, leech or nightcrawler as “alive” and natural as possible.

NO SPOOKING – Lindy Rigs are designed to allow cautious fish to bite without feeling your presence.

Each Lindy Rig consists of snell (monofilament leader and hook), slip sinker, and swivel clip. Simple assembly directions are on the back of the package. Here’s a closer look at the Lindy Rig components. Watch how each contributes to the fish-catching effectiveness of the rig.

FINE-DIAMETER MONOFILAMENT LEADER — Lindy Rigs employ 8-lb. test Berkley XT line-diameter mono leader with high tensile strength and low visibility. This leader has the right amount of “limpness” so that your live bait can swim, dart or undulate in the most enticing natural way.

SMALL TOUGH HOOK — Lindy Rig hooks are designed specifically for penetrating and holding in a fish’s mouth. These hooks come in various walleye sizes- “minnow” and “leech/crawler”, crappie, bass, northern pike, and trout. Their low visibility and small size help fool the most finicky walleye.

WALKING SLIP SINKER — This unique sliding sinker permits a striking fish to pull line through it without resistance. It’s a tremendous advance over fixed clamp-on, trolling and bell-type sinkers which a biting fish must drag over the bottom. The Lindy Walking Sinker rides on a small surface area of its heel and eliminates excess bottom drag that tells a suspicious walleye to drop the bait.

Your Lindy Rig sinker casts easily and is more snag-proof than most sinkers. Since it rides on its small heel, it causes little commotion as it rides along the bottom. When a biting fish changes direction, the sinker will pivot in that direction, while continuing its slip-sinker function.

SWIVEL-CLIP — Here’s the Lindy answer to quick and easy rig assembly and snell changing–without broken fingernails, time-consuming effort, and fallen-apart snaps. Just slip the loop of the snell into the clip and you are ready to fish!

How To Fish The Lindy Rig

Select the right weight sinker:

Depending on the fishing conditions, you’ll find walleyes shallow or deep, from several feet to 50 feet or more. Your boat and motor’s abaility to troll, wind velocity and the walleye’s preferences wil find you fishing at various speeds. Sometimes, especially in shallow water, you’ll want to drag “way back” from the boat, with light 1/8 or 1/4 ounce sinkers; other times you’ll want more lead for a direct feel of a drop-off or ledge in deep water under the boat.

Conditions and sinker requirements vary. That’s why you should own a full assortment of walking sinkers. The following guide is based on slow walleye trolling speeds and should help you select the right sinker for your Lindy Rigging: 1/8oz. for 6-10 feet of water; 1/4oz. for 10-15 feet; 1/2oz. for 15-25 feet; 3/4oz. for 25-35 feet; 1oz. for 35 feet and deeper.

Hooking Minnows, Leeches and Nightcrawlers:

For trolling and drifting, hook your minnows just in back of both lips, coming up from below. This way, the minnow stays alive and pulls forward through the water, darting and swimming freely and naturally. For vertical fishing and bottom fishing from shore, some anglers prefer hooking minnows lightly in the back just below or near the dorsal fin. Make sure your minnow is fully alive and active. Hook your nightcrawler only once at the tip of the nose. In most situations walleyes prefer whole, healthy nightcrawlers. For increased success, inflate crawlers with a Lindy Worm Blower. Inflated nightcrawlers are super lively and they tantalize walleyes by floating several inches above bottom, even when your sinker is dragging.

When Lindy Rigging with leeches–whether a single jumbo leech, a single small leech, or a “gob’ of several small leeches–hook them once in the sucker end. Hooked this way, your leech will trail through the water in an undulating natural manner, provided you’re trolling or drifting slowly. When worked too fast a leech spins, twirls or simply pulls staright through the water with little fish attracting action.

Put your bait in the water immediately after hooking. Before lowering your rig to the bottom, make sure the leader is stretched out and tangle-free; that the sinker slides; and that your bait is lively. Exactly how you work your Lindy Rig will ultimately depend on your experience and knowledge. You’ll consider water and bottom conditions and the walleye’s preferences. Be willing to try different approaches.

Standard Trolling and Backtrolling:

When front trolling or backtrolling along drop-offs, shore breaks, weedlines, rock bars, or other structure, release line until your sinker hits bottom. Then adjust your line so you can feel the sinker hit bottom or see slack line develop each time you drop your rod tip toward the bait. Frequently, check your depth in this manner. In most situations, you’ll want your sinker on bottom or within inches of bottom.

Trolling and Drifting Over Shallow-Water Flats:

In water less than 10 feet deep, especially clean sand and fine gravel bottom areas, it’s often best to drag your sinker on the bottom a health distance from the boat. Simply release line until you feel the sinker hit bottom. and continue to pay out line until your bait is at the desired distance from the boat.

Controlled Drift:

When working a limited stretch of drop-off or a small area of a bar or reef. use both wind and your trolling motor to keep you on the fish-catching path. While the boat is drifting, make necessary course corrections by shifting the motor into forward or reverse to maintain productive depth. If winds are moderate, you can troll back upwind and repeat the controlled drift. Fish on the bottom, or just above bottom, as conditions dictate.

Anchoring and Casting:

Anchor upwind of the productive area and cast to the fish. Let the Rig settle to the bottom before starting your slow retrieve. Sometiems an irregular retrieve with pauses works best. To hold in one spot and stay on a school, anchor both ends of your boat. To cover a wider area, anchor the boat from the bow and regulate your “swinging area’ by paying out or retrieving anchor rope.

Still Fishing:

Double anchor the boat or allow it to gently sway over the productive area. Rig with a slip bobber just large enough to hold your sinker off bottom. Set depth so that your bait is within a foot of bottom. In rare cases when walleyes suspend, especially at night, experiment with higher settings. Lindy Rigs with 18 or 1/4 oz. sinkers team up beautifully with bobbers and leeches for still fishing, both day and night.

Article provided by Lindy Legendary Fishing Tackle.

Related Articles

• Weight Forward Spinners (0)
• Walleye Trolling Boards & Trolling Deep for Walleyes (2)
• Suspended Walleyes & Slip Bobbers (0)
• Spinner Rigs (0)
• River Walleyes on Plastics (0)

Making your own custom fishing rods can be a fun experience. Each rod normally takes about 2-3 hours to manufacture, and the finish drying time can take from a few hours to a few days depending on the type of finish, temperature and humidity. We have learned through trial and error and I hope this will save you a few errors while building your fishing rod.
Let’s start with the tools needed. This will be very basic, but essential to rod building. A lot of this stuff can be purchased at hardware stores. Some can be purchased at the big name stores, or through online rod building web sites. We recommend trying a fishing rod kit the first time around. Most kits come with all the components needed, excluding a few household items. This is the list we’ve accumulated of the essentials.

	1. Sharp, thin knife (we use an exacto knife) 2. Lighter 3.Thread (size B or C) 4. Guides (eyelets) 5. Blank (a bare rod) 6. Color saver 7. Cork handle (and reel seat if needed) 8. Winding Chuck (plastic ring, goes on top of handle) 8. Masking tape 9.”rat tail” file 10. Epoxy (5 minute drying time) 11.Tiny paintbrush 12.Finish (epoxy that goes on the thread to hold) 13. Rod tip glue 14. Rubber bands 15. Tape Measure 16. Paint Thinner 17. Magic Marker
	The next thing that will need to be done is to build, find or buy something that will hold the blank horizontally. We built our own, and added velvet in the valleys to prevent scratching.
	Also something will be needed to hold the thread with some tension on it, we did build ours, but a very heavy book or a small brick will work.
	The last item that is needed is a “dryer”. This is the device that spins the rod at a very slow pace, so that all the epoxy does not end up on one side. We did purchase ours, but an old record player spinning on it slowest setting could work.
	Ok, let’s get started. The first thing is to find the backbone of the blank. To find the backbone grab the blank and put the bottom (the thick end) on a hard surface. Then grab about two feet down from the tip and bend just a little and roll back and forth when the blank snaps, or rolls quickly you have just found the backbone. Mark that spot with tape or a marker, this is the side of the blank you will wrap your guides on.
	The next step is to apply the handle. Grab the cork and the “Rat Tail” file, and file the interior of the handle until it’s able to slide all the way down to butt of the blank. Most handles come in three pieces; this allows less time for filing.
	Next slide the reel seat down; there will be some extra space. Take the masking tape and wrap tightly around the blank this will fill in that void. File the top portion of cork so it’s slides down to the reel seat, keep the opening as small as possible, this will help hold the cork in place. Then mix the epoxy together, and apply to the blank, with the handle and reel seat off. Slide the handle back on and line up the pieces so they fit. Remove excess epoxy by wiping down with a rag and some paint thinner. Secure with rubber bands to keep the handle tight. Let set for 10-20 minutes.
	Now that the handle is on, it’s time to apply the guides. The length of the rod will determine were the guides will be located. You can measure an existing rod, or I think some kits come with a sheet telling the measurements. Mark each spot with a small piece of tape, or a magic marker like we have.
	Start with the largest guide, which will be place closest to the handle. Take the rod tip glue and the lighter, heat the bottom of the guide for 5-10 seconds and run over the top of the glue, by applying the rod tip glue it will hold the guide in place without the thread.
	Now comes the fun part. Get your thread ready and make sure it has some tension on it, and wrap around the guide 5-6 times, then start winding over those 5-6 threads to hold it in place.
	Make sure the thread is tight and lines up side by side.
	After you have wrapped the entire foot wrap a few more on the blank, with about 5 wraps to go you will need to take a separate piece of thread, make a loop and lay down where you will wrap over the top of this loop keeping the loop pointed in the direction you are wrapping.
	Hold the last wrap in place and cut the thread. Take the cut end and run through the loop.
	Now hold the cut end in one hand and pull on the opposite end of the loop.
	The thread should pull back under to hold in place.
	Trim the extra, but don’t cut what you have wrapped or it will all un-ravel. Finish by wrapping the rest of the guides like the first. Make sure they all line up. This is the hardest process and takes some practice, but be patient, it’s like blowing a short reed goose call for the first time, each time you will get better.
	After all the guides are on, then comes the tip. Place the tip on the end of the blank and mark with tape or chalk. Take the tip off and wrap a ½ inch area on the blank before the mark with thread. To apply the tip you can either use epoxy, or the rod tip glue. We like the epoxy because it’s stronger. If you ever need to pull the tip off, heat with a lighter for 5 seconds and pull it off. Apply glue/epoxy to the tip of the blank, slide guide/tip onto rod, line up with the other guides, and let dry for 10-20 minutes.
	The last two steps are to apply a coat of color preserve, and finisher to the thread on the guides. Place butt of handle into the dryer, or rig to an old record player and attach securely.
	Turn the drying device on and apply color preserve. Depending on the type it will go on white, but will dry clear. Let it dry for a few hours, but check by touching if not “tacky” your on to the last step. Keep the dryer running and apply finish according to the directions of the type of finish you choose. We have found if it’s a runny type of finish do not touch the threads, just spread the bead at the bottom of the blank as it’s turning. Two or even three coats will be needed if it’s the runny type.
	Another type you can glob on and heat with a lighter until it’s runny. This is the type we prefer since one coat usually will do it. Let dry until no longer “tacky”, do not bend for at least two days some of the finishes out there need a long time to cure.
	I hope this article helps simplify the process in building your own fishing rod. These processes we have found to work best for the two of us. There is no right or wrong way in building a fishing rod, so experiment with all of the processes. You will find a greater satisfaction in catching fish when you know you built the rod your fishing with. Have a safe and enjoyable season. Waterwolf (Taylor – on left) Browndog (Todd – on right)

Related Articles

• Standard Fishing Knot – The Palomar (0)
• Perch Recipe List (0)
• Free Fishing Log – Printable Fishing Log (4)
• Fast & Easy Fish Cleaning Tips for Walleye, Perch, and Panfish (10)
• Catfish Recipe List (0)

Jamie sighting in the first dog out coyote hunting

It’s Thursday night and I am packing up for an early Saturday morning hunt (of course I am packing Thursday night so I can get some sleep Friday night). I call my hunting partner Jayson Deziel of Artistic Wildlife Taxidermy several times that night going over everything twice. The third time his wife answers the phone you can tell she is starting to think I am out of my mind. Friday, work drags on like a North Dakota winter and I can’t believe a 10-hour day seems like a whole damn week. Friday night comes around and I can’t sleep, I just toss and turn and watch the clock. Finally at 3:30 am the alarm goes off and it is time to get going. Jayson gets to my house at 4:00 am and we are off and running. We have a three-hour drive to get to our first calling area.

Well, this is going to be hard to believe but its 6:40 am and we’re there (we might have been speeding a little bit) and its blowing like there is a hurricane coming. North Dakota and wind go hand in hand- if its blowing less than 15 miles an hour, you are usually at work on a Wednesday with no chance at all of getting out. So, now what? Go home? Not a chance.

Spotting and stalking can be effective on days like this. I have found that if you start thinking about what a coyote would be doing on a completely horrible day like this, it would make sense that given the choice any sane animal or man would be home in bed. A sleeping coyote is usely a dead coyote if you see him before he sees you. I have found coyotes sound asleep in the middle of stubble fields but when it starts to really blow, I try to look for big wooded draws that would offer some protection from the wind.

Jamie testing his coyote hunting skills in Arizona

Coyote’s thoughts are usually not too far from food. Keep this in mind when you are looking for these little dogs. Coyotes want to know what is going on with their food source 24/7. They do this with their eyes, ears and nose. You will tend to find coyotes down wind of the herd, be it cows, sheep, or deer. When I am out looking for coyotes on a less than perfect day, I first find cattle and sheep ranches. Then I talk to the rancher and find out where he has been seeing coyotes and ask if he can show me the area around his winter-feed lot or spring calving barn. Look down wind of this food source. Start about a mile or so down wind and look for anything that could hold a coyote. Start marking some structure that looks promising and decide what would be the best set-up for each spot. The wind will dictate how close you will need to be at each stand. Realize that if you are going to call coyotes you better plan on lacing up your boots doing some walking. Nothing will ruin a well thought- out plan faster than having a coyote spot your vehicle. Start down wind and move towards your first calling spot. I like to glass the area I am going to call before moving into it. You should always expect to see coyotes- after all, that’s why you picked this spot to begin with, right? Remember to hunt into each stand because you never know what is around the next corner. Stay low and keep your head up, always watching for movement. Use your binoculars to scan every inch of terrain in hopes of catching a coyote on the move, or, better yet, find one bedded down. When you try spotting coyotes, just remember to look for things that look out of place. One way to do this is with a good pair of optics-and I do mean good. Inexpensive, good optics do not exist. I spend a lot of time looking at odd shaped rocks. At a mile, coyotes don’t always look like coyotes.

Call your first stand. If you have a lot of wind, get in close to the structure you are calling to. Remember that you will probably only call each set up for 10 – 15 minutes. In heavy wind if they are going to hear you they will be fairly close. After going through your calling sequence, start walking to your next stand, always moving towards the cattle or whatever you have determined to be the food source in your area.

If you do catch a coyote sleeping and you are in full whites (or whatever camo you’re using during the season at hand), stalking a bedded coyote can be very intense. Expect some close action. Coyotes do not sit still for long but at times you can find them curled up in a ball out of the wind taking a snooze in the middle of the afternoon. Pay close attention to the South side of hills during midday when you can catch a coyote sunning himself. If you watch them they will look up often and even get up to stretch. They may walk in a small circle just like the family dog before lying down again. When they do put their head down, you will have the opportunity to move in closer. Set up and try calling them in, but don’t be afraid of going in and shooting them right in their bed. Coyotes will not always come to a call no matter who is blowing on it or what tape you are using. Just because he doesn’t jump up and come tearing in there doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong. Sometimes they just have other things on their mind. If you have one bedded down out there and he looks like he is going to stay put, get the wind in your face, move slow, keep the noise down and you’ll be surprised at how close you can get.

Jamie & Knight-Hale pro team member Matt Barnard out coyote hunting

As you are working a pasture, I have found it hard calling close to livestock- especially horses. They get pretty wild when you start calling and will usually come running to see what’s going on. This is typically not good, so try to keep this in mind as you are picking a spot to call from. At times I have had cattle get aggressive to a call, but for the most part, they will not bother you. My father and I had been working a pasture when we came across a small herd with four coyotes moving among the cattle. The rancher was unaware of the day-old calf that was more than a little early. The coyotes had been trying to push that calf away from the herd. One of the coyotes spotted us coming around the corner and he headed out. The other three did not see us, but they followed after the first one.

Make sure you hunt from stand to stand and don’t get too caught up in just getting to the next spot to call. When you get up towards the livestock, feed lot, haystacks or calving barn, set up and call this area like you would any other terrain. Talk with ranchers and they will tell you that they see coyotes in with the livestock, and sleeping in the hay bales.

There are no guarantees in life, and there are certainly none in hunting. Unfortunately, I am unable to get out and hunt coyotes as much as I would like. That’s why I have learned to make the best of even the worst days. Spotting and stalking coyotes can be another tactic you can put in your bag of tricks for hunting coyotes.

—

Jamie P. Olson is an avid predator hunter from Mayville, ND and currently resides in Laporte, MN. Jamie promotes several coyote hunting tournaments with the biggest being the North Dakota Coyote Classic held in Dickinson, ND. Jamie uses Crit’R-Calls, and Desert Shadow camouflage.

Related Articles

• Predator Hunting Tips (9)
• Predator Hunting Tactics (5)
• Have You Done Your Fur Homework? – Coyote Hunting Techniques (7)
• Blisters and Song Dogs – Montana Coyote Hunting (2)
• The Importance of Trapping (0)