tipped or naked

[jerkbait]

hey guys lets settle it... vote for your most successful method of jigging with swimming jigs, raps, moonshines, lindy flyers, etc.

[wyldstallion906]

i fish naked. but as far as using bait i like to tip with a minnow head on jigging raps, moonshiners and items like that. for spoons i use the whole minnow.

[The Bait Shop Guy]

Remind me to knock before walking into your shack:eek:

Depends on the day, but more often than not, I'll fish a swim bait naked. The Lee boys put up enough good posts over the years to get me to try it. I was leery at first, but after a season or two of forcing myself to leave the minnows on the tip-up, I finally had enough success to make me a believer. All paid off in January 2007 with my personal best walleye - a 32 incher caught on a Nils Master Junior Shad with no bait. Wonder how big she is now?

Tried the same thing with spoons and have NEVER caught a fish! Go figure?

[Walleye Quinn]

I use none of those. I pinch the minnow in half and use the tail half. Lot's more action on the lure you are useing. My vote would be just the minnow head. Good luck fishing from Walleye Quinn.

[CaptainKenLee]

In almost 30 years of fishing with swimming baits like (raps, nils masters, shiver minnows, ice darters, etc.) I can only remember 3 times where tipping caught more fish than naked. We've never tipped swimming minnow baits, didn't even know people did that until we moved here. As aggressive as you need to jig them most times, I don't even think a minnow head or tail would stay on. If you're jigging slow enough that a minnow head stays on...you're missing out on a lot of opportunities people. Spoons...that's a whole different ballgame, we always tip them with either a minnow head or tail...the tail works best fore me. With the minnow baits, most fish over 18 inches inhale the whole bait head first and the fish is hooked in the top of the mouth with the front hook, or it gets caught with the treble when the fish tries to expel the bait. A walleye can inhale and spit a bait in 1/100th of a second. I think a lot of people think that the hit is going to be hard, it's not, most of the time your pole just rises a little as they inhale the bait, or you just feel a tap...that's the fish inhaling the bait and it's time to set the hook. Just ask my brother's wife Theresa...she lost a lot of walleyes the first few times Kevin took her out because she didn't know what the bite felt like. She knows now and sometimes the rod hits the top of the shanty when she sets the hook (ouch!). Now she's a fish catching machine. Going to try and get out tomorrow, maybe we can get some video and share it here. Good luck fishing...supposed to be warmer tomorrow, front moving in after three days of stable weather, should be a good bite happening somewhere (Yippee)!!!

[wyldstallion906]

haha yeah chris be sure to knock buddy.. anyway i was wondering. has anyone else been catching alot of whitefish lately? i am nailing them things and they are all coming on the same lure every time.. Im not complaining, it just seems weird to me that this year im catchin em

[schmutzomatic 5000]

Here in the Menominee River you almost have to tip it. They see soooo many baits that if it is not alive they won't even touch it........ Dead minnows all over the ice from guys putting fresh one's on. Plus the bonus trout on the minnow here and there.

[Tippy]

I always tip a swim bait, but have looked into not tipping as I have a few friends who don't and do just as well as I. My question to the naked fishermen is Do you still catch perch on that naked bait or do they not bite unless you have a minnow on? My main reason to keep tipping is then I think I still have a chance at the perch down there too as whenever I catch a perch on my swim bait it is always on the treble where I tipped. Over the New Year I caught an 11 and 13 incher on my Rapala.

Oh and by naked fishermen I am referring to the non minnow tippers not the unclothed people out there just to clear that up for some of you!!;)

Tippy

[big pike]

I've caught some number of fish with just a whole minnow. It works for me, I"ll tell you what though, it seems like it does depend on the too weather too, also had a lot of luck with the minnow head too.

Good Fishing!!:D

[perch161]

I tip with a small piece of gulp. Usually orange or chartruse Just found this site yesterday. You guys do a great job of keeping the information flowing from day to day. I'm really looking forward to coming up there this year.