Why You Need Fishing Lures In An Assortment Of Colors

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Growing up in the midwest my brother and I spent a lot of our time fishing the ponds that provided our small town with its drinking water.  I couldn't begin to tell you how many hours we spent fishing or the number of fish we brought to shore.  However, of all the times we were out there trying new lures and learning from our experiences there is one day that stands apart from the rest.

We had been fishing along the east dam of the smaller pond for an hour or so and just slaying the crappie when the city mayor and police chief decided to come down and fish with us for a while.  It seemed as though my brother and I couldn't cast our crappie jigs into the water without reeling in another fish.  The mayor and chief of police stood there watching in amazement for a couple of minutes before finally casting their own lines in.  Cast after cast they would retrieve their lures without so much as a bite.  My brother and I would cast our lines and reel in another fish.  This pattern continued on for at least a half an hour before the mayor broke down and decided he wanted to have a look at the bait we were using.

Having A lure with the right color
combination can be the difference
between catching a lot of fish and
being skunked.

After looking our jigs over and deciding he had nothing that resembled it he asked if he could purchase one of ours.  Of course we said "sure you can," and made a little money while participating in one of our favorite sports.  Who can beat making money while doing what you love?  Upon the two of them replacing their lures with the crappie jigs they had received from us things really heated up.  By now there were several people down at our end of the pond trying everything they could to get in on the action, but only four of us had the magic bait!  If you weren't using the exact lure we had, you weren't catching anything.

That day I learned a lesson I would never forget, and if you read my blog regularly you may already know what that lesson was as I tend to repeat it in many of my fishing posts.  Always make sure you keep a vast array of lures in as many colors and color combinations as you can.  This one simple act can make the difference between catching a lot of fish and going home empty handed.

- Any day in the outdoors is a good day

Fishing With Jug Lines

Fishing for catfish with jug lines is a great way to spend a day on the water  This method of fishing allows you to fish a vast area on the lake.  You simply set your baited jugs out and watch them for any sign of unnatural movement.  You can use pretty much any jug as long as it doesn't have any holes in it and you have the lid.

Add a drop line to each jug by using a piece of high strength twisted or braided nylon line.  I will typically use a piece between four and six feet long.  After cutting it, fold the piece of line in half and tie the two loose ends together.  Next you will run one end through the handle of your jug as shown below.

Adding the drop line to your jug

Next you  will run one end of the drop line through the opposite end and pull it tight in order to fasten it to the jug.

Pull one end of the line through the
opposite end and pull it tight

To attach a swivel, slide the doubled up line through the eye of the swivel leaving a loop below it.

Slide the line through the swivel eye

 Next you will pull the swivel through the loop and pull it tightly to attach it to your drop line.

Pull the swivel through the loop.

 Be sure to pull the line tight so that the swivel is secure.

Pull the line tight to secure your swivel

After completing the above steps, you now have a complete jug line that is ready for fishing.

The Completed Jug Line

The drop line can be stored by wrapping it around the jug and clipping the swivel to the twine to keep it in place.  The hooks can be stored by pushing them into a piece of styrofoam until you are ready to use them the next time.

When you are ready to fish set your jugs out and watch them closely for any movement that isn't being caused by the water.  If you haven't caught any fish within about a half an hour collect them and move to a new location.

When using jugs for fishing make sure you get the lid on tight in order to keep it from taking on water as this will cause it to lose buoyancy  making it harder to notice when a fish has taken the bait.  Any bait that would be used on a trotline will work for jug line fishing.

As with other forms of fishing, be sure you check your local laws to make sure this is a legal method in your area and what the requirements are if it is legal.

If you like this post you may enjoy Trotline Fishing For Catfish.

- Any day in the outdoors is a good day