Open water is on the horizon on Rainy Lake. I am going to
write some how to’s to help your fishing on Rainy Lake. Both live and
artificial bait are very good presentations. I love to fish plastics; they work
extremely well during spring and throughout the summer months.
I will discuss Northland Tackles new Impulse Swim’n Grubs.
They are a new scent impregnated plastic grub that comes in 2”, 3” and 4”
lengths. Scented plastics have been around for a few years, the Impulse series
blows Gulp and other scented products out of the water. I had the opportunity
to test these grubs and other offerings in the Impulse series during August
2011. Normally warm water times are not as effective as cold water for scented
plastics. Impulse’s claim is fish hold the bait much longer than the other
leading brands. It is absolutely true in my book. I would feel strikes, not set
the hook, wait five seconds and then reel up slack and the fish would still be
there. The other huge advantage is the excellent action and durability; I
caught many fish on one single grub.
I love to cast grubs into shallow structure, big points,
small points, inside turns, beside boulders or any cover that fish can ambush
from. Polarized glasses are a must; they are the cheapest depth finder you will
ever find. Seeing the structure is the most important factor when casting artificial
baits. I like amber colored lenses. You will see where the brown colored water
changes to darker or blue colored. After awhile you will see the subtle changes
in water color enabling you to see the underwater extensions, inside turns,
weeds, boulders, off shore reefs that are huge fish attractors. Polarized
sunglasses cost as little as $15 on up to the big bucked glasses, they all
work! Don’t leave home without them.
Below is a summer craw Swim’n grub, Gumball Jig on left,
Vegas jig below, and Eye-Ball Jig on right. I am not particular about jig head
color. One thing I know for sure plain lead color will never hurt you.
I use three main jig heads when fishing grubs; all Northland
jigs; Slurp Jig Heads, Gum-Ball Jigs, Eye-Ball Jigs and Vegas Jigs. They all
have bait keeper barbs on the hook shank. I really like the wire bait keepers.
When I am fishing 2-6 feet of water I use 6 lbs. test monofilament and a 1’8
oz. jig head. Grubs don’t need a lot of action. You can straight reel them reel
at a pace that lets the jig get down in the water column. At the beginning keep
your rod tip pointed to 11:00 on a clock face, as you see your line approach
the darker water lower your rod tip and slow your retrieve. Expect to get
snagged in the beginning; adjust your retrieve accordingly. If the water
deepens quicker or the point or rocks break sharply I go to a ¼ oz. jig and
often switch to an 8 or 10 lbs. test mono line. The jig falls slower with the
heavier line but lets you penetrate the deeper breaks.
Other excellent techniques to try is sharp short sideway
jerks with your Impulse Swim’n Grub. The jig will fall when your jerk ends;
this is when the fish often strike, I use this action all the way back to the
boat. You can be the judge on how fast to reel, I keep my hand off of the reel
handle during the jerk and just spin the handle a few turns to pick up the
slack then jerk again. Practice makes perfect. Instead of jerking you can use a
rise and fall action by lifting rod tip then dropping during your retrieve.
Remember it is not a race to get the jig back to the boat. You will figure this
out; you should get snagged once in awhile if you don’t you are reeling to
fast. I like to lift with the rod tip, let it drop and then pick up the slack
and lift again.
