Jitterbug Blues

Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish blow
up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came unbuttoned.
Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just missed it
completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating as hell

Welcome to night fishing a "bug".... Happens a lot! Whatever you do,
don't pull until you actually feel the fish. What I do that seems to help,
(I think) is after the strike, I'll keep moving the Jitterbug for another
few cranks, and then pause it, and start again. This seems to have an
effect on them.

I love night fishing Jitterbugs, almost nothing better in the warm evenings
of summer.

Good luck,

Doug


"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish blow
up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came
unbuttoned. Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just
missed it completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating as
hell

alwaysfishking wrote:
Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish blow
up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came unbuttoned.
Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just missed it
completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating as hell




What were you DOING with the jitterbug. The jitterbug's biggest
advantage at night is that it works well on a slow, steady retrieve.
That's exactly the kind of retrieve that bass have the least trouble
homing in on in the dark. Sudden starts and stops, or even notable speed
variations -- all the stuff we've been taught to impart to our lures
during the day -- may trigger strike attempts, just like they do in the
daytime. But they also generate misses when the fish are tracking in on
a vibration under limited visibility conditions. Whether it's a jbug or
a spinnerbait the key to letting the fish strike ACCURATELY at night is
a slow, steady retrieve.

You hit it on the head Rich, I might have been reeling too fast that in
combination with the chocalate milk lake might have been the key. I'll fish
it slower tonight
"RichZ" wrote in message
...
alwaysfishking wrote:
Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish
blow up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came
unbuttoned. Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just
missed it completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating
as hell




What were you DOING with the jitterbug. The jitterbug's biggest advantage
at night is that it works well on a slow, steady retrieve. That's exactly
the kind of retrieve that bass have the least trouble homing in on in the
dark. Sudden starts and stops, or even notable speed variations -- all the
stuff we've been taught to impart to our lures during the day -- may
trigger strike attempts, just like they do in the daytime. But they also
generate misses when the fish are tracking in on a vibration under limited
visibility conditions. Whether it's a jbug or a spinnerbait the key to
letting the fish strike ACCURATELY at night is a slow, steady retrieve.

I don't night fish, but the Jitterbug is by far my favorite topwater. If you
don't already do so, I highly recommend adding split rings and replacing the
factory hooks.

"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish blow
up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came
unbuttoned.
Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just missed it
completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating as hell

Well I went out again last night, after the rain storm the lake was flat
calm so I opted to once again go with the jitterbug, Taking Rich Z's advice
I slowed it down and what a difference. 7 good bass in about two hours.
Still had a bunch of fish that completely missed it, sometimes multiple
times. I even had 3 that came off after the initial strike, every fish was
hooked on the rear treble. I'm going to try swapping out the hooks. Thanks


"Marty" wrote in message
...
I don't night fish, but the Jitterbug is by far my favorite topwater. If
you
don't already do so, I highly recommend adding split rings and replacing
the
factory hooks.

"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish
blow
up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came
unbuttoned.
Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just missed it
completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating as hell

*sarcasm*
Yeah Doug, I sometimes too find it hard to fight the temptation of pulling
to soon when I hear the tell tale "slurp" of a bass hitting at it. Maybe
I'll try your suggestion and slow my retrieve a bit as others have suggested
and wait to feel the weight of the fish before setting the hook. The
"pause" thing I'll try as well, doesn't hurt to try and I'm always up for
new approaches.

*more sarcasm*
Doug, I really appreciate your reply and the time you took to contribute to
the group! Heaven knows we have enough riff raff that stops by and spams the
group and I'm glad your not one of them, and especially thankful your not a
smart@ss or trying to sell us something or sell your invented things that
have already been invented but labeled to your liking so you can claim the
rights! Were all glad to have new contributors to this group that have good
things to say!

Doug



"Doug" wrote in message
news:yHVBe.2044$2h1.1103@trnddc05...
Welcome to night fishing a "bug".... Happens a lot! Whatever you do,
don't pull until you actually feel the fish. What I do that seems to help,
(I think) is after the strike, I'll keep moving the Jitterbug for another
few cranks, and then pause it, and start again. This seems to have an
effect on them.

I love night fishing Jitterbugs, almost nothing better in the warm
evenings of summer.

Good luck,

Doug


"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish
blow up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came
unbuttoned. Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just
missed it completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating
as hell

Try a black buzzbait, Randy. Attach a spinner blade behind the buzzprop to
slow it down to a crawl. You can probably straighten the bent wire behind
the prop, replace the rivet with a beat, and have enough to bend into a loop
to clip on an inline blade attachment. Be sure to use a trailer hook, too.

Joe
________________________________

"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
Well I went out again last night, after the rain storm the lake was flat
calm so I opted to once again go with the jitterbug, Taking Rich Z's advice
I slowed it down and what a difference. 7 good bass in about two hours.
Still had a bunch of fish that completely missed it, sometimes multiple
times. I even had 3 that came off after the initial strike, every fish was
hooked on the rear treble. I'm going to try swapping out the hooks. Thanks


"Marty" wrote in message
...
I don't night fish, but the Jitterbug is by far my favorite topwater. If
you
don't already do so, I highly recommend adding split rings and replacing
the
factory hooks.

"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish
blow
up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came
unbuttoned.
Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just missed it
completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating as hell

Doug, I'm sure several hundred people have read your contribution by now,
and most probably appreciated the thought you put into it and the time you
spent typing it in. Don't assume that because no one responded to your note
that they didn't appreciate it. Often, when a member jumps into a string, he
will read four or five posts, and then respond once.... and not always just
below the post that made the greatest contribution to the discussion.

Perhaps no one responded in the way or within the time frame that you
expected. If you stick around, that's going to happen again. Probably half
the posts submitted by members just sit there with no replies. Enough posts
are interesting, provocative, humorous, or informative enough to keep us
coming back, but most of them are not. Whether he gets a rise from anyone or
not, either way, the writer makes out ok because he was able to expresse his
opinions and contribute to the group.... not a bad thing at all.

I infer from your second paragraph that you're a newcomer to the group, and
maybe you're miffed because no one acknowledged you. That happens, too.
We're not a highly structured group.... just a bunch of anglers who like to
sit down in front of a computer from time to time to browse fishing sites
and newsgroups. If newcomers announce themselves, they usually get a warm
welcome, but no special attention after than.

So... contribute again any time. No guarantees that you'll get a
response.... but I'm sure if you have something worthwhile to say, folks
will listen.

By the way... regarding your comments about people trying to sell things: if
you have a personal problem with anyone in here, let me suggest the most
effective approach is usually to discuss it with them frankly and in
private. I've found most of us to be responsive and cooperative.
--
Joe Haubenreich
Secret Weapon Lures
Web: secretweaponlures.com
---------------------------------------
Better designs... better lures.... better results
---------------------------------------~ 0")))


"Doug" wrote in message
news:nNaCe.2840$k_.1641@trnddc07...
*sarcasm*
Yeah Doug, I sometimes too find it hard to fight the temptation of pulling
to soon when I hear the tell tale "slurp" of a bass hitting at it. Maybe
I'll try your suggestion and slow my retrieve a bit as others have suggested
and wait to feel the weight of the fish before setting the hook. The
"pause" thing I'll try as well, doesn't hurt to try and I'm always up for
new approaches.

*more sarcasm*
Doug, I really appreciate your reply and the time you took to contribute to
the group! Heaven knows we have enough riff raff that stops by and spams the
group and I'm glad your not one of them, and especially thankful your not a
smart@ss or trying to sell us something or sell your invented things that
have already been invented but labeled to your liking so you can claim the
rights! Were all glad to have new contributors to this group that have good
things to say!

Doug



"Doug" wrote in message
news:yHVBe.2044$2h1.1103@trnddc05...
Welcome to night fishing a "bug".... Happens a lot! Whatever you do,
don't pull until you actually feel the fish. What I do that seems to help,
(I think) is after the strike, I'll keep moving the Jitterbug for another
few cranks, and then pause it, and start again. This seems to have an
effect on them.

I love night fishing Jitterbugs, almost nothing better in the warm
evenings of summer.

Good luck,

Doug


"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish
blow up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came
unbuttoned. Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just
missed it completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating
as hell

I don't know if I could do all that Joe, have a picture of it?
"Joe Haubenreich" (removethis)swljoe-at-secretweaponlures.com wrote in
message ...
Try a black buzzbait, Randy. Attach a spinner blade behind the buzzprop to
slow it down to a crawl. You can probably straighten the bent wire behind
the prop, replace the rivet with a beat, and have enough to bend into a
loop
to clip on an inline blade attachment. Be sure to use a trailer hook, too.

Joe
________________________________

"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
Well I went out again last night, after the rain storm the lake was flat
calm so I opted to once again go with the jitterbug, Taking Rich Z's
advice
I slowed it down and what a difference. 7 good bass in about two hours.
Still had a bunch of fish that completely missed it, sometimes multiple
times. I even had 3 that came off after the initial strike, every fish
was
hooked on the rear treble. I'm going to try swapping out the hooks. Thanks


"Marty" wrote in message
...
I don't night fish, but the Jitterbug is by far my favorite topwater. If
you
don't already do so, I highly recommend adding split rings and replacing
the
factory hooks.

"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...
Went out last night for some after dark fishing. Had quite a few fish
blow
up on the jitterbug, only two keepers and about 6 fish that came
unbuttoned.
Could not figure it out for the life of me. Tons of fish just missed it
completely. I don't do much night fishing, it was frustrating as hell