The 21st century has brought a wave of new innovative lure choices. Many perform wonderfully right out of the package, but I have found that with a few of my favorites, a little tweaking they can become a lot more productive. Here is one of my favorite little tricks.
Probably the most versatile bait ever invented is the jig. A lead head attached to a soft plastic body. There are countless shapes and sizes in more colors than the largest box of Crayolas. Everything from largemouth bass to grouper can be caught on a jig. While this combo is deadly, a few years ago I found that I could make it even more versatile. Here in Florida we often target our key inshore species by fishing potholes, small sandy patches in the grass flats. This is especially the case during the winter months. While redfish and trout are usually found occupying the while holes it is best to cast past the hole and work your bait into it to prevent spooking your quarry.
A couple of years ago I was fishing the IFA Kayak fishing tournament with long time redfish pro Capt. Geoff Page. We started the morning by pedaling to a lush grass flat with plenty of small holes. Right off the bat Geoff was hooking reds while I had trouble working my jig through the thick grass. I asked him why he was not having any issues with grassing up and he said he made his jig weedless. He had attached a hitch hiker (a small screw that attaches to the eye of the jig) to the jig head which allowed him to skin the point of the hook into the jerkbait, thus making it weed proof.
He loaned me one of the small brass hitchhikers and next thing you know, I am hooked up to an over slot beast. Perfect for the catch photo and release format. I was then able to transition into deeper water with the same set up to search for trout, the second fish needed for the tournament. I landed a nice trout and finished in second place all due to one minor adjustment to the lure I was using.
This little trick not only works in salt water but is perfect for bass fishing as well. Last year at the Hobie World Championships, while most others were throwing Carolina rigs, I used my hitchhiker set up with good success. I showed it off to my fellow anglers from all over the globe and they loved it. I even gave the Australians a bag of hitchhikers and a bunch of soft plastics. They told me the rig would be perfect for the salt water bream that is their kayak tournament fish. Who would have guessed such a simple modification would transition worldwide.
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