SD do you prefer mono or braid for this? I have used both in the past and have found that the fish will bite one better on certain days than the other. What weight Vibees do you use, and why those weights? Thanks

 

Good post....the sonar - vibe-e type lures are my favorites while fishing the reefs in the spring...no need for tipping with bait and every bit as effective for me. I like to cast them out and retrieve with the pump/pause, as Shortdrift mention, covering much more water. IMO braided line is a must to to detect every little bump and to ensure quick effective hooksets. The braid also lets you know that your lure is vibrating/working properly.

 

If using braid, I always use a flourocarbon tippet thats about 18" to 20" long, it also helps to have a quality swivel at the connection to help eliminate line twist. good luck.

 

fishhogg - My guess is Shortdrift is using either 1/2 oz., 3/8 oz., or 3/4 oz. They are the biggest Vib"e". They are heavier, get down to the bottom quicker, mainly used for deep water, and you can still really feel that action(vibration) of them even when they are really deep. Sorry to answer the question for you Shortdrift, you can correct me if I am wrong.

 

If the water is very clear and the fish are not aggressive I downsize and use 1/4 oz. Heavy stain and I will use 1/2 ounce. Normal stain (2ft visibility) I try different sizes and colors. My favorite colors are Gold, Clown, White with Blue head, White with Red Head, Firetiger or anything else that works that day. IMO I think anything heavier than 1/2 ounce drops too fast, I use 10# Fireline with a mini swivel and two foot of 12 or 15# Flurocarbon then a small #1 DuoLoc snap. Works for me.

 

Love me some Vib-e! As long as they're working, I'll take one of those over a jig any day. +1 on the short smooth strokes and ++1 on the braid. It's critical to feel every little bit of tension. I've found the ones with 3 holes are great for keeping them from tangling themselves up on your line. I've had the best luck with the front most hole. A swivel is a must to keep your line from twisting. Especially if you're casting. Seems like those things rotate 100 times in the air when you're casting them.

 

good thread ron, never jiged much at erie long time troller. alwayes wanted to ask about jigin spoons. does anyone use rattling spoons, like Northland buck-shot rattle spoon. or if i remember this one was made by a local, Bass N Bait Rattle snakie spoon. i would think with muddy water the rattle and these would make a bigger profile then a vibe. anyone have luck or used these? (BOB)

 

rockytop - I have read somewhere that this spoon is deadly on the ice so I would imagine it being pretty good jigging as well. I've never used one but if you believe what you read or hear then it's probably a good bait.

 

My personal experience is that spoons for walleye work better for us the more vertical they are fished. Bass are the exact opposite.

It would be difficult to fish a spoon vertical on the reef spring bite without anchoring the boat. I know you would catch some fish that way but there are much better methods that I feel are way more productive.

The only vertical fishing I do at this time of the year is with a blade bait if we have a slow to moderate drift, and they are not really vertical but trailing out from the boat. No casting, no reeling, just get the amount of line out set and just jig. The fish will almost always hit on the fall. Easy fishing.

As mentioned earlier a braided line will increase your catch rate. Attach a 2-3' leader of 15-20lb fluorocarbon leader and just a snap, not a swivel, at the lure. The heavier leader will really help reduce the blade bait tangles and is heavy enough to allow you to lift most of the fish into the boat without needing to use a net everytime. It also helps with the mussels weakening your line from nicks and the walleye in spawning are not in the least line shy.

Save the spoons for ice fishing for walleye, there are much more productive methods with the water warming

 

thanks for the info guys, i have plenty of jigs and cranks to get a few fish. one more week im ready!

 

Great lure to back troll with. Tryin to stay on top of things is fun fishing! Nothin like a vert hook set. Same angle on forward weights an dipseys. Really feel sorry for guys that put to much line out behind a boat.
Size lure/weight to what conditions you have. As long as you contact the bottom slightly youll get fish. The trick is to keep from gettin snagged!

 

Great stuff on here guys, thanks for sharing the information. Have any of you tried this for Smallies? I have talked to some of my bass buddies and like using the Vibees as well.

 

Have any of you tried this for Smallies? I have talked to some of my bass buddies and like using the Vibees as well.

Vib-e's work very well for smallies, especially the prespawn 45 degs to the low 50's for me. I don't fish for them once the spawn starts so I can't provide much insight during that period.

Spoons, Hopkins, cast and retrieved with aggressive hops half way in the water column also work extremely well in clear water conditions and bright sunshine. Once again my experience is during the prespawn.

Favorite colors for smallmouth, for me, would be blue/silver and green/gold. Spoons - silver

 

Vib-e's work very well for smallies, especially the prespawn 45 degs to the low 50's for me. I don't fish for them once the spawn starts so I can't provide much insight during that period.

Spoons, Hopkins, cast and retrieved with aggressive hops half way in the water column also work extremely well in clear water conditions and bright sunshine. Once again my experience is during the prespawn.

Favorite colors for smallmouth, for me, would be blue/silver and green/gold. Spoons - silver

I was wondering if anyone uses a Hopkins spoon on Erie for walleye. I know a guy that fishes Dale Hollow Lake every month for wallaye at night during the full moon. His only method is verticle jigging a Hopkins spoon and he slays the walleye. He does however jig it very aggressively.

 

We catch quite a few walleye every year on the Hopkins when fishing for the smallmouth.

I catch more on the vib-e than the spoon but I'm working the spoon 1/2 way in the water column and the Vib-e much closer to bottom

 

Thats tough workin spoons an such vert in open water. Even through the ice I have a hard time. If Im not on the bottom Im screwed! Maybe Erie is diff? Dont have a prob trollin even @ night!