With winter officially starting the 22 and the temp drops we’ve had since last time I went fishing to see how they were biting today on the 20th. Fished about 45 minutes from like 4:45ish to 5:30ish. I figure with the tide falling out and the sun setting the trout would be biting. I think I had two bites and caught 1, I may of had more but the wind was blowing dead on me and my hands were freezing and there was a lot of that grass that looks like black moss. The old man had similar results and was very happy about catching his dinner, we kept the 1 I caught and then he said he wanted just 1 more for dinner, he got what he wanted. They hit on the gulp 4 inch chartreuse swimming mullet on a 1/8 oz and the 3 inch DOA Cal in the dark back white belly mullet looking pattern on a 1/16 oz, I don’t remember the actual name. I lost the DOA and it was my only 1/16 oz jig and Cal on me but I think that would of produced more action.
Good job. Do you find that color varies with season or water clarity? I’ve never used a jig that size. Unless I’m fishing over 10’ deep, I use a 1/4 oz. jig head…maybe because I can cast it farther than a 1/8 oz jig.
When I trout fish it’s usually in 3 to 6ft of water and the fish seem to like the 1to 3ft range. A lot of the better areas I trout fish have rocky, shelly or debris on the bottom and the trout sometimes sit behind the debris right off the bottom or right on the current break coming off the structure. The light jig and bouncy of some soft plastics allow me to work the strike zone longer. Some baits I can let sink and slowly reel and they stay suspend where I want them so it’s just a smooth steady retrieve and let the bait swim past the fish. I can speed it up if I know structures coming and clear the structure. I’ve got so use to throwing light stuff I feel like I’m throwing a rock in the water when I throw a 1/4 or bigger. I can cast a good 60 to 80ft with a 1/8oz or 1/16 unless the winds blowing north of 10 straight at me.
As for colors for me it’s more about light and water conditions most of the year but it really doesn’t seem to make a huge difference, I think it’s mostly the action that gets them to bite and when there feeding they hit anything that remotely resembles food and then in the still calm clear winter waters I like small natural looking baits.