24

5. Jigs

Lesson FiveJigs: Weighing your Options

1. The most common jig weights include weights between _____________________ and one ounce.

2. A light jig helps you achieve a _____________________ of your bait or allow the bait to

_____________________ with the current to trigger close or sluggish fish to bite.

3. A heavy jig to _____________________ through heavy weed cover, _____________________ bottom

when fishing in strong current or trigger a _____________________ bite.

4. ____________________ is a denser material than lead, and therefore creates _____________________

jig heads for comparable weights. The metal transfers _____________________ better than lead, up

your line and to your rod.

5. When you use live bait and want to create a natural presentation, you

should look for a jig hook with a _____________________, to keep the

weight and the hooked bait close to each other.

6. Presenting a bait vertically, an eye that is positioned _____________________ degrees from the

shank will be the best choice, as it will hold the hook in a _____________________ position.

7. Swimming the bait through the water column and through cover, you’ll want to look for a jig with an

eye that is positioned at _____________________ degrees from the shank.

8. The round-headed jig is completely _____________________ allowing the jig

to swim and fall true with minimal effort or water influence.

25

5. Jigs

9. Mushroom head jigs have a flat back and barbed collar that holds soft

plastics well and creates a _____________________ between your jig and the bait.

10. Darter jigs, or bullet jigs, are designed with a cone-shaped head that

gives them a very _____________________ profile, making them a great

option for fishing in _____________________, retrieving a jig through

_____________________ or when dragging smaller _____________________ baits slowly below the

boat.

11. Football jigs design prevents the jig from _____________________

or _____________________ to either side when resting on the bottom,

keeps the hook _____________________________ in vertical presentations

and makes it relatively _____________________ to snags.

12. The design of the football jig has a tendency to _____________________ the bottom making them a

good choice when using baits that mimic _____________________.

13. The shaky-head jig is a good choice if you are looking for a

_____________________ presentation jig.

14. Shaky-head jigs are designed to position the _____________________ of your bait to float upwards.

15. Slider jigs fall very _____________________, making them a great jig for

_____________________ presentations.

16. Swim jigs are designed to be fairly flat, which allows them to swim from

_____________________ as they fall and are retrieved through the water.

26

5. Jigs

17. Stand-up jigs are designed so that when the jig is resting on the bottom, the

hook stands at a _____________________ degree angle.

18. Banana jigs are somewhat _____________________ and the weight-forward

design causes the bait to _____________________ when resting.

19. Airplane jigs are designed to be fished _____________________ and can be

worked by using big jigging movements that gives the bait a

_____________________ motion as it ascends and descends in the water.

20. Using a trailer on a bass jig can add ____________________ and

____________________ the bait’s fall.

21. The swim bait jig usually has a swept-back jig head, so that the head looks

like a __________________ part of the body.

22. Some swim bait jigs are incorporated right into the _____________________ of the plastic bait.

23. Rattles added to your jig can add subtle or extreme enhancements to the

_____________________ and _____________________ of your bait.

24. A small blade is added to jigs to give the bait some _____________________ in the water and add

some _____________________.

25. Stinger hooks or trailer hooks can help hook fish when they are

____________________ on your bait.

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6. Blades and Spoons

Lesson SixBlades and Spoons: Taking a Turn

1. Label the following blades and choose the right statement:

__________________

__________________

__________________

__________________

__________________

2. Anglers can use size choices to affect the amount of __________________ and __________________

transmitted.

3. The benefit of smooth blades is that they produce a lot of __________________.

4. Textured surfaces, like hammered, scaled, or rippled surfaces, produce many _____________________

instead of one large flash.

5. Where the water clarity is low, many anglers will prefer __________________________.

6. Many anglers will tie their own spinner rigs when there is a need to take advantage of

__________________ or add __________________ to the rig.

similar shape to a willow leaf blade, but is shorter, wider, and rounder

have a hook-like shape that sweeps to a point on one side

have a streamlined design that makes them great when burning them to the boat

creates lots of vibration

movement and vibration produced falls between Indiana and Colorado blades

28

6. Blades and Spoons

7. Glass beads on a spinner rig will add a little ________________________ to the rig and

can produce ________________________ that are not available with standard plastic beads.

8. ____________________ and ____________________ are relatively snag-resistant, which makes them a

good option for when you want to fish your spinner rig near or just off the bottom.

9. The actual amount of weight you need to add to your spinner rigs will be determined by factors like

__________________, __________________ and __________________ at which you are fishing.

10. Spinnerbaits with short arms create a _______________________, which is useful when trying to

minimize the size-appearance of your bait.

11. Skirting adds bulk, __________________________ and __________________ to the lure.

12. Thinner wire spinner baits are believed to allow more __________________ in the bait.

13. Heavier wire spinnerbaits should be used when fishing for __________________ or fishing in the

__________________.

14. Spinner bait arms with an “R” shape are __________________ and can be more easily bent back into

the correct shape.

15. Titanium spinner baits are __________________ than stainless steel and therefore may not allow as

much __________________.

16. Spinner baits are commonly used as a _______________________, as you can cover a lot of water in a

short amount of time.

29

6. Blades and Spoons

17. A great tip when burning spinner baits is to remove the center rubber core from a rubber core

sinker and then crimp the sinker onto the __________________ of the spinner blade.

18. Many anglers will fish a spinnerbait by slow-rolling, they let it ______________________________ and

allow it to __________________ into any and every obstacle along its path.

19. Buzz baits are highly effective when fished in __________________ conditions,

such as in ____________________________, ____________________________ and

at __________________.

20. On a buzz bait, __________________ blades lift easily toward the surface compared to

__________________ blades.

a. smaller / larger

b. larger / smaller

c. white / green

21. When fishing an inline spinner what type of terminal tackle is important to prevent line twists?

Snapswivel

Bottom bouncer

Snap

Rubber core sinker

22. The most common spoon designs for freshwater species include __________________ spoons,

__________________ spoons, __________________ spoons and __________________ spoons.

23. The action of a __________________ spoon creates broader sweeps than a casting spoon.

30

24. Casting spoons and trolling spoons should also be used with __________________ or

__________________ to minimize the line twist that can result from the action of these baits.

25. __________________ spoons are geared toward a vertical presentation.

26. Becasue you will often get the strike when the bait is falling, watch your __________________ and

follow the ________________________ with your rod tip.

6. Blades and Spoons

31

7. Terminal Tackle

Lesson SevenTerminal Tackle: Float or Sink

1. The basic function of a bobber is to give you the ability to present your bait at a

_____________________, in a vertical presentation and give you the ability to see when a fish

_____________________ the bait.

2. Fixed bobbers need to attach relatively close to the lure for _____________________ and

_____________________.

3. The slip bobber design allows the line to freely slip through the bobber, until the

_____________________ on the line is reached.

4. You need to choose a bobber that will be buoyant enough to _____________________ the weight of

your lure, but not too buoyant, so that it will not _________________________________ in the water.

5. The best rod and reel for fishing a bobber is _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________.

6. When attaching splitshot be careful not to _____________________ your line and cause a

_____________________ point at the sinker.

7. Bell sinkers have a rounded bottom, which means they will not easily ___________________

in rocks.

8. Drop-shot sinkers attach to the line with a _____________________ wire swivel.

32

7. Terminal Tackle

9. ____________________ and ___________________ sinkers can also be used to catch a fish’s attention.

10. To catch a fish’s _____________________ when you’re working a bait, you can _____________________

a bell sinker or dropshot weight off rocks or use it to _____________________ bottom sediment.

11. Pyramid sinkers, with their design of an inverted pyramid, _____________________ and

_____________________ into soft bottoms.

12. Walking sinkers are often used for _____________________________________.

13. The egg sinker’s shape makes it _____________________ resistant and effective at

_____________________ the bottom to attract fish.

14. Bullet sinkers that are not pegged will allow the bait to sink _____________________,

whereas, when the sinker is pegged it will _____________________ the rate your bait

falls and also effect the profile of your bait.

15. Using more weight than necessary can add resistance to your line and this will effect the

presentation of your bait.

True

False

16. Leaders can be used to provide a __________________________ line near your bait or when you want

a line that is resistant to _____________________.

17. When using a leader to protect your line against toothy fish, like pike and musky,

_____________________ leaders are the best choice.

33

7. Terminal Tackle

18. Single strand leaders are less rigid than multi-strand, which means they are less likely to

__________________________________________________ of your bait. However, they are more likely

to _____________________ quickly and are more prone to _____________________.

19. The three main types of swivels used for fresh water fishing are the _____________________ swivel,

the _____________________ swivel and the __________________________ swivel.

20. Which type of swivels rotates the smoothest? _____________________

21. Which type of swivel offers the greatest strength for a given size? _____________________

22. The snap swivels are commonly used with lures like ___________________ and ___________________.

34

8. Knots

Lesson EightKnots: Let’s Tangle

1. The breaking strength of a knot is the ___________________ of line strength that remains at the knot.

2. Numerous tests with monofilament and fluorocarbon have proven that ___________________

your knot will noticeably improve the integrity of the knot.

3. If you cut your tag end too short, or if you do not cinch down your knot tightly, the tag end

can ___________________ into the knot, or pull right through, causing the knot to come

___________________.

4. By simply adding one drop of angler’s ___________________ to your knot, you can increase the

breaking strength of the knot by as much as ________ percent.

5. After fishing all day with monofilament line water ___________________ causes the line in the

knot to swell up causing your knot to loosen.

6. A significant challenge when tying knots with a fluorocarbon line, is that it has a low level of

___________________ and is ___________________, resulting in weakening when bent or twisted

to form and tighten the knot.

7. Superlines are usually very ___________________, making it difficult to manage the line when

trying to arrange the knot.

8. Because superlines are slippery, it’s especially important to consider using ___________________

to help prevent the knot from slipping.

35

9. The improved clinch knot has a breaking strength of ________ percent.

10. The improved clinch knot is not recommended to be tied with ___________________, as it is very

likely to slip.

11. For monofilament and superlines, one of the strongest knots you can tie is the

___________________ knot.

12. The Palomar knot, when tied with fluorocarbon line, will have a breaking

strength of approximately ________ percent.

13. The Loop knot is a great knot to use when fishing a ___________________

where you do not want to disrupt the hydrodynamics of the lure.

14. The Loop knot is very strong, with a breaking strength of about ________ percent but, when tied

with a superline it may slip right through itself.

15. The Snell knot is a popular knot to use for _____________________________.

16. The ___________________ knot does not tie together cleanly which can make casting it through

your rod guides a little difficult.

17. Because of the compact twists and turns involved in tying the Surgeons’ knot,

it is not recommended for use with ___________________ line.

18. The ___________________ knot has both lines (leader and main) come through

the middle therefore will have less negative impact on casting performance as

the knot comes through the guides.

8. Knots

36

19. The ___________________ knot requires the knot to be tied exactly right,

or it may fail.

20. To prevent loosing the fish of a lifetime, be sure to check your knot ___________________, and

periodically ___________________, even if it looks good.

8. Knots

37

Answer Key

Lesson Five - Jigs: Weighing your Options1. 1/64 / one

2. slow fall / drift

3. break / hold / reaction

4. tungsten / smaller-profile / vibrations

5. short shank

6. 90 / horizontal

7. 60

8. symmetrical

9. uniform appearance

10. streamlined / current / sparse vegetation / profile

11. turning / tipping / pointing upward / resistant

12. stir up / crayfish

13. finesse

14. tail

15. slowly / finesse

16. side to side

17. 45

18. snag-proof / stand up

19. vertically / spiral

20. scent / slow

21. natural

22. body

23. noise / vibration

24. flash / vibration

25. biting short

Lesson Six - Blades and Spoons: Taking a Turn1.

2. vibration / action

3. flash

4. smaller flashes

5. painted blades

6. lighter line / customization

7. extra weight / subtle noises

8. bottom bouncers / walking weights

9. current / depth / speeds

10. smaller profile

Answer Key - Lessons 5 - 8

Colorado

Willow Leaf

Indiana

Oklahoma

Hatchet

similar shape to a willow leaf blade, but is shorter, wider, and rounder

have a hook-like shape that sweeps to a point on one side

have a streamlined design that makes them great when burning them to the boat

creates lots of vibration

movement and vibration produced falls between Indiana and Colorado blades

38

11. pulsating movement / color

12. vibration

13. large fish / weeds

14. stronger

15. stiffer / vibration

16. search baits

17. shank

18. drag bottom / bump

19. lower-visibility / murky water / shallow cover / night

20. large / small

21. snap swivel

22. casting / trolling / jigging / top-water

23. trolling

24. swivels / leaders

25. jigging

26. line / bait-down

Lesson Seven - Terminal Tackle: Float or Sink1. precise depth / touches/strikes

2. casting / retrieval

3. bobber stop

4. float / stand properly

5. a longer spinning rod, to give you leverage for setting the hook

6. crimp / weak

7. snag

8. line-griping

9. bell sinkers / dropshot sinkers

10. attention / tap

11. sink quickly / dig securely

12. live-bait rigging

13. snag / stirring up

14. slower / increase

15. true

16. low-visibility / abrasions

17. wire

18. interfere with the action / wear / kinking

19. barrel / crane / ball bearing

20. ball bearing

21. ball bearing

22. spinners / spoons

Answer Key - Lessons 5 - 8

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Lesson Eight - Knots: Let’s Tangle1. percentage

2. lubricating

3. slip back / undone

4. glue / 10

5. absorption

6. stretch / fairly stiff

7. thin

8. angler’s glue

9. 80

10. superline

11. palomar

12. 75

13. crankbait

14. 90

15. live bait rigging

16. surgeon’s

17. fluorocarbon

18. uni-to-uni

19. seaguar

20. regularly, re-tie

Answer Key - Lessons 5 - 8