Jigs on the Clackamas

[STGRule]

I made Dear Hubby promise to take me for a drift on the Clack to try bobber and jig fishing as soon as the water drops a little bit more. Neither of us have used this technique before. I did a search for jigs and the clackamas and found that pink/white or purple/pink 1/8 oz was the only actual jig type info I could find. Does the color and/or size matter for specific water conditions? How about water temp or cfs? If you had to recommend a color and size, what would you suggest? Also how far from the bobber should the jig be? What size float for different size jigs? Thanks for any help! :cool:

[Osprey]

I'm not familiar with this river,but as general rule the colors you mentioned should work.

For the depth of the jig,simply guess the dept of the slot you want to fish,go a little deeper,cast out if it starts to stick or goes under assume you are hitting bottom(could be a fish ! )
move it up 1 ft at time,till you are floating nicely ,then raise it a little more,
Ideally you want to be 1 ft above the bottom

remember fish can only see up.....so it's better to be over a fish then under one....Os

[Thumper]

I agree with Osprey except for the depth to fish. I take just the opposite approach. Estimate the water depth and set the bobber at about half that depth. Gradually lengthen it if necessary. The fish will come up to a jig. We catch them all the time in 8-10 feet of water with the jig set at 5 feet or so.

[STGRule]

Thank you, thank you. I try both ways and see what happens.

[ampersat]

i'd go with thumper's recommendation. starting at the bottom and working up will cost you a lot of gear. take it from one who knows.

also, when you do find the bottom, back off quick. if you don't, you'll be tying a fresh jig on in about two more casts.

[ 12-11-2001: Message edited by: ampersat ]</p>

[First Bite]

For winter steelies on the Clack go with 1/4th oz jigs so you have enough weight to get the jig down quickly. Pink/white jigs are perennial favorites for winter steelhead on all rivers. Another good choice is straight white.

Jack was right on when he said to fish shallower and then go deeper. If you know the depth of the run you're fishing, first run your jig about half the depth and then if you don't get any strikes, continue to fish the drift a little deeper until you're a foot or so off the bottom. Good luck.

Mark

[Osprey]

The reason I start at the bottom and come up ,is a lot of times early in the morning they won't travel too far to grab a jig in real cold water.
Of course you reset the depth quick,so you don't lose that jig :rolleyes:
It is always better to be over the fish.As the water warms a little and fish strat to move then I will varie my depth to get suspended fish.....Os