SLIP FLOAT SETUP FOR THE SLOP

[Slip Sinker]

Just about all summer long ive been fishing a shallow water slop weed pattern for some quality sized fish. Slip floating in shallow weed choked areas with UL spinning gear , small floats and tiny waxie baits. Ive used rods as short as five foot and as long as seven. I found a comfortable home at 5-6’. Just feels right and is very accurate with the casting. No long pole needed here… project, flip and cast this small float accurately with stealth into those weed pocket openings and edges. One of the most important items on this setup list is the braid… it cuts thru the weed stalks and pads like a thin cheese slicer. You might as well stay at home if you insist on using the mono because of its stretch it will wrap around the weeds and you will lose fish!! another very important item is the bait Use the Waxies!! they stay on the hook as you pulling thru the weeds otherwise you will be replacing your cricket on every cast or flip.

some of the areas you should be targeting should look like this... the thicker the better.

most of the time im flipping or making short casts into pockets, openings or tight edges. do not forget the shoreline is an edge you'd be surprised how tight they get to the bank!

[Allen Morgan]

I like to use an Eagle Claw size 8 Aberdeen Cricket Hook (get them at Wally world).  These have a much longer shank than a standard Aberdeen "crappie" hook.  Easier to grab the hook with a pair of forceps when the fish swallows the hook.

That said, small circle hooks should prevent this.  I've got some size 8 octopus circle hooks, but would prefer a size 10 or 12 of that kind of hook if I was fishing for Bluegills.

I have had great success with 1/80th, size 12 sickle jigs, with painted heads and custom-tied bodies that I do.  Jeff Abney will tell you that he really likes using a size 8 sickle jig, usually 1/32 oz in weight.

[Kelly Peterson]

Thanks Allen; reason I asked about the Aberdeen is I have lots of them already. Have to read our regulations again but think we can't use circle hooks. So fish caught on circle hooks are never hooked deep?

Are you using the small jigs on a drop shot rig?

[Allen Morgan]

Reg's AGAINST circle hooks????  What.  The.  Heck????  Most states encourage the use of circle hooks, if not require them completely, for gamefish species.  This is because the design of the circle hook; as the fish swims away with the bait, the hook is pulled out, the hook rotates once the eye of the hook comes out of the fish's mouth, and the point catches in the corner of the jaw.  I've been using circle hooks for years, and have only had a handful of gut-hooked fish, and one instance where the hook was wedged into the roof of the fish's mouth.  All other hooksets are in the corner of the jaw, right where they should be.

I typically fish an Aberdeen, or Aberdeen Cricket Hook, as a drop-shot.  Circle hooks are snelled to the end of the leader, with split shot above that (all sizes, from those size 8 octopus circles to a 3/0).  Jigs are tied to the end of the leader.  Sometimes I do a tandem-jig rig, and tie another jig onto the leader above the tail-end jig.

When I fish the really small jigs, I typically use a weighted balsa float to give me enough weight to throw the jig.  However, those 1/80th oz jigs are light enough that I could use them on my fly rod.  I just never got around to doing that.

[Kelly Peterson]

Well just looked at our regulations( Wisconsin) and knew there was something in there about circle hooks. What I found was that non offset circle hooks can be used in a Quick Strike Rig with 8" or larger minnows for  big pike/musky.

Other than that specific rig circle hooks can be used and even can be slightly offset, too. Guess I'll have to try them because have some problems sometime when using live bait with the hook getting deep. Never hear much around here about use of circle hooks with bait for walleyes and other fish. Will have to look next time I'm in a store to see if they are available. Lots of Aberdeen style and baitholder hooks used here.

[Allen Morgan]

I went looking and found the same info.  I was trying to edit my reply about that when it timed-out.

I will tell you that circle hooks aren't necessarily the best hooks for walleyes/perch/saugers.  I've had better hooksets with Saugers by using a standard Aberdeen hook.  I've got some Slow-Death Aberdeens, but haven't used them yet.  Hopefully this year.  The way Walleyes/Saugers tend to nip and shred a bait doesn't work well with circle hooks.  Circle hooks work best with fish that engulf their food and swim away.  Catfish, Black Bass, Morone species, etc.

[Slip Sinker]

… just experimenting i found the circle to be the most weed free hook in my arsenal... i used # 8 down to #12... you can use any hook you want... but the circle drags thru the grass more freely. i use this set-up for punching thru light weed canopies and grass . when not presenting in heavy weeds i like the split shot above the hook better.

[Kelly Peterson]

Just one little pink waxie is the only bait you put on these rigs?

[Slip Sinker]

Yep… basically all I fish for now is panfish… but I catch a lot of preds along the way… the Gulp Pink Waxie is an incredible bait.