Jigging for Goggle eye.

Getting Jiggy with it

I am not a professional fisherman I am just normal southern boy who was raised by a single mother. I learned to fish by fishing with friends and going out there on my own.

I recently received a 12 foot jig pole as my 5 year award from Turner Industries. It is a B’n’M Sam Heaton Super Sensitive Crappie pole. When I picked this pole out I figured 12’ is a very long pole. After a few trips using it I don’t think 12’ is long enough I may get a 16’ or 20’ pole. I often find myself bending over trying to reach just a little further.  I came home one day with a sore back I had the boat anchored just a little bit out of my 12’ reach and I was bending over trying to get closer to where the sac-a-lait where hitting the surface chasing them minnows next to a cypress tree.

I have been jigging for goggle-eye or warmouths as some people like to call them.  I made a few trips out to Blind River and I have been learning where the goggle-eyes are and what color jigs they like. One thing I will say about this river is water depth matters a lot. We have done much better when the water was higher. When we have to duck down to get under the railroad tracks and water is flowing out the small cuts in the woods it makes for a better day fishing.

When the water is higher there is more cover I can fish, more cypress stumps and knees available. Some of the knees are setting in mud when the water drops . I am looking for a stump or cypress tree that is out in the water away from the bank. I troll up in my small boat and drop a jig right next to the tree. With a 12’ pole and 4-5’ of line hanging down I can drop a jig right down next to the tree without casting. I start about a foot down and if they don’t bite immediately I give it a little wiggle just a gently shake of the rod tip will have that jig dancing. Normal water depth I have been catching them in is 2’ or less.  I may drop it down to the bottom and pick it up a few inches and wham! Goggle-eye normally bite hard, all I do to set the hook is pull back the rod a little. I don’t real them in I just pick the rod tip up and that pulls them closer to the boat. Lift them up and take them hook the off. We normally catch a few from each tree or stump. One tip is that if you bump the tree or get snagged up they will return pretty quick.

My wife always says I catch more fish than her and we use the same jigs. She is casting hers out under a cork. If nothing bites she has to reel it in and cast again. Meanwhile I am just lifting my rod tip up and dropping it down around the next cypress knee or slowly swimming it around the tree. I am covering way more ground jigging then she is casting. Not to mention I can lower the rod and now I am fishing deeper.

Here is my set up B’n’M Sam Heaton Super Sensitive Crappie pole, Mr Crappie spincast reel which I will never buy again. Pink and white 2” fat grub on a 1/32 oz jig head. Will switch colors and bodies around until I find what they are biting on the best. Black and chartreuse crappie magnet split tale, and blue and white tube has been there favorite lately. Crickets and worms will also work.

Ice chest tip.

I will add a bag of ice and then fill it up about half way with water. This ice slurry mix will keep the fish colder and straight. So when I get home to clean them they are not all curled up when we scale them. This also gets all sides of the fish cold.

Blind River Goggle-eye fishing trips

I made a couple solo trips to Blind River and brought the wife a couple of times to fish for bream and goggle-eye or warmouth like some people call them. We found out about this location from a kayaking article I read. It described a scenic cypress swamp with little boat traffic.  Our first trip out there was a photo session and we just took in the scenery.  

We launched our canoe from Hwy 61 across from the St James Boat Club. There is a small gravel parking area with a shell launch.  After paddling north and west a few hundred yards we crossed under the railroad.  We had to lay down in the canoe to go under the bridge. This is the reason for little to no boat traffic. After enjoying an afternoon paddle and taking photos of owls, ducks and other birds, a few small gators we decided to come back the next day to fish.

Launching from the same location we hit a few spots here and there looking to catch some sac-a-lait. What we started catching was goggle-eye. When then each tied on a blue and white tube jig under cork about 12-18 inches.  We found them near cypress knees in 2-3 foot of water. We managed to catch a few bream and a small bass along with some goggle-eye.

Over the next few trips this time with crickets and worms we targeted bream and goggle-eye. What we found was the goggle-eye like to be near stumps and knees. We fished a few locations where water was coming out of the flooded woods, with not much current. We would catch them right next to a cypress tree or knee always in about 2 feet of water. I also noticed that the best spots where right next to a drop off into deeper water.  In these spots we would catch both bream in the flats and goggle-eye next to the stumps. We would often see bait fish fleeing the surface being chased by fish below.

Goggle-eye would hit our bait quick and suck down the bait in one aggressive gulp. The thicker bream like fish don’t fight as well as big bream do. They seem to attack the bait and just allow us to pull them in. I will have to make another trip in the boat with my 12’ jig pole and see if I can get in the stumps and knees easier without casting.

We had several successful trips out there catching fish in what seems like feeding frenzy. We fished one day right after a rain and ran out of crickets and worms. A cold front was moving in and the fish where baiting everything we throw at them even the bobbers. I even caught two fish with one hook. The second fish both goggle-eye was wrapped up in the line.  All thought not the largest fish is quite enjoyable to see those bobbers going down and pulling in fish after fish.