They will be coming out in some standard colors that you normally throw. Black and Blue, Peanut Butter and Jelly and Watermelon Green on two different Head Designs, Pro Football Head and our Arky Design Jig.

Keep Checking back regularly for the release of Mumpys Mops and get prepared to start catching some large Bass.

In my quest to figure out this ledge fishing, I have been doing a lot of message board research and have been getting some awesome advice that I believe played a key role in yesterdays fishing trip. A fellow Tennessee Volunteer Fan Chris Hight gave me some very good advice yesterday, which I will break down into steps.

Step One: This is nothing short of what everyone has been saying thus far. Recon the area you are going to fish. It is funny how many things relate to Infantry tactics in the civilian life now that I am a civilian. We always taught that you will always do a reconnaissance of your objective and at a bare minimum a Map Reconnaissance. It is no different here, Recon your Objective and look for potential areas of interest. Chris gave me a special recon tip that I will share. Do your Map Reconnaissance with your GPS Map, they are more detailed than any map you’re going to purchase in the store. I cannot tell you how true this is, and advice that was taken yesterday evening.

Step Two: Go to the areas you have chosen, Idle your boat over these spots and monitor your Sonar. I want to add to this by saying, know your equipment. I can’t tell you how many fishermen out there have Sonar’s they have purchased, installed and basically just treated it like a plug and play computer. There is a very important feature on these Sonar’s called Greyline®. Greyline® lets you distinguish between strong and weak echoes. It “paints” gray on targets that are stronger than a preset value. This allows you to tell the difference between a hard and soft bottom. This helps distinguish weeds from trees on the bottom, or fish from structure. The important note out of that last step is this. Know your equipment so you can accurately decipher what it is showing you.

With all of that said, look for a good hard bottom, once you have found one of your chosen areas with a good hard bottom, look for a school of fish relating to a drop, hard bottom etc…

Step Three: Once you have found a school of fish, mark them with your GPS and continue to look at other areas of interest.

Step Four: Go back over the areas you found schools of fish and attempt to find them again, this is to see if they moved. – Chris told me, most schools won’t go far during the day. If the fish you had marked earlier is still there in the area throw out a buoy and start your final process.

Step Five: There are two steps here. Not only must you figure out which angle the Bass are preferring the bait, but you must also figure out which bait they prefer. I hope this tip helps some of you out because it’s something I’ve always followed and it really helps me a lot. Start fast and go slow. Basically, start with your faster baits such as Crankbaits and then work down from there until you find what they prefer. I am also very biased when it comes to baits, so it doesn’t take long before I’m tossing a Jig. To be fair and unbiased though, start off with a Crankbait, then go to a Jig and finally a Carolina Rig. The good thing about a Carolina rig is it helps you feel the bottom and translates what is down there to your finger tips.

So, there is basically the steps you need to take to become acquainted with Ledge fishing. Now, on to my trip yesterday and how I went about it. I followed the steps 1 – 5 basically to the “T”, except for one minor detail. After Step Four we tied on a couple of DD22 Crankbaits onto a couple of Catfish Rods with 50lb Test line. We cast these behind the boat, let out about 200′ of line and Idled our boat down the river, over the school and Trolled our Crankbaits through the School of Fish we found at 25′ deep.

1st Pass – A Spotted Bass about 3lb! I was delightfully surprised, I was happy that the technique worked, but I was very surprised that it worked so fast and on the very first pass. After the fish was landed, we went back to where we first began the first pass and started our second pass.

2nd Pass – A Spotted Bass about 3lb! Are you KIDDING ME? I never thought we would put in the work of steps 1-4 and then try my Trolling Technique and in Two Passes come out with Two SPOTS in the 3LB Range.  Chris also mentioned something to me yesterday that I really took advantage of and as you can see it paid off. Chris said, “Once you get that school biting, they will get fired up and it’s on!”

Time for STEP 5!

We went to where the school was and pointed the boat upriver and started tossing Jigs at them, and BAM! Carl hooks the largest bass of his life! No it’s not some 10lb Monster but as you can see, it also isn’t something to snub your nose at. I promise you this, there are plenty of people that would love to have that baby in their live wells come weigh in time.

Carl with a Eufaula Bass caught on a Black and Blue Mumpys Jig in 25' of water

After that fish, I told Carl, “Look, we have a spot, it’s marked, we know fish is here. Let’s go find some more spots!”

We took off to our other chosen areas of interest and were able to recon one other spot before the Rain from hell came and our evening of fishing was done. So, where does this take us for Part III of this series? Well, this weekend we are going back to Eufaula and fish our normal manner from 5am to 9am and from that point on we will Repeat Steps 1 – 5, with a slight twist in there, and hopefully come off the Lake this weekend with more spots and hopefully in the near future we will have enough spots marked that our Fishing through the summer is nothing more than routine.

I hope this write up helps anyone that was having trouble fishing Ledges and come back next week for Part III of this series.

One pattern I find that Anglers are stuck on is throwing their lures at the banks when the Bass have moved on. To consistently catch fish, you must change your patterns with the Bass. Don’t get fixated on what was working a few hours ago or even a week ago.

I will be the last person to stand on the soap box and say Anglers need to move to the ledges. Most Anglers know that is where fish are holding, but a lot of anglers, me included don’t know how to fish these spots.

This has been one of the most disheartening areas of fishing for me over the past 10+ years. I have struggled with Ledge fishing for so long that usually it is this time of the year that I pick up other hobbies. Well, I have had enough. It is time to put the nose to the grindstone, put my time in and figure this technique out.

My first quest in this adventure was to find someone to teach me. I found an article written by Dave Stewart. You can read his article Here. I will be using some parts of his Article here in my Article to explain more about what we’re looking for when learning how to fish Ledges.

After reading Daves article and talking with a friend of mine in Tennessee, I see that I have been going about it all wrong. In years past, I would simply go fishing that morning and cast at the banks while the fishing was good. Once the bite stopped we would back off into deeper water and cast the entire tackle box at them with no success.

Kevin, who will be doing some Articles for Southern Sportsman here in the future, wrote me a letter explaining that he will go out and spend hours and hours idling over ledges that he previously found on the map. Kevin wrote, “I have put a ton of hours on my outboard idling without casting and just reading a map and depth finder. That is the secret, forcing yourself to look and idle, and not fish. Mark 15-20 spots in a day. Comeback the next day and fish them. Remember just because you don’t catch anything on a new spot doesn’t mean the fish don’t use it. Always GPS it or mark it on your map for the next time.”

With all of that said, I am going to introduce to you a way of finding these spots that is a little less talked about. You won’t hear a lot about Trolling Crankbaits because it isn’t a Tournament tactic. I have yet to find a tournament that allowed Trolling, but boy what a way to help you find Bass when you aren’t in a tournament.

This coming Wednesday @ 6pm, 16 June, 2010, The estimated water temperature during that time of the day will be somewhat near the 90 degree mark. We are going to use Manns Deep Diving 20+ Crankbait, fished approximately 100 – 150′ behind the boat. The line we use will be 50lb Braid with a heavy duty reel and an 8’6″ Rod. My goal is to find bass that are hanging on the ledges of the River Channel. Using the Sonar at Idle speed, we will troll the Crankbaits behind us while keeping the boat on the edge of the River Ledge in 20′ to 22′ of water.

Using the GPS on the Lowrance, we will mark each spot where we catch a Bass or get hung on Cover.

This is Part One of a Three Part Series. Part Two will be an update on our adventure while Trolling and Part Three will come next week when we go back to the marked spots and fish them with Mumpys Jigs.

Please come back and visit for the two remaining parts.

Mumpys Jigs just turned to Living Image® and is now in PB&J Color

Call it what you will, but I call it the first of many reasons I made the right decision with my Field Testing Staff. Houston Kress of Sevierville TN suggested I try Living Image® Skirting material. I think his exact words to me were “That stuff is the real deal. It gives the jig a great action when it is sitting still.” Houston is one of 5 Field Testers I chose last week. Houston works at the Bass Pro Shop in Sevierville TN and fishes the NBAA (National Bass Anglers Association) Tournament Series where he is also a Co-Director of that particular League. He has been Bass fishing for 13 years now, and when he suggested the Living Image® I knew I had to make the switch.

Along with the new Skirting material we have also started making another design. Mumpys Arky Design type Jig is now for sale. Briefly talking with Tim Malcolm last week via email, about what Jigs he fished and what colors he was looking to use. He mentioned he likes to use a flipping style jig. That was enough for me to add a new design to our line. These Jigs are the same style as the Famous Arkie Jigs except with Mumpys Jig quality. We’re shoving Chemically sharpened Mustad hooks in these bad boys along with Powder Coated Paint jobs for durability. This is especially nice for those Boat Docks and Structure flipping days.

There is more… We have also added a new color, Mumpys Peanut Butter and Jelly. Using Living Image® Skirting Material along with BOSS JIG ARMOR Powder Paint I have high hopes for this color scheme. The Bass will never know it isn’t a crawdad until it’s too late!

Yet… There is still more!  Our Mumpys Football Head Jigs have went Pro! That’s right, We have added rattles. Not just any rattles. Each Jig comes with two Magnum Rattles that fit into the Skirt Collar. You can remove them both if you want a more subtle approach, or you can leave one in, or both in. It’s all up to you. I hope you enjoy this addition. It was what the Field Testers ordered and we have delivered.

I am doing my best to produce the very best product on the market for the same price or less than my competitors. They can’t give you the quality I am giving you for less. These companies are mass producing a product and that simply won’t cut it. Each Jig with my name on it has been personally made, painted and inspected by me.

Try these Jigs and see for yourself. If you are not completely satisfied then simply return them for a full refund. It’s that simple.

I want you to find that guarantee at your local tackle shop.

If you are a Tackle shop and looking to stock your shelves with a Jig, shoot me an email. I have a guarantee for you that you can not turn down.

Q.  Mumpy, I could use some help in the area of Jig fishing. I’ve only gotten into jig fishing the last couple of years but I really want to get better. So, here’s the questions; What’s your most productive color? Any additional color strands like I’ve seen black and blue with some purple in it.  What about trailers?  Thanks for your help.

A. Good Question, Black and Blue combination is by far the most popular combination among Bass Fishermen. It’s popular for a reason, it flat out catches Bass. If I could give you any advice, it would be to stick with that simple color and vary the Jig design to meet your fishing environment. For example, if you’re fishing a hard / rock bottom, use the Football head. If you are fishing brush and structure, use the Brush Buster style I make. Grass? Use the Swimming Jig. Then obviously there is the weight issue which is as simple as the deeper you’re fishing, the heavier the Jig. There are many variables that must be considered. Remember the Conditions + Clarity equals color rule.

Tennessee River Bass - 6 June 2010

Ask yourself this as well, What are you trying to imitate? Shad? Bream? Crawdads? This will probably throw you for a loop… According to wikipedia, In North America The greatest diversity of crayfish species is found in south-eastern North America, with over 330 species in nine genera. That is a lot of different colors depending on what time of year we are fishing.

I got this information from a Pro Guide, Rich Thiel , and I will pass it on to you; When the water temperature is 65 and the water is slightly stained, Brown and Purple works good or Brown on Brown. As the spawn finishes up the water temperature starts rising which forces the crawdads to bury themselves and turn back to the Black/Orange/Red color. What he does is follow a rule of thumb, Cloudy skies equals Black and Blue, Sunny days equals Black and Red and mix the trailers up. Also, after the spawn, downsize the appearance of the jig. Keep the weight, but cut the skirt back a bit.  During the summer months he never fishes a jig that is longer than 4″ and in the Winter he uses a 5″ to a 5 1/2″ Jig. Just something to think about.

Tennessee Bass caught on a Black and Blue Mumpys Jig - June 6 2010

Speaking of Black and Blue, it seems to really be paying off for my Dad up in Chattanooga, he’s been absolutely KILLING The Largemouth on the Tennessee River as of lately on my Pro Football Head, Black and Blue Jig as you can tell from the pictures.

Tennessee River Largemouth caught on a Black and Blue Mumpys Jig - 5 June 2010

Some fairly good news was received this weekend. I contacted a local Professional Fisherman this weekend he is currently fishing the FLW Tour. He has agreed to give Mumpys Jigs a try and if everything goes well, it looks like I will be sponsoring him. This is a win win situation for everyone. I am positive he will enjoy the Jigs I make for him and at the same time, he will be letting me know what has been working so I can post here any of his success stories. I am also looking forward to any ideas he may have on colors or head designs. Let’s cross our fingers. I will be sending him a shipment of Jigs the beginning of next week. I’ll keep everyone updated on the situation.

Mumpy

So, what do you say we get down and dirty with this whole “Color Scheme” business.

If I’ve learned anything over the years it’s the old KISS acronym, that’s right, Keep It Simple Stupid. Whether you are fishing with a Crankbait, Worm, Jig or Spinnerbait, Keep it Simple, don’t over think this, keeping it simple will put fish in the boat… Guaranteed.

I have said this next line so much over the past few years that my fishing buddy’s are starting to get annoyed with the whole thing all together. Water Clarity and Conditions equal your lure color.

We basically have four kinds of water clarity in the south, Muddy, Dingy, Stained and Moderately clear with a greenish hue.

In muddy and dingy water with a visibility of one to four feet, it’s a good idea to stick to florescent-colored baits because of the high visibility and in particular, chartreuse works really well under muddy conditions.

When fishing clear and ultra-clear water, natural-colored or transparent baits on a much smaller scale and size are great producers.

Primarily the colors used the most are brown/orange/red combinations resembling crawfish, chartreuse/blue combinations imitating bluegill, and baits resembling shad,a natural prey for bass, including chrome/black, chrome/blue, Tennessee shad and various pearl/white patterns.

An easy way for me to remember what color of lure to use is this. I want to present the Bass the least amount needed to get the Job done. If I am fishing a Clear Water on a Sunny day I will use as Translucent of a color as I can find, I want just enough color for that bass to recognize it as forge but not so much to where it throws him off.

Another good tip is one of Trout fishermen but carries over to all fishermen. Match the Hatch, a Bluegill is a Pumpkin Seed Color, Shad is White or Pearl, Crayfish are of Brown and when fishing deep water a Black and Blue will always get you a bite.

I’ll be honest with you on this. If you look in my tackle box you are going to find basically a handful of colors. Years ago when I was beginning fishing and bought everything under the sun, this was the first indicator that I didn’t know what I was doing. Today, my color selection is narrowed down to Black and Blue, June Bug, Watermelon, Pumpkin seed and White. If there are any other colors in there I can’t think of them which means I don’t use them much, if at all.

If you guys have any Tips you can add to this Color Selection, please feel free to email me @ Mumpy@southernsportsman.org and share the wealth of knowledge, I am always looking for fast ways to make the decision when it’s time to switch colors during the fishing day.

Here is a question for you. On Partly Cloudy days, would it behoove you to have another rod and reel rigged with a different color for when the Sun goes behind the clouds for a certain period of time? Hmmm, It’s a thought…

Mumpys NEW Bluegill Swimming Jig

Over this past Memorial Day I had a chance to fish Lake Eufaula with a friend of mine. I am not sure how many people were visiting my site last year, but I had posted a blog about a lure that was blowing up on the Pro Circuit, called a “Swimming Jig”. These Jigs and this technique has been around for decades, but has been kept a secret from local fishermen. Don’t believe me? All it takes is a quick Google to see the multiple articles written on Swimming a Jig and just about 90% of them talk about how it has been a tactic that Pro Fishermen did not want to be publicized. It has become a hot tactic and swimming a Jig technique may have been the top technique for the 2009 Elite Series Tournament according to ESPN.

Eufaula Bass on Black and Blue Swimming Jig

Mumpys Swimming Jigs

A Swimming Jig is a sleekly designed Jig that is to be cast out and retrieved much like a Spinner Bait, without the flash. It is intended to move quietly, though not absolute silently, through the water. Cast these jigs in grass, trees, stumps, basically anywhere you would normally cast a Spinnerbait, Crankbait or Jig. You will quickly notice how the swimming jig doesn’t get hung up on weeds, limbs or rocks. There isn’t any excessive flash nor noise to attract or alarm bass and their silent movement through the water often provokes vicious reflex strikes.

Eufaula Bass caught on a White Swimming Jig

Buzzbaits, Crankbaits and even Spinnerbaits all have something in common. They all make noise and even though these baits may not spook or alarm a Bass, they can grow accustom to noisy lures and avoid them all together. Jigs, are known for catching big bass. The swimming jig may possibly be more effective at drawing bigger bass to strike.

Color variations are as infinite as any other lure color, though a lot of anglers prefer to use white. The anglers that stick to this color are missing out on fish. Sticking to one color will limit the amount of strikes you get. I have said for years, Water Clarity + Conditions equal Lure Color. Stick with that rule when choosing your Jig Color and I promise you more strikes. Try to emulate the forage the bass are feeding on. If it is Bluegill use a Pumpkin Seed with some Orange strands mixed in, Shad equals White with some blue and maybe a red strand and for Crawfish I throw the tried and true, Black and Blue. So, with a couple of days to prepare for the fishing trip to Lake Eufaula, I spent most of my Sunday pouring lead, painting heads and putting together different color schemes for my adventure to one of the most famous Lakes in the Southeast. We ended up catching a total of 13 Largemouth, 1 Crappie and a Grass Pike. Of those fish, 7 Largemouth, a Crappie and a Grass Pike were all caught on a swimming Jig. Many more could have made this blog had we caught them and not missed them.

I guess that’s why they call it fishing and not catching.

I will close with saying this.

The next time you are going out on the water and you come to a spot where you would normally fish a Spinnerbait or a Crankbait, pick up the Swimming Jig instead. I honestly believe if you do this, you will soon find yourself replacing what you normally grab for those occasions with a Swimming Jig. Who knows, you might not always catch a bass…

I have found an excellent video on Youtube that was made by Bass Pro Shops featuring Kevin VanDam on Swimming Jigs. This video is worth the watch, he shows you some techniques that goes beyond just the cast and retrieve that I can’t wait to try the next time I am out on the water. Enjoy