Favorite Mackinaw Jigging Lures?

I'd also consider removing lower hooks and assist hooks at the top for jigs like Wilson dart. Don't know about lakers but seems more effective in saltwater.


AlaskaKayakFisher.com
Guidesak.blogspot.com
My personal pages...I'm not a guide.

Not quite sure what you mean.  ??  Where would you have the hook?

Never mind...I Googled the images...got it. Good idea.

Uplandsandpiper, if you want to jig for lake trout, here's an important question: what kind of kayak do you have?  If you have a paddle kayak, it can be difficult to jig in any amount of breeze, because your kayak will head off downwind.  It takes three arms to jig effectively while holding yourself stationary over the bottom.  In a pedal kayak, on the other hand, you can hold yourself stationary over the bottom even in stiff wind and big waves, while jigging with both hands.

When I only had a paddle kayak (a 13' Ocean Kayak Trident), I tried to jig while holding the rod in my lap.  It doesn't work very well.  I also tried to jig by putting the rod in a rod holder, and lifting and dropping the jig by pulling on the fishing line.  That also doesn't work very well.  In both cases you can't feel the bottom effectively, you can't feel the surprisingly subtle bites which you get from lake trout, you can't feel when a lake trout takes the lure as it is dropping, and you can't respond fast enough to bites.  As a result, when I only had a paddle kayak, I tended to jig only in very calm conditions. 

In a pedal kayak, on the other hand, you can point your nose into the wind and keep yourself stationary over the bottom by tweaking the rudder and pedaling as needed.  You can monitor your position with respect to a point on the bottom and your lure with the GPS screen on your fish finder, and by trying to keep your line vertical in the water.  If the line starts angling off to the left at ten o'clock, you can turn your nose in that direction and pedal for a couple of strokes to bring yourself back on top of your lure.  A pedal kayak doesn't work as well as a trolling motor with a GPS anchor, because if you drift to the right of a point on the bottom, the trolling motor can turn left at right angles to pull you back to the point.  In order to move left in a pedal kayak, you need to move forward enough so your rudder will turn the kayak to the left, and then you can move forward to a point over your lure.  The wind will shove you downwind, and then you gently repeat the process.  You can jig effectively in a pedal kayak even in significant wind and waves. However, because of the need to move forward in order to change the angle of your kayak, it's easier to control the angle and location of your kayak while moving slowly upwind than it is to try to stay completely stationary, or to drift slowly downwind.  As a result, I tend to start jigging on the downwind side of the area in which I want to jig, knowing that I will tend to move upwind as I work the rudder and pedals to stay on top of my lure.

If you have a paddle kayak, it can be difficult to jig in any amount of breeze, because your kayak will head off downwind.

I see this argument all the time and I don't think I completely agree.  I don't think it is about it being more difficult in a paddle kayak as much as it is about being potentially easier in a pedal kayak.  In any wind or current that can push you at more than about 1.5 knots, sure, I agree a pedal kayak starts becoming nicer.  But it takes more than "any amount of breeze" to get you going that fast.  But those conditions start becoming challenging for both pedal and paddle kayaks.

-Allen

If you have a paddle kayak, it can be difficult to jig in any amount of breeze, because your kayak will head off downwind.

I see this argument all the time and I don't think I completely agree.  I don't think it is about it being more difficult in a paddle kayak as much as it is about being potentially easier in a pedal kayak.  In any wind or current that can push you at more than about 1.5 knots, sure, I agree a pedal kayak starts becoming nicer.  But it takes more than "any amount of breeze" to get you going that fast.  But those conditions start becoming challenging for both pedal and paddle kayaks.

-Allen

Has anyone ever used a drift sock from a kayak while trying to jig in the wind? I was wondering if that would help. Wind is certainly a factor on our lakes around Oregon.

If you have a paddle kayak, it can be difficult to jig in any amount of breeze, because your kayak will head off downwind.

I see this argument all the time and I don't think I completely agree.  I don't think it is about it being more difficult in a paddle kayak as much as it is about being potentially easier in a pedal kayak.  In any wind or current that can push you at more than about 1.5 knots, sure, I agree a pedal kayak starts becoming nicer.  But it takes more than "any amount of breeze" to get you going that fast.  But those conditions start becoming challenging for both pedal and paddle kayaks.

-Allen

Has anyone ever used a drift sock from a kayak while trying to jig in the wind? I was wondering if that would help. Wind is certainly a factor on our lakes around Oregon.

Yes.  It does help.  But it's a PITA if you are picking up and moving all the time.  If you are taking a long drift over a large area in some wind, it's great to slow your drift down.

-Allen

every time I've used a drift sock it didn't really matter since the wind was so strong.  they do work a little though.