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Show I 3ne ' WORLD OUTDOOJIS 'T'HIS is the time of year in Kentucky and Tennessee and surrounding states that fishermen fisher-men spend their nights picking up night crawlers (worms) and their days on one of the big TVA impoundments. im-poundments. The sport is called "jig fishing." In jig fishing, the angler uses a long, stout cane pole to which he attaches a length of 40-pound monofilament line and a treble or a large 6-0 hook. If the lake is right for jig fishing, it is muddy mud-dy or murky, with a clear "ring" of water around the shore line. Bass feed In this clear water along the edge of the lake and the Jigger catches them by loading his hook with several fat night crawlers and "dunking" the worms Into brush tops, around stumps and other hiding places where the fish are apt to be waiting wait-ing for a meal. Jig fishing brings in the big bass five and six pounders. This type of fishing may start as early as February and last through April, depending on weather conditions. con-ditions. In April, many jiggers do their fishing at night, in the belief that the bigger fish are taken in the dark rather than daylight. day-light. On moonlight nights, there is enough light for the angler to ply his trade without having to resort to lanterns or flashlights and the fish are not as apt to be "spooked" as they are in the daytime. Big bass are wary and it takes a skilled boat handler to "scull" his boat with one hand and "jig" with the other without making noise that runs the fish out to deep water. When water and weather conditions con-ditions are ideal, jig fishing is a highly productive method of taking tak-ing bass. Jig fishing at night is so productive there has been talk that one or two states might outlaw out-law this type of night fishing on the theory that too many big fish are taken this way. |