Questions About Juggin'

[Fishin'Bug]

OK folks, I was hoping to pull on some of the infinite wisdom that visits this site regularly. I have only been juggin' once before when I was a young little catfisherman with my dad. I recall we just let the jugs drift and watched for them to start bouncing.

I have been planning to do some juggin' with my fishin' buddy and I wanted to try to figure some things out before I went diving in.

First question is about weight. I have been reading a lot about folks attaching a fair amount of weight to the jug lines and I am just curious as to what the purpose of that really is. Are you just trying to keep the jugs stable in the current/wind or does it have more to do with keeping the jugs in place after a fish is on?

The other question is about having jugs stolen....is this fairly common? We are thinking about dropping some in the evening and picking them up the following morning. I understand that there are some less than honorable types out there that would help themselves to a few, but was just trying to gauge your thoughts based on experience.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[dbullard]

on my drifting jugs I use an old cast net above a swivle.It keeps the bait at the depth I want it when drifting. We also anchor jugs with one pound weights with up to five hooks depending on depth of the water.I have not had any stolen but know some who have.Just depends on the area you are fishing and how much traffic it gets.We set them in then evening and run them in the morning.

[Titus Bass]

I usually use drift jugs if I plan to stay with them. Weighted if I plan to return later. 1-3 lb of weight and like dbullard about 5 hooks. You can only hope you are around sportsmen and not thiefs.

[rambunctious]

Please remember that the hot water will kill the cats real fast,so check often anddon't waste great eating.
LOL
Terry

[Fishin'Bug]

I really appreciate the advice, ya'll. I'll be getting some jugs together this weekend and hopefully start setting them in the water next week. I'll keep you posted as the results come in!

[brazman]

I too anchor my jugs if I'm gonna set them out and go fish somewhere else, then run them later. Overnight is good for that kinda thing, but ya better put 3lbs on em if you don't want them dragged off by a biggun'. Also, I'm pretty sure I've had some stolen in the past (not flagging jugs, just big pieces of foam noodle). If you take a lot of time to build a navy of flagging jugs, either set them in waters unfrequented by knuckleheads or stay with em. A fun way to do this is to put reflective tape on the tops of em and hit em with a spot light when running them. It's fun to chase em down at night when they're all glowing and darting around!

Have fun and get yer lines slimy!

[Fishin'Bug]

Thanks brazman...good advice!

[flatliner]

for the most part i havent had too much trouble with people picking up my jugs. I've lost a few but i figure your gonna lose a few here and there. you'd be suprised how far a 10lb blue will swim in a couple of hours. i found one about 2miles from where it started 3 hours later. Also i figure some get pulled under and get caught on logs underwater. when i anchor my jugs i use an old bolt ( 8 oz) and tie it to my line with 12lb mono in case it gets hung up so i can just break the line. works real good

[bobby n]

i anchor my jugs. if leaving over night set out just before dark & be there @ sun rise or run during the night if possible