What Size Jig Do You Use Most Commonly?

[mjseverson24]

I usually use two different size jigs depending on the cover. If I am on a hard bottom I am trying to look more like a crayfish, so a 3/8 oz jig or a 1/2 oz jig usually works for water shallower than 10 ft. if I am on a soft bottom targeting weed edges and other shallow cover i almost always use a 1/4 oz jig or maybe even a little lighter. on a soft bottom I am trying to look more like a bluegill or other kind of bait fish and 90% of my strikes come on the initial fall. by using the lighter jigs I increase the amount of time the bait is falling thus increasing the time in the strike zone per flip/pitch. Also the kind and size of trailer helps increase/decrease the fall rate as needed. 

 

Mitch

[Felix77]

I am a little different than most and prefer to throw the lightest weight I can get away with - 1/4 -3/8 oz in shallow cover.

 

Agree 110%.  I start off with a 1/4oz and work my way up from there if needed.  I only carry 3 sizes.  1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 oz Bullet weights.

[Fishingintheweeds]

All the replies regarding wind, bottom composition and cover make sense. 8 years later, has anybody changed their general approach?

 

Is anybody casting the jigs with any luck? 

[WRB]

2012 +8 = 2020, it’s 2021 but who’s counting.

The jig I use 90% of the time is 7/16 oz I made in 1971, that is 50 years ago. I always cast a jig.

Tom

[Fishingintheweeds]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

2012 +8 = 2020, it’s 2021 but who’s counting.

The jig I use 90% of the time is 7/16 oz I made in 1971, that is 50 years ago. I always cast a jig.

Tom

Ha, ha, you got me. I guess I only looked at the last post before mine, from 2013. 

 

Most of my fishing time, I'm on the bank. Until a few years ago, I had caught exactly zero fish on a jig in my life. Then, I decided to start leaving everything else at home and figure it out and now feel pretty comfortable with them even from the bank.

 

I ended up using 1/2 oz. arky because I was making the longest casts that I could and then just fishing painfully slow most of the time. This year, I've been fishing different places. Some of them have more pressure, clearer water, and a more slime (and more vegetation before long) and soft bottoms. Of course, that got me thinking and noticing that I was catching a lot of the fish at distances that I could probably reach with something lighter. I was also thinking about if I could really even be that much quieter I could be if I downsized. 

 

Just in general wondering if I could improve in those kinds of conditions by downsizing. Thought I'd see how light people were going because I don't hear about it often. 

[Fishingintheweeds]

10 hours ago, WRB said:

2012 +8 = 2020, it’s 2021 but who’s counting.

The jig I use 90% of the time is 7/16 oz I made in 1971, that is 50 years ago. I always cast a jig.

Tom

A little follow up here, why do you 7/16 over 3/8 or 1/2? 

[WRB]

When making the mold it was 1/2 but actually weighs 7/16 oz, no other reason. As it turns out that weight falls the way big bass where I fish like it.

Tom

[the reel ess]

3/8 oz. for me. But I've tried 1/4 and 1/2. 3/8 is easier for me to cast than 1/4 is. 1/2 seemed to be always getting hung up. 3/8 skips better than a 1/2 to me also. But I started using the Trashmaster jig. That greatly decreased hangups. There's nothing worse than approaching a promising looking laydown only to get your jig hung on the first cast.  But I use a lighter weight on a T rig. Usually 3/16 or 1/4 oz. The rate of fall is quicker with no skirt.

[MN Fisher]

Depends on the jig type:

Swim Jigs - 3/8oz or 1/4oz - about 75%/25%

Football - 1/2oz or 3/8 - about 70%/30%

Flipping - 1/2oz or 5/8oz - about 80%/20%

Finesse - 1/4oz or 3/8oz - probably about 60%/40%

[galyonj]

It really depends on what I'm doing.

 

For swim jigs, 1/4oz seems to be my sweet spot. To the point that I don't even carry anything else in my go bag.

 

Pitching, hopping, and dragging can be anything from 1/4 to 1/2 oz. I'm all over the place there.

 

Wacky jigs are usually 1/16 to 3/32 oz.

 

Little ballhead or mushroomhead jigs and whatnot can be anywhere from 1/32 up to 1/8 depending on how fast I want it to get where it's going.

[fishingtx]

3/16- 1/2 oz

[PaulVE64]

I  my river (25 m3/sec and 16 celsius) i throw a 3/16 oz up to 5/16th.

Anything over 3/8 and you have to reel in too fast for most smallies this early.

3/16 will drift and 5/16 when im feeling frisky.

 

My main trailers are rage menace grub, pitboss jr , twin tail grubs. When its colder i throw a fluke or a drop shot worm trailer

[Deleted account]

13 hours ago, PaulVE64 said:

I  my river (25 m3/sec and 16 celsius)

Royale avec formage...

[Goby]

3/8 for snap jigging darters and minnow shaped plastics.

 

1/2 for dragging Crayfish type plastics.

[E-rude dude]

Such a relative question.

In open water it depends on water depth and the rate of fall fish want

In heavy cover it depends on what weight will penetrate the cover.

 

I mostly throw 1/4 to 1/2 oz jigs and 3/16 to 1/2 tungsten weights. Unless I’m punch mat, then it’s 3/4 to 1-1/4 oz tungsten weights.

 

[David Austin]

with football jigs and flipping jigs I only use 3/8oz and 1/2oz.  For swim jigs I stay at 3/8oz.  For texas rig the biggest I usually go is 1/4oz.

[Boomstick]

On 4/11/2021 at 7:48 PM, MN Fisher said:

Depends on the jig type

Jig type is definitely a key factor. For me...

 

Arky head jigs: 3/8 or 1/2oz. Hard to estimate how often but it depends on the depth of the water more so than any of the others. If it's simply 10ft or less, then I usually go with 3/8oz and 10-20ft then 1/2oz, but often if the water is up to 15ft but a lot of it is 7-10 I'll stick with a 3/8oz.

Flipping jigs: 1/2oz, 5/8oz and 3/4oz: 60/10/30 - depending on cover. If it's thick cover, I go straight to 3/4oz and if it's lighter, 1/2oz. 5/8oz if I'm not too sure or a little of both.

Swim Jigs: 1/4oz and 3/8oz probably 50/50

Football Jigs: 3/8oz, 1/2oz and 3/4oz maybe 30/50/20

Finesse jigs: 1/4oz, 5/16oz and 3/8oz maybe 30/40/30.

Finesse football jigs: 1/4oz and 3/8oz maybe 30/70