Jigs and Trailers..

[Cody J]

I have zero confidence in throwing a jig and trailer, this year(starting Saturday) I will be throwing them a lot trying to figure some things out.. Does anyone have any advice on color,size, brand? Thank you for any help..

  Cody J.

[Gatorbassman]

Cody,

  I was in your shoes two years ago. I couldn't catch a cold on a jig n pig. The only way over that is to take only jigs fishing with you. Fish them every time you go out until you gain confidence in them. Once you see the quality of fish they can bring to the boat you will be hooked. Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.

[Fishes in trees]

Eakins jigs or PJ jigs or some other finesse type jig are common in the Ozark lakes I fish. Unless you are fishing deep with no brush, in which case I'd use a 3/4 ounce football head.

You're from Alabama.  You have lots of different kinds of water.  I don't have a clue right now where I'd start if I had to go jig fish in Alabama.

Probably an Eakins jig - most of the jigs in my bag are Eakins jigs.  Who knows what color.  Probably PBJ to start.

Personally, I only fish jigs when I feel I've got to & I'm not real good at fishing them.  I miss many fish on them.  I'm certain it isn't an equipment issue, more of a problem with timely strike recognition and reaction.

Good luck learning how to jig fish.  They say that if you learn how to jig fish you can catch fish anywhere.  I'm not a good example of that.

[Cody J]

Thanks Guys for the feedback, I have one more question..When your flipping heavy cover(old boathouses,vegetation,etc.) are ya'll feeling pressure when you lift up or what? is it like flipping a T'rig worm? Thanks again for the grat advice and I will let ya'll know Saturday night how it worked it out.

[Catt]

First off it aint about the name brands so pick one that is an eye pleas-er to you and start there, you can adjust later; I've caught hundreds of bass with WalMart Renegade jigs.

The most difficult part of jig fishing is feeling the bite, many will tell you it aint like the bite you get with a Texas Rig but it is so get that notion out of your head. But like a Texas Rig those bumps, thumps, tics, & taps are the easy ones of detect its the ones where the bass inhales your jig without any tell- tale line movement. I say now is the time to bring forth all the expertise on feeling subtle bites stored away in your brain from Texas rigs, Wacky rigs, Drop shots and so on.

Pay attention to your line especially on the initial cast/flip/pitch/punch

If your in 10 foot of water and it takes 12-14' of line to reach bottom you probably had a bass swim off with your jig. If your in 10 foot of water and it takes 6-8' of line to reach bottom you probably had a bass pick off your jig on the drop and yes a bass can inhale a 1 oz jig faster than the jig can reach bottom.

You will also hear "bass don't hold a jig long", don't be surprised when a 2 lb bass inhales your 1 oz jig with out any tell- tale line movement and proceeds to sit there until you apply to much pressure at which time they spit it.

[BucketBuster]

First, I use either the Booyah Boo Jigs or any of the Strike King Jigs. For a trailer, I always use the Berkley Chigger Craws in either 3" or 4" depending on the size of the jig. As for color, I keep it simple by using a green pumpkin or watermelon jig matched with green pumpkin or watermelon craw and same goes for black and blue.

When using the jig, I use green when the water is fairly clear (like at least 4ft. visibilty) and black/blue when it is murky or I'm fishing deep. Also, when you are flipping the jig, always pay attention to your line, especially on the initial fall. Sometimes, you won't feel the bite, but see your line twitch or take off. You want to keep your line fairly tight when flipping, yet a little loose so the fish doesn't feel any resistance. But tight enough, so you can INSTANTLY set the hook on a bite w/o having to reel. A happy medium, I guess. You'll get used to it. Also, I flip very quietly, so when my jig hits the water it doesn't make a splash or barely any noise. I feel it has increased my catches once I have gotten better at it, so keep that in mind when practicing.

As for size of the jig, there are great articles on this website that have helped me out tremendously and can give you better detail than I can. Once you get the hang of it, you will gain more and more confidence, and it will be your favorite go to lure, as it is for me. Good luck!

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/jig_bass_fishing.html

[SWMIBASSER]

Just sent you a PM

[SimonDM17]

Look for jigs with a heavy-wire hook, Gammies or Mustads are okay, but I've bent some out with 20+lb braid. 

Use 1/4-3/8 oz. for shallow cover and skipping/pitching to struture.  Use the lightest weight you can while still getting a good feel.  Use a bulky trailer, like an Ugly Otter, a Sweet Beaver or a Chigger Craw.  Most of your bites will come on the fall, and that bulky trailer will help.

3/8ths-1/2 oz jigs can be fished deeper, along submerged structure, or though heavier cover.  One of my favorite jig techniques is to cast a jig to the back of some pads and slowly drag it through and drop it between pads. 

Use braid or heavy flouro.  I like braid,a lot.  I know most guys use casting gear for pitching, but I really like using spinning gear as well--I can skip 10x better, which is nice for getting way back into cover.

[A-Rob]

I found it easier to use a heavy jig, like 3/4oz jig. It's easier to cast and feel. If you pair it with a zoom super chunk trailer it slows the fall down, so it doesn't look like you are just tossing a rock. The feeling you get off a big one like that makes it easier.

Most of my bites, may be a bit subtle, but if you just pay attention it really isn't an issue.

Just spend some time with it, about a year ago I picked up the jig and pig and ended up having a wicked summer with them, great hook up rates, definintely a fun lure.

Good luck bro!

[roadwarrior]

During a Q&A session,

the pros were asked about color and size. All

agreed: 3/8 or 1/2 oz; black, brown or green

with matching or contrasting colors. The #1

choice was black jig/ blue trailer.

My favorites are GMAN 1/2 oz black jig/ Rage

Tail Lobster, blue. For a slower drop, Evolution

3/8 Shake2, brown with black flakes/ Paca Craw

or Flappin' Hog, green pumpkin w/ purple & small

copper flakes.

8-)

[Catt]

D éjà vu

My hottest jig right now is an Oldham's Eye Max Jig 1/2 oz. in black neon/brown/amber pepper with a 6" Black Emerald Gene Larew Salt Craw & cut 2" off the tail.

[Hammer 4]

There ya go...jig fishing 101...nuff said.

First off it aint about the name brands so pick one that is an eye pleas-er to you and start there, you can adjust later; I've caught hundreds of bass with WalMart Renegade jigs.

The most difficult part of jig fishing is feeling the bite, many will tell you it aint like the bite you get with a Texas Rig but it is so get that notion out of your head. But like a Texas Rig those bumps, thumps, tics, & taps are the easy ones of detect its the ones where the bass inhales your jig without any tell- tale line movement. I say now is the time to bring forth all the expertise on feeling subtle bites stored away in your brain from Texas rigs, Wacky rigs, Drop shots and so on.

Pay attention to your line especially on the initial cast/flip/pitch/punch

If your in 10 foot of water and it takes 12-14' of line to reach bottom you probably had a bass swim off with your jig. If your in 10 foot of water and it takes 6-8' of line to reach bottom you probably had a bass pick off your jig on the drop and yes a bass can inhale a 1 oz jig faster than the jig can reach bottom.

You will also hear "bass don't hold a jig long", don't be surprised when a 2 lb bass inhales your 1 oz jig with out any tell- tale line movement and proceeds to sit there until you apply to much pressure at which time they spit it.

[Jason Penn]

I use Eakins jigs 90% of the time, in both 5/16 & 7/16oz. I use either black/blue flash, green pumpkin/green flash, or missouri craw with twin tail grub trailers.

Those colors work for me under pretty much any conditions. I don't fish tournaments so I'm looking for numbers not weight. I feel like I catch more fish on smaller jigs, but still catch some big fish.

I used to fish a small private lake and got on fish one day that were just stacked up on 2 big laydowns. I never really fished jigs before that so I thought "hey this might be a good opportunity!" I ended up tying on a Strike King Bitsy Bug and using half of a lizard as a trailer.

Up until that day I had only caught maybe 2-3 fish on any kind of jig, so I had no confidence. I caught between 65-70 3/4-1 1/4 fish that day and since then it has become my favorite way to fish!