Jig Fishing

[Smallieslayer2234]

I'm just wondering if anyone knows a way you can get confident in jig fishing....I've always been a worm man and have ever used one...so I bought black/blue and brown/orange jigs by strike king bitsy flip...I just wanna hear if anyone know y'alls secretes...Like best trailer...color and how y'all fish them

[roadwarrior]

The "secret" is fishing nothing else for awhile. It took me two years to "get it".

[Dwight Hottle]

Go to the top of the page in this section and there is a sticky at the top all about jig fishing.

[Teal]

On 12/30/2012 at 3:03 PM, roadwarrior said:

The "secret" is fishing nothing else for awhile. It took me two years to "get it".

He is exactly right. You are on the track also. Just start with a few of the browns and greens and of course the black and blue jig. Bassresource has some great videos on their YouTube channel on choosing and fishing jigs. But Roadwarrioir was right, pick a rod or two for jigs and keep them on there. They are a great tool around cover and different situations.

[Shewillbemine]

My first time fishing a jig n pig I caught 3 bass. Now I can't get them to look at it (or I'm missing the subtle strikes).

But when I caught them, I was jerking it on the ground to simulate a panicked, swimming crayfish. The strikes felt like "mushy weeds" and another felt like just a heavy feeling on the line.

[d3bf48]

Now go buy some matching paca craws for Trailers and you're all set

[Jig Man]

Don't take anything else and you'll have to use them.

[keith71]

If your confident in your worming skills it shouldnt be too hard get it. Its all about keeping contact with your bait rather on the fall or once its settled on the bottom.Anticipate the strike, usually just a tick on the end of your line.When in doubt,set the hook.I think it was Bill Dance that said hooksets dont cost a thing.It is my number one confidence bait and has accounted for my top five personal best.Fairly stout rod,strong line some type of attractant(I love BANG) and you'll be good to go.Hope this helps a little.

[WRB]

My suggestion for beginner jig anglers that have Texas rigged worm fishing experience and tackle is to learn to fish a casting jig, not a flipping or pitching jig.

The strike King jig you purchased is a poor choice for a casting jig do to it's compact size and stiff weed guard design.

You could use a shaky head jig and worm combination, very similar to wht you are use to fishing. If you don't believe a shaky head jig is jig fishing, then use a spider jig; GY makes an excellent 4" & 5" twin tail hula grub that has a spider skirt. GY also has a good football jig with a wire weed guard that uses either Owner or Gamakatsu hooks designed for use with the spider hula grub. This is a good entry level jig that appeals to numbers of bass.

You cast and retrieve a spider jig similar to a T- rigged worm and your standard med/ hyv fast action bait casting tackle works for 3/8 to 1/2 pz jigs.

There are at least 2 jig sponsors on the site that have good traditional jigs, if that is your choice.

Tom

[Knightiac]

I was in the exact same situation as you when I started out. Fished worms my whole life and decided one day to give them a shot, so I bought some bitsy

jigs just like you. I'll always remember, my first bass caught with one, was while I was picking out a backlash on my new baitcaster. LOL.

Just fish them like you would a worm. Don't worry about pitching and flipping or anything you see on TV, learn how to use them on the bottom first. Cast it out anywhere you would a worm, and let it sit for a second. If you don't feel anything, simply shake your rod and this will make the skirt move. Or instead of shaking it, you can lift an inch or two (everybody is different but most techniques get the job done). After this if you have no bites, you can do anything you want. Start out by hopping it along the bottom. Or you can lower your rod tip and drag the jig (this lifts sand or dirt from the bottom and can attract fish). Just like worming, don't get predictable. Twitch it once, then five times, then twice. Change it up and remember what works for you.

A GREAT craw for those little jigs is the Berkley Chigger Craw. Or the Berkley Chigger Craw with Crazy Legs. They have great action in the water. There is a smaller version that works fantastic with your jig.

[Knightiac]

My suggestion for beginner jig anglers that have Texas rigged worm fishing experience and tackle is to ,earn to fish a casting jig, not a flipping or pitching jig.

The strike King jig you purchased is a poor choice do to it's compact size and stiff weed guard design

The weight on those jigs and the way they are designed won't affect him much. IMO they're a great starting jig. I fish jigs 70% of the time probably and they're my downsize jig of choice. The weedguards haven't been an issue for me and I can't recall having any more short strikes with them than any other jig. Just my opinion though,

[Toeshots]

I think the Bitsy Flip was a great choice to start with (or many times really). I started Jig and Pig fishing a few years ago and before that was almost exclusively a T-Rig worm guy. An important step is getting out on the water and really developing a comfort/understanding of what the jig feels like underwater as compared to your standard worm fishing. At the end of the day, though, the biggest thing is landing that first bass, as confidence is everything. Force yourself to go out there with just a jig setup and see what happens. It make take some time, but I guarantee it will pay off in the long run as jig fishing really is a way to catch more and bigger bass.

Also, you should really make sure you have the proper equipment to do it right. I have learned a lot here and as long as you have a baitcaster with a 6.X:X gear ratio or higher and a MH rod, you'll be in good shape. Just make sure you up the strength of your preferential line.

Good luck!

[Bluebasser86]

You just have to fish them, period. You'll never gain confidence in them while they're sitting in your tackle box. When I first started fishing them I was 13 or 14 and HATED them! Problem was I watched all these fishing shows and read all about guys catching fish on jigs so I just kept going and forcing myself to keep fishing them when all I wanted to do was fish a crankbait or plastic worm. I'd catch a fish once in awhile but never felt like I was doing it right. Finally one day a friend and I caught them just right and caught fish after fish all day long on solid black jigs and it suddenly clicked for me. Now after fishing them for over a decade I'm a jig junkie and even started tying my own a couple years ago.

I'd suggest you get some Eakin's jig and give them a try. Those finesse style jigs get more bites and will help you gain confidence in them. The bitsy jig and bitsy flip are good jigs to start with but I like the colors options in the Eakin's jigs better.

[Bankbeater]

Practice.  You have to get experience using them.  Try going fishing with someone that knows how to use them and watch.

[WRB]

The reasons a flipping/pitching jig is a poor choice to cast and retrieve like a Texas rigged worm are;

1. The hook point is too close tp the jig head, prevents hooks sets when the jig is more than 20' out away from the boat or angler.

2. The stiff weed guard prevents the hook from staying upright when the bass bites down on the jig, the jig rolls over sideways.

3. The Bitzey jig doesn't stand up the hook when you retrieve along the bottom.

4. The jig hook should be as a sharp as possible, inexpensive hooks require constant resharpening.

Price can be a factor and is why I suggested the GY football jigs; 5 for $4.50 and GY hula grubs 10 for $4.

The GY jig and hula skirt will increase your jig fishing success verses the Bitsey jig.

There is a old saying "you can lead a horse to water, but can't make it drink".

Tom

[gobig]

I agree with WRB. In many cases with the GY set up the fish will hook themselves and the learning curve as to what a subtle bite feels like will be accelerated.

[ww2farmer]

Who knew I made such a poor choice in jigs? Certainly not the 1000's ............yes 1000's of bass I have caught on them. They are designed for flipping,and thats how I use them most of the time, but I have caught many casting or dragging them as well. I vivdly recall one magical hour a few years ago where I boated 20+ fish between 3 and 5 lbs casting the 1/4 oz flipping version up on to a rocky point and dragging it back. But how could that be? The only way I can figure it out is the jig must have transformed into the "right" jig under water where I couldn't see it, after all every one knows dragging anything but a football jig, or casting anything labled a flipping jig.....not to mention I didn't have a rage tail trailer, is a sure fire way to fail. Fish away with them, they will get bit, and you will put fish in the boat with them. Would I have caught more fish that night if I had the "right" jig......who knows? They were biting what I was using, so I kept using it, besides there were weed pockets all around that point I was pitching and flipping too without much luck and was too lazy to tie on a football jig to drag the point, and what do you know? It worked out fine. This sarcastic reply is not to infer that a jig is jig is a jig, there are jigs made for certain applications, learn as you go. Sometimes there are too many "experts" on here that want to overwhelm someone just starting with all the little nuiances of this situation, that situation, etc....and give the impression that if you don't spend $10's of thousands of dollars on stuff or carry a sporting goods store worth of tackle around your just wasting your time. Not many people advise going the simple route, and expanding from there, which IMHO is a big mistake. But...........thats just a product of an internet message board, alot of guys think it's a wiener stretching contest and have to dazzle the masses with what they know. 

[gobig]

Is it a 12inch minimum on a flat board for the contest?

[Smallieslayer2234]

Thanks for all the tips guys...but can anyone explain what a bite feels like? Cause I catch a few but I never really can feel them...it's all luck

[WRB]

Thanks for all the tips guys...but can anyone explain what a bite feels like? Cause I catch a few but I never really can feel them...it's all luck

I wrote a post that is pinned on horizontal jigs and can send you copy of a jig article written for In-Fisherman magazine, PM your email.

You are a worm fisherman, jig bites sometimes feel exactly like a worm bite, a tick. The difference is you have very little time to react the majority of the time. If you feel anything usual set the hook, swings are free!

Tom