Not Really Getting The Jig

[Fireguyfrank58]

  I have been trying the jig on and off on my fishing outings with minimal success.  I have read alot about how to fish them but I'm still not really sure of what kind of retrieval to do.  I am casting from the back and using 1/2 oz black or 1/2 oz Blue black flake with Rage tail craw trailer.  So far I have caught one fish, be it a nice one but only of the retrieve.  I have had a couple bumps on the bottom but I feel like small fish hitting the trailer.  Normally I cast it out far and let it sink on a slack line.  I let it sit for 3-4 seconds then give it 3 or 4 bumps.  Then I either burn it 3-4 turns or I slow drag it. Then I lift and drop like a Texas rig. Let sit then crawl it in. So far I just feel the bottom really well and get a bump once and a while but nothing significant.  So I guess I'm not retrieving it right.  One thing I am gonna change is I'm gonna switch to 15lb Fluoro to make sure line visibility isnt an issue.  I did miss one fish today.  I threw out a very long cast and as soon as it hit the water one engulfed it.  I felt 3 very big bumps just like on a Texas rig but I waited too long and the hook set got nothing. Any advice?

[paul25]

you may want to try out some different colors, but myself i do very good with the black and blue flake, try out different trailers the rage craws are awesome no doubt but sometimes they want something with less action the strike king perfect plastics trailers are good jig trailers and constantly change up the cadence until you find what they want, glenn posted a video on cold water jig fishing where he talked about the cadence which i find to be true to, sometimes they want it drug on the bottom sometimes you have to give it a couple hops but here lately i have been fishing shallow dirty water with thick brush, and i have been pulling the jig up to a tree limb and hold it if the don't grab it just keep popping the limb with the jig but i have had alot of sucess the past few weeks doing that

[aceman387]

I fish jigs like i fish other texas rigged soft plastics.I like working soft plastics slow.I have a nice legend elite spinning rod for bottom contact lures and i love dragging a jig or plastic worm across the bottom. My favorite way of working jigs is to slowly drag them across the bottom making sure i keep contact with bottom at all times.I love feeling every little tap through the rod as the jig makes contact with various things on the bottom. When i make contact with some kind of bottom structure i will usually let it sit for a few seconds and then lightly pop it to get it over what i just made contact with and this seems to be when i get the hit. Its hard to explain but for me slowly working jigs or weighted  soft plastics across the bottom is like meditation.

[rockchalk06]

I have been trying the jig on and off on my fishing outings with minimal success. I have read alot about how to fish them but I'm still not really sure of what kind of retrieval to do. I am casting from the back and using 1/2 oz black or 1/2 oz Blue black flake with Rage tail craw trailer. So far I have caught one fish, be it a nice one but only of the retrieve. I have had a couple bumps on the bottom but I feel like small fish hitting the trailer. Normally I cast it out far and let it sink on a slack line. I let it sit for 3-4 seconds then give it 3 or 4 bumps. Then I either burn it 3-4 turns or I slow drag it. Then I lift and drop like a Texas rig. Let sit then crawl it in. So far I just feel the bottom really well and get a bump once and a while but nothing significant. So I guess I'm not retrieving it right. One thing I am gonna change is I'm gonna switch to 15lb Fluoro to make sure line visibility isnt an issue. I did miss one fish today. I threw out a very long cast and as soon as it hit the water one engulfed it. I felt 3 very big bumps just like on a Texas rig but I waited too long and the hook set got nothing. Any advice?

What's the water clarity look like?

I have gotten away from all blacks and blues and started using browns, greens and yellows.

When you say burn the jig 3-4 turns, if your reel is say a 7 gear ratio reel turning in at 30" per turn, that's 3-5 feet each time you do that. Remember, that jig is suppose to mimic a craw. I've never seen a crawdad move like greased lighting before! Jig fishing is slllllloooooowwwwww. Very slow!

Remember this too. Jigs won't catch you tons of fish, but it will catch you quality fish. Look into swim jigs too. Those are entirely different techniques, but fishing from the bank it's a great search bait too.

[Blues19]

I fish a jig just like I would fish a T-Rigged creature or craw, however I feel like I fish it a bit slower. What color of T-Rigged plastics do you use? I rarely use anything black unless its night time. I tend to use greens browns and oranges.  I am not sure how much the color is making a difference, but I feel much more comfortable with a green pumpkin color compared to blacks. I would say just keep going, try hitting lay downs as much as possible, slow down a bit and drag that joker a bit more. Once you get comfortble with it, it will become your new best friend.  My favorite jig as of late is a Hart jig that bass pro had  in a bin for $1.50. Its a geen pumpkin and ble Okachobee Craw jig. I ended up getting 20.  That color is my new favorite color. If you can find that color witha  green pumpkin rage craw, give it a go

[WRB]

My advice is simple, the bumps are strikes you have missed!

Unlike a T-rigged worm, bass will not strike and hold onto a jig very often.

Go to a lighter weight jig; 1/4 to 3/8 oz and slow down your retrieve.

The next time something doesn't feel right, a little heavy or light or tic, crank you reel handle fast and set the hook. Bass don't have hands and jigs have a lead head molded onto the hook, not a natural feeling creature to the bass, when they engulf the jig.....set the hook as soon as possible.

Tom

[Fireguyfrank58]

I fish a jig just like I would fish a T-Rigged creature or craw, however I feel like I fish it a bit slower. What color of T-Rigged plastics do you use? I rarely use anything black unless its night time. I tend to use greens browns and oranges.  I am not sure how much the color is making a difference, but I feel much more comfortable with a green pumpkin color compared to blacks. I would say just keep going, try hitting lay downs as much as possible, slow down a bit and drag that joker a bit more. Once you get comfortble with it, it will become your new best friend.  My favorite jig as of late is a Hart jig that bass pro had  in a bin for $1.50. Its a geen pumpkin and ble Okachobee Craw jig. I ended up getting 20.  That color is my new favorite color. If you can find that color witha  green pumpkin rage craw, give it a go

 

The colors I have the most success are the green pumpkin baby brush, or black w/blue flake, june bug, and Zoom speed Vibe craw Black w/red flake.

What's the water clarity look like?

I have gotten away from all blacks and blues and started using browns, greens and yellows.

When you say burn the jig 3-4 turns, if your reel is say a 7 gear ration reel turning in at 30" per turn, that's 3-5 feet each time you do that. Remember, that jig is suppose to mimic a craw. I've never seen a crawdad move like greased lighting before! Jig fishing is slllllloooooowwwwww. Very slow!

 

Remember this too. Jigs won't catch you tons of fish, but it will catch you quality fish. Look into swim jigs too. Those are entirely different techniques, but fishing from the bank it's a great search bait too.

The water clarity I have been fishing is murky.  Usually only see the bait from 8" to sometimes 1-2ft max.  My reel is a 5:4:1 so I figured a little burn would mimic a craw retreat maybe.  I have one brown jig but I feel the skirt is way to long.  I may trim it back to where the skirt is 1/4" shorter then the end of the trailer.  I feel very comfortable with Texas rigs so I may try more hops but maybe half of what I would do with a Texas and slow it down, thanks.

 

My advice is simple, the bumps are strikes you have missed!

Unlike a T-rigged worm, bass will not strike and hold onto a jig very often.

Go to a lighter weight jig; 1/4 to 3/8 oz and slow down your retrieve.

The next time something doesn't feel right, a little heavy or light or tic, crank you reel handle fast and set the hook. Bass don't have hands and jigs have a lead head molded onto the hook, not a natural feeling creature to the bass, when they engulf the jig.....set the hook as soon as possible.

Tom

 

Ill try and give it a few more hook sets.  I'm still kicking myself from yesterday since on the cast I got 3-4 huge tics.  It was classic strike off a cast and I hesitated and missed it.  At my regular spot I know for a fact I have had a single tic strike.  I just figured smaller fish were hitting the trailer.  Ill give those a rip and see what produces next time.  I'm just so used to waiting for a couple tics with my T-rigs, drilling them on one single tic is not natural right now.

 

[Sam]

Jig fishing can be slow.

 

You can use a jig for the big ones, too, which is also slow fishing.

 

Fish the jig like you do a Texas or Carolina rig.

 

Simple presentations like flipping and pitching to close cover; casting out across points; hitting the rocks; skipping under docks and piers; swimming a jig; and on and on.

 

Each pro has their own technique and color/size suggestions.

 

From Charlie Hartley to Alton Jones to Aaron Martens to Greg Hackney and Mark Zona all will tell you different things about jig fishing.

 

As for colors, anything goes depending on the forage and time of year. Remember, a jig can mimic a crawfish or a bluegill.

 

Check out the Northstar and Siebert jig colors. They are too beautiful to fish. You need to frame them and hang them on the wall in your living room. But you can see the colors and styles and you can decide which ones match your fishing best.

 

Then get a Bass Pro Shops or Cabela's catalog and read their information about the jigs they are selling with the understanding that they are selling them so take what they say with a grain of salt.

 

The jig hooks and heads are the most important part of the jig. You want a very strong hook and a jig head to handle the specific technique.

 

Good luck and let us know how you do.

[Jig Man]

I have a rule of thumb on jig size unless it is windy:  1-15 fow 1/4 oz jig,  15-20 fow 3/8 oz jig,  20-30 fow 1/2 oz jig,  over 30 fow 3/4 and 1 oz.

[Frenchman83]

I cut my teeth in bas fishing throwing a Texas Rig.  When I started Jig fishing I would throw it like a Texas Rig.  Did not have much luck.  Now 99% of my jig fishing is pitching/flipping to cover.  For the longer casts that you mention I use a Texas Rig of let a Spinnerbait/Lipless Crank count down.  The on exception to this is on steep drop offs.  I will cast the jig to the top and work it down/across the drop off.

[smalljaw67]

I throw jigs to target areas, even football jigs go into target areas. When I say "target area" I mean like a transition bank where you will see rocky terrain turn into clay, if it that way on the ban the it is more than likely it is like that underwater also. The only jigs I fish deeper than 10' are football jigs, and the occasional flipping jig if I'm stroking but that is a whole other discussion. Keep it simple, find isolated stumps or stickups and dead falls and make short casts or pitches to these spots and start with a small hopping retrieve then drag it and change it up until you find what the fish want but the best way to do it is to fish in areas that you know could hold at least one fish and that is an area with cover or some sort of structure like a drop off or hump.

[BrianinMD]

Any time you feel any type of bite, set the hook. Be a line watcher, you see any tick or the line start going sideways, set the hook. You do not always feel a good bite with jigs, was out yesterday, biggest jig fish was a 5.25lb LM. No bite or line movement, just felt different when starting to move the bait.

[Arv]

My advice is simple, the bumps are strikes you have missed!

Unlike a T-rigged worm, bass will not strike and hold onto a jig very often.

Go to a lighter weight jig; 1/4 to 3/8 oz and slow down your retrieve.

The next time something doesn't feel right, a little heavy or light or tic, crank you reel handle fast and set the hook. Bass don't have hands and jigs have a lead head molded onto the hook, not a natural feeling creature to the bass, when they engulf the jig.....set the hook as soon as possible.

Tom

This! I get a lot more bites when I fish a 1/4 and 3/8oz jig. I've also caught many more fish when they subtly pick it up off the bottom. I feel like that happens 80% - 90% of the time for me. Rarely to I get smashed on the fall with a jig.

[Teal]

RockChalk, Sam,Tom, SmallJaws, and Arv pretty much nailed it. Hard to follow up on that. So im gonna echo them.

Slow down

Swing on mushy or unfamiliar bumps

Natural colors

KEEP THROWING THEM. THE MORE YOU DO IT, THE BETTER JIG FISHERMAN YOU WILL BE.

[Brian6428]

One thing nobody has mentioned (surprisingly) is megastrike. Rub it through the skirt of your jig before you fish it. This will make the fish hold onto your jig longer and make it easier for you to detect strikes, and therefore get more fish.

 

Brian

[Fireguyfrank58]

I actually ordered some Mega strike 2 weeks ago from the sight and haven't heard from or seen the package. I may need to call them. I'd like to see if it will make a difference.

[merc1997]

retrieve of a jig can be done in many ways. first off, you need to determine by trial, what type of retrieve is getting you bites. as a general rule from my years of fishing, a coasting type retrieve is best suited for sping type water temps and colder. during warmer water conditions, have had more success with a retriever where you lift and let the jig drop straight back down. this is done by maintaining a bow in the line while the jig is falling back to the bottom. i know that wrb has had great success using a crawl along the bottom type of retrieve, and you can not argue the effectivness of that retrieve by the numbers of giant bass he has caught. the bite on a jig is rarely that traditional "tick". most ofter something different happened that should not have. hook sets are free, and you will be amazed at how many bass you begin catching by setting the hook anytime you even think something different just occured. i have witnessed many bassers miss an opportunity to catch a bass on a jig by starting to feel for it, and actually let the bass tighten there line up. most often that results in a miss or poor hook up. keep fishing that jig. try different trailers. although, in my opinion, when hunting a big bass, pork is still the best option for jig trailers.

keep swinging and you will begin to better discern those next to nothing bites.

bo

[flyfisher]

I have really focused on jig fishing this year too and have had some success but nothing spectacular other than a ncie one caught on new year's day.

 

What i have really tried to do though is learn what the jig feels like as it moves through various types of cover.  If i am fishing rock or downed trees or grass etc...i throw a jig and work it slow to see how it feels going through the cover.  I then throw the same weight jig with a different head style and see how that feels as it moves through the cover.  

 

Now i have caught some fish this way but more importantly i am learning how a jig feels when moving through cover.  I am pretty sure the fish will come as i use the jig more often and gain confidence.

[LTBC_mmcallum]

If I'm fishing a jig I toss it, let it hit bottom and bump once, then sink, bump, sink, bump, sink, waiting about 3-4 secs in between bumps, and doing this all the way back to the boat.

This take a lot of time but it covers more area per cast and will let you know what's going on on the bottom a little better.

After 2-3 casts I troll a little farther, and do the same. If I'm going to use a jig I anticipate a long trip out.

Also be sure the "bumps" are quick hard rips with the rod, not very long but fast.

[Fireguyfrank58]

Well I am still at it with the jig and trying new retrieves.  Not much more luck so I headed back to the store to try and maximize my chances.  I am changing from #50 PP to 15lb Seaguar InvisX, I got 2 Strike King Hack attack Jigs, one 3/8 Green brown and red flake, the other 1/2 oz green with black flake.  I also got Zoom little critter Black with blue craws for trailer and a pack of KVD Bama craw Chunks for another option.  Gonna head out tomorrow morning and see If I cant do better.

[bass1980]

Try brown orange jigs with netbait Paca chunk. Blue black works good for me in the morning or when it's dark but I use brown orange during daylight hours.