Jig vs. Plastic

[Bass_Fanatic]

I LOVE to fish plastics (big worm, RAGE craw, ect.) and I have caught thousands of fish doing it, but I hardly ever catch fish on jigs.  I was wondering what is the main difference between fishing the two?  And how do you know when to throw a Brush Hog vs. a Jig?

[Catt]

A Texas Rig & a Jig-N-Craw stay on the deck of my boat 24/7/365, I do not leave an area until I've thrown them both.

One may produce better quantity & the other better quality

[Big-O]

A Texas Rig & a Jig-N-Craw stay on the deck of my boat 24/7/365, I do not leave an area until I've thrown them both.

One may produce better quantity & the other better quality

X2  There are times in the same area yet on different days it's a toss up as to which one will out perform the other substantially... As with Soft Plastics, adjusting weight, bulk and length, color and fall rate will also tune your jig bite.

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[NateFollmer]

I've caught fish on Jigs when I couldn't catch fish t-rigged with the exact same plastic. Sometimes they just want that faster/slower fall and that bigger profile the jig can offer. I've notice if I don't get a hit on t-rigged plastics, they will hit the jig on the fall. If the jig makes it to the bottom without a bite, it's not getting bit. Other days, it's all t-rig, all day long.

You may be getting bites on a jig and not even realizing it. I bet 90% of my jig bites were detected because I knew how long it should have fell and it stopped falling early (the fish took it). Half the time I don't even feel the jig get hit, the line just does something odd. Other times it feels like the jig hit a hard sponge (its hard to explain), and then rarely, the drag starts screaming and you swing for the fences.

[gobig]

If the jig makes it to the bottom without a bite, it's not getting bit.

If this is the only way you fish a jig your missing out.

[Bass_Fanatic]

I can detect the slightest nibble on plastics, but with a jig I am CLUELESS!!!  Your probably right, I am getting bit and not even realize it.

[Raul]

Most hit on jigs happen on the fall, when the bait is about to settle on the bottom, so what you feel is important, what you don 't feel is equally important, and what you "don 't feel ? " ----> the bait dragging the line as it falls, if you get that strange feeling that the jig hasn 't settled on the bottom you can bet that most of the times somebody has it in it 's mouth.

[bassin is addicting]

I can detect the slightest nibble on plastics, but with a jig I am CLUELESS!!!  Your probably right, I am getting bit and not even realize it.

x2

fishing from the bank i rarely get to fish jigs (since they get hung up about every 3rd cast)  my confidence is zero.  i want to learn to fish with jigs but just can't get the "feel".

[NateFollmer]

If the jig makes it to the bottom without a bite, it's not getting bit.

If this is the only way you fish a jig your missing out.

I meant on the days they won't hit a soft plastic, not EVERY time I use a jig If I can't get them to bite a t-rigged plastic it seems they won't bite the jig unless it's falling.

[evrgladesbasser]

A lot of people say most hits happen on the fall with a jig, personally I don't find that to hold true. Most of my jig bites happen while working it along the bottom.

I'd have to agree with above sentiments though, some days one works better than the other, and you won't know which til you try.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

A lot of people say most hits happen on the fall with a jig, personally I don't find that to hold true. Most of my jig bites happen while working it along the bottom.

I'd have to agree with above sentiments though, some days one works better than the other, and you won't know which til you try.

x2

I've had strikes on the fall, but it seems that most of mine come while dragging or hopping it back to the boat.

[5bass]

A lot of people say most hits happen on the fall with a jig, personally I don't find that to hold true. Most of my jig bites happen while working it along the bottom.

Same here. I think the people who get most of their jig bites on the fall are mostly flipping shallow water. Around here the 'flippin' scene isnt that great and we're constantly fishing 10' - 20' deep so dragging and hopping is king here. I get bites on the fall but only maybe 2 out of 10.

[K_Mac]

A lot of people say most hits happen on the fall with a jig, personally I don't find that to hold true. Most of my jig bites happen while working it along the bottom.

Same here. I think the people who get most of their jig bites on the fall are mostly flipping shallow water. Around here the 'flippin' scene isnt that great and we're constantly fishing 10' - 20' deep so dragging and hopping is king here. I get bites on the fall but only maybe 2 out of 10.

I'm with you guys. In deeper water only a small percentage of of my jig strikes come on the initial fall. I do try to keep good contact with the jig at all times; it is very frustrating to feel the fish as it spits out the jig. :'(

When you look at Catt's fishing stats you will see he catches a lot of big fish. Why? He fishes spots he is confident hold big fish, he is careful to fish them in a way that maximizes his chances, and he uses a relatively small number of baits that he knows will catch those fish.  When Catt says he never leaves an area without throwing both a T rig and a jig and craw, the lesson is: There is a time for both. 8-)

[Catt]

The angler who has convinced themselves "I don't get bites on the initial fall" pays some what less attention to the initial fall.

[bigfruits]

ive been doing alot of fishing using craw plastics on jigheads (no skirt). 1/4oz and 3/8oz arkie jigheads mostly. they seem to work some of the time when the skirted jig bite is off but i havent done enough experimenting to be sure...

[cwb60]

Well, after reading what everyone has said about the jig bite, on the fall, I am wondering if guys like me who don't get many bites on the fall should try braid so we can watch the line better on the fall ?

[gobig]

Well, after reading what everyone has said about the jig bite, on the fall, I am wondering if guys like me who don't get many bites on the fall should try braid so we can watch the line better on the fall ?

I am sure some will disagree but I throw all my jigs on braid. If I need to add a floro leader for picky fish I use an Alberto knot to join the leader to the braid. You also need to be an excellent line watcher. If you hold the braid with your  fingers while the bait falls on a slack line many times you can feel the fish pick it up. A bass will spit a jig much faster than a plastic. I do not wait with a jig I set the hook right away. A good sensitive rod makes a huge difference also.

[NateFollmer]

Well, after reading what everyone has said about the jig bite, on the fall, I am wondering if guys like me who don't get many bites on the fall should try braid so we can watch the line better on the fall ?

I am sure some will disagree but I throw all my jigs on braid. If I need to add a floro leader for picky fish I use an Alberto knot to join the leader to the braid. You also need to be an excellent line watcher. If you hold the braid with your fingers while the bait falls on a slack line many times you can feel the fish pick it up. A bass will spit a jig much faster than a plastic. I do not wait with a jig I set the hook right away. A good sensitive rod makes a huge difference also.

x2 I love braid. I fish braid probably 95% of the time. It also usually has the flouro leader and it's tied on with an Alberto knot. I have never had an Alberto knot fail, just have to make sure the twists don't jump each other or it will cut the line when there's tension on it.

[roadwarrior]

I hate braid, but I have PP 50/12 on my jig rig!

The result has been a dramatic improvement

in sensitivity. I'm using a direct tie.

8-)

[sockey]

I can detect the slightest nibble on plastics, but with a jig I am CLUELESS!!! Your probably right, I am getting bit and not even realize it.

x2

fishing from the bank i rarely get to fish jigs (since they get hung up about every 3rd cast) my confidence is zero. i want to learn to fish with jigs but just can't get the "feel".

I'm a jig newb myself, and the biggest difference for me is that with a t-rigged plastic I'll feel what's actually happening down there, be it a thump or a tick or even a wobble as the fish takes off. With a jig on the other hand, it's been all about what I don't feel.

Have you ever been fishing a spinnerbait and had a fish pick it up and just keep swimming towards you? About the only way you can tell you've been bit is the lack of vibration coming up from the blade, and the line is coming at you just a little different than it has for the last couple of bite-free casts. For me, fishing a jig has been exactly like that. I expect it to hit the water, and head for the bottom at a certain pace, and when it doesn't I reel up the slack quickly and slam 'em. I haven't fished a jig for very long, so I haven't been "thumped" like I know fish sometimes do to a jig, but a couple times I hooked up because the jig just went weightless and the line went limp where it shouldn't have. I didn't feel the fish, but I still knew it was there because of what I didn't feel, namely the weight of the jig and the bottom.

[Catt]

sockey 

[90x]

for me a jig is my go to bait. before that it was a plastic worm. I have this mindset when fishing a jig. This mindset makes me believe that I'm going to catch a fish every cast.

I love the feeling of moving the bait across cover. I feel every rock and stump. Part is knowing where to fish the jig. I have so much confidence in the jig, however I have never caught a fish on the first drop. Its all a mental thing.

Sometimes you have to just sit there and force the bait to work. I can catch fish on anything except rage tail. I dunno why.

Sometimes some baits dont work. Just because someone else uses it, doesn't mean you have to.

[Revo_Carrot Stix]

I predominately fish from the bank as well and have learned (adapted) to flip a jig from the shore. I have a lot of lakes nearby and most of the shoreline is water willow or weeds, extending from 2 to 10 ft out in the water. In the dead of summer when the bite is slow, I quietly walk the banks flippin' into pockets, irregular breaks along weedline, and in the shadows opposite the sun. I used to call it practice, but now it's become hand-to-hand combat at close range.

Like others have metioned, TR soft plastics will get you numbers and a slower fall. Jigs have landed me some pretty big sows in 1 ft. of water. I have been surprised how shallow (and right under my nose) these bass get in the dead of summer.