Cursed With Jigs

[The Young Gun]

I just can't get them to catch fish like I see EVERYONE else do. I've bought coustom jigs to stock ones, rages to paca craws and I just can't consistently get bit..

All the jig fish I catch are honestly when I'm throwing them off my friends dock for fun and all little bass...

I mainly only fish a 170 acre lake loaded with bass. I throw on a jig and pitch docks for hours and nothing, then I try grass and weeds and catch a pike or two or maybe 1 tiny random bass but never anything.. In a month I plan on ordering from siebert to get just my last ditch effort to catch bass on jigs. I'm looking for some advice on all around jigs or just what you'd use. There's so many options and I've read the pinned section on jigs an everything but still feel like I'm not catching like I should be..

I'm fishing all less than 6ft of water, most of the bottom is Eurasian milfoil covered, around and under most docks is rock/sand. Few scattered laydowns. Clarity wise, I can see the bottom in 3-4ft of water with my s11 glasses on. Bluegill/pumpkinseed is dominate forage forsure.

Can someone just help me and tell me what I'm missing? Or point me out to a few jig colors and head types you'd use in my situation that you can buy from siebert? Thanks a ton guys..

[BenB54]

I would get some of Sieberts punch weights for the milfoil so you can pretty much have a totally weedless jig. I would also recommend some brush jigs for the docks and laydowns. I would also experiment with different jig sizes and trailers for different rates of fall. Some days the fish just want something slow and subtle and other days you can get good reaction strikes with a heavier jig that rockets to bottom. You can't go wrong with a black/blue, green pumpkin, or brown jig. Those colors will catch fish everywhere. One of my personal favorites from Siebert is from the storm series. I've probably boated more fish with that jig than all my others combined.

[Mccallister25]

Try not to over work the jig. Thats a lot of peoes problem,including myself at times.

[Catt]

170 acres loaded with bass!

What size bass?

[RoachDad]

I just can't get them to catch fish like I see EVERYONE else do. I've bought coustom jigs to stock ones, rages to paca craws and I just can't consistently get bit..

Can someone just help me and tell me what I'm missing? Or point me out to a few jig colors and head types you'd use in my situation that you can buy from siebert? Thanks a ton guys..

I'm with you brother. 

 

ANother thing is that a lot of things are called jigs.  I've caught lots of fish on small plastics like a "spider jig" but I have no luck with the chunky, plastic skirted jigs with the heavy jig heads.  I've tried all kinds of trailers.  I really want it to work because they are fun to fish. 

 

But I don't have much luck.  I do plan to just stick with it for a while and make it work.

 

One problem I have is that I love Senkos and spinnerbaits so if something does not work fairly quickly, I put it down and go to the old reliables!  ha

[MichBassMan]

Use a Jig a with a pointed head(more weedless), 1/4 oz.(slower fall)  fish it very slow (let it set 10 seconds or so after it hits bottom, then only move it a inch or so).

[Preytorien]

I agree man, I hear all kinds of people having success with jigs, even a guy who I fish with has luck and I attempt to mimic his technique, but it just doesn't work for me. I'm not sure why, but these replies may increase my chances, you never know. 

[rockchalk06]

I agree man, I hear all kinds of people having success with jigs, even a guy who I fish with has luck and I attempt to mimic his technique, but it just doesn't work for me. I'm not sure why, but these replies may increase my chances, you never know. 

It's a confidence things for me. Jigs have to be worked slow and can get down right boring sometimes. They don't catch more fish, but will catch bigger fish.

Work on matching trailers to the jigs. Get several different colors and try them all. I fish a North Star Mistake colored Flip n Swim over a Bell Cow Lake near Chandler,OK. It is killer there. Same muddy Oklahoma water as everything else. I haven't got one bite in over 2 years fishing that jig at any other lakes ponds etc. Bell Cow it always works.

Jigs are a tuff bait to master. There really is no wrong way fish them, it just depends on so many factors of which jig works where and when.

[smalljaw67]

Slow down and learn to use the jig, in fact here is what I would do if I was fishing with you. Go to something you know works, do this and see how the bite is, if you have a day and you are getting bit then that is when you break out the jig. The first thing is start small, go with a 1/4oz jig with a small trailer, like a yum or zoom chunk, pitch or cast it to areas where you were getting bit and leave it sit for several seconds. Now that the jig has been sitting for a few seconds begin to lift the rod slowly, from 9 o'clock to 11 o'clock and as you lower your rod slowly reel the slack but watch the line as you are doing this. make a few more cast and use the same type of retrieve and if that doesn't work then try hopping it, make the cast and when the jig hits bottom give it a few hops and pause, then a few more and pause. The point of this is to give the fish different looks, there are times when the jig just isn't what they want but when you do get a good jig bite you'll love fishing it, nothing like hopping a jig for a few seconds and feeling the "THUMP" when a good one grabs it. Hang in there and like I said, try using them on a day when the fish seem to be hitting, once you gain confidence you'll do better.

[bigbill]

I use the 3/8oz football jig in green pumpkin with a uncle Josh pork trailer. I casted it down a rocky point from shore and slowly hopped it up the point. Short even hops. I do also add a rattle too. A shot of bass scent helps too.

[mnbassman23]

I fish a few smaller 200-400 acre MN lakes that sound very similar to what your fish. Most times I'm fishing under 8ft and fishing around weed flats, docks, or small rock points. My go to lure on these lakes is a 1/4-3/8oz Swim Jig. This lets me cover water to find the fish and then from there I can slow down and pick them apart with other techniques. Honestly if you can catch fish on say a Spinnerbait there is no reason they shouldn't walk all over a swim jig. Usually I will outfish people in my boat if they are throwing a spinnerbait and I have a swim jig  on, they just work.

 

Like others have said maybe start out the day throwing something you have confidence in to locate the fish and then switch over to jigs. Another good thing about a swim jig vs say a pitching jig is you can work them faster and it's not so "boring" as some say. You can also cover the water column well with a swim jig. Somedays burning them on top will get you a lot of strikes and other days I slow roll them towards the bottom with better results. I actually add small rod pumps to my swim jigs and this creates a lot of strikes for me. Also swimming your jig along and killing it next to "fishy" looking spots and letting it fall to the bottom will get you extra bites.

 

The benefit of being proficient with a flipping jig is it lets you fish the cover better. A lot of times your bigger fish aren't going to chase a fast moving lure as it zips by a key piece of structure. Now if you pitch a jig in there and say let it sit for 10-20 seconds, move it a little bit and let it sit again they are more likely to eat it cause it's an easy meal. Also, if you are fishing laydowns or any kind of submerged wood do not be afraid to pitch to the guts of the tree. If you haven't lost a jig yet due to being snagged then odds are you may not be putting your bait were the fish are. Another thing with pitching to cover is having a silent entry. When your up shallow especially you do not want to be creating any kind of splash when your jig hits the water, this comes with time and lots of practice. Lastly, being able to skip your jig under docks and farther under overhanging trees can be a major benefit as well. The last 2 years i've really worked on skipping jigs and I cannot tell you how much it helps.

 

If I was you I would get some jigs that match your forage (bluegills/pumpkinseed). I do really well on NSCB new gill color and their pumpkinseed color is a bit brighter if you have a lot of them around. Our main forage is bluegill here. Regardless of company though, find a pattern that you like and have confidence in and go fishing. Another color that works great for me is watermelon red flake, i'm sure your lakes would be pretty similar in regards to color.

 

Good luck man!

[Blues19]

Just keep throwing it! Change up presentations to see if that helps.  It sounds like everything you are doing is fine, and you are catching fish, just not the quality you want. If you continue throwing it and experimenting with it, you are going to learn and gain more confidence.  I would keep throwing it off the friends dock and catching small fish, eventually a big fish will hit it.  There are times when you wont catch a thing on a jig, but when you get on a jig bite, you will love it. Just keep practicing it and you will get better and gain confidence. 

[CountBassula]

I was in the same boat too, been using jigs for the last 4 weeks or so and having really hard time... until today

 

Got this puppy right on the fall, on a Siebert Outdoors Jig of course

 

[CountBassula]

here's the actual jig, 3/8oz archy head with the new square hook; i dropped it on the edge of some thick grass and half a second later it got hit hard! also got 2 other bass today (that's 3 fish in 2 hours of fishing the jig, it has never happened before and i'm pumped) on was 18" and another got away, he jumped. the biggest thing for me was slowing it down AND putting my finger on the front of the baitcaster so i have the line run over my finger before it enters the reel. this way i could feel when it hit the bottom, rock, wood, soft bottom, etc. also made detecting the strikes "easier" though i absolutely believe that for 3 strikes i detected i missed another 10 oh, i used black/blue jig skirt and same color rage tail craw and space monkey. keep practicing, it took me 20-30 hours on the water of patience and persistence but it finally paid off, i'm umped and my confidence in the jig ticked up a bit too

 

[Downeaster2010]

I have liked jigs for many years, but its important to know how to use them.  I pour my own so make

fishing them cheaper.  Yesterday if fished a pond that had a rock pile down 25 ft that boaters pass over

on a regular basis, an never realize it is there.  I used a plain watermelon colored football jig without a

skirt.  I added a Netbait Paca Craw the same color.  I pulled in a couple nice 5 lb LM off that rock pile.

It is different getting used to fishing deep rocks and moving the jig just inches at a time.  Don't give up

on them.

[BassAssassin726]

I used to feel the same way man. Until one day last summer I was at my quarry lake fishing a deep hole. I was dragging big worms and cranking deep cranks. Caught a bunch of fish, mostly 1-2 pounders. Then I decided what the heck and threw on a bluegill colored jig with a tiny beaver trailer. First cast right when the jig was about to hit bottom, BOOM! Caught a 4.5 pounder. Was stoked. Slayed them the rest of the day with a bunch of three pounders too. Since then I've been doing great with jigs. Sometimes all it takes is that one time you throw it in the right place at the right time and catch fish. Builds up your confidence in it a lot. keep throwing them and it will pay off. Or you're just fishing where there is no fish! Lol

[Brian Needham]

water is hot right now........this time of year, at least for me, Jigs are a deep structure type thing.

flipping and pitching dock, ect is pure plastic.

[jignfule]

Many years ago I sacrificed catching many fish on senko and started fishing a jig. I learned how the jig felt and acted as I brought it through a variety of  situations without a fish on it. Then I learn that if I witnessed any anomaly to that feel or line movement, that there was a good chance a bass was involved and I set the hook. It takes time and patience, but well worth the effort.

[mjseverson24]

in your lake with shallow water and milfoil I would probably not even use a jig. the only jig I would use is the all terrain 3/8 oz grassmaster. there are many other options for you to use other than the jig. find a lake with a good amount of ledges, lay downs and docks with deep water near to really learn the jig.

 

Mitch

[Drewski73]

Well, yesterday I shared your story. Today I left the house with a bitsy jig and baby rage craws and nothing else. Caught four in an hour and two others spit the hook. I left after an hour. The jigs still tied on.....

[WRB]

So you want robe a jig fisherman. Why not a bass fisherman, catching bass on jigs isn't a right of passage!

If your small natural lake isn't suited for traditional jigs;.ie weed gaurd brush jigs with shirts, why force feed the bass something they don't want to eat?

There is jig water and water not suited for jigs, your lake may fall into the later category.

Small natural lake located in the northern Canadian Shield may not be the best choice during the summer period or late summer to fall period.

1. down size the jig to a 3/16 oz Owner sled head. Add Yamamoto 4" double

" tail Hula grub, color # 222. Rig this like a T-rig worm.

Tom

pas; paint the heds black with Testors black enamel and fish these until the lake freezes over and you will be a jig fisherman.

[bassboy13]

Make sure when you pitch to a dock that you let it fall with a little slack in your line so it falls straight down and you'll get more bites....also make a lot if repetitive pitches I've made 20 pitches to a dock before I got bit

[A-Jay]

So you want robe a jig fisherman. Why not a bass fisherman, catching bass on jigs isn't a right of passage!

If your small natural lake isn't suited for traditional jigs;.ie weed gaurd brush jigs with shirts, why force feed the bass something they don't want to eat?

There is jig water and water not suited for jigs, your lake may fall into the later category.

Small natural lake located in the northern Canadian Shield may not be the best choice during the summer period or late summer to fall period.

1. down size the jig to a 3/16 oz Owner sled head. Add Yamamoto 4" double

" tail Hula grub, color # 222. Rig this like a T-rig worm.

Tom

pas; paint the heds black with Testors black enamel and fish these until the lake freezes over and you will be a jig fisherman.

 

I like your style Tom.

 

A-Jay