What Weight Do You Use When...

[cjam93]

Hey guys I was wondering what weight you prefer to throw on football jigs as well as on carolina rigs when you are fishing water in the 0-15ft range and then what weights do you use when it is deeper. Lets assume for the sake of simplicity that the water is calm and there is not a lot of wind to worry about. thanks!

[smalljaw67]

I use small football heads in shallow water, I often fish shallow gravel flats with a football jig but fishing points I'll use the 1/4oz for water up to 8' then I move up to 3/8oz for water 8' to 12' and for 12' to 15' zone I like a 1/2oz football jig, 3/4oz is the largest I use and I use it in 15'+. The same holds true for the C-rig, about the only difference is I don't fish a C-rig deeper than 15' and I only go to 1/2oz weight because the water I fish has large areas of muck bottom and you go with a 1oz egg sinker you'll move it about 5' before it gets buried.

[iabass8]

in shallow water around 5-6ft i throw 3/8. deeper than that it's 1/2. however, if it's dead calm /w no wind 3/8 can be easily worked in 15ft of water. if it's even a light breeze you can still use 3/8.

[Frenchman83]

For me I fish either 1/4 or 1/2 oz jigs and 99% of the time it is 1/2 oz. I have never fished a carolina rig. Also 85% of my fishing is < 20 feet

[Catt]

I don't select weight based on water depth, I make my selection based on rate of fall.

A 2# bass can inhale a 1 oz jig before hits bottom in 10' of water.

In the dead of winter I'll throw a 1/4 oz jig in 20' of water because of its slow rate of fall gives the bass a long look at it.

[SirSnookalot]

Current, if any, will affect the rate of fall, most places I fish for bass have no current.  I can use anything from a very light crappie jig to a max of 1/4 oz.

[Hogsticker]

The lightest weight I can get away with. Up to 15 feet with no current or wind, if I could detect and stay on bottom with 3/16 or 1/4 that would be my choice

[WRB]

Fishing deep rocky structure with sparse cover I use 7/16 oz hair jig year around to depth of 35'. The only reason to go heavier is wind in water over 20'. Change the fall rate by changing line diameter; 10# to 14# FC and trailers between 3" to 5" pork or soft plastics. My "heavy" jig is 5/8 oz when I lose contact due to wind.

The lesson to learn is; stay with 1 jig weight and brand to learn the "feel" of the jig under various conditions....this will improve you strike to hook up ratio. I have fished the same jig, weight/design, since '71.

Tom

[senile1]

Without wind and with calm water (I assume the OP means very little current), the main factor for choosing a heavier or lighter weight is rate of fall.  However, when wind and current are involved you have to be concerned with getting the lure to the bottom, how much slack you want in your line, and the rate of fall.  To me, the choice of a weight in different wind and current conditions is the next logical step in this discussion.  When wind or current is involved I want a weight that will give me a connection to my lure with just a small amount of slack in the line.  That depends on the speed of the wind or how fast the current is.  Bulkiness of the lure comes into play as well.  A bulky lure tends to slow the rate of fall but in a high wind there is more area for the current created by the wind to affect and I think the bulky trailer would even slow the rate of fall more.