Jigs

[Daddyodo]

I was thinking of picking up some jigs at BPS but the guy there said don't do it because the lake I normally fish has alot of vegetation. Do you guys agree or is this sound advice? He recommended that I stay with soft plastics and top water lures. :-?

[Shad_Master]

Jigs are just another presentation - they can work well in grassy lakes, but you will have problems with the jig getting covered with grass - this can also happen with soft plastics.

Depending on what you mean by "a lot of vegitation" the size of your jig can make a difference - too small will get hung up a lot if the grass is really thick.  But a 3/8 oz is a good all around jig size for most applications.  You might want to stay away from football heads - arky style or "swimming" jigs can be a good alternative.

Can't understand why that guy was trying to put you off jigs unless he fishes there a lot and wants to hold down the competition :

[Catt]

Jigs with craw worm trailers were invented & techniques refined to effectively fish for bass in grass.

[MMan16]

Any lure can get caught up when fished in heavy cover. But to not fish a jig because of it is a mistake. For light to sparse vegetation you can use a bulkier jig n trailer when cover get dense you need to use a more compact jig n trailer. The weight of the jig can also play a role in fishing different covers

[River Rat316]

A good grass jig will be pretty effective, look for a jig with a forward line tie, cone or narrow shaped body, and swept back weedguard to effectively navigate the grass. I agree with a previous post about 3/8oz being an effective weight, it seems to do a good all around job in water from 3'-15' deep!

You might also think about trying a punch skirt setup, if its really nasty grass, you can still add the bulky look of a jig, but have your t-rig setup with a punch skirt!

[bilgerat]

Define "vegetation"

Grass is ok for the proper jig.

Thick, soupy scum like we have a lot of up here is not. The jig gets buried immediately making it useless.

[brushhoggin]

A good grass jig will be pretty effective, look for a jig with a forward line tie, cone or narrow shaped body, and swept back weedguard to effectively navigate the grass. I agree with a previous post about 3/8oz being an effective weight, it seems to do a good all around job in water from 3'-15' deep!

You might also think about trying a punch skirt setup, if its really nasty grass, you can still add the bulky look of a jig, but have your t-rig setup with a punch skirt!

that's the ticket!

[RyneB]

If it is just grass, throw a swim jig type jig. I have thrown swim jigs in some pretty thick stuff successfully. It wont be very affective if the vegetation your talking about is moss like vegetation. Id just buy a swim jig type jig an flipping type jig and see what works. Worst case scenario is you're out $6.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Come fish some of the waters down here in Southern Florida, you'll see lots of vegetation   I've found that you can get a jig through pretty much anything if you take the time to learn how to do it.

[LazyBASS1301600404]

A good grass jig will be pretty effective, look for a jig with a forward line tie, cone or narrow shaped body, and swept back weedguard to effectively navigate the grass. I agree with a previous post about 3/8oz being an effective weight, it seems to do a good all around job in water from 3'-15' deep!

You might also think about trying a punch skirt setup, if its really nasty grass, you can still add the bulky look of a jig, but have your t-rig setup with a punch skirt!

that's the ticket!

Sorry I am stupid but am having a hard time picturing this,  which jigs are like this?  have any pictures?  Thanks!

[Nine Miler]

http://www.***.com/Grass_Jigs/catpage-GRASSJIG.html

Check these out.

[LazyBASS1301600404]

awesome, thanks guys

[Tin]

Arrow or Bullet head

Rattle

Braid

[Catt]

Terry Oldham's Eye Max

[River Rat316]

Here is a pro series grass jig, 30 degree hook, forward line tie, swept back weedguard. They come through the thick stuff very well!

[Tin]

Do they come with rattles and what brand hook?

[Daddyodo]

Ok, help me out here. What the heck is the difference between a swim jig and a finesse jig, or a pro series jig and a hair jig? Good gracious how in the world does a neewbie like me determine which one to use and under what condition :-[ If you will excuse me I have to go lie down I've got a head ache

[River Rat316]

Ok I will try and give you a short run down of the jig classes

Swim jig, a jig meant for swimming ;D forward line tie, eye of the hook inline with the line tie, usually a lighter wire hook that helps the jig stay upright while deflecting off of cover (most companies make a heavy duty version also for those who don't trust the light wire hook) usually has a lighter swept back weed guard also, to help in hook sets since you get a lot of fish slashing at the bait. also usually has a thinned out skirt  to aid in action and profile Uses: swimming anywhere from heavy cover to open water, usually a 4-5" grub as a trailer but can also use swimming type chunks (paca or rage) or paddle tails like a Keitech. Think of these jigs as a spinnerbait without the blades, you fish them in the same type of situations except they go through cover better and are alot more subtle.

Grass: Looks similar to most swim jigs but has a heavy wire hook, heavy weed guard. has a forward line tie with the weed guard swept back, has a full skirt and usually rattles. there is lots of different variations and some work better than others but if you are flipping or pitching grass or pads or any other "junk" look for a jig that has a forward line tie, swept back weed guard, and a heavy hook.

Football: Shaped like a football, it craws over rock and gravel with less of a chance of hanging up. There is a ton of variation to the football jig, some have heavy hooks, some have light hooks, you have to try different models to figure out which works best in what situations. But remember when you are fishing deep rock you usually have alot of line out and hooksets become easier with light wire or high end hooks!

Finesse: Usually a round head jig with a flat eye hook, the hook is usually a regular or thin wire to aid in hook sets with the lighter gear these smaller jigs are usually fished on. Used in "finesse" situations. Either pressured fish, high pressure situations, or a change of pace to the normal full skirted jig. These jigs are versatile and a huge part of my jig arsenal! They have a completely different profile in the water, you can flip them into lighter cover, drag them, skip them, basically anything you can think of!

All Purpose jigs: Most jigs you see fall into this category, my alien head or arky head jigs are a good all purpose jig, they are especially adept around wood or or gravel, come through vegetation nice (not slop just normal vegetation). 

When you are looking at jigs it can be overwhelming, but probably 75% of  normal jig fishing can be covered by a good all purpose jig. If I didn't make my own jigs I would probably have mostly all purpose jigs with some fb heads, finesse heads, grass heads, and swim jigs thrown in. But if you are just getting started into jig fishing I would recommend some cheap all purpose jigs to get started with and then learn from there. Once you get better at jig fishing you can expand your arsenal a little and figure out what works for you and what doesn't

[River Rat316]

Forgot hair jigs, these are in a completely different class of jigs, they can cover anything from tiny 1/16 or smaller stuff for panfish to like the hippy jigs I tie. Hair jigs are usually fished in colder water in the fall/winter/spring The hair reduces the fall rate and has a natural movement in the water, even at the slow speeds that you need to fish in the cold water.

[Captain Obvious]

Good gracious how in the world does a neewbie like me determine which one to use and under what condition

This sound like a plea for help. River rat316 did a great job but here are some good reads from the BassResource.com library and there are plenty more of them.

http://www.bassresource.com/fish/jigs.html

http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/bass_fishing_jigs_overview.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/jig-fishing-specifics.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/jig_uses.html

[micah1990]

The problem with fishing jigs in vegetation is being able to get it through it and picking grass off your bait every flip, with some experimentation you can find one that will come through cover. There's a company down here in NC called basscraft lures that has jigs with a screw lock instead of the weedgaurd and it'll work like a texas rig through the cover.

[Munkin]

Not sure where you are fishing but if you are hitting the local resevoirs like Black Hills Lake Seneca a T-rigged creature bait will work better. Summertime grass will foul the jig more than say a baby brush hogs and in my experience creature baits work better in the summer.

With all that said it is about to be spinnerbait time! No brand infomercials just get a whitish/shad colored bait with double silver willow blades.

Allen

[Hitch]

Strikeworks grass jig.