AAARRRRGGGHHHHH...Frustration W/ Swim Jigs

[ghost]

Used a couple Booyah swim jigs in 1/2 oz.  The wind was really nasty and this was the only lure I could cast fairly good.

I had bass hitting the white one and black swim jigs, and I KNOW I had good hook sets on a couple big bass.  I know I set the hook hard but they still came unbuttoned reeling them in.  One came unhook when it jumped out of the water and shook its head...this was a big bass!  After that I made sure to set the hook a couple times when the bass slammed my swim jig...only to pop off 5' away from me.

I trimmed the weed guard, fanned them out and made sure my hooks were sharp...what happened???

I'm heading back out tomorrow and this time I have a stinger hook set up...not taking chances losing another big bass!

[Grey Wolf]

Used a couple Booyah swim jigs in 1/2 oz. The wind was really nasty and this was the only lure I could cast fairly good.

I had bass hitting the white one and black swim jigs, and I KNOW I had good hook sets on a couple big bass. I know I set the hook hard but they still came unbuttoned reeling them in. One came unhook when it jumped out of the water and shook its head...this was a big bass! After that I made sure to set the hook a couple times when the bass slammed my swim jig...only to pop off 5' away from me.

I trimmed the weed guard, fanned them out and made sure my hooks were sharp...what happened???

I'm heading back out tomorrow and this time I have a stinger hook set up...not taking chances losing another big bass!

Keep your rod tip low  and keep pressure on the fish at ALL times.

[Uncle Leo]

It may be the rod you are using. I use a MH power ExF action. I use the same rod for Spinnerbaits also. I find that the ExF action gets me a better hookset using a single hook moving bait. I had the same problem untill I switched to an ExF action.

[soccplayer07]

What type of rod are you using? I use a MH Fast action and do not have any hook set issues.

[Chris at Tech]

Braid

[brushhoggin]

you could also use a trailer hook. they work wonders. also, do you have a bulky, plastic trailer choking your hookset?

[J. M. Richardson]

Also, try trimming the weed guard over the hook up just a bit so that when you press down on it the tips are just above the point on the hook. I do this to almost all of my jigs including swim jigs and get much better hook up rates without affecting the "weedlessness" of the jigs themselves.

[River Rat316]

In my opinion swim jigs are nothing like regular jigs. Unless you are around heavy cover like pads or fishing for Monster bass I wouldn't use a swim jig with a heavy hook and regular weedguard in it. The speed that a swim jig is normally fished at means you get alot of fish slashing at the bait, heavy hooks and heavy weedguards are not allowing you to get hooks into the fish. If you are fishing a regular swim jig with a light hook and weedguard hook sets are rarely even needed, 99% of the time all that is needed is rotating the hips and sweeping the rod away from the fish, the only time I can think of that I set the hook is when a fish hits it and brings it closer to you, so between taking up the slack and sweeping the rod it can be a pretty jarring hook set.

The rod you are fishing with also makes a big difference, I personally like a slower action rod, it allows the fish to take the bait for a quick second before I am driving that hook through its jaw. One of the other reasons I also like a little slower rod is that I also use braid so I can pop it out of weeds if I need to. In some situations I use a heavier faster rod but that is almost always with floro line so there is a little bit of extra stretch there.

Before getting completely frustrated with swim jigs try different combinations of rod/ reel/ line and jigs to see which ones work for you. My setup probably wouldn't work for at least 3/4 of anglers out there, but a 7' mh exf wouldn't work for me in 75% of the areas I fish swim jigs. Obviously you have seen that they are capable of attracting big bass, now you just need to find the hardware that lets you bring em to the boat!

[ww2farmer]

Braid

Yup. And as other have said at LEAST a MH power rod, fast action. I often use the same rod for swin jigs that I use for frogs, a 7' H power, fast action.

[RandySBreth]

Another idea: Maybe the color of your jig or the retrieve was 90% right, but just not quite enough to make the fish totally commit. When I get fish that are barely hooked on a certain lure a couple of times in a row I change colors, or my retrieve, or both a little.

Must of the time that brings them to the boat. ;D

[adclem]

I prefer to use a copoly line over fluorocarbon or braid, I like a little stretch to the line.  I use a MH/MF rod, I like the slower action.  I feel it keeps me from pulling the bait out of the fishes mouth.

Also like River Rat said they hook theirselves 98% of the time.

Be sure to keep your rod tip down and the line tight.

Later,

[NateFollmer]

How heavy are your jigs? I use the lightest jigs possible at all times because if you go too heavy, the fish gets too much momentum during head shakes and can throw the jig. Smallies are notorious for this

[wisconsin heat]

How heavy are your jigs? I use the lightest jigs possible at all times because if you go too heavy, the fish gets too much momentum during head shakes and can throw the jig. Smallies are notorious for this

X2, most of the swimjigs i like to use are under 1/4 ounce

[David P]

Do not trim your weed guard. It helps, especially when fish jump and try to shake the bait loose. The weed guard helps pin the fish, after I stopped trimming mine, I've lost a lot less fish.

Braid also helps, you can use a fluoro leader if in clear waters or fishing rocks.

[fishfordollars]

Interesting comment. Never thought about not triming the weedguard for that reason. I do trim all of mine and have no problem getting a hook in or keeping most hooked up.

[bilgerat]

I remember someone posting here saying you 'trim' the weedguard by reducing the number of strands but NOT by trimming the length. By doing that you actually make it stiffer and possibly interfere with a hookset. This has worked well for me.