Jig Fishing

[GABassin]

Hello All. I have just recently got an obsession for pitching and flipping a jig. I have been bass fishing for many years but have never really jig fished that much. I am having trouble detecting the bite because I feel so much on the bottom with the jig. I am mainly throwing a 3/4 ounce with a pork trailer on stumps and laydowns. I have not yet threw in the hydrilla but with the laydowns I am feeling like I could have a potential strike every time it hits a branch. Is there somethings specific to feel for with the jig bite or will they just run with it. I am just worried I am losing many fish by taking it away from them too early thinking it is not a strike.Thanks for any input guys.

[Raul]

You are waiting to feel a tap, by the time you feel the tap is because the fish has just spit the bait.

When fishing baits that fish hit as they fall in techniques where that 's what happens ( fish hitting the bait as it falls ) you don 't wait to feel the tap, from the moment the bait touches the water until it touches the bottom you have to pay attention to the drag created by the bait as it sinks ( the sensataion of the bait pulling the line ), same thing happens when you lift the bait from the bottom and sinks again.

When you don 't feel the bait dragging the line as it sinks is when the hit has taken place, time to set the hook.

[VABasser]

A quick question because I am new to jig fishing too.  When fishing an Ika or Senko weightless you let them fall on a slack line but when fishing a jig do you let it fall on a tight line?

[Raul]

Jigs are anything but weightless, there 's absolutely no benefit in allowing them to sink on a slack line; Ikas, stickbaits and beavers sink AWAY from you when allowed to sink on a slack line, a jig on a slack line is going to sink like a rock, just straight down.

[basspro48]

Get a feel for the bait you are fishing, learn how it feels when it comes over a log, through a patch of grass, and especially when a lunker latches on. I had a tough time too when I first started fishing jigs but now they are my number one bait for any situation. It just takes time and practice.

[Jimzee]

Hello All. I have just recently got an obsession for pitching and flipping a jig. I have been bass fishing for many years but have never really jig fished that much. I am having trouble detecting the bite because I feel so much on the bottom with the jig. I am mainly throwing a 3/4 ounce with a pork trailer on stumps and laydowns. I have not yet threw in the hydrilla but with the laydowns I am feeling like I could have a potential strike every time it hits a branch. Is there somethings specific to feel for with the jig bite or will they just run with it. I am just worried I am losing many fish by taking it away from them too early thinking it is not a strike.Thanks for any input guys.

I tell you what helped me the most. Get yourself some lighter jigs (3/16, 1/4 oz.) when fishing these stumps and laydowns. You fish that thing like you do a plastic worm. Throw it in all the places you throw that worm. Don't worry about that mystical bump that you've heard so much about. :-? When that fish sucks that jig on the fall (75% of the time), it will feel real similar to that bite on a plastic worm. When they hit it on bottom, it will also be similar to the worm bite. I have found from my own experience that bass hold on to the smaller jigs longer than the bigger ones. This smaller jig will build your confidence faster. The main important thing is to not give up. 8-)

Blaine,

[Catt]

Fish on the Bottom

When I'm fishing a jig I want to stay in contact with the bottom. That's where I'm trying to find the bass I'm not looking for suspended fish. I'm looking primarily for fish that are relating to some type of cover, whether it is a brush pile, treetop, or grass.

Feeling the Bite

One of the best secrets I learned years ago is to establish the rhythm of baits. Explanation: when I'm fishing a Texas rigged worm I cast it out, let it settle to the bottom while holding my rod at the 12 o'clock position, then lower the rod tip to the three o'clock while reeling in slack and feeling for any thing unnatural. Then I three hop the bait, three o'clock to two o'clock, two o'clock to one o'clock, one o'clock to 12 o'clock, and then pause. I vary the speed between hops according to the time of the year, fast in warm weather, slow in cold weather. With a jig I use a shorter version, more of a shake, shake, shake with the bait moving only a couple of inches. Learn what works in your area and watch your catch rate go up!

Learn to weigh your bait. Explanation: if you can go to a swimming pool, pond, or creek any where with clear water where you can see your bait on the bottom in 5 to 10 of water. First pitch your bait about 10 to 15 yards on the ground, close your eyes a shake or hop the bait. Feel what the bait feels like in no water (I mean really learn it). Then pitch it out in the water and do the same thing. I can feel a Texas rigged worm with a ¼ ounce sinker hit bottom in 15 to 18 foot of water. If you can't you need practice!

Now you are probably asking yourself what does this have to do with feeling a fish bite. Well if your bait feels any different that this, drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook!    

[Siebert Outdoors]

Constant Contact.  That is the key imo.  Jig bites are usually subtle and sometimes quick.  Constant contact with the lure at all times.  

BE THE LURE!

[GABassin]

Hey thanks for the help guys. I was allowing my bait to fall on a slack line and I think this is where I may have been going wrong. I am going to go out asap and keep that constant contact with the bait and see if I can get something going with it.