Jig Help!?

[FloridaBassDude]

Hey everyone, having some serious trouble fishing jigs lately. I LOVE fishing them, I love buying them (unfortunately) I love everything about them. But I can't fish them if my life depended on it, I'd say honestly I'm producing 1-2 fish per full day of fishing, in an area I know has some serious fish.

So to make it simple, and tips/tricks you guys have to help me fish my jigs would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Fishes in trees]

There are lots of different conditions where jigs are the best choice for catching fish.  There are lots of other conditions where jigs will probably work somewhat, but they might be the 2nd or 3rd or 4th best choice, depending on conditions.

 

Specifically, what kind of conditions are you trying to jig fish and secondly, what kind of jig are you using?

 

For instance, say you are fishing a deep weed line, that transitions to creek rock/sand/clay.  A jig is an option here.  My current thinking is that a jika rig is a better option here.  And a jika rig is kind of a jig - a jig /soft plastic hybrid if you will.

 

Anyway, the point of this one example is that specific conditions will get you better answers.

[smalljaw67]

Adjust the size of the jig, very easy to do. I have my jigs put in 3 separate categories, FINESSE, REGULAR, and HAIR, and they all have a time and place. Eakins style jigs are considered finesse but they make them in a 7/16oz which I don't consider to be a finesse jig, I make mine 1/8 and 3/16. The next time you go make sure to have some 1/4oz jigs or maybe a bitsy bug in 3/16oz and pair it with a Zoom super chunk jr, or any type of chunk trailer in the 2" to 2.25" range. That jig and trailer will get bit if presented in front of a fish, try it slowly and see how the fish react, if working it slow with a simply lift and drop doesn't work try dragging it or aggressively hopping it and take note of what happens. I say this because the jig is one bait that even if the fish aren't on it, you should still be able to get bit so try somaller jigs at first, if you start getting numbers of small fish try going up a size and see what happens. I've had times where I started with a 3/8oz jig, and didn't get a sniff and dropped it to a 1/4oz and it was game on, just a difference in fall rate and it works the opposite way, you may not get bit on the 1/4oz but go up to a 3/8 or even 1/2oz and the faster fall may get reaction strikes. You like jigs and you like the idea of them but you don't have much confidence in them but be patient and try using smaller and larger jigs based on what the fish tell you, and the most important thing, if you aren't getting bit and you've been dragging the jig and then on on cast you make it hop and get bit, try to remember that, it is often the very clue you need to get the fish to hit. 

[Jar11591]

Just a trick I use that draws more strikes than anything else while fishing jigs. During my retrieve I'll pause it for 5 seconds, then shake the jig in place for another 5-10 seconds. Don't move the jig forward, just shake the slack of your line. This gets me so many strikes. It'll get strikes from the bass that have just been gawking but not biting.

[TNBassin']

I hop my jigs, and move my rod almost like I'm fishing a shakey head to get that skirt flaring and those rage claws moving. Ton more bites than dragging it for me.

[stk]

Thats the beauty of the jig, you can fish it so many ways.  Depending on the bottom I will fish the jig differently.  Mucky/weedy bottoms, i'll try to keep the jig hopping/moving.  On rocky bottoms, I'll drag it more and hop it when I get caught up.  What I have found to help is to sometimes contrast your trailer with the jig skirt.  I used to just try to match them, but I've had more success with contrasting/different jig trailers and skirts.  The other thing to keep in mind is the profile/bulk of the trailer, sometimes when I am not getting bit i'll move to a smaller profile trailer (net bait paca chunk vs. rage tail baby rage craw). 

 

And sometimes jigs aren't what the bass are looking for.  Learned that the hardway last weekend, spent 4 hrs fishing a jig, only one fish.  Threw a texas righ ocho right before I left, caught two fish in about 20 minutes...