Jigs

[macmichael]

I have yet to catch a bass on a jig. I throw it out, let it sink to the bottom, count slowly to 20, jig it, count to 20, jig it. I do this until the retrive is complete. Any advice?

 

Mac

[everythingthatswims]

Flip jigs around cover. Easy as can be, you just have to know that if you don't lose a few baits, you aren't putting the bait where it needs to be. Good luck!

[Jar11591]

I throw it out, let it sink for about 10-15 seconds. Then the first thing I do is shake it in place. I get A LOT of strikes doing this. Then I do a combination of hopping, dragging, pausing and shaking.

[paul25]

unless im fishing in pretty cold water i don't let it set more than a few seconds, hoping a jig works good for me some but a steady dragging gets the job done most of the time.

[WRB]

If you are fishing in the wrong place it doesn't matter how you retrieve your jig.

Jigs are the most demanding of all lures to learn to use.

Where are you fishing?

Tom

[macmichael]

I have been fishing these in some local ponds in my area. I've tried deep water, shallow water, points, rocks, stumps, etc. 

After I catch some bass on my plastic worms,, I try a jig. 

 

Thanks for all the help.

[WRB]

The easiest jig to learn to fish is a spider jig. Gary Yamamoto 4" Hula a Grub #301 on a Yamamoto 3/8 plain black football head with wire weed guards.

You can fish this jig the as you would a sliding bullet weight Texas rigged worm.

Take a look at jig question in the fishing tackle forum or search "Horizontal jigging".

Tom

[BadBassWV]

If you haven't already I would read all the articles that are on this sight, Then I would listen too everything that Tom has to say on Jig fishing. There is a wealth of information in his brain, probably to much to write in an atlas.

[tcbass]

My friend set up his wife with a white GY Hula Grub on a jig and she killed the bass.

[Siebert Outdoors]

IMO there is no reason to throw it out and count to 20.  If your not swimming the jig just wait until the jig hits bottom this time of year. Pause for a second or two, then start the retrieve.  I drag or use small hops.  The biggest deal is fish structure.  The easiest way to catch bass on a jig is fishing lay downs or rocky points this time of year.  You can almost always catch fish on lay downs.  Even shallow.  They may not be big fish but will be fish and build confidence in the jig.  Also when fishing a log or lay down cast both sides of it.  Just because you fish the right side doesn't mean the fish will swim from the left side and eat the jig.  Give each log at least 2 casts.  I'd go more, but at least 2.

[gardnerjigman]

_{I don't know that there is a wrong way to fish a jig. I've caught them as soon as it hits the water on a pitch, as it sinks in deeper water. You can swim it, hop, drag, shake do whatever you want. Key is being where the fish are. Like WRB said, if you are fishing in the wrong place, you might as well be fishing in a swimming pool.}

 

_{Try to imagine what the creature you are trying to imitate would move like. If you are going  for crawfish, I like 3 pops and a few second sink repeated. If you are going for baitfish, swim in a let it drop. If you can make your bait act as real as possible to what you are imitating, and then make it look wounded... its hook up time. Bass are lazy when it comes to food. 10 times would rather take an easy target (wounded)}

[Catt]

Stroking 

[lmbfisherman]

IMO there is no reason to throw it out and count to 20.  If your not swimming the jig just wait until the jig hits bottom this time of year. Pause for a second or two, then start the retrieve.  I drag or use small hops.  The biggest deal is fish structure.  The easiest way to catch bass on a jig is fishing lay downs or rocky points this time of year.  You can almost always catch fish on lay downs.  Even shallow.  They may not be big fish but will be fish and build confidence in the jig.  Also when fishing a log or lay down cast both sides of it.  Just because you fish the right side doesn't mean the fish will swim from the left side and eat the jig.  Give each log at least 2 casts.  I'd go more, but at least 2.

This sums it up.

[iceintheveins]

I pitch to the target, let it sink on semi slack line, until it hits the bottom. Then I will shake it for two seconds, then hop it 2 - 3 feet. Most strikes come on the initial fall or the first two hops. Once it gets aways from the target, I reel it in quickly and make another pitch. They are best as a target bait imo and I load the boat with them. Caught three of my four best bass last time out pitching rip rap and a weedline.

[macmichael]

Thanks for all the help fellows. I;ll give it a try tomorrow. With any luck I will post some picts.

[bassin is addicting]

hey mac...

a jig takes some patience to learn.  but once you feel that "thump"...you'll be addicted to the jig.

i think you are fishing it too slow... imo.  i agree with a few of the posts...cast it...let it sit for a bit.  jiggle it.  then slowly (this is the part where the will tell you how fast "slowly" is) i tend to drag it more than hop it. but i do hop it some too.  pausing every once in a while.

laydowns... are best. 

good luck..

[WRB]

Keep this tidbit in mind; 90% of jig strikes occur on the initial fall or within 10 feet after contacting the bottom with bottom jig presentations. You will catch a few bass retrieving jigs along the bottom, not many.

The pace or rate of fall the jig has can be critical to get bass to strike and ONLY the bass make that decision. The weight of the jig plus the water displacement of the trailer determine how fast or slow the jig falls through the water, the line can also affect rate of fall. The pace of speed the jig is retrieve, dragged, hopped, jiggled, dead stocked to induce strike is trail and error until the bass reacts by striking. No set rules, everyday is different.

Strike detection is what separates a good jig angler from everyone else and takes good concentration and awareness of what your jig feels like and what it's doing, no short cuts.

Good luck.

Tom

[macmichael]

Today I caught 2 nice fish. 1 over 2 pounds and 1 under. The first one was on a baby bass GY senko. He swallowed it completely. The second one was on a black buzz bait. Again he swallowed it. My thoughts were that they are very hungry. I tried jigs the rest of the morning, nothing. I do however think I got 1 little bump, not sure but hey it's a start. Jigs are the 1 lure that I'm not real confident in yet, but I'll keep trying. I know Brian Needham swears by em. He catches a lot of "big uns".

[CDobber]

Mac...I'm with you....I've tried jigs on and off this season and have had no success at all with them.  All we can do is keep trying and switching things up like color and trailer and eventually things will click.

[OroBass]

This is also my year of the jig. The last several weeks that's all I take with me. Jigs and trailers. Its starting to pay off.

[ThatZX14Fella]

I'm not the best person to take advice from, but I catch more bass on jigs than anything else. Well, besides worms. I cast it, let it hit the bottom, shake it, let it sit, then hop it twice. After that I just hop it twice each time after it sinks back to the bottom, I continue until I get to the shore.

[tcbass]

I'm not the best person to take advice from, but I catch more bass on jigs than anything else. Well, besides worms. I cast it, let it hit the bottom, shake it, let it sit, then hop it twice. After that I just hop it twice each time after it sinks back to the bottom, I continue until I get to the shore.

 

 

These are all football or Arkie jigs, not swim jigs, right?

[ThatZX14Fella]

These are all football or Arkie jigs, not swim jigs, right?

 

I don't pay attention to the jig type, I just fish it. I suck at learning new techniques so I stick w high what I know and it normally works.