First Swimjig What To Get?

[dosam]

Hey guys I got my new rod, imx mh/f and want to try out some new stuff and see what the rod is capable of. I used a few swimjigs before but really I just grabbed crap off of the shelves at Dicks and stuck it together and said voila swimjig done.So heres what im fishing in, the water at its deepest goes about 12' and is green tinted not very clear at all and tons of veggie on the bottom. The lake has tons of bass lots of smalls and a few large here and there and then there are those d**n pickerels. Even though there are craws in my area I have never seen one craw in my lake. Dont want to go above 3/4 oz. I  seem to have the most catches with chartreuse and black with another dark color combo(black/purple or black/blue). So what do you experienced swimjiggers recommend? Also when you recommend something if you could give brief explanations on how to work the bait or why you chose that swimjig/trailer would be great.Thanks if you answer.Any additional info needed let me know.

[hatrix]

I personally don't find that it matter to much on if it is labeled as a swimjig. One thing though is swimjigs usually have a longer shank where lots of jigs might be shorter and more compact. Also the position of the line tie isn't always the same. I would say 1/4 oz is usually what I throw and sometimes maybe a 3/8. As for DSG they actually have these BooYa jigs that I guess u can only get a dicks. I use them all the time but they have a really short shank and that sucks but the 1/4 oz green ones I throw all the time. That with a ripple shad for a trailer is killer for me.

[dosam]

Ok ripple shad looks interesting. Do you modify the shad in anyway? The only reason im asking is since the shad has a head and what not do you cut that part off just to make it easier to put on the hook?Also what size should I use for that?Im thinking 3'' florida junebug.

[BassinLou]

I personally don't find that it matter to much on if it is labeled as a swimjig. One thing though is swimjigs usually have a longer shank where lots of jigs might be shorter and more compact. Also the position of the line tie isn't always the same. I would say 1/4 oz is usually what I throw and sometimes maybe a 3/8. As for DSG they actually have these BooYa jigs that I guess u can only get a dicks. I use them all the time but they have a really short shank and that sucks but the 1/4 oz green ones I throw all the time. That with a ripple shad for a trailer is killer for me.

 

I just picked up a couple 5/16oz swim jigs at DSG couple of days ago, and I did notice the shank of the hook was very short. 

[smalljaw67]

I agree that a jig is a jig and I never understood why a jig made just for swimming would be better than any other jig until I tried one. Hook orientation is one aspect that really makes a jig good for swimming, most swim jigs have a hook that uses a 30 degree bend, this allows the jig to come through cover and open water with the hook riding level or slightly up, regular jigs end up with the hook riding slightly down from level. The hook angle also make for good hook sets as the bait is moving, this isn't a noticeable thing to most casual anglers, myself included, but was told to me as it was how designated swim jigs came to be. The other thing I really noticed is when coming through weeds and brush, most jigs will list to one side a little bit, swim jigs are very good for running true, and since I started using them I have really come to see how the design elements all work together to make it perform best while the bait is moving. Skirts also tend to be shorter and thinner than other jigs but you can easily fix that part with a pair of scissors so it isn't a big deal. There are a few different kind of swim jigs, you have the California swim jig which range from 1/4oz to 3/4oz and even 10z models are now showing up, then you have your Coosa River swim jig, which ranges in the 1/4oz to 1/2oz range and has a thinner skirt and shorter hook than the California but it is still a stout design, and then there is the Northern style swim jig, these are normally in the 1/4oz to 3/8oz range and feature a thin skirt like the Coosa River style but these use a lighter wire hook than the other two. I use the California style in 1/2oz size for heavy cover with larger swim bait trailers, like 5" models, this is mostly for dirty water with moderate to heavy cover. I also use the Northern style, this is my all around swim jig as I use it for moderate or sparse grass, light brush and boat docks, this is also a good one to use with a 3.8 Keitech swing impact or 4" easy shiner or really any swim bait that is 3.5" to 4", I prefer the River Rock Bait Striker which is similar to the easy shiner and Gene Larew Sweet Swimmer. Choose the swim jig based on the cover you are going to fish and match the trailer to it, Strike King Menace grubs and Rage Craws also make great trailers so try that too and match the color to the forage, it is that simple.

[primetime]

I have been using 1/4 and 3/8 oz almost exclusively this year unless I want to get deeper into the weeds, or fishing deep water but I am usually in  2-10' of water,  and I find 1/4-3/8 with a swimbait trailer or Grub depending on how fast I want it to fall. I also will use a Paddle tail worm as a trailer and trim it down to 4" as I like the flapping action.

 

I usually order custom jigs so I can pick colors of skirt and head to match forrage and lately I have been doing well with shad patterns, specifically the Siebert Jigs that I finally purchased after hearing so many postive reviews.....They cost the same as any of the Strike King or Booyah which are all good jigs, but I like the options of picking wide gap, different skirt patterns, and the jigs are top quality and the sunfish and smoked shad are fantastic and I also throw alot of black and blue swim jigs for dirty water, and white or smoke shad patterns in clear water. I also believe the trailer is most important part of a swim jig, but if you check out Siebert, you have so many colors to choose from to match your most productive colors of soft plastics and you can have any modifications made to fit your preference which truly helps as fish see the same colors all the time...

 

I know guys use heavier swim jigs although I have a hard time with heavy swim jigs in weeds, and I like to keep them higher in the water column, I will even go 1/8-3/16 at times and trim a skirt shorter and alot of times a trailer with less thump like a 4" curl tail grub is best especially in clear water and in the cold I like a trailer that does not have alot of action, and I also like a slow drop speed in the colder water, and my choice is usually the Yamamoto swimbait which is shaped similar to a sassy shad and super realistic and does not look odd with too much action when everything under water is sluggish right now, so I go with subtle thump and single tail grubs that are fat work really well like the Big Bite Fat grubs which give it lift and the tail does not over do it.

 

I used to struggle alot with swim jigs and simply reeling them in a straight line with a steady retrieve usually only results in followers, I now use my reel to cause the jig to dip and shake with the rod to get followers to strike as they often folllow a swim jig and break off the chase when they see the boat, so vary the retrieve to what the fish want, and once you find the cadence which is usually slower this time of year, but not always, you will start catching them, and they work great when you kill em every 10-15' feet and alway's try to hit something with the jig. I don't like rattles, but if I want one, I add it on later to the trailer.

[dosam]

Thanks for all the info guys really appreciate it! So I am probably going to go with a living weapon 3 living rubber 3/8 oz and and either a strike king rage tail anaconda(junebug) or a zoom fat albert junebug as well. My water is dirty and green tinted so im thinking the purple/black/blue colors will work good.The last time i used a swimjig I really liked seeing the tails dip down of the grubs and spin but, I was using but the 1/2 oz jig sunk super fast so for me. I feel something lighter would be ideal to get a nice slow spin down. The anaconda is 7'' long though would that be to long you think?The albert is a shorty at 3'' so I guess my final question would be what determines trailer length?

 

[smalljaw67]

 

Thanks for all the info guys really appreciate it! So I am probably going to go with a living weapon 3 living rubber 3/8 oz and and either a strike king rage tail anaconda(junebug) or a zoom fat albert junebug as well. My water is dirty and green tinted so im thinking the purple/black/blue colors will work good.The last time i used a swimjig I really liked seeing the tails dip down of the grubs and spin but, I was using but the 1/2 oz jig sunk super fast so for me. I feel something lighter would be ideal to get a nice slow spin down. The anaconda is 7'' long though would that be to long you think?The albert is a shorty at 3'' so I guess my final question would be what determines trailer length?

 

 

 

The hook size on the swim jig determines your trailer size, and the Fat Albert will work but it will be very compact, you will have to trim the skirt for the tail to be free.  I know a lot of my friends are telling me the new Kalins Sizmic grub is awesome on the back of a swim jig, try the 3.8 size. A good all around size for that swim jig is 3.5" to 4", the only way you need larger is is it have a long 5/0 hook, then your minimum would be a 4" or 4.5" bait.

[dosam]

Ok so it looks like im gonna get a LW3 in scandalous shad and black/purple lw3. For trailers a kalins chartreuse grub 3.8'' to go with the lw3 shad and for the black/purple lw3 some BPS electric grape firetail 4'' and fat albert at 3''. The shad combo I think will work well since I catch the most bass on my rapala sexy shad lipless crank and the black purple combinations are more of a test but I have no problem buying things that may not work as expected since I need to find out what my bass really love in a swimjig.

[CWB]

I like the S.K. Tour Grade and Lethal Weapon as they both have wire keepers for the trailer. Great when fishing through really heavy stuff or after catching a few fish.

Stops you having to push it back on every cast. S.K is nice because they offer 5/16 oz. which seems to be the perfect weight for me. Experiment with trailers. Just tried the Rage Menace rigged vertically last week and did good with it. Really imitates a  small bluegill.

[BasshunterJGH]

I prefer the dirty jigs california with an ez-shad trailer. 1/2 oz is a good all-around size, 3/4 around heavy cover.

[dosam]

Just wanna say thanks to all who answered you guys are great.

[hatrix]

As for the ripple shads. I suggested those because they are easily obtainable and DSG sells them and some walmarts I think. Also yes I cut the heads off to shorten them up a bit since I buy the biggest ones i think and have been doing it for years. I did see some at my tackle shop that actually come with no heads so I guess I can buy them as trailers now. They are also like indestructible. You can catch 30 fish all day on one unless u loose a tail but that has rarely happened to me.

Yes there are things about swimjigs that have been adapter to make them "better" but I wouldn't say it is night and day or a mandatory thing. One tinny that is fairly important to me souls stiff the weed guard is. Lots of swimjigs seem to have a skinny one that easily bends and get fouled a lot. I have tons of diff kinds of swimjigs but don't really like them to much. There is one I like but forget the rand right now but it has a wire keeper that is flexible and a long pointy head. Those ones work well and come through cover nicely. I also usually glue my trailers on since I fish ones that will last more then a couple fish and the keeper is not super important to me.

I never just straight reel one. I am always changing speeds or adding pauses. Throw in a little pop or a jig or a pull till you figure out what they want. Little pauses and changing speed usually are the ticket as is popping it when u tick some grass.

[Catch and Grease]

I like the strike king swim jigs and I use the hack attack jig when I'm in thicker junk