What Bottom Composition Do You Prefer When Using A Jig?

[DocNsanE]

Hey!

 

I know jig fishing has already been discussed at length, but one specific thing I am not certain has been talked about specifically is what bottom composition are you looking for primarily when you pick up a jig?

 

 Or do you just not care? For the pure jig fisherman out there, do you use it all of the time regardless?

 

Thanks!

[Ozark_Basser]

Anything but a soft bottom.

[Mccallister25]

Anything but a soft bottom.

Agreed..

[lectricbassman]

Is there a substitution for jigs when fishing soft bottoms?

[Ozark_Basser]

Something up off the bottom is what I would prefer, so the bass could see it better. Drop shot, swim jig, lots of stuff.

[Catt]

As long as it's wet

[scaleface]

Some of the waters I fish are badly silted in. Jigs work fine .

[frogflogger]

I fish jigs from 1/32nd oz. to 1 1/2oz. hair, plastic, rubber, adorned with everything from grubs, craws, creatures, swimbaits, etc. - you can fish a jig anywhere with some sensible adaptations.

[Matthew2000]

For me I look at the bottom compostion to determine what jig to throw.

[Dogmatic]

Is there a substitution for jigs when fishing soft bottoms?

In addition to those mentioned by Jiggin', a Carolina rig is my preferred alternative. Here in the North East, lots of soft bottoms, and we still fish jigs. I prefer Sandy or small rocky bottom, but you have to fish what you're dealt with.

[RoLo]

When fishing a jig, my favorite bottom is strewn with large bass 

[ABW]

I am ONLY able to fish jigs on soft bottom (dead leaves, weeds, etc). I use 1/4 oz and 3/8 oz. Even 3/8 oz tends to dig up the muck sometimes.

[Ozark_Basser]

I guess I should specify what I mean by soft bottoms. I pretty much just mean muddy bottoms or areas where dragging a jig could stir up too much debris making the jig less visible. Do jigs still catch fish in these areas? Yes, but I would prefer using something else.

I don't feel bass like soft bottoms unless they are forced to be in these types of areas, such as in ponds or small city lakes where a soft bottom is the only bottom. When given a choice, I think they prefer hard bottoms.

I have had more than one experience where fishing a jig on soft bottoms could not get me bit very often if at all. However, when I started swimming it or pumping it I would start getting bit a lot more. Was it due to the soft bottom stirring up too much debris? Maybe. Maybe not. But that seems like a good enough reason for me.

[Surfcaster]

I have caught one bass with a jig and it was on rocky/hard bottom, so I would say in my jig experience 100% of the fish I catch with a jig comes on hard/rocky bottom.  I have seen videos of KVD swimming a jig off the bottom and through bushes and such.  I believe to catch bigger fish I must fish a jig more often, but I just don't have confidence in my jig fishing abilities.  Maybe tomorrow in my local tournament I will exclusively jig fish and see what happens.

[WRB]

I look for soil transitions and prefer rock, gravel, clay transitions and anywhere wood is present, don't like mucky bottoms.

Tom

[HoosierHawgs]

I have caught one bass with a jig and it was on rocky/hard bottom, so I would say in my jig experience 100% of the fish I catch with a jig comes on hard/rocky bottom.  I have seen videos of KVD swimming a jig off the bottom and through bushes and such.  I believe to catch bigger fish I must fish a jig more often, but I just don't have confidence in my jig fishing abilities.  Maybe tomorrow in my local tournament I will exclusively jig fish and see what happens.

A tournament is not the time to experiment my friend

[Catt]

Guess what y'all?

Bass live where they are born!

If they live in soft bottom waters I aint gonna be dragging a jig, I be hopping it!

[F14A-B]

I look for soil transitions and prefer rock, gravel, clay transitions and anywhere wood is present, don't like mucky bottoms.

Tom

Exactly this..

[Senko lover]

I like a bottom with cover on it, preferably rocks or logs. 

[John G]

Guess what y'all?

Bass live where they are born!

If they live in soft bottom waters I aint gonna be dragging a jig, I be hopping it!

X2. I am forced to hop a jig and a T-Rig. Where I fish, if I drag it, I come up with about 1/2# of crap on the end of my line.

[Paul Roberts]

Anywhere. Any type of bottom, or none at all. I fish jigs from bottom to top.

[Frenchman83]

Another vote for anything but soft.

[boostr]

Don't matter to me, I just adjust accordingly. A 1/4 oz Arky jig with some type of plastic rigged on it keeps it on top of the muck pretty much all the time. Up here in most of the places I fish has muck bottom, you just need to hop it.