Jig vs Texas rig

[JRammit]

First post here.... Wanted to start a discussion on something ive always wondered...... Hear both sides of the story, or find out if im the only one on my side

Ive been bass fishing for 25 years, and ive never used a bass jig.... Before you condemn me, let me say ive caught plenty of fish throwing a Texas rigged craw bait, using the same presentation you do with a jig

My reasoning at first was budget.... $3 for one jig, or $5 for a whole pack of weights and hooks.... A no brainer right??..... When im dropping something to the bottom of the lake, i don't wanna have much invested in it

But, i soon found more advantages to this approach 

1) cost... (just worth saying again)

 2) color selection... I can carry infinite colors of my craw baits, and change at my leisure without re-tying

3) fall rate... Once the weight hits bottom, the bait free falls the rest of the way.. Using larger slip weights has less effect on the bait than larger jigs

4) sound... While a jig can tap against rocks to make sound, a Texas rig can do this on its own as the weight taps against the hook (or bead) on every jerk, even over a soft bottom

When you hear "Texas rig", its usually followed by "worm".... But its far more versatile!

So lets hear the other side from the jig guys... What am i missing out on??

[Catt]

What are you missing out on??

Big Bass!

1. I may lose a jig but I aint never worn one out

2. I can change my jig color by chinging the trailer

3. A larger slip does in fact effect the rate of fall; how much seperation do you believe there is between the lure & weight?

4. It's called rattles!

I keep both tied on 24/7/365

[Turkey sandwich]

I like both, though, I don't thrown the T-rig nearly as much as I used to.  They both have advantages and are super versatile.  If I can, I kind of like having both tied up because they can fish a lot a like and offer a huge range in profiles.  The skirt can can add to the profile, and with a quick switch of a trailer you can go from mimicking a crawfish, to mimicking a sunfish.  On the T-rig, you can fish almost anything, but it works best on the bottom.  The simple answer, for me, is to show the fish I tigons until i can figure out wh out what they like. 

[A-Jay]

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

One of the best aspects of virtually any type of fishing is that an angler can do it any way he or she chooses.

Both Jigs & Texas Rigged baits have take some very respectable bass for me as well as accounting for many a memorable days.

 If the fish show even the slightest interest (and sometimes even when they don't) I'll fish them EVERY CHANCE I Get

And at times, I'll even fish them both at the same time

You results may vary.

A-Jay

[Bluebasser86]

Any plastic that can be fished on a T rig can be used as a trailer on a jig. 

Jigs give a bulkier profile and are more active when at rest.

Different head styles come through different kinds of cover better, often better than a plain bullet weight will (football head through rocks). 

I pour and tie my own so it's actually often cheaper to lose a jig than a T rig since I don't pay for lead and buy my supplies in bulk, a jig cost less than a dollar to make.

Since I tie my own, my color options are virtually limitless.

They both have their time and place. Ignoring one or the other is leaving yourself seriously handicapped. 

[MidwestBassin]

I totally understand where your coming from. but here us why I consider myself a "jig fisherman". First off, you can make your own jigs EXACTLY how you want them way cheaper/easier than pouring your own plastics. Lure parts online has a great selection and if you do it right, a jig may come out costing you somewhere around a buck. Now, every lure has its time and place, like soft plastics, a jig can be fished 24/7/365 and can be totally altered by the simple swap of a trailer. Its something you have to have confidence in, because everything I have said stands true to a t-rig soft plastic, but my top 10 biggest fish have come from a jig. Without picking up a different rod, a jig can be dragged, dead sticked, hopped, stroked, swam, swam and killed, it goes on... watch some jig videos on youtube and try it out. I make my own jigs, and it is one of my favorite past times.. Hopefully you gain some confidence in a jig, and catch some quality fish on it. tight lines

[tbone1993]

From my perspective they pretty much cost the same. $2.99 per my average jig plus trailer comes out to $3.80. For one Texas rig of the same weight it will cost me $3.72.  You can find junk jigs just like you can make cheap t-rigs. Cost aside a jig ,with the same plastic, is more versatile than a texas rig. The advantage to a jig is being able to get the stand up action of the claws and the undulations of the skirt. Keeping a jig in one spot and presenting a defensive posture to a bass has caught thousands upon thousands of bass just like the dragging or hopping of a t-rig has.  

[bigfruits]

I land more and bigger fish and get better hooksets with a jig. your results may vary.

buy some arky jigheads, skirts, skirt collars and a skirt tool (cheap tool) and make your own jigs.

PM me if you would like more info.

 

[papajoe222]

Welcome

Both jigs and T-rigs can be rigged with a variety of plastics and presented in similar places.  They can also be fished on a five foot rod with success, but to get the optimal results possible, matching your lure/equipment to the cover and conditions  will  increase the odds of not only catching, but getting bit in your favor.

Jigs offer, not only different options for various cover situations  (A-Jay's punch rig is the perfect example. It is the best presentation for punching matted vegetation), they can offer different action on the fall, give the bait a different attitude at rest and as mentioned, the skirt adds another attraction to the presentation. 

Versatility will increase your catch rate and jigs add that factor to your soft plastis. 

[flyfisher]

I fish both but i am not sure i can agree with your advantages when you have never fished a jig.  

I catch bigger fish on jigs and more on a texas rig on my lakes.  

[JRammit]

Great answers!... I knew there was more to it than just a skirt...

I think every fisherman gets set in their ways, and im no different... But im looking to broaden my horizons

Great to see some fellow tackle makers here!... I do pour my own plastics, but i make all my molds.. Not only is it cheaper, but i can customize my baits...... Currently i dont have any jig making supplies, but i can change that!

One question... The lakes i fish are 99% soft bottom, and about 50% of the bottom is matted weeds... If you had to choose one style of jig head for these conditions, what would it be???

[Catt]

papajoe, I fish a Texas Rigged Jig which is siimilar to A-Jay rig but it consist of just a weight & skirt. I have them from 1/4-1 1/2 oz

[buzzed bait]

one thing i know is that my bigger fish for a day usually seem to come from a jig....  but i don't consider the jig a numbers bait usually.  

i fish them both pretty much all the time.  However, i'd say a worm is tied on the texas rig from spring-summer and fall and winter i usually have a creature bait of some sort on the texas rig...  that's just me though.

[IneedAnewScreenName-32599]

My preference on jigs versus Texas rig is the ability to put the jig in places you can't with a Texas rig. Someone else mentioned the versatility of the jig. I'm speaking specific to the cast. You may argue that a cast with a Texas rig may end up in some of the same places. I'll argue that you can controllably cast a jig well into cover, or under a dock, skipping it like a fleeing baitfish - without changing your equipment, set up, etc 

Like others here I pour my own. And I came from always fishing a texas rig. Once I researched the jig and learned how to cast it with control, I rarely use the Texas rig. Not every jig has those capabilities. Just find one that meets the standards you want and targets the fish you want to catch. 

[Choporoz]

-I can pitch, flip, cast more accurately with a jig than I can with a sliding bullet weight

-I believe I can detect strikes better when the weight is fixed

(pegging the weight can mitigate these two to some degree, of course...but, then, some might argue it isn't really a T-rig anymore)

-I believe I catch bigger fish on the jig

-My feel for the bottom seems to be much more acute with a jig

-Like others above, I think that I spend less per fish on jigs than I do on T-rigs.  I lose fewer jigs per hour fishing than I do T-rigs.

-Mostly, I am totally addicted to the 'slam' that often occurs when a big bass hits a jig -- the T-rigged line slowly drifting to the side just doesn't give me the same rush

[scaleface]

Theres a lot of techniques and lures i dont use . Just dont have the time to fish everything . Jigs are not one of them though .

[WRB]

You ever fish a T-rig with hair and pork trailer...jig & pig for big bass.

I also fish a sliding weight T-rig with a glass bead between the hook and weight for added sound and color...brass & glass.

All you are possibly missing out on is a bass of your life time!

Tom

[Senko lover]

1. I fish a jig SPECIFICALLY for big fish. 

2. I fish a texas rig for bites, although I catch big fish on them as well. 

It's also easier to fish a texas rig in really heavy cover, so I usually opt for them when I can almost guarantee I'll get my jig hung up. 

[Bluebasser86]

55 minutes ago, WRB said:

You ever fish a T-rig with hair and pork trailer...jig & pig for big bass.

I also fish a sliding weight T-rig with a glass bead between the hook and weight for added sound and color...brass & glass.

All you are possibly missing out on is a bass of your life time!

Tom

Pork for pigs is what I say!

[Turtle135]

Many have covered this already but just to reiterate:

1. jigs generally catch bigger bass
2. you can purchase pre-poured and powder painted jigs for less than a buck each and tie on your skirt (I buy rubber skirt material in bulk - very inexpensive)

When the water temperature is in the high 30's - very low 40's I only get bit on jigs crawled on the bottom at a snails pace, they will not touch a t-rigged soft plastic retrieved at an equally slow pace. Anyone else have this same result?

Here is a fattie from last December when the water was around 40 degrees (football jig).

 

[HoosierHawgs]

Both of them are some of my least used techniques, I just do so well on reaction baits I have yet to really reach for either. Here is a good interview with Greg Hackney though on how to pick which one.

 

http://www.bassmaster.com/tips/hackney-jigs-and-texas-rigs

 

 

[Logan S]

They can be similar in certain situations and are completely different in others.  Both are staples in my boat and are rigged and ready to go everywhere/everytime, usually on multiple rods of each.  In general, I like jigs when fishing away from grass and especially in open water...Will fish either/or when fishing over/thru/around grass...And if I'm fishing 'in' the grass I like a Texas rig.  There are exceptions, but most of the time that's how I differentiate.  I also like a jig for dock fishing, but will occasionally skip a Texas rigged creature or paddle-tail too.   

 

Most of the time I have my weights pegged on Texas rigs, but I do like to keep it sliding and add a bead sometimes like Tom also mentioned.    

[monkeyman3dee]

I never caught a fish on a texas rig. Then again I dont fish them, I always fish a jig, its my go to ever since I caught that 3 lber (my PB and first jig fish) at my local pond. It is responsible for my new PB and I am addicted to that nice bite when you are slowly dragging your jig, then *thump* set and load up!!!!! 

 

Have been trying the t-rig here and there though. 

 

 

 

[Raul]

13 hours ago, Catt said:

What are you missing out on??

Big Bass!

 

Well, that pretty much sums it all.

Even though my 13.86 lb PB was caught with a Rapala Shad Rap ( I bet that sucka was yawning when the bait happened to be passing by ) normally I don´t go around ketchin´ big mommas with crankbaits, now that I come and think about it ...... I haven´t caught many 9+lbers with cranks.

My 13.5 lbs second best was caught with a 4 inch senko and, I bet the she yawned when the bait happened to be sinking right on it´s face, normally don´t go around ketchin´ big mommas with senkos.

Shure, I´ve caught many good sized fish with T rigged worms but if I´m going to hunt for a beegun I´m going to pull out the combo that has produced most of the beeg feesh I´ve caught throughout the years: Jig + Brush Hog as trailer.

[FrogFreak]

Before last year, I would have told you how I only fished a T-Rig, I just didn't have confidence in a jig. Well, that all changed this last summer. I am now full on addicted to a jig.

Why? The number one reason is it catches bigger fish but I also love the tap tap and the whole hook-set-like-you're-trying-to-break-her-neck deal. I now prefer jig fishing over frogs and topwater for goodness sake! Yes, you should let the bass tell you what they want....but what about me? What about my needs??

I'm in love with the jig.