Jig vs Texas rig

[SNK]

24 minutes ago, FrogFreak said:

Yes, you should let the bass tell you what they want....but what about me? What about my needs??

LOL, isn't that the truth. It seems like a one way street when it comes to bass. It's always, where are they at? what are they doing? and what do they want? It's like having a wife, they expect you to be a mind reader. 

[Airman4754]

I got to the point where I was fighting with my brain on when to use which so I stopped and made it simple. Any application where I would run a normal rubber worm or craw plastic I just fish a jig. I Texas rig 10" and 12" Power Worms to get that stupidly huge waving presentation and a C-rig on all lizards and creatures. 

I'm probably missing some fish by not being as versatile, but I'm confident and I'll take that. 

[Bankbeater]

For me it is fishing pressure.  I started using jigs because a lot of people around here use t-rigged plastics.  Not very many use jigs. 

[hoosierbass07]

On 12/23/2015 at 0:05 AM, JRammit said:

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

What am i missing out on??

 

  Right on brother!  I've been bass fishing for four or five years now.  The first thing I learned - soft plastics rule and the Texas Rig rules the world!  I fish very clear strip pits 99% of the time.  Like others, I've bought lots of other lures, crankbaits, jerkbaits, jigs, spinner baits, etc...  The only thing that produces is the Texas rig with soft plastic worms/stick baits/lizards.  Drop shot works pretty good too.  

 I've tried fishing jigs for the last four or five years and have received almost no good results.  That's too bad too because I think they look cool and I like having my lures sink to the bottom, which is why I like the Texas rig so much.  But jigs, not worth my time anymore.  Crankbaits, not worth my time anymore.  Jerkbaits? Total joke.  Jigs?  The only jig that does work is the Ned rig which is a little jig head and half a soft stick bait on it.   

 I could throw a Texas rig all year and in fact that's what I plan on doing in 2016 with a few spinner baits, drop shots and Ned rigs thrown in.  Jerk baits are a marketing gimmick as far as I can tell.  Crank baits too.  Jigs, don't work for me. 

 Maybe it's the state I live in or waters I fish at.  But the only thing that works is the Texas rig.  I might have a different opinion if fished at Kentucky Lake or some other good fishery.  But it's fishing - use the lure you want.  

[hoosierbass07]

Oh, I forgot to mention - Texas rig creature baits don't work for me either, except lizards.  I'm at the point where I'm not even going to take creature baits with me anymore unless it's a lizard.  

[JRammit]

1 hour ago, hoosierbass07 said:

 

  Right on brother!  I've been bass fishing for four or five years now.  The first thing I learned - soft plastics rule and the Texas Rig rules the world!  I fish very clear strip pits 99% of the time.  Like others, I've bought lots of other lures, crankbaits, jerkbaits, jigs, spinner baits, etc...  The only thing that produces is the Texas rig with soft plastic worms/stick baits/lizards.  Drop shot works pretty good too.  

 I've tried fishing jigs for the last four or five years and have received almost no good results.  That's too bad too because I think they look cool and I like having my lures sink to the bottom, which is why I like the Texas rig so much.  But jigs, not worth my time anymore.  Crankbaits, not worth my time anymore.  Jerkbaits? Total joke.  Jigs?  The only jig that does work is the Ned rig which is a little jig head and half a soft stick bait on it.   

 I could throw a Texas rig all year and in fact that's what I plan on doing in 2016 with a few spinner baits, drop shots and Ned rigs thrown in.  Jerk baits are a marketing gimmick as far as I can tell.  Crank baits too.  Jigs, don't work for me. 

 Maybe it's the state I live in or waters I fish at.  But the only thing that works is the Texas rig.  I might have a different opinion if fished at Kentucky Lake or some other good fishery.  But it's fishing - use the lure you want.  

Im right there with ya on the worms!... I could easily take everything else out of my tackle box, fish nothing but worms all year and be happy!

But it helps to build confidence in all other types of lures... This year i focused on crank baits.. I use to hate fishing cranks!.. They looked so good in my tackle box, but theyre expensive compared to a bag of soft plastics, so i was paranoid about losing them.... Then i started building my own... I cant say its cheaper, but im definitely more motivated to use them since i put forth so much effort to make em!

Fishing clear water is tuff!... I would stick with plastics too!..... My main spot is usually a slight green stain with 3-4 ft visibility... But with this last round of rain we got, it turned into chocolate milk!.... Threw me off my game a little, cranks have produced a few, but nothing else is working now

[Brayberry]

For me the deciding factor is what kinda fish I'm looking for.  If I'm looking for numbers I got with the Texas Rig, If I want quality, I go the jig

[Turkey sandwich]

On December 23, 2015 at 7:52 AM, JRammit said:

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???

Almost any heavy vegetation means you're going to want a more "flipping" style head or swim jig style (for fishing over or through the weeds versus on them) than football or round head style (which will do nothing but collect weeds).

[Turkey sandwich]

Hoosier-

As for the other lures, think of them as tools in a tool box and nothing more.  A hammer is pretty useless if you're trying to remove a bolt, and a socket wrench sure as hell isn't going to cut through a 2x4.  Part of having them is knowing how and when to use them.  Also, there's a big difference in how a master craftsman uses his tools versus a cheap contractor.  

[Catt]

7 hours ago, Brayberry said:

For me the deciding factor is what kinda fish I'm looking for.  If I'm looking for numbers I got with the Texas Rig, If I want quality, I go the jig

The size or number of the bass y'all are catching has nothing to do with lure selection!

It has to do with location selection!

Ya can't catch big bass where they aint!

[Catt]

I've researched tournament results for the last 25 years and not just the Pros but everything I could find on the web. I also researched results for double digit bass over that same time frame.

From that data

7 out of 10 Texas Rig anglers say a Jig-N- Trailer is their #2 weapon if choice.

7 out of 10 Jig anglers say a Texas Rig is their #2 weapon of choice.

6 out of 10 tournaments were won on Texas Rigs

5 out of 10 double digit bass were caught on Texas Rigs

[Fishes in trees]

The choice of jig versus tx rig is different for everyone and certainly subject to conditions faced on a daily basis.   Catt relayed some interesting stats.   Even though I know enough about stats to be leery about using past history to predict present and future results, I , like many other fisherman find myself using baits and techniques that I've had success with in the past.   Not saying you shouldn't, just saying that using stats to prove what happened in the past is NOT the same as using them to predict current or future success.

To throw gas on the jig versus tx rig debate, over the past 2 years or so I've had much better results using a jika rig than either a jig or as tx rig.   JMO

[long island basser]

On December 23, 2015 at 0:43 AM, Catt said:

 

 

I keep both tied on 24/7/365

 

Same here.... Actually it's 24/7/274 for me.  no winter fishing for me.

 

[Catt]

We must first understand the Texas Rig is a technique that we can use to fish a multitude of lures.

The research debunks the myth that the Texas Rig is only for catching numbers. Year in & year out the Texas Rig outproduces both in numbers & size any other technique.

The Jig-n-Trailer is #2!

Does this mean they work under all conditions? No!

What it means is if ya looking for a place to start #1 & #2 are a pretty good choice.

[hoosierbass07]

 

 Maybe I would had more luck with jigs if I would have thrown them like I throw Texas rigs, basically into anything.  But I just cant think about getting a three dollar (or more) jig stuck and losing it.  Texas rigs are not only cheaper but catch way more bass.  I probably have a hundred bass hooks and tons of soft plastic worms to last a lift time.  If I loose a hook, worm and bullet weight it is no big deal.  But if I loose a jig it is like (oh man, that's four dollars down the drain plus I didn't catch anything on it in the first place.)  

 

[JRammit]

29 minutes ago, hoosierbass07 said:

 

 Maybe I would had more luck with jigs if I would have thrown them like I throw Texas rigs, basically into anything.  But I just cant think about getting a three dollar (or more) jig stuck and losing it.  Texas rigs are not only cheaper but catch way more bass.  I probably have a hundred bass hooks and tons of soft plastic worms to last a lift time.  If I loose a hook, worm and bullet weight it is no big deal.  But if I loose a jig it is like (oh man, that's four dollars down the drain plus I didn't catch anything on it in the first place.)  

 

That's exactly how i use to feel

Lots of guys make their own jigs for that reason... I pretty much make everything else, i just havnt made any jigs or spinners yet.... I was considering it, so thought id post this thread to get a little more insight

I got some answers i was looking for... Besides the obvious difference of skirt vs no skirt

Unless i missed it, no one mentioned a difference in "feel"..... I would imagine a jig would give your hands a better feel of the lake bottom... But i can't say for sure, cause ive only used T-rigs

[kickerfish1]

I like and use both but probably favor the jig most of the time. I have caught numbers and size on both though I believe the basic texas rig has accounted for a few more bigger fish though that could be because I have been fishing them longer.

[A-Jay]

42 minutes ago, hoosierbass07 said:

 

 Maybe I would had more luck with jigs if I would have thrown them like I throw Texas rigs, basically into anything.  But I just cant think about getting a three dollar (or more) jig stuck and losing it.  Texas rigs are not only cheaper but catch way more bass.  I probably have a hundred bass hooks and tons of soft plastic worms to last a lift time.  If I loose a hook, worm and bullet weight it is no big deal.  But if I loose a jig it is like (oh man, that's four dollars down the drain plus I didn't catch anything on it in the first place.)  

 

You could always modify your Texas rig to look like a jig but still fish like a Texas Rig.

Just add the skirt.

A-Jay

[Catt]

It doesn't matter if I'm casting, flipping, pitching, or punching I fish Texas Rigs & Jigs the exact same way.

My T-rig & Jig rod, reel, & line are identical, the only time I deviate is punching & then both setups are heavier.

I find that when my students are having problems hanging up it's cause they are trying to force the jig through cover...ya gotta finesse em through.

[Turkey sandwich]

Bingo!  Even fishing heavy cover, I don't lose that many jigs to trees, rocks, Lilly pads, etc.  you just can't always be an elephant in an antique store in your approach. Even from just a fish catching perspective, every bump that jig makes against branches, stumps, weeds, etc gets amplified through the water by the surface it makes contact with.  Just a little less tap can go a long ways.