Jig Bites Issues

[scaleface]

...Paul Elias stated a person was letting a fish run with the bait . The co angler asked him what he was doing and he replied  "im letting him run with it . "   The other man said " A fish doesnt have hands , its in his mouth ,  set the hook. "  Ive used that line on my uncle ,  often , to no avail . LOL   

[LxVE Bassin]

On 11/14/2016 at 8:12 AM, Catt said:

Three Tap Theory as explained to me by Shaw Grigsby 

 

The first tap the bass has inhaled your lure

 

The second tap the bass has expelled your lure

 

The third tap is me tapping you on the shoulder asking way you didn't set hook!

That's pretty funny but makes a lot sense.

[WRB]

On November 13, 2016 at 5:33 AM, A-Jay said:

There are many ways to describe how to set a hook when you're jig fishing.

This video by Greg Hackney is one of my favorite.

btw - this man has knows some stuff about fishing a jig.

A-Jay

 

Been promoting the reel set with rod sweep for decades, couldn't agree more! Watch this vedio and listen to what is being said by one of the best jig fisherman in the country.

Tom

[Catt]

On 11/16/2016 at 3:46 PM, WRB said:

Been promoting the reel set with rod sweep for decades, couldn't agree more! Watch this vedio and listen to what is being said by one of the best jig fisherman in the country.

Tom

Maintain contact with the jig at all times!

Jig & T-rig anglers, myself included like to say "drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook!".

A little clarification is needed, while you're lowering the rod tip down you're taking the slack out by reeling!

I'll do the same thing on the cast, flip, are pitch; I'm following the jig down with my rod tip & if necessary turn the reel handle enough to keep slack out. This also allows me to feel bites on the fall.

Feeling a worm/jig bite requires keeping a certain amount of tension on your line while at the same time keeping a certain amount of slackness in your line. To the average angler this makes no sense at all but the worm/jig angler it makes total sense.

[Todd2]

Interesting video...that's how I set when casting out horizontally...reel up to the point where you just start to feel the weight and then swing. But on vertical fishing, especially shallow, I don't wait at all. I swing and get it coming my way fast to get it out of cover. I'm using braid though. I don't miss too many but maybe I'm missing something. Sometimes they hold it sometimes they don't.

[WRB]

I discribed the reel set in a post on this site called "Oldschool Horizontal Jigging". This type of hook set works for me when the jig is cast out and the line is more horizontal than vertical. 

As Catt noted you must keep controlled slack or slight tension on the line to know what's going on with the jig at all times. Controlled slack may not be the best term but it's what I call it.

We all miss strikes, hopefully not many. From experience teaching friends to jig fish I see them miss most strikes, they go undetected because of not enough experience with controlling slack line and rod in the wrong position lack of consentration. What you develop is a sense of when strikes should occur by visualizing where the jig is, what depth the bass are and the type of structure you are fishing, high % strike zones are important to be on your toes.

Tom