Swim jig vs. paddle tail on plain jig

[snake95]

What are the situations you fish a paddle tail swimbait on a swim jig

vs.

when do you chose to put the paddle tail on a plain jighead?

 

 

In other words, when do you need a skirt vs no skirt?

 

[Jagg]

To me, in my experience, a paddle tail on a swim jig (skirted) is borderline power fishing and can be power fishing. Also, I've had better luck with the swim jig/paddle tail combo in slightly to moderately stained water and/or slight chop to breakers on the water and/or low light conditions. Paddle tails on jigheads (non skirted) is more finesse and I have better luck with them when the conditions are tougher like bluebird skies and/or no wind and flat water and/or super clear water.

[smalljaw67]

I use the plain jig when I need a more finesse approach like gin clear water. If I'm fishing brush or grass then I'll be using the skirted swim jig but there are exceptions. You may not like the answer but it really is trial and error, I've had days where the fish wouldn't hit the swim bait on a jig head and just slash at the tail but when put on a swim jig they were hammering it, and it has happened more than once. I've also had days in which the swim jig wouldn't get a follow but they would just eat the swim bait on a plain ball head jig. I will use the swim jig first in almost every situation with 2 exceptions, gin clear water or post frontal conditions and then I'll see how the fish react but I rather the swim jig as it really does increase the average size of the fish that I catch on it.

[basscrusher]

2 hours ago, smalljaw67 said:

You may not like the answer but it really is trial and error, 

 

Yep.  Something I think many people lose sight of.  So many people in bass circles want to make fishing 100% scientific (and it isn't - there's as much art in fishing as science) that it bothers some people when you can't pinpoint something with 100% certainty.

 

Anyway, I also agree with the rest of the post.  I'd also add you might want to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing.  If the swimjig is a hot tactic in your area, and you aren't catching as many, go with the jighead approach, and vice versa.  My community ponds get hammered by guys throwing Texas rigged worms, so I throw jigs and wacky worms, among other things, just to show them something different.   Same principle here.

[Frenchman83]

Like others have said I see swim jigs as another tool of power fishing somewhere between spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and crankbaits.  Once I go to a ball head the weights speed and present size get a lot smaller.

[snake95]

4 hours ago, smalljaw67 said:

I use the plain jig when I need a more finesse approach like gin clear water. If I'm fishing brush or grass then I'll be using the skirted swim jig but there are exceptions.

@smalljaw67 as always, thanks for chiming in with a helpful explanation and sharing your experience.  I DO like the answer - trial and error makes sense to me!!

 

I am coming at this as sort of a rookie: early last year I put out the question "how to get started with plastics" - and someone suggested I try paddletails on a jighead or T-rig, since I was used to cranking away with minnowbaits and cranks before that.

 

Sure enough, that was super advice and I had a lot of success cranking paddletails around, and it opened the door to me for fishing plastics of various kinds because I could get it to work by cranking away like always, but the flexibility to experiment and see the effects of varying the retrieve, killing it and letting it flutter down, deadsticking it, etc. So, I'm into trial and error. 

 

46 minutes ago, Frenchman83 said:

another tool of power fishing somewhere between spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and crankbaits

@Frenchman83 I understand you.  I've read articles characterizing the swim jig as a "spinnerbait with a trailer and without blades" so that makes sense.  I guess I can look at it as more subtle than a spinnerbait/trailer combo but bulkier than a swimbait on a plain jighead.

 

Appreciate the input, guys, thanks.

[Angry John]

I use the jig to increase volume and provide secondary action.  The swim jig is the middle presentation for me for weedlesness.  The ball head can pick up muck on the open hook then swim jig and a weighted hook Texas rigged is super clean.

[ClackerBuzz]

for me it's weedless vs exposed hook.  swimjigs are for cover.  exposed jig heads are for open water, and deep water. 

[bagofdonuts]

As they said above. Swim jigs (i.e. skirted) excel in shallow weedy cover. You should also add the screw lock type either keel weighted or unweighted hooks for shallow weedy cover. Sometimes they want a skirted/bigger profile bait and sometimes they want the smaller profile of a screw lock type.

[ww2farmer]

10 hours ago, ClackerBuzz said:

for me it's weedless vs exposed hook.  swimjigs are for cover.  exposed jig heads are for open water, and deep water. 

That's about how I look at it too.

 

Although in very clear water a jig head rigged paddle tail ripped through grass, trying to hang and pop it free on purpose gets some very vicious strikes.