Starting jig fishing

[Angry John]

3 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

To be honest, I have never been entirely sure what is vs. is not a "casting jig"... I'd just start with a 3/8oz arky head -- you can swim, flip, cast, skip do whatever with it.

This is the ticket along with three colors.  Brown, black and green pumpkin.  I added the last one as i love it but the gman my fishing hero only uses brown or black.  Get plain skirted jigs and add the wow color and sparkle with the trailer.  This is a cheap and great way to start.  I love the arky because it also skips so well when you up your skill level.  Swim jigs are a little different for me,  I have serbert make swim jigs in ayu and a shad color to match the hatch.  More color is not more fish in the boat and presentation of the three colors mentioned will catch fish or is not the correct presentation and you need to try something else.

[pondbassin101]

2 hours ago, Angry John said:

This is the ticket along with three colors.  Brown, black and green pumpkin.  I added the last one as i love it but the gman my fishing hero only uses brown or black.  Get plain skirted jigs and add the wow color and sparkle with the trailer.  This is a cheap and great way to start.  I love the arky because it also skips so well when you up your skill level.  Swim jigs are a little different for me,  I have serbert make swim jigs in ayu and a shad color to match the hatch.  More color is not more fish in the boat and presentation of the three colors mentioned will catch fish or is not the correct presentation and you need to try something else.

 

So just get plain skirts and customize with trailers? Would the colors I mentioned earlier still work?

[NiX]

I just started jig fishing this year. I've used them before but never caught anything on them. This year I decided to stick it out and I have been throwing it every time I am out. I've been pulling in nice size bass, biggest was 5lb. 

 

I am thinking about buying the Dredge pack in 1/2oz and 3/8oz, going to place order as soon as I can.

[Turkey sandwich]

I recently picked up some of Siebert's jigs and really like the options he provides.  I haven't had a lot of opportunities to fish them yet, but I'm very happy with the quality.  I will be buying more, for sure.  

 

That said, I agree with the above posts for grabbing something with an Arky style head because they're ideal 70% of the time and fish almost anywhere (I would argue 95% of the time in smaller ponds and lakes without large rocky structure).  As for weight, 1/8-1/2 oz (and the weights in between) are ideal for most conditions that don't involve smashing through heavy vegetation.  

 

I throw, basically, three colors and try to keep it very simple.  Green variations. brown/orange variations, and blue/black. (I also like white with variations as well as bluegill variations for swim jigs, but that's a different topic) As mentioned above, you can always accent with different colors trailers, but I still tend to stay pretty similar.  The exception (and reason why colors like purple, chartreuse, etc have their place) has more to do with water conditions, depth, and clarity.  When fishing deeper, and especially in darker colored water, you want colors that will be more visible, and strands of bright colors like chartreuse, or colors on the blue/purple end of the spectrum tend to stand out more.  ( think very dark water or depths over 15' with stained water).  This is also when rattles come into play.  

 

TLDR: buy jigs in 1/8-1/2 oz in the Arky style in green, brown, and blue black.  Fit them with trailers colored to match the natural forage.  Learn to feel structure and cover.  Catch fish. 

[Hooligan]

Where do you start with jig fishing?  First off you start by matching the depth you want to fish to the head size.  Fall rate is everything in a jig, as well as head shape.  In a situation that you're dragging a jig you want a head that is knocking on anything it contacts, you want it also, to have a line tie that is not going to get hung on every little rock it contacts.  An Arkie head is an excellent option for a casting jig.  It's a versatile head style that casts easily and has pretty reliable bottom contact.  (Which, on that note, is something to consider.  In so many situations, I tend to throw conventional wisdom out the window.  I fish heavier than normal jigs to feel bottom content, me create more disturbance.  I fish more 3/4 and 1 ounce jigs in shallow water than lighter weights.  I also feel that it creates more instinctive type bites on the fall.)

One of the next factors to consider, as has been mentioned is color.  While, again, I tend not to subscribe to traditional theory of color, I do have some standard colors I fish.  Generally Green Pumpkin with orange is my first clear water color.  I use Okeechobee in a wide variety of clear and mixed water situations, and dirty water I lean more toward black blue and black purple chartreuse. Where I will adjust colors is my trailer choice.  I typically am going to match my trailer color to my skirt, except when I don't.  I will use an offset color like a Falcon Craw on a black blue jig in dirty water where there are rusties.  I will use a blue bug trailer on a Peas And carrots skirt in cold clear water.  Things like that you get a feel for after seeing craws in new waters you fish.

The next determination to make is profile.  Profile is somewhat determined by the head style and size, but more importantly it is determined by the skirt shape and trailer choice.  Skirts on a jig can be a full, flowing 60 strands, or they can be cut back to flare and strands pulled out to make it thinner.  I usually start with a jig skirt that is slightly longer than the shank of my hook, and usually it is full.  A large profile, if you will.  When I modify a jig skirt, the first thing I do is trim the length. If I want the jig to be just a more compact profile, what I do is trim a few strands from the forward portion of the skirt, the part pointing towards the head that folds back.  Trim a few of those out, and then loosely hold all of the strands between my index and middle finger, along with the hook, and trim them dead even with the bottom of the bend.  If I want even less profile, I will trim or pull a few of the underlying strands out of the skirt.  The second aspect of profile is somewhat preference, and somewhat based on experience.  Choosing a trailer for a jig needn't be more complicated than, initially, choosing whether you want a large or small profile.  For a standard trailer, I use a rage craw.  Almost exclusively that is my first choice.  I will bite off a notch of the tail section, and start there.  If I want thicker, heavier profile, I use a rage bug.  If I want a slimmer profile I lean towards a DB rage Craw, or a menace.  In the case of a swim jig, my choice of trailer is a swing impact or similar, or a menace. 

So, that's a starter.  Jig head styles are somewhat subjective.  There are no hard and fast rules that state what must and must not be fished in a given application.  What you will find over time is that you're going to prefer one over another based on performance in a given situation.  I have Arky, Alien, Punch, Football, Flip, Cobra, swim, grass, flip swim, and finesse styles.  They're all good for different things.  They're all pretty specific in how I use them.  The most versatile is the Arky.  I'm not really partial to one brand or another, some are better for specific situations, some have better hooks.  Siebert builds a good jig.  Strike King builds a good jig, as does Dirty Jigs, and several others.    

One last note; someone mentioned a finesse jig being a good starter.  I disagree with that assertion. They are rather easily hung, and generally don't have a very good feel as a starter.  Less surface area of the jig in contact with the bottom is the primary reason for that.  The second reason I don't like to start someone on a finesse jig is they have a very different fall rate.  They're more difficult to effectively modify that rate, and equally difficult to get a large profile.  They have their applications, but not as a starter.  

 

[pondbassin101]

Thanks for all the input guys.

 

8 hours ago, Turkey sandwich said:

TLDR: buy jigs in 1/8-1/2 oz in the Arky style in green, brown, and blue black.  Fit them with trailers colored to match the natural forage.  Learn to feel structure and cover.  Catch fish. 

 

I'll start off with 3/8oz Arky heads in black and blue, green pumkin, and black,brown/amber. i'll see how it goes from there

[Angry John]

19 hours ago, pondbassin101 said:

 

So just get plain skirts and customize with trailers? Would the colors I mentioned earlier still work?

Yes stay very plain with the skirt and change the trailer.  Starting very basic with any three including the ones you listed previously would work just fine.  Just two would get you by in a pinch black blue and green pumpkin.  Do not get all caught up with the possibilities and just try and make it simple as possible.  This makes the choice and variations on the water easier and the cost wayyyyyyy down.  I would say 3/8ths will work for everything unless your deeper than 15 feet and i dont see that in a pond.  Two types of trailer a rage craw for action and a 3.5 inch beaver and your done.

[pondbassin101]

2 hours ago, Angry John said:

Yes stay very plain with the skirt and change the trailer.  Starting very basic with any three including the ones you listed previously would work just fine.  Just two would get you by in a pinch black blue and green pumpkin.  Do not get all caught up with the possibilities and just try and make it simple as possible.  This makes the choice and variations on the water easier and the cost wayyyyyyy down.  I would say 3/8ths will work for everything unless your deeper than 15 feet and i dont see that in a pond.  Two types of trailer a rage craw for action and a 3.5 inch beaver and your done.

 

Ok thanks. Are wire tied collars worth the extra 30 cents?

[pondbassin101]

Then theres shipping costs.... Kinda hard to pay anything when below legal working age, guess its time for more odd jobs

 

 

[NiX]

1 hour ago, pondbassin101 said:

Then theres shipping costs.... Kinda hard to pay anything when below legal working age, guess its time for more odd jobs

 

 

 

 

If that $15 is gonna be a hassle you're probably gonna want to fish something else.

 

I am assuming you're gonna be bank fishing since below legal work age?

 

If that is the case, and you are new to jig fishing, you will be losing a lot of jigs.

[pondbassin101]

19 minutes ago, NiX said:

 

 

If that $15 is gonna be a hassle you're probably gonna want to fish something else.

 

I am assuming you're gonna be bank fishing since below legal work age?

 

If that is the case, and you are new to jig fishing, you will be losing a lot of jigs.

 

Well I was over exaggerating, im just cheap

 

Pretty much for now

 

What do you mean?

 

[NiX]

2 hours ago, pondbassin101 said:

 

 

What do you mean?

 

Well being new you're gonna be setting the hook on what you think is fish but actually logs or some type of underwater structure and getting snagged. When you're working from the bank it's harder to release that snag. 

 

I am fairly new to jig fishing and have gone through many jigs. I have definitely gotten better at releasing and avoiding snags though. I don't lose my jigs as often anymore.

[pondbassin101]

5 hours ago, NiX said:

Well being new you're gonna be setting the hook on what you think is fish but actually logs or some type of underwater structure and getting snagged. When you're working from the bank it's harder to release that snag. 

 

Jig bites are harder to detect? Are they more subtle?

[HeavyDluxe]

3 hours ago, pondbassin101 said:

 

Jig bites are harder to detect? Are they more subtle?

 

Meh... sometimes.

 

Jig fishing is a semi-slack line presentation.  That is, there are times where you line is not completely tight back to the jig - particularly while you are letting it 'soak' on the bottom.

 

When you're jig fishing (or using a Texas rig, or soft plastic, or any slack/semi-slack line presentation), you have to watch your line on the water.  Sometimes the line will start to run away from you like the jig's suddenly sinking more, but you know it was already on the bottom.  Sometimes the line will jump like something bumped it.  Sometimes it'll shift left or right, or even go slack-er like the lure suddenly jumped closer to you of its own volition.

 

These are all indications that a fish might've picked up the jig even though you didn't feel it. Set the hook.

 

This is why jig fishing isn't really a 'cheap' way to bass fish... you're throwin' into cover and around structure, and you're setting the hook when things just don't seem right.  Sometimes you're going to completely set the hook on a branch or snarl and have to give up the jig.  But that's the cost you pay for throwing in there where the obese-grandmamas-who-smoke like to hang out.

 

Other times, though, a jig bite will feel more normal. Other times it feels like you got whacked by a train and your rod gets almost snatched from your hands.

 

It varies day to day, fish to fish... But, as a rule, it's a technique wherein you need to be paying attention to be successful.

[NiX]

Heavy Deluxe explained it perfectly.

 

I have gotten the bite on the drop, dragging, hopping back, swimming back. all of the bites have been normal, I can't wait to have my rod jerked in my hands! I have missed plenty of bites by not paying attention though that is for sure. 

 

I have set the hook on branches and logs plenty though and have probably lost more lures this season than ever before because like previous comment said. You are throwing at those lay downs and structure, you're bound to get a snag. When you're on the bank you can't go on the other side and free the snag like you can on a boat or other watercraft.

 

 

[pondbassin101]

4 hours ago, HeavyDluxe said:

 

 

Jig fishing is a semi-slack line presentation.  That is, there are times where you line is not completely tight back to the jig - particularly while you are letting it 'soak' on the bottom.

 

When you're jig fishing (or using a Texas rig, or soft plastic, or any slack/semi-slack line presentation), you have to watch your line on the water.  Sometimes the line will start to run away from you like the jig's suddenly sinking more, but you know it was already on the bottom.  Sometimes the line will jump like something bumped it.  Sometimes it'll shift left or right, or even go slack-er like the lure suddenly jumped closer to you of its own volition.

 

These are all indications that a fish might've picked up the jig even though you didn't feel it. Set the hook.

 

I don't think the slack line thing should be too hard. I've fished T-rigs/ plastics a lot and I mean ALOT, like 75% of pond fishing has been on lures along those lines. Bite detection shouldn't be an issue, more of losing lures

 

One more thing, what kind of jig are Siebert's Enraged series jigs? Would an Arky jig be better all around? Enraged are on sale right now

Edited May 26, 2017 by pondbassin101

[HeavyDluxe]

@Siebert Outdoors posts on here and responds to messages, so your questions might be better addressed to him.

 

The EnRAGED series of jigs, I believe, uses what Siebert calls a 'brush jig' head.  If you look at it side by side with an Arky head, you'll notice a couple differences.  The brush head is a little boxier, not quite as elongated and cone-shaped as an Arky head.  It also is designed to sit on the bottom in such a way that the hook is angled more upright (bend up) where the arky head has the hook more horizontally (shank down, hook point up).

 

I think there are a couple reasons for this:

1. A brush jig is a little better suited for bottom presentations there the fish is looking down and sucking up the bait.  The arky jig is a little better for dragging or moving presentations where the fish is coming from behind.   Note: They both can work for both presentations, but one might be slightly better than the other.
2. A brush jig, in that sense, is going to present any trailer in a more upright fashion.  When I compare them in the water, a craw on the brush head seems to be pitched up with the claws waving in a defensive position.  The Arky is flatter on the bottom more like it's crawling.
3. I would guess that if you're pitching into structure (trees, root balls, etc), the vertical hook location in a brush jig would mean more vertical movement through the cover and a couple less snags.  But, in weed and grass, the arky might come through better since the hook is lower.

 

That's just a 'winging it' answer... Check this thread for more.

 

When I was looking at jigs for the first time, I asked Mike from Siebert's and he recommended the brush head.  So, that's what I've bought and what I've always used.  I've had some Arky jigs that I've acquired through other means, too, and have caught fish on them.  But, I don't have the same confidence in them that I have in the brush jigs.

 

edit:  I'd buy the heck out of those EnRAGED jigs at that price.  But, I just ordered a bunch of other jigs from there a couple weeks ago.

[pondbassin101]

Brush head jig's would still work for bottom presentations in grass and weeds. With the sale the Enraged jigs, wire tied, are still cheaper than the Arkys. The Arkys are a better all all round jig and I don't think $2 extra will kill me

[MIbassyaker]

40 minutes ago, pondbassin101 said:

Brush head jig's would still work for bottom presentations in grass and weeds. With the sale the Enraged jigs, wire tied, are still cheaper than the Arkys. The Arkys are a better all all round jig and I don't think $2 extra will kill me

 

You're overthinking this. Those three kinds of jigs are going to fish almost identically, almost all the time, for almost anything you will do with them.

[Siebert Outdoors]

6 hours ago, pondbassin101 said:

 

One more thing, what kind of jig are Siebert's Enraged series jigs? Would an Arky jig be better all around? Enraged are on sale right now

 

Hello Pondbassin101  The Enraged is a great jig.  It has a flat base and stands extremely well.  Its basically a brush jig that is modified with a flat base.  This head also has a Gamakatsu hook in it.  Its a great head.

[pondbassin101]

1 hour ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

You're overthinking this. Those three kinds of jigs are going to fish almost identically, almost all the time, for almost anything you will do with them.

 

Well I do alot of over thinking, thanks for clearing that up. So the two types of jigs are pretty much the same thing with just a slight difference with the way they fish/

[Angry John]

I fish the brush jigs in wood.  They seem to work the best there for me.  There is a jig for every purpose.  ArKY is good all around.  Flipping jigs are decent all around also.  The wire tie is a nice option and I pay for the upgrade  

[pondbassin101]

So arky is the best all around jig. Theres basically no wood in the ponds im fishing do I don't see too much use for the brush jig

[RB 77]

Colors: Browns, Greens and Black to start. Catch fish, gain confidence and build your arsenal from there.

[RoLo]

Over rocky bottom a "football jig" is always a good choice.

However, wherever there's a bounty of vegetation I use nothing but "swim jigs",

not for swimming, but for weed penetration. In wood (laydowns, stickups, stumps)

the Arky head is a big favorite.

 

Roger