Time to grow up and fish a jig

[thinkingredneck]

I've caught fish with worms, cranks, jerks, spoons and spinner baits.  Mostly worms, I love fishing a worm. Never really tried  a jig.  I can tell from the tone of articles that jig fishing is considered the Holy Grail lure.  That jig fishing is loved by most serious bass fishermen.  So, I read the jig sticky thread, watched all of the videos on this site plus several others.  Now I am planning to leave all of the other lures at home until I figure this jig thing out.  Notice that I did not say MASTER it.  So I bought some Arkie jigs in three sizes, in Black, Black and Blue, Blue Gill, and brown.(BPS kit)  Got swim jigs in 1/4 oz and football in 1/4 oz (Strike king)   Got black and blue , green pumpkin chunks, rage craw in falcon lake craw, pit boss in 4 colors, and menace in grey and white.  Also, two colors of Uncle Josh pork trailer.  MH rod with 65 lb braid.  Got some Megabass scent. I figure I will start with black and blue Arkie in same cover where I catch with worms.  Would you recommend that I use a worm or spinner to find fish or just go for it?  (Eventually, I will go try Seibert Jigs and Northstar as I lose these)

[CroakHunter]

Leave everything but a jig at home and throw it anywhere that looks fishy. It is a technique that can be amazing at times. 

[Steveo-1969]

Hells Yeah!! Just tie one on and go to work!!!!!!!!

[WRB]

I am not a fan of having a wide range of jig weights to learn with, pick 1 between 3/8-1/2 oz  and learn how it feels at various depths and bottom structure. 

Catching is bass is why we fish, so take your T-rig along. Fish both jig and T-rig to make sure you don't offer something you miss strikes with or the bass don't want at that time.

Tom

 

[JustJames]

Good luck man. I'm like you don't really fish with Jig. I've caught a few fish here and there. I do have a lot of jigs I bought this year and wanna get more serious fish with it next year along with hair jig. 

[Jason Penn]

I get the impression from a lot of posts that fishing a jig is an almost impossible task!! If you can fish a t-rig, you'll be fine. I think maybe a lot of people that post replies on jig posts are just like me....they absolutely love fishing jigs, so they talk about it with more excitement and it may make it seem like it's more than it is.

 

I love fishing plastics also. The only reason a jig is more favored for me is less time rerigging after a catch.

[thinkingredneck]

Well, I went out and thre a jig at around dark near some rip rap.  Caught one on my 3rd cast.  Just saw the line move. The Bass was about 2 lbs. Cool

[Catt]

Don't let anyone tell you that a Texas Rig & a Jig-n-Craw should be fished differently or that that bites feels different.

 

There's 2 rods I keep rigged 24/7/365; Texas Rig & Jig-n-Craw ?

[npl_texas]

33 minutes ago, Catt said:

Don't let anyone tell you that a Texas Rig & a Jig-n-Craw should be fished differently or that that bites feels different.

 

There's 2 rods I keep rigged 24/7/365; Texas Rig & Jig-n-Craw ?

100% accurate

[BrackishBassin]

I’ve wanted to get into jigs myself, but every time I fish one I spend all my time dredging up grass. So, I stick with the t-rigs. 

[slonezp]

1 hour ago, BrackishBassin said:

I’ve wanted to get into jigs myself, but every time I fish one I spend all my time dredging up grass. So, I stick with the t-rigs. 

If grass is a problem switch to a jika rig. Nothing against a T-rig but I think a jig or jika rig offers a better opportunity for a bigger catch or, maybe better said, less opportunity for a smaller catch.

9 hours ago, CroakHunter said:

Leave everything but a jig at home and throw it anywhere that looks fishy. It is a technique that can be amazing at times. 

For sure. Jigs get big bites

7 hours ago, WRB said:

I am not a fan of having a wide range of jig weights to learn with, pick 1 between 3/8-1/2 oz  and learn how it feels at various depths and bottom structure. 

 

 

I stick with 3/8 and vary the presentation with the trailer, always fishing with low stretch line

[ChrisD46]

14 hours ago, WRB said:

I am not a fan of having a wide range of jig weights to learn with, pick 1 between 3/8-1/2 oz  and learn how it feels at various depths and bottom structure. 

Catching is bass is why we fish, so take your T-rig along. Fish both jig and T-rig to make sure you don't offer something you miss strikes with or the bass don't want at that time.

Tom

 

+1 , a 1/4th oz. football jig is a little light - go with 3/8th or 1/2 oz. models instead to better maintain bottom contact .

[Oregon Native]

If I only had one jig to choose it would be a 1/2 football.  Green Pumpkin with some brown and a little barbwire brown on top......oh.....5/0 hook.  Not the best around brush but works.  Hardly a day would go by without this working.

Tight Lines

[Catt]

Denny Brauer: tournaments entered 376-times in the money 216 - 2.9 million

 

Gary Klien: tournaments entered 434-times in the money 275 - 2.7 million

 

Weapon of choice 3/8-1/2 oz black-n-blue jig!

 

To be consistent at bass fishing we must put all the odds in our favor, that is in the things we can control.

 

I aint saying throw only black-n-blue, what I am saying is when ya wondering where to start...there it is!

[scaleface]

 I caught fish on jigs before texas rigs . Just fish it like you would a worm and you will catch fish . 

[Catt]

Reality Check ?

 

The Jig is one of the most productive lures for fishing heavy cover of any type known to anglers.

 

The Jig is one of the most productive lures for catching larger than average bass.

 

But despite its pure awesomeness the angler must keep in mind there will be days when the bass simply do not want a jig.

 

So to all the young anglers (not chronological but experientially) struggling when casting, flipping, pitching, or punching with the Awesome Jig keep in mind there will be times when the Jig aint gonna be that AWESOME.

[IgotWood]

 

21 hours ago, WRB said:

I am not a fan of having a wide range of jig weights to learn with, pick 1 between 3/8-1/2 oz  and learn how it feels at various depths and bottom structure. 

Catching is bass is why we fish, so take your T-rig along. Fish both jig and T-rig to make sure you don't offer something you miss strikes with or the bass don't want at that time.

Tom

 

What he said! I mainly fish a range of depth that a 3/8 oz jig covers well. Bring one size, and maybe two colors. Keep things simple!! I am pretty new to jigs as well. It can be a very fun way to fish. For me, the hardest part of fishing a jig is being patient and letting the jig soak. I am a very fast fisherman. It's so hard for me to let the jig sit for more than a second or two. So that's my two cents. Keep it as simple as possible at first. Gain some confidence in the jig and trailers you chose. One of the coolest feeling I've experienced during my two year bass fishing tenure, is standing in my kayak flipping a jig into the gnarliest brush on the lake, feeling the bump, and laying into a hookset. Don't give up though. Sometimes they just don't want the jig. 

[thinkingredneck]

Reading through a lot of posts and articles.  Starting with black blue Arkie 1/2oz jig with black and blue zoom super chunk.  Fluro line on one rode and braid on the other.  Like said, I need to eliminate variables for a while.  Caught one while fishing at dark for an hour.  I plan to expand variables later.

[Lendiesel22]

 Early this year I made up 50 fantastic looking jigs with 3 different head styles from 1/4 to 1/2oz. Fished them all with various trailers in various cover and depth and caught a few fish but overall felt like i was around more fish than i was catching. I moved to a more compact presentation with a keitech and menace combo and it flipped the switch. The difference in bulk of the jig was costing me bites. The rivers I fish showed me that the go to colors in the right profile perform. The go to colors on the bulky jig was on the outside of what they eat size wise. Play around until your fish show you the way. Profile trumped all other factors in my case

[scaleface]

I like contrasting colors  . Black /blue , black/brown , black/chartreuse ... The Mr Twister twin tail is the first trailer I ever used and still use twin tails  a lot  .   This is a homemade jig that I use to buy by the dozen . Theres only a few left . 

[DINK WHISPERER]

Don't get what's so hard about this? Anywhere you would throw a T-rig you can throw a jig. From heavy cover to deep structure. Nothing to it man. Tie on a 1/2oz and get to work. 

[slonezp]

9 hours ago, Catt said:

But despite its pure awesomeness the angler must keep in mind there will be days when the bass simply do not want a jig.

Tell that to Denny. He won't put it down even if he's not catching them. He has a few zeros that prove that. Only time I saw him throw something other than a jig was on an episode of Zonas show. His first fish was a double digit bass and he threw that whatever that same bait was for the entire episode.  

[TnRiver46]

23 hours ago, npl_texas said:

100% accurate

+1

12 hours ago, Catt said:

Denny Brauer: tournaments entered 376-times in the money 216 - 2.9 million

 

Gary Klien: tournaments entered 434-times in the money 275 - 2.7 million

 

Weapon of choice 3/8-1/2 oz black-n-blue jig!

 

To be consistent at bass fishing we must put all the odds in our favor, that is in the things we can control.

 

I aint saying throw only black-n-blue, what I am saying is when ya wondering where to start...there it is!

It doesn't matter what color the jig is........ as long as it's black and blue!!! It doesn't matter what color your worm is....... as long as it's purple!!!

[Oklahoma Mike]

Biggest thing for anglers to learn in fishing jigs is detecting bites.

 

Learn to watch your line and set the hook at the slightest deviance. Line jumps, set the hook. Line moves sideways, set the hook. Line stops falling at 6’ but you’re in 15’ of water, set the hook. 

 

As for feeling, over time you will begin to learn how bumping a rock or stump feels versus a bite... in the meantime, when you feel the slightest twitch, swing for the fences. You go to pick it up and feel any weight on it whatsoever, set the hook. 

 

A bass will not always hit it and run. Sometimes the fish will inhale and hold it in the same spot, and you will not even recognize it as a bite. Even anglers with decades of experience in fishing jigs miss a lot of bites, so don’t hesitate to swing away. 

[Catt]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

Tell that to Denny. He won't put it down even if he's not catching them. He has a few zeros that prove that. Only time I saw him throw something other than a jig was on an episode of Zonas show. His first fish was a double digit bass and he threw that whatever that same bait was for the entire episode.  

According to Denny #2 choice Texas Rig

 

Pre-spawn flipping a tube (watched him win in Alabama).

Post spawn flipping the Rage Craw, Smokin’ Rooster, & Space Monkey