Football jigs on the bottom, Swim jigs through the water column, casting jigs...

[FattyWnnaCookie]

are for what? Arent all your bases covered by either football jigs on the bottom, swim jigs through the middle, and flipping jigs in heavy cover? What is the point of having a casting jig among others?

[Scarborough817]

in my understanding (correct me if im wrong) casting jigs are more of an all around jig. The arky style head it's decent for everything but not exactly the best at anything. 

[Chris_97TJ]

^^^ That's kind of what I've come to understand too. Maybe you're dealing with grass/brush on the bottom, and the football jig is not the best choice there. Arky style heads come through that type of cover better, in my research.

[A-Jay]

40 minutes ago, FattyWnnaCookie said:

are for what? Arent all your bases covered by either football jigs on the bottom, swim jigs through the middle, and flipping jigs in heavy cover? What is the point of having a casting jig among others?

For me, 'Casting a jig' is a presentation more than a bait. 

I'll cast the type of jig that best suits the situation.

That could vary a bit depending on what the deal is. 

One 'could' use one type or style of jig for all of this but I'd equate that to using the same style & size hook for everything - really not practical in most of my applications & situations. 

I will say however, that in quite a few different situations - a Texas rigged plastic w/shirt is quite versatile & surprisingly effective.  

A-Jay

[Choporoz]

I was much better off when I stopped trying to go by names....or types.   Fact is, that you can vary: hook size and thickness, head shape, line tie location and orientation, weed guard, weight, skirt.  You start playing with the variables and you get different 'actions': how it comes through cover; or through grass or rocks; whether it stands well or swims well or both...etc.  For me, I just had to experiment and find what works best for my style of fishing - what I can work through cover best, set the hook best, etc. 

    What one company calls a casting jig might have little resemblance to what someone else does.  Ignore the names, try a few different styles and find what works for you.   Don't tell anyone but I've swum football jigs before....and even flipped a swim jig into cover once.

[Munkin]

I cast all of my jigs. 

 

Allen 

[WRB]

You can cast any jig. You can fish any jig on the bottom. You can retrieve any jig as a swim jig. You can't work every jig through heavy cover or dense vegetation, head design helps jig get through cover and can help not to snag in rocks. Flipping jigs like the Arkie head are designed to be fished in heavy cover. Grass jigs with the hook eye at nose and more bullet shaped go through grass easier. Football heads tend to go on rocky bottoms without snagging easily but make poor heavy cover and grass jigs.

100's of jig designs and weights to meet every need.

Tom

[Catt]

The biggest mistake y'all will make is this idea of "technique specific".

 

Almost everyone will tell ya a football jig aint for grass...huge mistake!

 

Anglers down here started throwing football jigs in heavy grass. What they have come to understand is that big fat head creates a lot of commotion drawing the bass's attention.

 

I've preached for years the silent approach aint always the best approach... sometimes ya gotta raise a little hell!

[RHuff]

This is especially true with hollow body frogs. I chuck that thing out there and like for it to make that smacking thud sound when it hits the pads. It grabs the fishie’s attention.. 

[Catt]

Boy that got everybody quiet ?

 

One of the most detrimental things to young anglers (not chronological but experientially) & even some seasoned anglers is this thing called the internet.

 

All this technique specific information keeps y'all in a box! 

 

It does no good to say "think outside the box" until ya actually get outta the box.

 

Last couple of years I've thrown swim jigs a lot, now while I'm throwing a swim jig & I approach a laydown I don't switch jigs...I simply flip-n-pitch the laydown with the swim jig.

 

I don't have a casting jig, flipping jig, football jig, grass jig tied on...I got a jig tied on & I know how to use it!

 

I'm told "yes Catt ya can drive a nail a pair of Klien's but that aint the proper tool"...the jig aint the weapon...I am!

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

One of the most detrimental things to young anglers (not chronological but experientially) & even some seasoned anglers is this thing called the internet.

 

All this technique specific information keeps y'all in a box! 

 

It does no good to say "think outside the box" until ya actually get outta the box.

 

I refuse to even acknowledge the existence of a box, (or patterns, or techniques)...

[scaleface]

 I dont even own a swim jig . I just use what is in my box and those are mostly Arky style . If I   need to swim it , no problem . I work my way down a bank I will likely use several different presentations   . Pitch it , cast it , swim it , bounce it , kill it ...

[J Francho]

"Casting jig" is a general term for many types of jigs.  Football, arky, brush, grass, swim, etc. are all styles of casting jigs.  Casting jigs are fished differently than something like vertical jigging for walleye or perch.  That's why some make a distinction.  In the bass fishing realm, you say "jig," and 99% will know what you mean: a weighted hook, with a brush guard and silicone or rubber skirt.

 

 

[WRB]

Take a look at site sponsor Seibert Outdoors who offer several different jig designs, each  ideally suited for a specific application. If 1 jig worked for all presentations you only that 1 jig style. I don't use football heads in heavy cover because they hang up easy and weeds tend to wrap around the head, nothing like a wad of weeds you can't rip off.

The 2nd generation football heads with recessed hook eye work better then the original designs with exposed hook eye. 

Tom

[Catt]

There's more than one head design to get in your wallet!

 

Am I gonna have to pick grass off my football head, ya bet ya, but I'm gonna Hawgs you will not.

 

Will my grass jig get hung up in wood, probably but so will your Arky head.

 

Don't care what jig head ya use ya gonna how to put out some effort!

 

Kinda like how some people catch em in spring cause they don't wanna hunt for in the summer.

 

What I look for in a jig is a smooth transition from the line to the eye & around the belly, which requires the eye (either one) to be slightly rolled forward. The reasoning is I want my jig to follow the line up to the cover & then slide over or through the cover smoothly. I want a quality brush/weed guard & a quality hook, both are more important to me than head design.

 

If I'm working a shoreline or offshore structure I do not switch jigs just because the cover changed; I can cast, swim, flip, pitch, or punch any style jig!

 

[NHBull]

Once I have established the weight I want and establish how I want to retrieve it, it doesn’t matter.

last year a swim and ball jig yielded the best results in most situation and since I only run 2 or 3 colors, this is the simplest bait to chooses..........I did go to thinner wire hooks and my sets did improve

[Team9nine]

Back in the day, and I'm guessing @Catt could confirm this, we didn't have a lot of jig terminology options. I believe it was Stanley Jigs that first intentionally marketed and labeled "casting" jigs and "flipping" jigs. Casting jigs had lighter wire, smaller hooks and a longer shank with more of an O'Shaunessy style hook. Flipping jigs were beefed up wire and sizes, and more round bend design with a larger gap, but a shorter shank. Casting jigs tended to be thrown on lighter line (and casted) due to design, while Flipping jigs were for a more vertical approach (pitching and flipping), heavier line (including the first super braids) and heavier cover. These same original jig concepts are still alive and well in the walleye world, also.

[Munkin]

Back in the late 80's and early 90's Stanley jigs were what everyone was using.

 

Allen

[Catt]

In the late 70s before Stanley there were only 2 big names associated with jigs Arkie & Cordell & they were still in the infant stages. They were however the first to use a rubber skirt but it was held on by a copper wire & only single color.

 

Stanley invented the "rubber band" that allowed for quick skirt changes.

 

He then experimented with & was the first to combine colors & use a colored weed guard.

 

In 1983 Stanley teamed up with Don Link to invent the silicone and metal flake skirts. 

 

He struck a deal with Mustad to create the first needle point hook. 

 

He went on to perfect the spinnerbait & create his own line of soft plastics. Also with the acquisition of Reaction Lures he was now the proud owner of the Ribbit Frog.

[WRB]

The first jig I used was a Doll Fly, 3/8 oz black & red round head hair jig in the mid 50's.

The second jig was a Bill Haddock football 5/8 oz purple vinyl jig with 4/0 Eagle Claw#530 hook with Pedigo pork trailer in the early 60's.

I didn't see the Arkie style jigs with fiber weed guards until the 70's when Dee Thomas was using them to flip with and Dave Gliebe* used to pitch with, both western Delta anglers who won B.A.S.S. events.

My custom jig head was made in '71 in an effort to improve on the football head so would stand up and go through rocks better, still use that jig today and credit it for all my giant bass.

Today there are hundreds of different jig designs for specific presentations like the mushroom head for the Ned rig, the dart head for finesse worms, 1 1/2 oz punch jigs, etc.

 There isn't a right or wrong when it comes to jig fishing, use what works for you.

Tom

*set record limit weight in FL event ‘77 and qualified for 3 Classics, won 45 boats and created the pitching presentation and unknown by most bass anglers today.

 

[thinkingredneck]

Don't worry, I have proved that you can hang up and lose any style jig.

[lo n slo]

On 12/5/2017 at 8:26 PM, Catt said:

 

I've preached for years the silent approach aint always the best approach... sometimes ya gotta raise a little hell!

i think The Ozark Mountain Daredevils wrote a song about that ☝️

[ChrisD46]

On ‎12‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 4:08 PM, Scarborough817 said:

in my understanding (correct me if im wrong) casting jigs are more of an all around jig. The arky style head it's decent for everything but not exactly the best at anything. 

+1 ... What Scarborough817 says !