Swim jigs and paddle tails in ultra clear water.

[Sharkicane]

Are swim jigs and paddle tails baits you would use in ultra clear water? Or are these baits something you want to throw when there isn’t 5 miles of visibility? Right now I can consistently catch them on a trigger baby brush hog or speed vibe craw with a 1/4 oz weight. So I know they are feeding on the bottom close to the bank.

 

I would just like to find something that I can fish quicker to find them. I’ve had 0 luck with spinner baits, chatterbaits, crank baits. Little to no luck with any top waters either. 

[A-Jay]

Yes ~ But you may not have to limit yourself to paddle tail trailers only.

And in my area natural colors produce best.

A-Jay

 

[punch]

Only one way to find out! I use a swimg jig as a "search bait" in all conditions because of their versatility. You can work them in all areas of the water column. I keep a bunch of Boss heads and a bunch of Boss skirts and just whip up color combinations on the fly depending on the water quality. Also, don't be afraid of trying a flappy craw or curly tail grub as a trailer in clear water. They work! You don't always have to use a paddle tail as a trailer. 

 

Experiment with colors in clear water.. go lighter & more natural and mimic the bait fish you have. Up here in the north it's crappie and bluegill color schemes that I tend to go to in clear water. 

 

Another suggestion in clear water is the jerk bait. You can use it all year! I've had great luck with jerkbaits in super clear water. 

[fishballer06]

16 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Yes ~ But you may not have to limit yourself to paddle tail trailers only.

And in my area natural colors produce best.

A-Jay

Your swim jig collection looks a lot like mine. 

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, fishballer06 said:

Your swim jig collection looks a lot like mine. 

Great minds think alike ~

I really love a good swimjig bite (which is right about now incidentally)

One can cover water, bass almost always choke them & I rarely lose a fish.

Good Times

A-Jay

[fishballer06]

I love a good bluegill colored swim jig right now whenever the gills are on beds and the bass are munching on them.

[OkobojiEagle]

I agree a swimbait, along with a grub, tube, fluke or many other soft plastics are very effective in clear water.  I differ in that I don't think a skirted, weed guard equipped jig is necessary over a simple skirtless jighead design.  I'd sure like to have the "skirted is better" crowd give me a reason to second guess myself.

 

oe

[ww2farmer]

Yes to a swim jig, and almost exclusively over any other sub surface reaction bait in clear water. 

Here's a few "gin clear" water swim jig tricks I have learned over the years:

 

#1 Thin and trim the snot out of the skirt. I trim ALL my jig skirts to the bottom of the hook bend, then for really clear water, I remove all the "inside" strands almost flush with the band...think a reverse finesse cut. Make sure you slide the band down and put a dab of super glue on the jig head where the skirt sits, with so little material, it's easy for the skirt to fall apart. 

 

#2 I used to think a bland natural color was the way to go in clear water, like straight green pumpkin. I have much more success by using green pumpkin as the majority of my color, but adding a few strands of bright colors to it on the"belly" , like orange, blue, and chartreuse. Often times I use all four colors at once.

 

#3 keep it high in the water and burn it. Don't get it down in their faces where they can get a good look at it.

 

#4 keep the trailer small. A 3.75" rage swimmer, a trimmed rage or Christie craw, a single tail rage grub, or a menace are what I use as trailers

 

Edited for more tips:

 

#5 in the old days of swim jigs, and using action less trailers, you used to have to pump and shake the rod pretty vigorously during the entire retrieve to trigger bites. With today's soft plastic trailers with built in action, I find that totally unnecessary. My basic retrieve is a steady brisk pace, with subtle pauses. Just enough to get that skirt to flair a little and make the bait change direction slightly.

 

#6 3/8oz is the best size IMHO. 1/4 blows out of the water too much on a fast retrieve, and 1/2 gets down in their faces to much.

 

And a few more:

 

#7 Time of year is irrelevant. I have caught them in 40 degree water, and 80 degree water.  Even in cold clear water you want to keep that thing moving. Trailer selection is more important in cold water. I find subtle trailers get more bites, and keep changing to more active trailers as the water warms. Here is how I progress through trailers from early spring to late fall:

 

Menace, Rage Grub, Rage Swimmer, Rage Craw, and then in reverse as the water cools.

 

#8 Obviously, like any reaction bite weather is a key factor. Like most any moving bait, slick calm and sunny is terrible, but oddly, at least for me, bright and sunny with wind is also terrible. This presentation...for me..needs at least a little cloud cover. The more the better. But wind is a double edged sword. Cloudy and calm is OK, cloudy with a comfortable to fish in breeze with a light chop is the sweet spot. As the wind ramps up and gets to really blowing, I find the swim jig bite to kinda die, and move to a baits that move more water. Of course there are those oddball days they do the opposite of everything listed above, and bite the fire out of it in slick sunny weather, but those are the exceptions and not the rules, but it happens juuuuuust often enough that at some point during said conditions, I start whipping it around a little to see whats going on. 

 

 

[Mr Swim Jig]

There is really no wrong trailer for a swim jig and I keep my colors very simple...

 

[B_Rose12]

Can’t forget Keitech Swing Impacts. 

 

But yeah you can’t go wrong with trailers, I’ve caught em on Brush Hogs, Speed Craws, Crawdads, Flukes, Grubs, just about anything! I love when I can get on a quality swim jig bite!

[Quarry Man]

On 6/4/2018 at 12:44 PM, A-Jay said:

Yes ~ But you may not have to limit yourself to paddle tail trailers only.

And in my area natural colors produce best.

A-Jay

 

Are these custom baits?

[A-Jay]

3 hours ago, Quarry Man said:

Are these custom baits?

Sort of ~ 

I didn't pour the heads but I make my own skirts to match the local bait.

 I also add them to jigs, spinnerbaits & vibrating jigs.

A-Jay

 

[Quarry Man]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

I make my own shirts to match the bait here.

Having a shirt that matches your jig might just be overkill, but it sure must look awesome!

 

I like how all of your jigs have a slightly different skirt, making each bait unique in its own way.

reminds me of the rep your water shirts that are made to look like trout with spots and such, not a bad idea!

 

[A-Jay]

Just now, Quarry Man said:

Having a shirt that matches your jig might just be overkill, but it sure must look awesome!

 

I like how all of your jigs have a slightly different skirt, making each bait unique in its own way.

Thanks ~ I'm a real stickler when it comes to Fishing Fashion.

A-Jay

 

 

[Quarry Man]

2 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Thanks ~ I'm a real stickler when it comes to Fishing Fashion.

A-Jay

 

 

Yeah me too, I always make custom tie-dyes to match the sky before I go fishing

 

same as how fly anglers catch insects and tie similar flies!

[OkobojiEagle]

13 minutes ago, Quarry Man said:

Yeah me too, I always make custom tie-dyes to match the sky before I go fishing

 

same as how fly anglers catch insects and tie similar flies!

I only wear white shirts then catch insects and smash them onto my shirt...  kind of a "shirt of the day" approach to matching the hatch.

 

oe

[buzzbaiter83]

Clear water is my favorite for throwing a bluegill colored swimjig with a Keitech swing impact fat paddletail. Swimjigs have become one of my favorite lures over the past couple years. 

[DougHall_NY]

I fish mostly in clear water and my main bread and butter is a 3/8" Siebert Swim Jig with a Keitech Swing Impact trailer in some variation of green pumpkin.

 

Other trailers that I have had success with include the Menace and Craw.

[Sharkicane]

On 6/4/2018 at 12:39 PM, ww2farmer said:

Yes to a swim jig, and almost exclusively over any other sub surface reaction bait in clear water. 

Here's a few "gin clear" water swim jig tricks I have learned over the years:

 

#1 Thin and trim the snot out of the skirt. I trim ALL my jig skirts to the bottom of the hook bend, then for really clear water, I remove all the "inside" strands almost flush with the band...think a reverse finesse cut. Make sure you slide the band down and put a dab of super glue on the jig head where the skirt sits, with so little material, it's easy for the skirt to fall apart. 

 

#2 I used to think a bland natural color was the way to go in clear water, like straight green pumpkin. I have much more success by using green pumpkin as the majority of my color, but adding a few strands of bright colors to it on the"belly" , like orange, blue, and chartreuse. Often times I use all four colors at once.

 

#3 keep it high in the water and burn it. Don't get it down in their faces where they can get a good look at it.

 

#4 keep the trailer small. A 3.75" rage swimmer, a trimmed rage or Christie craw, a single tail rage grub, or a menace are what I use as trailers

 

Edited for more tips:

 

#5 in the old days of swim jigs, and using action less trailers, you used to have to pump and shake the rod pretty vigorously during the entire retrieve to trigger bites. With today's soft plastic trailers with built in action, I find that totally unnecessary. My basic retrieve is a steady brisk pace, with subtle pauses. Just enough to get that skirt to flair a little and make the bait change direction slightly.

 

#6 3/8oz is the best size IMHO. 1/4 blows out of the water too much on a fast retrieve, and 1/2 gets down in their faces to much.

 

And a few more:

 

#7 Time of year is irrelevant. I have caught them in 40 degree water, and 80 degree water.  Even in cold clear water you want to keep that thing moving. Trailer selection is more important in cold water. I find subtle trailers get more bites, and keep changing to more active trailers as the water warms. Here is how I progress through trailers from early spring to late fall:

 

Menace, Rage Grub, Rage Swimmer, Rage Craw, and then in reverse as the water cools.

 

#8 Obviously, like any reaction bite weather is a key factor. Like most any moving bait, slick calm and sunny is terrible, but oddly, at least for me, bright and sunny with wind is also terrible. This presentation...for me..needs at least a little cloud cover. The more the better. But wind is a double edged sword. Cloudy and calm is OK, cloudy with a comfortable to fish in breeze with a light chop is the sweet spot. As the wind ramps up and gets to really blowing, I find the swim jig bite to kinda die, and move to a baits that move more water. Of course there are those oddball days they do the opposite of everything listed above, and bite the fire out of it in slick sunny weather, but those are the exceptions and not the rules, but it happens juuuuuust often enough that at some point during said conditions, I start whipping it around a little to see whats going on. 

 

 

What type of swim jig do you use? Where I fish there is some pretty thick stuff and some not so thick stuff. I’m thinking about going with a strike king hack attack heavy cover swim jig. I know there are a lot of good ones out there. I’d feel better about  throwing a a swim jig that won’t get hung up easily.