Jig confusion

[GoneFishingLTN]

I understand at this point about every type jig and what it’s meant for but what I don’t understand is why people that know this also just use a pitching jig like a football jig and so on. Does it really not affect the action? 

[Deleted account]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I often use lures in different ways than the manufacturer intends, or folks espouse on on the Interweb, and the reason is because it works for me. I would think the same may apply to others. Imagine what would happen if one guy decided to start casting an umbrella, or downsizing a twirling musky lure....

[scaleface]

I dont get all technical . To  me a jig is a jig . 

[Catt]

When it comes to jigs everyone has their own personal repertoire of confusion

 

I throw mostly grass jigs because I fish a lot of grass but if I'm working a grass bed & I come upon wood I don't change jigs.

[Dens228]

6th Sense jigs, the Hybrid and the Divine Swim jig, two types, one size, several colors, that's all I use. I make changes to them by changing the trailer. 

[Team9nine]

It all comes down to whether you're a specialist or a generalist, regardless of the bait in question. Every little change you make to a jig affects something with the presentation or efficiency of that bait. Either you sweat the details or you don't. Neither style is right or wrong...it's however you want to play this game.

[Montanaro]

A jig crawling on bottom looks like a meal regardless of whether it has a football for a head or a cone. 

 

The particular aspects of head types can make a difference over time.  Also football heads usually have lighter hook.  Im sure someone can go into more detail as I have to go back to work!

[Mobasser]

Most of my silicone skirt jigs have a Arkie style head. It's been a standard for a long time. I also like round head jigs too, in lighter weights. I can fish with these heads most of the day. There are better head shapes for flippin or pitching into very thick cover. 

[Fishingintheweeds]

I work any kind of jig in the same ways. The only hard rules that I'm starting to develop for myself are that I absolutely will not throw a football head anything when there is a lot of vegetation. And I won't throw any kind of tapered head where I know the bottom is predominantly rocks - unless I intend to swim/yo-yo it. Then, I don't let it sink to the bottom.

 

Some people call them chatterbaits, some people call them bladed jigs. I will pitch these at targets and work them in any kind of vegetation or rock. If there is rock and the head is tapered, I won't let it sink to the bottom before my retrieve. Same with a lot of vegetation in shallow water. I guess I use the same ideas with "swim jigs" also.

 

I do the same types of retrieves with all of them but the details of how are sometimes different.  Depending on the conditions, I may specifically use a vertical line tie. I'm not educated or experienced enough in the ways of the jig fisherman to know when or why to choose a vertical or horizontal line tie. If I tie on a horizontal, cast, reel my jig in, have worked it carefully through and it's still covered in grass, I will switch to a vertical. My only hard rule is no footballs in vegetation...after reading what I just wrote, that may be my only rule for type. 

 

All that said, I've caught as many fish on chatterbaits, in all kinds of conditions, as I have on almost everything else combined. So, maybe I'm not the best guy to answer but my feeling is if I can't work the jig without hanging up or bringing in grass, then change. That's how I know...but I've probably lost as many fish as I've caught on regular (no blade) jigs.

8 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

Most of my silicone skirt jigs have a Arkie style head. It's been a standard for a long time. I also like round head jigs too, in lighter weights. I can fish with these heads most of the day. There are better head shapes for flippin or pitching into very thick cover. 

To second that, weight can be very important. 

[Dirtyeggroll]

Because I don’t want 8 different rods with a jig tied on out on the deck.

 

Its mostly a matter of convenience.

 

In my experience, most of the difference in jig styles is how they come through cover. For example, my favorite dock skipping jig doesn’t come through brush worth a darn. However, if I am at a lake fishing mostly docks and I come to a brushpile I am gonna toss that jig at it knowing there’s a higher chance I will snag than if I changed to an arkie style jig.

[Bluebasser86]

I have a few different types of heads I use, but I pour all my own so I can be picky if I want. Mostly I use just keep a football head for open water/rocky banks and a flipping jig for brush and docks. Also use a ball head for the thinner hook and to do a finesse cut skirt, and some really small snootie jigs for a finesse jig small enough to fish on a spinning rod with the smaller size, then the larger size is a lot like a Bitsy flipping jig. 

[thinkingredneck]

An Arkie is a good all round choice, according to the gurus.  I took their word for it and have kept it simple.

[NHBull]

Arkie and grass tend to get the call for me.  I have consciously decided to simplify my baits. If I am in a place there hang-ups are unavoidable, the Fat Ika gets the call

[Beetlebz]

It's funny, I've noticed that my tackle box real estate is probably 85% foot ball jigs and 15% sieberts brush jigs. I think it's because I throw 2 colors in the brush jig, pb&j and black and blue. I lose some, I buy more, they all live in one big bin in the jig tray. The football jigs I have big ones small ones ones of different colors some with stand up heads some with tungsten some with lead... but none of them ever get used! I flip a brush jig 99.99999% of the time. I dont flip or fish a jig in grass and I dont slow roll rocky banks eith them. Just the way my lakes are built here I guess. 

[Munkin]

On 9/1/2018 at 9:53 AM, Catt said:

 

I throw mostly grass jigs because I fish a lot of grass but if I'm working a grass bed & I come upon wood I don't change jigs.

Be careful as fishing a grass jig in wood could cause the Earth to spin off its axis and into the sun.

 

Allen

[ww2farmer]

On 9/1/2018 at 9:53 AM, Catt said:

When it comes to jigs everyone has their own personal repertoire of confusion

 

I throw mostly grass jigs because I fish a lot of grass but if I'm working a grass bed & I come upon wood I don't change jigs.

This............................BUT.....I usually have a jig tied on for the purpose I intend to fish it. It's about efficiency for me. A football jig is a poor choice for grass fishing, a grass jig is a poor choice for dragging around in rock, a light swim jig is a poor choice for punching through thick cover, etc.....But, I often use the "wrong" jig in the "wrong" places for the sake of just putting a bait where a fish might be.

 

For example: If I am fishing deeper water outside the main grass beds I usually use a 1/2 or 3/4 oz football jig, that don't mean I won't pitch it into a good looking patch of grass I might come across. On the flip side, if I am mostly fishing in the grass instead of outside it, I use a grass jig, but like Catt said, it doesn't mean I won't flip it under a near by dock, or cast and drag it down a point or something if I happen to come across it. I am not cutting off and tying on new jigs, nor keeping 10 jig rods rigged up on the deck for every situation under the sun. At most I might have three, or four jig rods rigged up at once, and rarely are they all out at the same time. 

[Catt]

Probably the most versatile jig I've ever thrown is Lunker Lure Gamakatsu Triple Rattleback Flipping Jigs.

 

 

[Choporoz]

I almost never notice what the maker says about their jigs' purpose anymore.   But it took a few years of experimentation.   You find what works for you.  Pay attention to what angle/orientation line ties get you hung up more than others.  I want my jigs in gnarliest wood first and foremost.   So I get mostly jigs that I can work through brush piles.  I don't change for rock or grass if I'm mostly on on wood mission sort of day.    However, if I'm setting out to fish Potomac weed flats, I will probably use a lower, vertical tie, but don't change if I come upon a laydown.  I rarely want more than one rod with jig on at one time....too many other lures vying for my H MH rods' attention

[Catt]

I will usually have 4 rods on deck  ?

 

One jig rod with 1/4 - 1/2 oz

One jig rod with 3/4 - 1 1/2 oz

One t-rig rod with 1/8 - 1/2 oz

One t-rig rod with 3/4 - 1 1/2 oz 

 

As I approach cover I'm throwing light, the closer I get I'm throwing heavier!

 

[Harold Scoggins]

Siebert Jigs = penetration power.

[WRB]

I am a detailed jig angler selecting a jig head designed for optimized performance for specific presentations. Most of my bass fishing is done in deep structure reserviors with sparse cover mostly steep rock structure.

1/8 oz dart heads with curl tail worm, 3/16 oz shaky head with straight tail worm, 3/32 oz wackily jig for Senkos, 7/16 oz custom casting hair jig, 5/8 oz Wadda (Arkie) flipping jig, 3/8 to 3/4 oz football heads for twin tail spider jigs, 3/16 to 1/2 grass bullet heads, etc. Definately not a one type/size fits all jig fisherman.

Tom

[Catt]

Bet y'all everyone who posted their personal repertoire of confusion is based off the bodies of water they fish!

 

One deadly jig down here that's not mentioned by many is a big football head jig on deep water structure.

 

Y'all didn't hear that from me ?

[WRB]

1 ton football head (1oz) very popular in Arrizona deep rock structure lakesand use them occasionally.

Tom