How to fish a swim jig?

[NavyVet1204]

Curious as to how exactly you fish a swim jig. I find myself wanting to straight retrieve the jig. I use all sizes of jigs(probably wrong with doing that) and I find it more comfortable to straight retrieve than to fish it on the bottom as if it were a T rig. I don’t exactly have the best luck with either way of using a jig and I’m trying to find a way to perfect my technique I guess. Ok, I have never caught a fish on a jig....but I have gotten a couple bites....

 

Lake and river with tree tops in water for cover and rocky banks/bottoms. Mostly clear water but with an occasional stain after a good rain.
 

Edit: I prefer craw trailers on my jigs. Match the jig in color best.

[MN Fisher]

5 minutes ago, NavyVet1204 said:

I prefer craw trailers on my jigs. Match the jig in color best.

This is the main thing I make sure of - trailer matching the jig color as close as possible.

5 minutes ago, NavyVet1204 said:

Curious as to how exactly you fish a swim jig. I find myself wanting to straight retrieve the jig. I use all sizes of jigs(probably wrong with doing that) and I find it more comfortable to straight retrieve than to fish it on the bottom as if it were a T rig. 

Several options I use

Straight retrieve - mainly only when I'm pulling it through cover

Varied retrieve - make it 'bounce' in the water column

Bottom bounce - hop it along

Bottom drag - ya, like a T-Rig

[WRB]

How many bass do you thing could be caught by trolling a jig at a steady pace?

Answer is very few.

Tom

[NavyVet1204]

1 minute ago, WRB said:

How many bass do you thing could be caught by trolling a jig at a steady pace?

Answer is very few.

Tom

Touché. This why I asked lol

[galyonj]

22 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Varied retrieve - make it 'bounce' in the water column

I like randomly goosing it with a hard turn of the reel handle as I'm bringing it back. Pairing that with killing it for a quick beat has worked pretty well at times, especially if it's high in the water column.

[Mr Swim Jig]

There really is no right or wrong way to fish a swimjig....

[DitchPanda]

Depends on the trailer for me. With something that has good action like a big single tail grub or a menace I use a straight retrieve. If I'm using something like a zoom ultravibe speed craw a I do the shake the rod tip thing to get the claws really going. Some guys call it cracking the whip.

[WRB]

Depends on what is being used as a swim jig. Any jig can be retreived through the water  column it's the trailer being used that creates a strike with the exception of a Chatterbait.

My advice is fish a swim jig lake a crankbait. Casting and retreiving at a steady pace can work.....you increase your odds greatly by changing pace creating some erratic movements.

Tom

[Manifestgtr]

One of my favorite swimjig retrieves is a straight retrieve but every once in a while you give the handle of your reel a little tap...maybe with your index finger. It breaks your cadence slightly for a split second and flairs the skirt without killing your retrieve completely. 
 

I feel like bass see a lot of “stop and go” retrieves so having one in your back pocket that’s just a little bit different and less extreme can be a big help. 
 

Swim it by a piece of cover, “tap”, keep swimming normally, halfway back, “tap” and a lot of times that’s where you’ll get hit. You got their interest on the way by and that last little quirk tricks their brain into smashing it. 

[TnRiver46]

Shake the heck out of the rod tip while you reel it back 

[SC53]

After the cast, I’ll normally lift and drop it like a T rig worm a couple times just in case there’s one that was attracted to the splashdown. Then I fish it back like a crankbait on the retrieve with stops while reeling and little rod shakes. 

[WIGuide]

The two most popular ways to fish a swim jig are to retrieve it much like you would a spinnerbait, fairly straight retrieve with some speed changes or jerks to make the skirt flair. The other very popular one is to fish it with short jerks by shaking the rod tip causing it to basically hop in the water. Both are great retrieves and can be used in different situations to get bit. 

[Cgrinder]

If your trailer moves your skirt, there's no need to shake the rod. This is my main reason for preferring a paddletail when swimming a jig outside of cold water.

 

Straight retrieve, pump the reel handle, pop the rod, pause it, kill it, let it hit bottom, hop it, crawl it, etc. Experiment until you start getting bit, then repeat what got the bite. If the fish are hitting but not committing, change something (speed, color, trailer, so on).

[BassNJake]

Gotta be the alabama shake!!

 

I apply it to a lot of different techniques.

Awesome for a toad too!!

[813basstard]

No matter how you decide to, 95% of my swim jig bites have been REALLY subtle. I’d hit it like setting the hook on a Mako and miss every single one. 
I have to let the rod load when I’m fishing those things. 
You’ll have to find what works for you 

[RoLo]

 

When it comes to working the bottom with a jig & craw, I've never known a better jig fisher than my wife.

Watching her rod-tip, I see a series of rapid twitches & quivering, but nothing you'd describe as a hop.

Though I plainly see the action she uses, my wrist simply doesn't move that fast.

 

Roger 

[Black Hawk Basser]

I like to intentionally swim it into grass to the point that it's getting somewhat hung up, and rip it free.  Whammo.  I'm talking a moderate amount of grass, not extremely thick surface-matting vegetation.

[Glenn]

 

[NavyVet1204]

Thanks guys I appreciate the input y’all have shared. Most of what has been said I have done/tried and I will keep on going!

[Luke Barnes]

Ive had the best luck swimming it just under the surface over grass. I rig it with a paddle tail as well. If I reach a hole or an edge of the grass I slow it down and let it sink some and flare the skirt. 

[Mbirdsley]

First summer using swim jigs.  I’ve caught them on straight line retrieve over grass.  
 

Last night fishing the Tittabawassee River. I was catching them by throwing up into the bank 2-3 ft water than letting it glide down the drop off to 6-12 ft of water to the bottom of the river.  Than once in the deep part of the river alternating between short little hops and or  stop And go letting it rest on the bottom for 3 count.  
 

no real way to fish it.  You just have to figure out what they want.  I’ve been pouring/making my own swim jigs 

[Dens228]

19 hours ago, 813basstard said:

No matter how you decide to, 95% of my swim jig bites have been REALLY subtle. I’d hit it like setting the hook on a Mako and miss every single one. 
I have to let the rod load when I’m fishing those things. 
You’ll have to find what works for you 

I've had the opposite experience, maybe not 95% but most of my swim jig bites leave no doubt that a bass just hit it. 

[BassNJake]

In this video you can see Jason Christie makes flips with his swim jig and "alabama shakes" it by the cover

Notice the chocolate milk color of the water, thats why the shake will get more bites than the straight retrieve IMO

The clearer the water the less shaking seems to effective for me

 

https://video.bassmaster.com/detail/videos/2017/video/5453609158001/jason-christie-s-2014-win-at-lake-dardanelle

[NorthernBasser]

Had a good swim jig bite today. Fishing pretty stained water. I think every single fish was caught on a straight retrieve. Any time I would stop/go...speed up, etc...they wanted nothing to do with it. 

 

Like everyone else said, you have to experiment. What works today may not work tomorrow. 

[Ogandrews]

If you get a trailer with enough action I don’t think that there is any need at all to shake your rod. I have caught a huge amount of fish in chocolate milk water on a straight retrieve with a heavier jig and a more active trailer. I mostly just use keitechs but have also thrown rage swimmers, true bass 4.5”s, and xzone swammers with success. I never go out bass fishing without a swim jig of some form tied on, one of my absolute confidence baits. 1/4 oz-3.8” keitech 3/8 4.3” or 4.8 and 1/2 or 3/4 get a 4.8