Something about a pitching stick and a jig

[Kevinator1]

Man, i don't know what has happened to me but I think all i need is a pitching stick and a jig and I'm a happy camper.....Something about the close up face to face action of pitching a jig into cover....I absolutely love it....even if I don't get bit for an hour I'm still pitching away....can do it all day long....love it love it love it. Plus, the big ladies love a big jig thrown their way. Anyone else feel this way? I mean I'm like a lot of other guys on this site having more tackle than a bait shop but nothing intrigues me more than a pitching stick and jig.....

[Hook2Jaw]

I'm with you all the way.

 

Giving them the bone jarring hookset is my medicine.

[Shimano_1]

I'm the same way.  I catch a lot of fish on other things and will continue to throw em. However, many times I've thought they should eat other things and been saved by a good fish or 2 on a jig. Id honestly rather be on a good jig bite than a topwater bite.  Something about that bite and getting to swing the big stick just does it for me!

[Tywithay]

I bought a fancy new jig stick this year and told myself that I was going to dedicate myself to it. I think that was February or March and I still haven't used it even once. I keep buying jigs and trailers, but never seem to use them, for some reason. 

[Shimano_1]

I can't even imagine not throwing a jig everywhere I go. Funny how different people are. If I go a day without fishing a jig I've been smashing them on something real good

[r83srock]

Yup a jig or frog makes me happy happy happy. It’s addicting.

[wisconsin heat]

Hell yeah! Could do it all day every day until my arms fall off. 

[Mbirdsley]

This is one my more favorite ways to fish. I just need to find a mold that drops 1 1/2 oz jigs and Figure out how to melt tungsten and id be in heaven. 

[Bluebasser86]

Pitching a jig is my favorite way to fish. Big rod, big line, heavy hookset. Not worried about breaking them off, not often they come off once they're stuck, and they're usually good quality fish.

[Teal]

I love it, feel like I'm pretty versatile, but weather its deep, shallow, or grassy, i keep two rods with jigs on.  Sometimes three.  Like Blue said, heavy rod, heavy line, and home runs.   

[GTN-NY]

It’s my favorite way to fish. Won a lot of tournaments doing it. When I stopped owning a boat I got a kayak that is more than stable enough to stand do I can dip the weeds

[the reel ess]

Indeed! It's guerilla warfare fishing. Next to topwater, it's my favorite. I always keep one rigged and with me.

[Hook2Jaw]

Gotta love it when 13 pounds of drag engages because you just cracked one so hard.  The day after I got my first heavy pitching stick, I had to relearn things a bit.  Every fish I smacked was immediately turned towards me and they were running right towards the boat.

[GTN-NY]

Funny as hell when you set that hook and launch a 10” bass over your head

[bwjay]

I wish jig fishing was easier in a kayak, but you drift too quickly to work the spot thoroughly in my experience, even with a pedal drive. It's hard to keep your orientation and you end up spinning around and twisting yourself into a pretzel. Topwater on the other hand is explosive fun and just the thought of those twitches and pauses with a surface eruption gets my heart pumpin!!

[GTN-NY]

2 hours ago, bwjay said:

I wish jig fishing was easier in a kayak, but you drift too quickly to work the spot thoroughly in my experience, even with a pedal drive. It's hard to keep your orientation and you end up spinning around and twisting yourself into a pretzel. Topwater on the other hand is explosive fun and just the thought of those twitches and pauses with a surface eruption gets my heart pumpin!!

Drift sock slows you way down

[bwjay]

Just now, GTN said:

Drift sock slows you way down

For offshore I'd maybe give it a try, but for just floating from dock to dock throwing weightless worms, or from laydown to laydown with a jig, I think a drift sock would be more hassle than it's worth.

[Bandersnatch]

I've gotten to the point where a jig and a big stick is just about all I want to throw. I rarely even throw a top water or even a frog anymore. It's something about the fact that you have so much influence on getting bit with how you use it. I feel like I have a lot less influence with a frog. 

[Hook2Jaw]

2 hours ago, bwjay said:

I wish jig fishing was easier in a kayak, but you drift too quickly to work the spot thoroughly in my experience, even with a pedal drive. It's hard to keep your orientation and you end up spinning around and twisting yourself into a pretzel. Topwater on the other hand is explosive fun and just the thought of those twitches and pauses with a surface eruption gets my heart pumpin!!

I kayak fish in lakes, rivers, and ponds and don't really have an issue with jig fishing.  I probably don't pick areas apart that well.

[bwjay]

10 minutes ago, Hook2Jaw said:

I kayak fish in lakes, rivers, and ponds and don't really have an issue with jig fishing.  I probably don't pick areas apart that well.

My main issue is that like I said before, you end up twisting your body as you drift by the spot you casted to, so you can watch your line and have a halfway decent hookset angle. I don't cast at cover super far in front of me though which would somewhat mitigate this issue. Still, maintaining boat angle at low speeds where my rudder is almost useless is pretty annoying. I have a larger rudder to put on, which apparently helps a lot with control at low speeds, but right now it's pretty tough. And all of this is even more of an issue if I want to stand and fish, as I act like a sail when I stand which causes me to drift super fast. I can barely work a worm for a single cast under a dock before I have to sit down and reposition. I prefer to stand but it's proven to be quite trying so I have to force myself to sit just to get enough time to slowly work a bait. I could work worms and jigs quicker but I feel like that slow, erratic hop and drag gets good bites. I just am not able to do it as often as I'd like unless it's dead calm. In which case, I'm probably thinking about throwing a frog.

[papajoe222]

When I would get my limit, I would always pick up my jig combo. The ole adage is; Jigs catch big fish and that has proved itself to me time and time again.  It doesn't have to be a pitching or flipping presentation either.  I've put a lot of big fish in the live well dragging a mop jig over prime structure. 

[Hook2Jaw]

@bwjay, I think you might be paddling versus my pedalling and that's the difference.  A pedal drive really allows me to work a spot pretty easily and I've never been in a better tracking kayak than my Predator PDL.

 

Anyway, on the topic of fishing a jig, one of my favorite things is I don't have to be all that precise with the plastic I tread on and can generally tear them straight if I need to.

[bwjay]

Just now, Hook2Jaw said:

@bwjay, I think you might be paddling versus my pedalling and that's the difference.  A pedal drive really allows me to work a spot pretty easily and I've never been in a better tracking kayak than my Predator PDL.

I've got a Topwater 120 PDL. Pedaling backwards isn't an option while standing, and even while sitting, I still turn as I drift, and at low speeds, you can't change your orientation. I end up having to back up quite far in order to turn myself for the drift back to where the wind is pushing me. The Predator has the same rudder but maybe doesn't turn as easily, I dunno.

[Mat_ski]

I love jig fishing and do so sitting down in paddle yak with no issues. When I start twisting and face away from the cover, I grab a moving bait rod and give the bass in the heavy cover some break to recoup ? until I face the cover again. Jokes aside, single handed small paddle goes a long way. 

[Bass Rutten]

3 hours ago, bwjay said:

My main issue is that like I said before, you end up twisting your body as you drift by the spot you casted to, so you can watch your line and have a halfway decent hookset angle. I don't cast at cover super far in front of me though which would somewhat mitigate this issue. Still, maintaining boat angle at low speeds where my rudder is almost useless is pretty annoying. I have a larger rudder to put on, which apparently helps a lot with control at low speeds, but right now it's pretty tough. And all of this is even more of an issue if I want to stand and fish, as I act like a sail when I stand which causes me to drift super fast. I can barely work a worm for a single cast under a dock before I have to sit down and reposition. I prefer to stand but it's proven to be quite trying so I have to force myself to sit just to get enough time to slowly work a bait. I could work worms and jigs quicker but I feel like that slow, erratic hop and drag gets good bites. I just am not able to do it as often as I'd like unless it's dead calm. In which case, I'm probably thinking about throwing a frog.