How to be a better jig fisherman

[GTN-NY]

14 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

It has an extra long skirt - pretty much it.

Ok thanks

[ajschn06]

20 hours ago, Kyle S said:

 

 

I want to report back with all of my results, including the 8hr days I spend throwing a jig and getting skunked.

 

 

Never happens...

[the reel ess]

Just tie one on your worm/jig rod, whatever that may be, and don't take it off. I decided a few years ago to do that and have caught a bunch of bass 6+lbs on it. But there's no need to leave the rest of the combos home. To me, a jig is a good lure for specific targets. The best targets are wood, stumps, laydowns and docks for me. I rarely catch anything throwing and retrieving a flipping jig. I'm not talking about football head or swim jigs. When you're between prime jig fishing real estate, it's good to throw something else or you'll be skipping a lot of water. You'll still get a lot of practice.

 

Almost all my bites come on the initial drop at a certain target, usually the first pitch to the target. So pay close attention on the first cast, pitch or flip. The way I notice a good many bites is the line just starts moving left or right. My go-to is a black/blue 3/8 oz Arky style and Rage Bug trailer. The Rage Bug skips better than most craws. You can have a box full of jigs, but this one generally gets the job done. I recently tried the Trashmaster weedless jig with success. I only caught one bass on it, but it didn't get hung up all day. Nothing worse than getting the jig hung on the first cast to a sexy laydown, ruining the spot.

 

I bought a combo specifically for jig fishing. It's the Falcon Bucoo SR jig specific rod. I use 30 or 50# straight braid and tighten my drag way down. When you do feel one and set the hook, you really can't set it too hard. When you're pulling a big bass out of a pile of limbs, it's hand to hand combat. Just set it and crank away until you've landed him. Give him no slack.

[Paul Roberts]

Wow. Lotsa options, and good advice above. There are no water bodies where a jig can't be dynamite. Hearing about your water helps. Jigs, being simple sinking lures, can teach more about presentation (depth, speed control, triggering) than just about any other lure type.

 

I guess I'd be thinking about being able to cover the water column, so I'd go with a swim-jig, and a bottom contact jig. I'd suggest having a few weights so you can cover a range of depths and speeds. (Sometimes when "they don't want the jig", it's bc your jig is not close enough to them, or at the right speed, for their mood): 

1/8 <4ft 

1/4 3-6ft 

3/8 6-10ft 

 

These weights and depths are for reaching bottom at moderate retrieve speeds. You can adjust retrieve speed by changing weights.  

 

Some tips: 

Strikes often come at splashdown, on falls (esp on the initial descent), on pauses, starts, or accelerations. I often start with a swim-jig for easier aggressive fish that will chase, (and in places where the bottom is vegetated where the jig will bury). If no go I head for the bottom, or tight to cover. The pause, sometimes killed for up to 10sec, can be deadly, esp for big fish. 

 

Don't get freaked out about "feeling bites". There's no magic. I tell people, sometimes you may be wondering if those bumps and ticks are fish, (esp with wood!), but when it's a fish you generally know. It's "alive" feeling. They say hook-sets are free (but not around wood! That can get expensive).

 

Some pre-fishing advice: Take some time to fish over a bottom you can see, or know the depth and bottom composition of, to familiarize yourself with what something known feels like and, especially, getting a feel for exactly where in the water column your jigs are running at.

 

A foundational retrieve I use that aids in control of feel and detection is done this way: 

Keep the rod hand solid, and swim/drag, with the reel. Careful dragging with the rod is fine too, as long as you are paying attention and being consistent with the rod movement. Anything moves that rod, wasn't you! Stick, rock, weed, gravel, muck, FISH! Once you get the feel of controlling the rod, you can add in all kinds of rod movements.

 

In my mind, jigs are the ultimate tool for learning the basics of presentation, for any and all lure types. A definite need to know.

[ajschn06]

Just now, the reel ess said:

Just tie one on your worm/jig rod, whatever that may be, and don't take it off. I decided a few years ago to do that and have caught a bunch of bass 6+lbs on it. But there's no need to leave the rest of the combos home. To me, a jig is a good lure for specific targets. The best targets are wood, stumps, laydowns and docks for me. I rarely catch anything throwing and retrieving a flipping jig. I'm not talking about football head or swim jigs. When you're between prime jig fishing real estate, throw something else or you'll be skipping a lot of water. 

 

Almost all my bites come on the initial drop at a certain target, usually the first pitch to the target. So pay close attention on the first cast, pitch or flip. The way I notice a good many bites is the line just starts moving left or right. My go-to is a black/blue 3/8 oz Arky style and Rage Bug trailer. The Rage Bug skips better than most craws. You can have a box full of jigs, but this one generally gets the job done. I recently tried the Trashmaster weedless jig with success. I only caught one bass on it, but it didn't get hung up all day. Nothing worse than getting the jig hung on the first cast to a sexy laydown, ruining the spot.

 

I bought a combo specifically for jig fishing. It's the Falcon Bucoo SR jig specific rod. I use 30 or 50# straight braid and tighten my drag way down. When you do feel one and set the hook, you really can't set it too hard. When you're pulling a big bass out of a pile of limbs, it's hand to hand combat. Just set it and crank away until you've landed him. Give him no slack.

This is kind of funny because my main weapon is a brush jig- and I love flipping it to a target- but I catch way more fish swimming it out of there- either right away or after it's sat still for a bit- than at any other point during the cast.  I also catch quite a few casting and swimming between targets....

[the reel ess]

33 minutes ago, ajschn06 said:

This is kind of funny because my main weapon is a brush jig- and I love flipping it to a target- but I catch way more fish swimming it out of there- either right away or after it's sat still for a bit- than at any other point during the cast.  I also catch quite a few casting and swimming between targets....

And it could just be where I fish. I've caught a few on the retrieve, but it's usually when I'm burning it back from the target and the fish just reacts. 

[Catt]

Many anglers button hole bass into technique specific categories...I DON'T DO THAT!

[NoShoes]

5 hours ago, riverat said:

 

 

As much confidence I have in using a jig, I have to agree with this 100%.

 

What factors go into leaning towards a jig (or away) on any specific day?  

[ajschn06]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

Many anglers button hole bass into technique specific categories...I DON'T DO THAT!

Can you explain this?  For me it’s about finding ways I want to fish and eliminating variables.  It may not give me the best option on a day to day basis, but it’s my best option to be consistent regularly.

 

ie- a jig might not be the best option all the time, but for my style of fishing I’ll be more productive over the course of a season if I threw a jig all the time as opposed to trying to figure out if it’s a jig they want, a finesse presentation, or a moving bait on a daily basis....

[Boomstick]

11 hours ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

Pitch a jig to every piece of cover.  I usually cast out to Cover and crawl back to the boat.  Jig Fishing is awesome! It gets chewed by giants 

Cover is a fun way to fish a jig for sure. Often dragging a jig alongside cover too thick for the jig to fall through has produced me some nice fish as well. But let's not forget about casting a jig around structure as well.

 

I've had a lot of success in some lakes with the deepest part of the lake not too far from the shore and obviously a fairly steep slope on the shore. In one case the fish would not hit a drop shot in the deeper areas, but what was working was positioning my kayak over the deep spot, close enough to the shore to where I could cast the jig right up to the shore line and then I would lift the jig and let it sink back down and do that until the jig came back to the boat.

[MN Fisher]

9 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

Cover is a fun way to fish a jig for sure. Often dragging a jig alongside cover too thick for the jig to fall through has produced me some nice fish as well.

Or if the cover doesn't quite reach the surface - bounce it along the top. That's how I got a few of mine this year with a swim-jig.

[Boomstick]

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

Or if the cover doesn't quite reach the surface - bounce it along the top. That's how I got a few of mine this year with a swim-jig.

We have a lot of milfoil at the bottom like this that's prime jig territory.

[Catt]

2 hours ago, ajschn06 said:

Can you explain this?

 

Since we're talking jigs ?

 

One does not need a flipping jig, a pitching jig, a casting jig, or a swim jig.

 

I do all of the above with one jig!

 

Let's say I'm working down a shoreline that has grass, brush, lay downs, or timber. I don't change jigs just because the cover or depth changes.

 

 

When selecting what weight jig to throw never select it based on water depth.

 

R.O.F. Rate of Fall

I've caught bass in 5' of water on a 3/4 iz jig & I've caught bass in 20' of water on a 1/4 oz jig.

[GoneFishingLTN]

52 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Since we're talking jigs ?

 

One does not need a flipping jig, a pitching jig, a casting jig, or a swim jig.

 

I do all of the above with one jig!

 

Let's say I'm working down a shoreline that has grass, brush, lay downs, or timber. I don't change jigs just because the cover or depth changes.

 

 

When selecting what weight jig to throw never select it based on water depth.

 

R.O.F. Rate of Fall

I've caught bass in 5' of water on a 3/4 iz jig & I've caught bass in 20' of water on a 1/4 oz jig.

What do you think of this jig head style https://www.rapala.com/terminator/jigs/pro-series-jigs/Pro+Series+Jigs.html?cgid=terminator-jigs&taglist=Terminator|Jigs#start=1&cgid=terminator-jigs

[Catt]

7 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

What do you think of this jig head

 

The first picture is a Hack Attack Fluoro Jig, notice where the eye is on relation to the hook point. The second is an Oldham's EyeMax jig, notice the eye & the hook point. I feel this design has a higher hookup ratio than other designs.

 

There are several jigs on the market that meet this criteria.

 

This head shape goes well though any cover with the exception of rock. It's slightly wider than it is tall so it sits up on the bottom. It also swims as good as any "swim-jig".

 

[Catt]

 

[GoneFishingLTN]

51 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

The first picture is a Hack Attack Fluoro Jig, notice where the eye is on relation to the hook point. The second is an Oldham's EyeMax jig, notice the eye & the hook point. I feel this design has a higher hookup ratio than other designs.

 

There are several jigs on the market that meet this criteria.

 

This head shape goes well though any cover with the exception of rock. It's slightly wider than it is tall so it sits up on the bottom. It also swims as good as any "swim-jig".

 

This is your go to jig even when dragging? Do you just take it for what it is when dragging along rocks or will you switch them to a football jig style? The terminator seems to match the Greg hackney line tie. thanks for the info on the line tie good to know. 

[the reel ess]

14 hours ago, NoShoes said:

What factors go into leaning towards a jig (or away) on any specific day?  

Well, if you always have one tied on and hit the likely spots with it, you'll always know if they wanted the jig or not. I've had days I couldn't keep bass off it and days I couldn't buy a bite. But one thing I always do is try the jig around all the wood cover. Laydowns, docks and overhanging trees. Bass won't always be in those so I don't always catch them. Or maybe they just didn't want to bite. But I'm a relatively firm believer that, if there is a big bass in some cover and I present a jig in its face, it's going to inhale it.

 

Try flipping/pitching a T-rig around grass cover. 

[Catt]

10 minutes ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

This is your go to jig even when dragging?

 

I seldom if ever drag a jig! I'll get into that a little later, kinda busy this morning.

 

13 minutes ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

1 hour ago, Catt said:

d  

This is your go to jig even when dragging? Do you just take it for what it is when dragging along rocks or will you switch them to a football jig style?

 

Ain't a lot of rocks round here ?

[roadwarrior]

32 minutes ago, Catt said:

Ain't a lot of rocks round here ?

Come up to Tennessee and I will introduce you to a few. Regardless of current, cloud cover,

wind, temperature or barometric pressure, there is ALWAYS a good rock bite!

 

[mikey z]

At this point I'm starting to feel like jig fishing is the kung fu of bass fishing ?

[Catt]

2 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Come up to Tennessee and I will introduce you to a few. Regardless of current, cloud cover,

wind, temperature or barometric pressure, there is ALWAYS a good rock bite!

 

 

I could probably catch a few of them!

[ajschn06]

13 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Since we're talking jigs ?

 

One does not need a flipping jig, a pitching jig, a casting jig, or a swim jig.

 

I do all of the above with one jig!

 

Let's say I'm working down a shoreline that has grass, brush, lay downs, or timber. I don't change jigs just because the cover or depth changes.

 

 

When selecting what weight jig to throw never select it based on water depth.

 

R.O.F. Rate of Fall

I've caught bass in 5' of water on a 3/4 iz jig & I've caught bass in 20' of water on a 1/4 oz jig.

Definitely agree- The main thing I'm looking at when buying a jig is the head shape and line tie see if it's going to work in multiple situations...

[river-rat]

On 12/1/2020 at 6:54 AM, Catt said:

@NoShoes

 

 

 

 

Now your talking about my home waters where I've been fishing for almost 60 years.. I love fishing the Atchafalaya Basin. Great video by Greg Hackney.

 

[Catt]

@riverrat The one place in Louisiana I've never fished