How to be a better jig fisherman

[WRB]

California’s reservoir’s are created by dams located across step wall canyons the water spreads out into wider areas as the lake fills. The dam area is always the steeper banks with deeper water, no wood is standing near a dam.

The upper 1/3 of our lakes is the shallow areas including creek arms that usually have more cover and wood areas. The middle main lake zone is a transition area.

I use the same jig is our lakes unless I know the bass are deep in cover, then I the jig style Catt illustrated.

My jig works great in rocky steep terrain horrible in heavy cover.

So 2 types of jigs.

Tom 

[river-rat]

5 hours ago, Catt said:

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

 

With your experience, I doubt you would have any problem figuring things out. 

 

I'll gladly trade trips with you on the Basin for lessons on Toledo Bend.

[Tank1018]

I am no jig expert by any means, but just over the past few years, fishing every chance I get from sun up to sun down. I’ve come to the realization that nothing beats time on the water. If I could give you any advice I would suggest getting an all purpose type jig that can somewhat do it all, 3/8-7/16oz ball head jig with a couple different style of trailers. Something like a Santone Lures Texas Finesse jig, some speed craws, and some super chunks is what I’d recommend and just get on the water and cast/flip/pitch that jig until your hands are raw. When you start developing patterns and catching fish you’re confidence will go up and before you know it that jig setup will be glued to your hand. 

[Mobasser]

I catch more fish on t rig plastics than jigs, but I like jigs too. Jigs really are a different feel and strike than a T rig. It does take some focus and concentration to get good with jigs. More folks probably miss more fish on jigs than most other baits. They also can work year around too. Practicing with jigs under different conditions is the best way to learn. It takes some time.

I might also add that I met Guido Hibdon many years ago, and had a chance to speak to him briefly. He told me that he thought that on most any bass lake, the best fisherman were jig fisherman. He felt this way because he knew that by the time a guy got really good with a jig, he had put in a lot of hours learning it. He also thought that if you can consistently catch bass on a jig, that other baits would come easier, because of the soft, almost no feel bites you get on jigs, especially in colder water. Jigs teach you to focus and be on the ready at all times.

[Kyle S]

Firstly, thank you all for each and every one of your suggestions. I went out to the Pamunkey River this morning (jig in hand) and was greeted with high, muddy water. Current is usually fairly strong in this river however today, the current and the added 15 mph winds had the boat moving at nearly 6 miles and hour, when I took my foot off of the trolling motor pedal for more than 10 seconds. In my opinion, the main river was too rough to fish. To a wide (wind protected) creek mouth I went! Sadly, no fish were caught during todays outing. Next weekend I'll be back at it and will hopefully have a picture or two of some bass with jigs hanging out of their mouths.

 

[Catt]

On 12/3/2020 at 6:51 PM, Mobasser said:

Jigs really are a different feel and strike than a T rig.

 

The most difficult part of jig fishing is feeling the bite, many will tell you it aint like the bite you get on a Texas Rig but it is so get that notion out your head.

 

Like with a Texas Rig those bumps, thumps, tics, & taps are easy to detect it's the ones where the bass inhales your jig without any tell-tale sign or line movement.

 

I say now is the time to bring forth all your expertise on feeling subtle bites stored away in your brain from Texas Rigs.

 

You will also hear "bass don't hold a jig long", don't be surprised when a 2 lb bass inhales your 1 oz jig without any tell-tale line movement and proceeds to sit there until you apply too much pressure at which time they spit it!

 

Sounds kinda like a T-rig bite huh! 

[Tank1018]

27 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

The most difficult part of jig fishing is feeling the bite, many will tell you it aint like the bite you get on a Texas Rig but it is so get that notion out your head.

 

Like with a Texas Rig those bumps, thumps, tics, & taps are easy to detect it's the ones where the bass inhales your jig without any tell-tale sign or line movement.

 

I say now is the time to bring forth all your expertise on feeling subtle bites stored away in your brain from Texas Rigs.

 

You will also hear "bass don't hold a jig long", don't be surprised when a 2 lb bass inhales your 1 oz jig without any tell-tale line movement and proceeds to sit there until you apply too much pressure at which time they spit it!

 

Sounds kinda like a T-rig bite huh! 

The bite is gonna be different just about every time you go out! Sometimes they’re aggressive sometimes they’re not! Figuring out how to catch em on a jig can be challenging but to me, worth the reward!  there’s nothing better than pitching a jig into cover and seeing your line swim off! 

[Mobasser]

7 hours ago, Catt said:

 

The most difficult part of jig fishing is feeling the bite, many will tell you it aint like the bite you get on a Texas Rig but it is so get that notion out your head.

 

Like with a Texas Rig those bumps, thumps, tics, & taps are easy to detect it's the ones where the bass inhales your jig without any tell-tale sign or line movement.

 

I say now is the time to bring forth all your expertise on feeling subtle bites stored away in your brain from Texas Rigs.

 

You will also hear "bass don't hold a jig long", don't be surprised when a 2 lb bass inhales your 1 oz jig without any tell-tale line movement and proceeds to sit there until you apply too much pressure at which time they spit it!

 

Sounds kinda like a T-rig bite huh! 

Catt, when I first tried the jig and pig years ago, I couldn't catch anything on them. I probably cast 1000 times before I finally connected with a bass. My first one gave a pretty solid thump when he hit it. Over the years, I've had them strike jigs in all sorts of ways, but mostly light strikes. It is very similar to t rig fishing, and, the strikes can vary from day to day. It's the type of bait that does require some learning and skill. Novice jig fisherman will have some frustration catching fish with them, but, just like most things in fishing, practice makes perfect. You've got to apply yourself to it, and stick with it to learn to get good with a jig for sure.

[MGF]

I think that to some extent the type of bites you get on a jig depends on how you fish the jig. I started fishing a jig long before I knew how a jig was supposed to be fished. My dad and I would scout out a weed line, take a guess at what the wind was going to do to us and do our best to set up a drift. Then you get in as many cast as you can before you have to fire up the motor or get on the oars and start again.

 

I think my first jig fishing most resembled what some today call "cracking"? Basically bouncing the jig through the water column. What would you expect a bite to be like? That was back before I ever heard of a "swim jig" but what kind of bit comes with swimming a jig?

 

At some point I started doing more river fishing where it would be a combination of letting the current bounce the jig along and giving it a little bounce myself. The bites come in all flavors and the river sometimes puts a bow in your line that you can't prevent and sometimes you can have a fish for quite a while before you ever know he's there.

 

Lastly, from what I've seen diving and on video I think a fish can suck your bait in and spit it out so fast that you probably won't see it or feel it. I doubt that a mere human could react fast enough to do anything about it. I think this happens with baits other than jigs and aside from the occasional stroke of dumb luck these aren't fish that you can expect to catch.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, MGF said:

Lastly, from what I've seen diving and on video I think a fish can suck your bait in and spit it out so fast that you probably won't see it or feel it. I doubt that a mere human could react fast enough to do anything about it. 

 

What drove the home for me was the first time I saw the "Hawg Trough", ya know that big aquarium on a trailer at tackle shows. I was standing right up against the plexiglass when the Pro threw a Texas Rig & a 3# bass sucked it in & spit it out before my pea brain could comprehend what happened.

 

I started setting hook on everything! 

 

This is why I say a jig bite & t-rig bite are the same. Anybody can feel the taps, ticks, thumps, & see line movement. But I guarentee there are bits y'all thought wasn't bass that absolutely was!

[Hammer 4]

Hook sets are Free...  use em.

[the reel ess]

On 12/6/2020 at 12:49 AM, Catt said:

 

The most difficult part of jig fishing is feeling the bite, many will tell you it aint like the bite you get on a Texas Rig but it is so get that notion out your head.

 

Like with a Texas Rig those bumps, thumps, tics, & taps are easy to detect it's the ones where the bass inhales your jig without any tell-tale sign or line movement.

 

I say now is the time to bring forth all your expertise on feeling subtle bites stored away in your brain from Texas Rigs.

 

You will also hear "bass don't hold a jig long", don't be surprised when a 2 lb bass inhales your 1 oz jig without any tell-tale line movement and proceeds to sit there until you apply too much pressure at which time they spit it!

 

Sounds kinda like a T-rig bite huh! 

They definitely don't feel the same to me. I've had bass swim around with the jig in their mouths. That's often how I've detected the bite. Nothing feels any different yet, but the jig is just moving in a completely different direction. More often, I detect the bite when I pitch the jig into a desirable spot and start to lift it only to feel it get pulled back. That's usually the case of a big bass not wanting to let its prey escape. Big bass are also much easier for me to set a jig hook into. Small ones just come with the jig when you lay the wood to them.

[NoShoes]

20 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

They definitely don't feel the same to me. I've had bass swim around with the jig in their mouths. That's often how I've detected the bite. Nothing feels any different yet, but the jig is just moving in a completely different direction. More often, I detect the bite when I pitch the jig into a desirable spot and start to lift it only to feel it get pulled back. That's usually the case of a big bass not wanting to let its prey escape. Big bass are also much easier for me to set a jig hook into. Small ones just come with the jig when you lay the wood to them.

My “practice” pond is full of small stunted bass. I’ve missed a few on jigs so far exactly with what you’re describing. They either don’t grab the whole jig or don’t have enough butt to pull back when I set the hook. 
 

I flipped to one poor soul from on top of a culvert yesterday. He bit about 5 feet from the bank and landed 5 feet behind me, I had to duck. 

[galyonj]

1 hour ago, NoShoes said:

I flipped to one poor soul from on top of a culvert yesterday. He bit about 5 feet from the bank and landed 5 feet behind me, I had to duck. 

Last summer I did that flipping a brush pile. Set the hook and this little bass came flying up out of that pile like a tomahawk missile.

[scaleface]

On 12/7/2020 at 8:08 AM, NoShoes said:

My “practice” pond is full of small stunted bass. I’ve missed a few on jigs so far exactly with what you’re describing. They either don’t grab the whole jig or don’t have enough butt to pull back when I set the hook. 
 

I flipped to one poor soul from on top of a culvert yesterday. He bit about 5 feet from the bank and landed 5 feet behind me, I had to duck. 

Yep , one cant tell how big they are when they hit . I cant anyway and culverts just might be the best places I have ever fished for big bass , so sock it to them .

[Bankbeater]

I'd start with a 3/8 and a 1/8 jig in green pumpkin, black/blue, and black. Practice hoping and dragging them on the bottom so you can get a feel for what the jig is doing and bumping into. 

You can also swim them through the water column like a spinnerbait, or work them under the surface like a buzzbait.

[GTN-NY]

I always tell friends I’m teaching is that a 1/2oz jig feels like a 1/2oz jig. If it feels heavier or lighter set the hook