New to Jigs

[David 7]

So I have a confession, I’ve never fished with jigs before. Mostly senkos, sometimes top waters or crank baits too. But never jigs.
 

Where do I begin; what weight is best for deep applications and what are the best name brands? What type of trailer to go with, and do I just bounce it off the bottom?

 

It was 91 today and think the bass were either deep or in the milfoil. Either way I couldn’t get to them, and got skunked. Think I need to add a new tool in the toolbox here. 

[Darth-Baiter]

Right or wrong I gravitate to smaller jigs.  I use the Keitech football tungsten jigs.  I was clueless about five months ago until I tried this jig.  They transmit great bottom input with the tungsten head.  I can feel it click along rocks. I love the pause and then feeling something indicating a fish on.  Sometimes is a weightless feeling like my lure  disappeared. Sometimes it’s a hard tap. Sometimes it’s seeing the line move by itself.  Hard hook set and giddiness ensues. 
 

they are pretty snaggy so don’t get attached to them. Buy several, buy often.

 

I like the rage chunk trailer. 

[TcRoc]

https://siebertoutdoors.com/
 

[Smells like fish]

You can go to Wally mart and buy a Strike King swimming jig in a plastic pack for $2.97… it includes a rage trailer. Tie it on throw it out, let it hit bottom and reel it in with a stop n go. I caught 3 this evening in half an hour on it. 

[evo2s197]

42 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Keitech football tungsten jigs

This, these little suckers are money literally and figuratively, if your new to jigs and are in need of a bite these are the ones to use.

[Bluebasser86]

I'd suggest doing some reading here;

 

[waymont]

I would say start with a Stike King Bitsy Flip, and a Zoom Chunk Jr. It's an inexpensive setup, easy to fish around cover, and gets tons of bites. Start with a 1/4oz.

[galyonj]

8 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I'd suggest doing some reading here;

 

 

A long read, but so worth it.

[ironbjorn]

I started on Strike King Bitsy Bug jigs in 3/16 and 1/4 oz with a Strike King Baby Rage Craw trailer. I suggest you do the same. It's cheap and they get bit a lot. These little jigs will teach you a lot about jig fishing and keep your confidence since you'll be getting bit more than you would with a larger more traditional jig.

[scaleface]

Buy jigs that you can place where you want to with ease . You want to be able to pitch it and sidearm cast it accurately and effortlessly. Find the sweet spot "weight wise" with your combo and put the lure where the bass hang out .  Or get the wrong weights and struggle with placement and struggle catching bass .

[Dens228]

Probably 99% of my bottom fishing with jigs is with a 3/8 oz Arky style of jig with a crawfish type trailer. Either a Sweet Beaver or a Spicy Beaver depending on what action and fall rate I want. I can do virtually anything I want with it.  

If I'm fishing a spot with a rock bottom filled with crevices I will use a football jig. 

 

With swim jigs I also use 3/8 oz and a Keitech Impact Fat, usually a 3.8 or 4.3 inch. 

 

I fish jigs more than any other lure and don't follow the notion that you need many different styles and colors to be successful.  They are fish, with fish brains.  

[hokiehunter373]

What are you fishing?  Lake, river, pond?  What's the bottom like? Mud, sand, rock?  You said milfoil.  Is that all the cover or is there other vegetation as well?

[the reel ess]

There's not a lot of difference between swim jigs and pitching jigs. You can use different heads for these techniques or you can use a grass-type head for both. I had @cadman make me a couple swimmers in golden shiner pattern and a couple black/blue ones when I got serious about jigs. I still have the swim jigs. I would go with 3/8 for the swimmers and 3/8-1/2 oz. for pitching. 3/8 oz. is my go-to year round. For football heads I'd go 3/4 oz., though I haven't tried those yet, I intend to. Colors : some sort of brown and some black/blue for pitching. Match the trailer color. Or not, it might not matter. Fish colors for swimming, usually. And watch a bunch of YouTube videos. You'll learn a lot. Then tie one on and only use it for a day. Watch your line. When they bite, often it's before the bait hits bottom so you don't feel anything. The bait just starts moving away or off to the side. Set the hook HARD with your drag pretty tight and keep the fish coming to you. Play it as little as possible, especially in heavy cover. You can't set it too hard. Use a rod with some good backbone. At least a MH-Fast. I use a Hvy-Fast with 30# braid. You'll probably miss a couple bites, but you'll see what it takes to get better.

 

I just reread your post and I have another suggestion. Pitching grass can be more productive with a Texas rigged Craw type bait. I like the Strike King Rage Bug. I actually use it as my jig trailer most of the time too because it skips better than the rage craw. Use a big enough weight to get the bait into the grass. If you do this, use a flipping hook or a superline EWG hook, probably the former is better. Big bass can straighten out wire hooks enough to escape.

[David 7]

36 minutes ago, hokiehunter373 said:

What are you fishing?  Lake, river, pond?  What's the bottom like? Mud, sand, rock?  You said milfoil.  Is that all the cover or is there other vegetation as well?

I mainly fish two lakes that have a muddy bottom, and a river with a rocky bottom. It’s the lakes I need the jigs for. There’s other vegetation but to get near the shoreline on most spots it’s covered with milfoil. Want to be able to punch trough it. 

Someone mentioned my setup, I fish with a 7 ft MH Ugly Stick, 12 lb fluro. Not sure if the reel is fast etc but the rod is definitely strong.

[galyonj]

1 hour ago, David 7 said:

Someone mentioned my setup, I fish with a 7 ft MH Ugly Stick, 12 lb fluro. Not sure if the reel is fast etc but the rod is definitely strong.

 

That combo'll work if it's what you're comfortable with. If the gearing doesn't suit you, just reel faster.

[Bankc]

I'd start with some heavier jigs, since you're going to try to be punching through stuff.  3/8-1/2 oz. ought to be a good place to start.  Structure, casting, or Arkie style head would be my first choice.  But you can fish any type of jig in any manner, so it's not dire to get one of each kind, especially at the beginning.  Brand won't matter much when you're starting off either.  I've never fished a jig that was terrible or one that was far superior to everything else.  There are better and worse jigs out there, but not outright bad or greatest ever when it comes to jigs.  If the water is stained, I'd go with black and blue.  If not, green pumpkin.  As for a trailer, I'd say use what you got if you can.  My favorite jig trailer is a zoom lizard with the head cut off.  Worms work too.  Craw imitators are always a good choice if you have them.  You're just looking for bulk and maybe some kick for water displacement.  Most of the action of the jig comes from you.  

 

The hardest part of fishing jigs is detecting bites, which usually happen on the fall or pause.  With an Ugly Stik, which are known for not being very sensitive, I'd probably keep a finger on the line right in front of the reel to help with sensing any light taps.  Fluoro will definitely help with that.  And I'd keep an eye on the line and pay close attention for anything that doesn't seem right, because it's probably a fish causing it.  

 

Then later one, when you get the hang of it, you can upgrade to more and better jigs.  But for starting off, the best jig to fish is the one you're not afraid to lose.  Because that's where the big girls are.  

[David 7]

1 hour ago, Bankc said:

I'd start with some heavier jigs, since you're going to try to be punching through stuff.  3/8-1/2 oz. ought to be a good place to start.  Structure, casting, or Arkie style head would be my first choice.  But you can fish any type of jig in any manner, so it's not dire to get one of each kind, especially at the beginning.  Brand won't matter much when you're starting off either.  I've never fished a jig that was terrible or one that was far superior to everything else.  There are better and worse jigs out there, but not outright bad or greatest ever when it comes to jigs.  If the water is stained, I'd go with black and blue.  If not, green pumpkin.  As for a trailer, I'd say use what you got if you can.  My favorite jig trailer is a zoom lizard with the head cut off.  Worms work too.  Craw imitators are always a good choice if you have them.  You're just looking for bulk and maybe some kick for water displacement.  Most of the action of the jig comes from you.  

 

The hardest part of fishing jigs is detecting bites, which usually happen on the fall or pause.  With an Ugly Stik, which are known for not being very sensitive, I'd probably keep a finger on the line right in front of the reel to help with sensing any light taps.  Fluoro will definitely help with that.  And I'd keep an eye on the line and pay close attention for anything that doesn't seem right, because it's probably a fish causing it.  

 

Then later one, when you get the hang of it, you can upgrade to more and better jigs.  But for starting off, the best jig to fish is the one you're not afraid to lose.  Because that's where the big girls are.  

Wow, this is very helpful, thank you. Since I’ll be fishing in and around milfoil/ grass, do you think a flipping head would be best? I’m thinking 1/2 oz black/ blue flipping head jig. 

[WRB]

Look up at the top of this forum and read 26 pages of Jig Fishing questions.

Tom

[David 7]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

Look up at the top of this forum and read 26 pages of Jig Fishing questions.

Tom

I see it now, sorry about that.

[E-rude dude]

Buy a couple 3/8oz and a couple 1/2oz jigs. Strike king hack attack are good jigs and can be bought just about everywhere.

For gear you will need

Medium Heavy casting rod 

Casting reel with 6.3:1 or higher gears (7:1 is better)

15# or higher line. Flouro or Mono

 

A good method to start in open water or weed edges is cast out jig hold rod at 10 o’clock jerk rod to 12 o’clock and reel up slack. Watch your line for any movement. If it moves set the hook. When you go to jerk jig again if you feel weight set the hook.

 

For dense weeds pitch jig into holes or areas where the weeds thin out a little. Pitch jig into area. Let hit fall. Watch your line for any movement. Watch the weeds for any movement, set the hook if you see or feel anything. Jiggle the jig or pop it up and down a few times. Retrieve it and pitch to a new spot. 
 

Jig fishing in the red hot summer is my favorite way to bass fish. After you get better at fishing with it. You might want to practice skipping it under docks too.

 

Good luck.

[WRB]

55 minutes ago, David 7 said:

I see it now, sorry about that.

Not an issue, just information. 

Please feel free to ask any questions.

Tom

[Kenny Yi]

my first jig was a SK Bitsy Flip with a Zman TRD Craw as a trailer, the smaller jig profile helped me get more bites, so I was able to learn what I should be feeling and catch some fish.  It swims great, pitches great, a great beginner jig.  Start with a couple hops then pause. 

 

Once you gain confidence, you can start expanding to bigger and more specialized jigs. 

[Boomstick]

I would suggest picking up both 3/8oz and 1/2oz arky head style jigs, often referred to as pitching jigs. I use Dirty Jigs, but there's Siebert and several others. The Strike King Tour Grade skipping jig is actually pretty good and has a flat head designed to skip as well. Use 3/8oz in up to around 12feet of water, and 1/2oz in 10ft+ and in the overlap, use your best judgement. When throwing into heavier cover, a heavier weight can often be preferred to get down in the cover faster, but you'd be surprised what you can flip a 3/8oz into. Use anywhere from 15-20+ fluorocarbon or 50#+ braid on a Medium Heavy or heavy rod with a fast action tip. I get by with a MH-H that works very well for moderate weeds and wood, and then I have a flipping stick with 65# braid for the real heavy stuff.

 

Then for open water situations especially in later spring and earlier summer, I would also suggest some finesse jigs. You can get a full sized finesse jig that just has a lighter wire hook and a smaller skirt such as Dirty Jigs Luke Claussen finesse jig, or an all around smaller jig. The Strike King Bitsy Bugs generally work and are cheap enough, but if you have the money step up to the Santone Texas Finesse jig which has a better hook. Use 10 or 12# fluorocarbon. A medium/fast rod that runs a little on the heavy side usually works well for most finesse jigs but a medium heavy will do if you don't have a medium.

 

If you have a hard bottom, get some football head jigs. You can go with 1/2oz or 3/4oz and stick to one size. Typically 15 or 16# fluorocarbon is a good bet here. A MH/F rod that runs on the heavy side (typically 10-20# fluorocarbon) works very well here. You can also get finesse football jigs (Terminators are good).

 

For colors, keep it simple. Most of my water is clear and similar to yours so I generally go with green pumpkin and brown colors. Black tends to excel in dirty water, but can also work in clear water, especially as you get deeper or into thicker cover with less light.

For trailers, I usually go with a NetBait Paca Chunk. When the bass are a bit more finicky, I will use a Rage Bug which adds profile and reduces action.

 

If you need a jig rod, I bought my youngest son a St. Croix Victory Full Contact Finesse rod which is a heavy with an extra fast tip but at the same time the tip is quite soft so you can cast or pitch or flip right into cover and it has a lot of backbone to pull them out, and it's quite sensitive for the price point. I mean you can feel the jig head scraping against rock quite easily.

 

Finally, Glenn did a video on setting the hook on jigs and offers some pretty good advice. Most of the time, when they take a jig, they hold onto it and a good hookset gets me a fish, except for lately it seems I'm getting short strikes and I've missed more on a jig the past week than I ever have before.

 

 

I hope some of that helps.