Losing fish after moving up to 3/4 oz Jigs

[M28garza]

What am I doing wrong?! This week I went out to one of my favorite lakes that I usually slay the green guys on half ounce jigs. I wanted to cover water a little quicker and these fish have never shied away from large presentations so I tried out a few 3/4oz jigs from SK & Berkley. Man did I get bit, but I lost a lot of fish from poor hook penetration! Out of 10-12 bites (only counting the bites where I literally saw the fish eat the jig and set the hook while visually watching or saw the fish during the fight) I only landed 6 and at least 3 had their hooks pop out in the boat during or right after landing. I always reel slack, use a mean drop set, and do my best to keep tension. It’s rare that I lose 1 or 2 out of 10 on a given day with my trusty 1/2oz divine swim jig from 6th sense. The jigs were fresh out of the pack and the hooks seemed to be sharp. The bites were no more than 15-20 yards away. What was going wrong here? Is it normal to have that poor of a hookup ratio with heavier jigs? I’ll list the gear below and would love some feedback/tips.

 

Rod - Dobyns Fury 7’3” Mag Heavy

Reel - Curado DC XG

Line - 35lb braid

Jigs - Strike King DB Structure jig, SK Hack Attack flourish flipping jig, and Berkley F-19 Heavy Cover Jig

 

Thanks!

[softwateronly]

I think you're using proper gear and good technique, it could be bad luck with the way they were eating that particular day. 

 

But, are you possibly playing the fish too much once hooked?  Are head shakes or jumping momentarily unloading the rod?  Would lowering your rod tip during the fight help prevent the weight from moving the hook or unloading the rod?

For me, I've noticed more success with reel/rod sweep that @WRB advocates for and describes on the site frequently.  The larger weight and hook make it all the more important.

 

I think you might need more time to specify the issue.  5/8 and 3/4oz grass and swim jigs are my predominate summer jigs.

 

scott

[M28garza]

Scott, you bring up some really good points that I should have mentioned in the original post. It seemed like hook penetration was a big issue. It felt like the hook just wasn’t popping all of the way through on many of them. A low tip and quick fight are great tips that I’m confident I was doing, but will pay closer attention to on the next trip. 

[Bankc]

It could have just been the way they were biting that day.  Two months ago I went out and got a ton of bites, and I lost every single fish.  I switched lures, rods, lines, etc..  I focused on my hookset.  Nothing I did changed the fact that I could easily get bit, was able to fight most of these fish for a little while, but every single one got loose before getting back to the boat.  Topwater, crankbaits, jigs, T-rigs, ned rigs, whatever.  They all got loose.  

 

A few days later, I'm back on the water and everything was back to normal.  I can't tell you why I couldn't land them that day.  I learned no lessons and changed nothing.  But it seemed to have been a one-off fluke.  Some days are like that.  

So I wouldn't count out the 3/4 oz. jig just yet.  See if it happens again.  In the mean time, make sure the hooks are sharp.  I wouldn't think there'd be enough difference between a 1/2 and 3/4 oz. jig to make such a large difference in landing percentages on their own.  

[Bird]

Straight braid and a med heavy should not have an issue with hook penetration with 3/4 oz.

Perhaps your swinging for the fences on your hook set and creating a gaping hole.

 

Or just simply a bad day that creeps up on all of us from time to time.

Roughly 3 years ago I lost 3 good fish in a row on a Spinnerbait and I rarely ever lose a fish on a Spinnerbait, it happens.

[softwateronly]

12 minutes ago, M28garza said:

Scott, you bring up some really good points that I should have mentioned in the original post. It seemed like hook penetration was a big issue. It felt like the hook just wasn’t popping all of the way through on many of them. A low tip and quick fight are great tips that I’m confident I was doing, but will pay closer attention to on the next trip. 

 

Might be worth trying the reel/rod sweep style hookset.  When I've done it, it has dramatically improved my hook up/land ratio.  It's my always when reeling a swim jig, but a sometimes when hopping or dragging a jig.  It really should be my always, but that's on me.

 

scott

[ironbjorn]

Could be as simple as heavier lures are easier for the bass to throw.

[NHBull]

....a lot of good imfo above....

 

I also keep a diamond file on board to sharpen the tip on most jigs

[LrgmouthShad]

40 minutes ago, NHBull said:

....a lot of good imfo above....

 

I also keep a diamond file on board to sharpen the tip on most jigs

If it ain’t sticky sharp, I ain’t confident enough. Check regularly along with line health.

1 hour ago, ironbjorn said:

Could be as simple as heavier lures are easier for the bass to throw.

Without a doubt that could be it too.

[The Pond King]

There are different schools of thought on hook setting technique. Some say to not set the hook right away and wind down until you feel pressure and then use a sweeping hook set especially when fishing with fluorocarbon for football jigs in situations where you're casting out far and deep but even also for flippin/pitchin. Others say that you should set the hook right away as soon as you feel a bite i.e. soon after you feel a bite, lower the rod as you reel up the slack as quick as possible and set the hook immediately. I've experimented with both, and regardless of the scenario, setting the hook as soon as you have a bite has resulted in higher percentage of hook ups in my experience. I believe that as quick as a bass can hit a lure, he can also spit it out just as quickly. Sure, there's cases where a bass could hit a jig and hold onto to it for a while, giving you the leeway to take your time, but I'd rather not take my chances. Senkos are another story. Senkos are so soft and full of salt that a bass will hold onto that thing and swallow it every single time if you wait too long, but I think a bass can detect that a jig is unnatural and spit it out.

 

You should also check the weed guard. Depending on the manufacturer, some weed guards are really stiff and some are really limber. You can clip off some strands to make it less stiff or you can fan out the guard or do a combination of both. You should always trim the length of the weed guard so that it does extend passed the barb of the hook.

 

There are times where I don't shorten the trailer to get the largest possible profile, but to make the lure more compact, you can cut off some of the trailer. I've seen a bass strike just hit the tail of the trailer before. With a more compact profile, there's less of a chance that he'll miss the hook.

 

Your set up should work fine, but I feel that a Dobyn's heavy is like other manufacturers MH. Flipping jigs have thick wire hooks and often times, stiff guards. Perhaps, a Dobyn's XH, 50lb braid, and bone jarring hook set might help, too.

[ironbjorn]

28 minutes ago, The Pond King said:

There are different schools of thought on hook setting technique. Some say to not set the hook right away and wind down until you feel pressure and then use a sweeping hook set especially when fishing with fluorocarbon for football jigs in situations where you're casting out far and deep but even also for flippin/pitchin. Others say that you should set the hook right away as soon as you feel a bite i.e. soon after you feel a bite, lower the rod as you reel up the slack as quick as possible and set the hook immediately. I've experimented with both, and regardless of the scenario, setting the hook as soon as you have a bite has resulted in higher percentage of hook ups in my experience. I believe that as quick as a bass can hit a lure, he can also spit it out just as quickly. Sure, there's cases where a bass could hit a jig and hold onto to it for a while, giving you the leeway to take your time, but I'd rather not take my chances. Senkos are another story. Senkos are so soft and full of salt that a bass will hold onto that thing and swallow it every single time if you wait too long, but I think a bass can detect that a jig is unnatural and spit it out.

 

You should also check the weed guard. Depending on the manufacturer, some weed guards are really stiff and some are really limber. You can clip off some strands to make it less stiff or you can fan out the guard or do a combination of both. You should always trim the length of the weed guard so that it does extend passed the barb of the hook.

 

There are times where I don't shorten the trailer to get the largest possible profile, but to make the lure more compact, you can cut off some of the trailer. I've seen a bass strike just hit the tail of the trailer before. With a more compact profile, there's less of a chance that he'll miss the hook.

 

Your set up should work fine, but I feel that a Dobyn's heavy is like other manufacturers MH. Flipping jigs have thick wire hooks and often times, stiff guards. Perhaps, a Dobyn's XH, 50lb braid, and bone jarring hook set might help, too.

The OP said he's using a Mag Heavy which is a normal heavy for other manufacturers. That would be a 5 power rod.

[Deebo]

The 7'3" mag heavy is the 735.  The rod is a great frog rod as it has a soft tip, but locks up extremely quick for a dobyns. I have had better luck with flouro on that rod for jigs, especially 3/4 footballs for me. That rod with straight braid really takes much give out of the system, paired with extra leverage for the fish. 

[padon]

thats the reason alot of people like a somewhat softer rod for heavy jigs. 3/4 oz gives the fish alot of leverage when they jump and shake their head. a little softer rod that doesnt unload as quickly leaves a little more room for error if your not able to keep a tight line.i dont mean a less powerful rod just one that loads a little slower.

[txchaser]

I ask because you mentioned the diving swim jig - Were you swimming the 3/4 or fishing it on the bottom? Hook diameters roughly the same across the jigs? 

[Clumsy fisherman]

On 6/23/2022 at 9:42 AM, softwateronly said:

I think you're using proper gear and good technique, it could be bad luck with the way they were eating that particular day. 

 

But, are you possibly playing the fish too much once hooked?  Are head shakes or jumping momentarily unloading the rod?  Would lowering your rod tip during the fight help prevent the weight from moving the hook or unloading the rod?

For me, I've noticed more success with reel/rod sweep that @WRB advocates for and describes on the site frequently.  The larger weight and hook make it all the more important.

 

I think you might need more time to specify the issue.  5/8 and 3/4oz grass and swim jigs are my predominate summer jigs.

 

scott

I just think fish are a lot smarter these days. They have learned how to get off the hooks.

[Wildbillb]

Is the same brand jig as the 1/2 Oz you typically use? Same trailer? Is the hook beefier than your 1/2 Oz?