Jig Advice

[JayMac89]

Hey guys. Was fishing this morning and a question popped into my head. Wondering your thoughts. 

 

I throw alot of moving baits. Chatter baits, cranks, swim jigs, jerk baits, yada yada. I just have more confidence in them. This season i wanted to get better with casting jigs and slowing my fishing down. So if been forcing myself to throw a jig. Been using the bitsy bug. And iv noticed a trend.

 

It's happened multiple times. In fact, i have not caught 1 fish just hopping a jig. What i do is target cover, hop or drag trying to learn the technique. Then once past the cover I'll swim it back. I keep hooking up on fish almost immediately after beginning the swim back. Never on the hops. First few times i thought it was just accidental perfect timing. But it's happened too many times now. 

 

I'm not complaining, I'm catching fish. But as far as learning the technique it's not helping much. And i got to thinking. Is this a sign that the fish want a moving bait? Or is it a legit technique? Such has the hops get the fish's attention, then when it takes off triggers a strike? Should i stop swimming it back to learn the technique better and just keep hopping? Or am i possibly getting the fish to bite on the hops, not realizing it, then hooking up once i reel in? I know swimming a jig is a legit technique, but the consistency of hook ups just as i start swimming it back is to much to call it a coincidence.

 

Wondering your thoughts as far as what's happening here and my course of action as far as learning to hop a jig and detecting bites goes. 

 

As always, all input is greatly appreciated

 

 

[Pat Brown]

I find that 90% of my bites on a jig come on the initial fall, so keep casting and learning to feel for that bite! If you're catching fish, swimming it back. That's just one of the many ways that jigs perform well. So good job and keep it up!

[Catt]

4 hours ago, JayMac89 said:

Wondering your thoughts as far as what's happening here

 

Bass are telling you what they want...do it!

[Bankbeater]

Don't overthink it.  There could be a number of reasons why the bass don't want a hopped jig. 

[PaulVE64]

Having alot of experience sight fishing I would tell you to keep targetting structure. You're getting their attention with the slow hops and triggering a bite with the quicker movement. You might do well throwing a crankbait there but maybe the bass wont chase.

Everyday is different but I really like a slow jig with big and small hops.

[Darth-Baiter]

I have a better chance of understanding the mind of a woman..a bass?  no way.  

 

I bet the jig coming out of the cover, and speeding up triggered it.  kinda like how a lipless coming out of grass fast, gets bit.  

[the reel ess]

I find jigs get more bites when you target a particular piece of cover. Almost all bites come on the first drop. When I'm dragging deep I usually use a worm or lizard. But if you can get bites on the jig they should be better quality. There is one exception. I use a 1/2 oz. football swing jig with a craw or a lizard with more success deep, especially in cold water.

[river-rat]

You're not doing anything wrong.

 

I catch as many fish swimming a flipping jig along the bottom as I do crawling it. Like CATT said, it depends on what they want that day.

 

 

[1984isNOW]

I'm new to jigs, threw'em a bunch the beginning of the season, until the weeds made it impossible.

 

Never got hit on the fall the hop or the bounce, but a slow drag bagged me a few late spring/early summer bass. I got real excited about that, then the weeds came in.

 

All the weeds

 

Every weed

 

I can't let anything make contact with the bottom anywhere I fish, but it's pushed me to use a top water bladed jig (buzzbait) which has been productive up until the last few outings (I think I blew up my own spot haha, not many spots to shore fish around here)

 

But I'm sold on the jig when the waters clear up towards the fall, at least i hope they produce for me.

[Catt]

If it ain't broken quit trying to fix it!

 

It doesn't matter what lure you're throwing, when you get bit, stop & examine what you were doing when the bass bit.

 

Repeat that retrieve ?

[JayMac89]

Thanks guys. 

 

I do tend to belive I'm getting the bass attention with the slow hops and then trigger a strike when it takes off. It's working fairly consistently, i dig it. I like the versatility. What iv noticed was i wouldn't get any bites with a swim jig or chatterbait or crank on the days iv had success with the hop hop swim with the casting jig. So i do tend to belive there's somthing to what I'm doing on those days. Just never heard of that as a technique so found it strange. Heard of hopping. Heard of swimming. The way they bite immediately after starting the swim back has me a bit baffled that iv never heard of anyone combining both techniques into one. 

[Catt]

6 minutes ago, JayMac89 said:

iv never heard of anyone combining both techniques into one

 

Where ya think the "swim" jig technique came from. Someone somewhere was dragging or hopping a jig, reeled up to make another cast, & got bit. Repeated that retrieve & got bit again.

 

Now we got an entire selection of jigs, rods, & reels. 

[papajoe222]

You'll find that at any given time, bass will bite a vertical presentation over a horizontal one and the opposite is also true.  That is one of the many attributes of a jig. Without changing baits, you can alternate between the two and as you've discovered, you can do it on the same cast. That's one reason I always have a jig tied on.

Read that first line again as it applies to other baits, too.  If a crank or spinnerbait isn't producing and you know there are fish present, switch to a vertical presentation. 

[GRiver]

I’ve seen that happen, I was bouncing a worm next to 4-5 bass laying together. They would watch it, follow it, when I went to retrieve it for another cast one made a mad dash and hit my bait. 
My theory is, now mind you, it doesn’t make it right.  
You’re bouncing along your bait, they seen it, watch it, are interested but something doesn’t tickle their fancy.
But….. when you start your steady retrieve they, the fish, think it’s going to get away and triggers a reactionary strike.
      I guess it appeals to them but not quite good enough. When they think they are going to completely miss out on the opportunity they say “What the heck just eat it”.

Anyway…… that my thoughts on it, like I said doesn’t mean it right.