Absolute beginner jig fisherman questions

[RRocket]

2 hours ago, CDMTJager said:

Have a question about trying braid to fluorocarbon for jigs.

Was thinking trying hi-vis yellow 15lb or 20lb Power Pro to 16lb Floro might be a good idea as the hi-vis braid would allow me to see my line move and the braid would transmit strikes better than just straight floro.

Thoughts?

 

Unless any of this was a problem while using a T-Rig, I don't think it will be a problem here.

 

I say fish as you always have and then maybe if there's an issue then consider it? 

[CDMTJager]

17 hours ago, RRocket said:

Unless any of this was a problem while using a T-Rig, I don't think it will be a problem here.

 

I say fish as you always have and then maybe if there's an issue then consider it? 

Thank you for your reply. Will stick with straight FC or Co-poly. I have a LOT of Yo-Zuri 15lb Co-Poly

 

[RipzLipz]

On 2/1/2024 at 2:43 AM, CDMTJager said:

Was thinking trying hi-vis yellow 15lb or 20lb Power Pro to 16lb Floro might be a good idea as the hi-vis braid would allow me to see my line move and the braid would transmit strikes better than just straight floro.

Thoughts?

I am of the opinion…..

 

Watch your line, yes, but learn to feel the bite as that will be a more reliable method of detecting a bite using a jig. Bite sensations vary from a thump, a tick, pressure or a mushy feeling when slowly lifting the rod tip & may not be as easily seen versus felt. You may not feel all bites transmitted through the rod (sensitivity varies). I palm the side of the baitcaster & try to keep my finger & thumb pinching the line or at least finger under the line (in front of reel) to help bite detection. I also prefer to fish a jig with more controlled slack - as little slack as possible so feeling is easier.

 

Also, as @softwateronly pointed out earlier, you won’t want to wait to set the hook using a jig like you might when a fish picks up a T-rig & swims off with it. A jig needs the hook to be driven home immediately. Reel down quickly & set the hook.

 

As a few have already suggested, don’t overthink it too much. You will pick it up fairly quickly as you fish.

[Pat Brown]

Just to offer a yin to the yang/different horses for courses/everyone is different observations to give you some food for thought:

 

I fish jigs a LOT.  I used to ALWAYS miss jig fish.  Like I could get bit.  I could put it in the right places.  I would feel the bite.  Reel the slack out of my line and set the hook hard over my shoulder.  I think I actually caught maybe 20% of the fish that bit and I did like that.

 

What got me closer to 80% over the years IS waiting.  Contrary to popular belief bass will often swim around with a jig in its mouth for a while and you'll get MUCH better hooksets if they're not swimming off with your jig dangling out of their mouth grabbed only by one claw.  This isn't like a lot of waiting.  I just reel down and make sure the fish is there and then set the hook. Another bonus to this is a big fish is probably swimming with it in its mouth AWAY from other big fish who want it.  Setting the hook on a slight delay you might get another big fish out of the laydown rather than pounding the hookset the minute she bites deep in the cover and alerting her bigger smarter friends to fishing pressure.

 

This next part is where I REALLY was also losing a lot of MY fish.

 

On a T rig you reel down quick and hit em hard and fast to get that hook through the plastic and these days I almost have to remind myself it's a t rig and do that because it is maybe the one bait I still set the hook like that.

 

On a jig what I personally recommend after many many many many experiments and fish caught and hooks removed from the roof of the mouth:  a lot of jig bites come on the fall.  A lot of them come on the end of longer casts.

 

I reel the slack out of my line and point my rod down and at the fish *at a moderate pace in case they run suddenly* and as soon as my tip starts to load I firmly and swiftly sweep up and to the side (almost like you see people do on Carolina rigs but with a smidge more oomph) while reeling FAST!

 

When I remember to do it this way I often have to get the pliers out and I use monofilament and sometimes set the hook 50-100 feet from the fish AND I like a more moderate tip so I can really see it load up before the fish feels me there.

 

Also rip holes less in their face.

 

I find that with a jig, you often blow their mouth out or barely penetrate their lips OR rip a hole so big you lose them when you pound them super hard and fast with a stiff rod.  Basically with jigs try to let the rod and reel do more of the work on the hookset and save your strength for the t rig.  YMMV as always!

 

Tight lines.

 

P.S.  the vast majority of my biggest jig fish i see the line swimming out.  You're lucky when they slam into it.  Be a line watcher ALWAYS while jig fishing or you're gonna get frustrated fast.

 

My favorite is when they just open their mouth and your jig doesn't make to the bottom of the laydown and your jig feels like it's in a pile of old underwear or fishing line.  No visual  cues.  No swimming away.  Just the jig feels funny and stops a little early. Yeah that's Nadine.  Set the hook.  😂

[Catt]

There's a length of time that starts when the jig/t-rig enters the bass's mouth & ends when the jig/t-rig exits the bass's mouth. 

 

It's my opinion that where in that time frame you set determines how solid a hookset you get.

 

If you set hook during the first half of this time frame the bass has it solidly in it's mouth. This will result in a solid hookup.

 

If you set hook during the second half of this time frame the bass has already decided to "spit" the jig/t-rig & the mouth is beginning to open. This will result in a poor hookup.

 

This is why I never wait on nuthin!

 

Sometimes we think we "blew" their mouth open, when in reality she simply opened her mouth. 

 

 Feeling a worm/jig bite requires keeping a certain amount of tension on your line while at the same time keeping a certain amount of slackness in your line. To the average angler this makes no sense at all but the worm/jig angler it makes total sense.

[scaleface]

You put the jig, like any other baits, in the right places , it will get bit. Dont sweat the small details. Use the weight you can silently and effectively  put in  cover  the easiest .

[WRB]

Fishing in Indiana the Largemouth bass you have are Northern strain that are far more aggressive striking lures then Florida strain.

When I was teaching a bass angler to fish jigs the lakes chosen had NLMB populations because strike detection is a lot easier. Spotted bass followed by Smallmouth bass are even more aggressive then NLMB but tend to strike trailers with claws by bitting the claws in lieu of engulfing the jig.

With your T-rig experience you have already learned how to time your hook set.

I describe my hook set technique in Horizontal Jigging article In-Fisherman In 1995*. The reel set with firm rod sweep works good when casting a jig over 60’ or more horizontally. Can’t move enough line to load up the rod before hook setting by rod hook setting. 

We all learn our own hook setting techniques from experience, something the OP already has.

My only advice is use jigs with premium sharp hooks and check the point often.

Tom

*PM your email if you want a copy.

[1984isNOW]

On 1/31/2024 at 6:30 PM, CDMTJager said:

ng Zep

All good advice above, I'll just add that I hope this isn't the black and orange KK Zephyr,  because that one is for BFS fishing.

 

If it's the new green one, I'd ask what you think of it haha

[CDMTJager]

On 2/2/2024 at 3:03 AM, Pat Brown said:

Just to offer a yin to the yang/different horses for courses/everyone is different observations to give you some food for thought:

 

I fish jigs a LOT.  I used to ALWAYS miss jig fish.  Like I could get bit.  I could put it in the right places.  I would feel the bite.  Reel the slack out of my line and set the hook hard over my shoulder.  I think I actually caught maybe 20% of the fish that bit and I did like that.

 

What got me closer to 80% over the years IS waiting.  Contrary to popular belief bass will often swim around with a jig in its mouth for a while and you'll get MUCH better hooksets if they're not swimming off with your jig dangling out of their mouth grabbed only by one claw.  This isn't like a lot of waiting.  I just reel down and make sure the fish is there and then set the hook. Another bonus to this is a big fish is probably swimming with it in its mouth AWAY from other big fish who want it.  Setting the hook on a slight delay you might get another big fish out of the laydown rather than pounding the hookset the minute she bites deep in the cover and alerting her bigger smarter friends to fishing pressure.

 

This next part is where I REALLY was also losing a lot of MY fish.

 

On a T rig you reel down quick and hit em hard and fast to get that hook through the plastic and these days I almost have to remind myself it's a t rig and do that because it is maybe the one bait I still set the hook like that.

 

On a jig what I personally recommend after many many many many experiments and fish caught and hooks removed from the roof of the mouth:  a lot of jig bites come on the fall.  A lot of them come on the end of longer casts.

 

I reel the slack out of my line and point my rod down and at the fish *at a moderate pace in case they run suddenly* and as soon as my tip starts to load I firmly and swiftly sweep up and to the side (almost like you see people do on Carolina rigs but with a smidge more oomph) while reeling FAST!

 

When I remember to do it this way I often have to get the pliers out and I use monofilament and sometimes set the hook 50-100 feet from the fish AND I like a more moderate tip so I can really see it load up before the fish feels me there.

 

Also rip holes less in their face.

 

I find that with a jig, you often blow their mouth out or barely penetrate their lips OR rip a hole so big you lose them when you pound them super hard and fast with a stiff rod.  Basically with jigs try to let the rod and reel do more of the work on the hookset and save your strength for the t rig.  YMMV as always!

 

Tight lines.

 

P.S.  the vast majority of my biggest jig fish i see the line swimming out.  You're lucky when they slam into it.  Be a line watcher ALWAYS while jig fishing or you're gonna get frustrated fast.

 

My favorite is when they just open their mouth and your jig doesn't make to the bottom of the laydown and your jig feels like it's in a pile of old underwear or fishing line.  No visual  cues.  No swimming away.  Just the jig feels funny and stops a little early. Yeah that's Nadine.  Set the hook.  😂

Thanks for the tips and advice. One of meny I am printing out for both my sons and I to study and try out.

 

On 2/2/2024 at 2:52 AM, RipzLipz said:

I am of the opinion…..

 

Watch your line, yes, but learn to feel the bite as that will be a more reliable method of detecting a bite using a jig. Bite sensations vary from a thump, a tick, pressure or a mushy feeling when slowly lifting the rod tip & may not be as easily seen versus felt. You may not feel all bites transmitted through the rod (sensitivity varies). I palm the side of the baitcaster & try to keep my finger & thumb pinching the line or at least finger under the line (in front of reel) to help bite detection. I also prefer to fish a jig with more controlled slack - as little slack as possible so feeling is easier.

 

Also, as @softwateronly pointed out earlier, you won’t want to wait to set the hook using a jig like you might when a fish picks up a T-rig & swims off with it. A jig needs the hook to be driven home immediately. Reel down quickly & set the hook.

 

As a few have already suggested, don’t overthink it too much. You will pick it up fairly quickly as you fish.

Than you am printing out all great tips like this.

[RipzLipz]

@CDMTJager No problem. I’m sure you’ll get the timing down on when to set the hook. I encourage experimenting. Not all jigs fish the same & you may need to set the hook a bit later or earlier. Do what’s comfortable to you & if you lose fish, make adjustments on the fly. If you end up having any issues, come back here & post some info & we’ll get it figured out. There are plenty of great people willing to listen & offer suggestions.

 

We’re in the same state - don’t wait too late into the year before getting that jig wet! Those big females can come up to gorge on crayfish much earlier than you might expect for IN. You’re up 2-3 hours north from me I’m guessing, so unsure if you’ve iced out yet. We have but I’m waiting a bit longer to let muddy conditions settle down from ~7-9 days of rainy weather. Get after them with that jig soon - you may hook into a big ‘un. Tight lines bud!