Pitching Bitsy Jigs

[JCrzy4Bass]

Hey guys. I've been using these jigs exclusively alongside of jig-x jigs (which I can no longer afford right now, at least in bulk). I throw them with either Yum Chunks or Jig X Trailers.  However I really have a below par jig game and have only caught one fish off of them. The rod I'm using and line (Suffix High Performance 30lb) has excellent feel and is awesome for plastics so I have decided to try throwing jigs again and really dedicating some time to learning them.

My buddy a couple days ago was kind enough to teach me the pitching and flipping technique which honestly doesn't seem too terribly difficult. However I'm sure it's gonna take years of practice to get pin point accuracy. But I was successfully pitching worms and other plastics the other day under overhanging tree branches full of leaves, under some cut banks that were quite elevated (not tough ones), and next to some laydowns.

My question to you is I'm gonna spend an hour or two Saturday on the water working on this technique. The lake I'm going to has a couple isolated docks that we are going to try, some stickups, a couple nice drop banks, a TON of grass, and some overhangs that I can remember. What would be the best area and or spot to start working the jig for a beginning pitcher?

Of course I will be going to it later in the day after the topwater is over, I try location baits and reaction type baits. The other question is my buddy also said if you don't get a bite after the fall and or after popping or hopping it a couple times in that spot, reel in and try another spot (at least that's his style). How long do you recommend working the jig on each particular cast and how hard/soft do you recommend popping it and so forth? Lastly, when working grass how do I differentiate bites from just movement through the grass?

[boomdigity]

When jig fishing I usaually hop it and pop it a couple times and retrieve it. When working through the grass I use flouro and set the hook on anything that feels diffrent.

[Evan Pease]

Sounds like a good place to use a jig, then again I throw one whereever Im at. Also remember that hooksets doesnt cost you anything but loosing fish does.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Hey Peasey, where is Abingdon in relation to Northern Va, say like Woodbridge/Manassas?  Where did you catch that hog in your avatar dude?  That's a nice fish!  On a jig?!?!?  

That's my philosophy too Peasey, swings are free.  Do it all the time with spinners and or other single hook lures.

[Evan Pease]

Abingdon is probably 6-8 hours from manasas. Its sort of close to ronoake. That bass came out of a 300 acre lake called Big Cherry. It hit a 1/2oz ProModel rattlin jig in Black/Blue. I caught this one a few minutes before on the same lure.

[JigNBig]

For grass, i like to you 65lb braid and a swimming jig unless you are fishing matted grass.

The stick ups and over hangs i would use the bitsy bugs on 10 or 12 lb fluorocarbon and make repeated casts to each one before you move on.

[Brian_Reeves]

If you are pitching to a target and that target is the only thing there (IE: a lone tree on a flat), then I'll retrieve after I hop it away from the tree a few times.  If the area is loaded with grass, rocks, timber...whatever...then I'll SLOWLY reel it back, keeping the jig a few inches off of the bottem and occasionally letting it hit the bottem, kicking up mud.  If I hit a tree or some other thing under the water, I'll kill the jig and hop it through the cover.  Most of the time, my jig is moving.  This technique is pretty fast and efficient and have accounted for most of my jig fish.

For starting out with jigs, you might wanna try the Strike King Bitsy Bug.  It's a 1/4oz jig that has pretty good skirt colors and a decent, but small hook.  You'll have to play the fish some if he's big.  Use your buddy's technique or my little slow swimming method in 10ft or less water.  That should get ya bit.  My favorite colors emulate sunfish.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Brian, thanks for the in depth info.  I will give it a shot tommorrow and let you know how it works out.  I bought a few bitsy bugs the other week too so I will give them a try.  What trailers do you like for the bugs?

[Bankbeater]

You might also try dead sticking it for about 15 seconds or so and then giving it a slight hop. I like to do this in timber and along weed lines. Sometimes they will follow it and hit it right at the boat.

[Big-O]

Hey Crzy, You're on the right track and getting good info all around. Just be patient with yourself and the fish until both of you figure out what is going on. First stay with some basic green pumpkin color schemes as that is a favorite all around color everywhere. Concentrate on staying in contact with the bottom, this will slow you down and also try to visualize what your bait is doing when you make short hops and drags. With this type of constant vigil on the jig presentation, you will not only feel the fish bite better but more importantly you will understand, "why the fish bit" better. On trailers, I want some type of swim or flapping action even with minimal movement of the rod tip because it has been proven that the slightest flip of the jig or swimming action of the trailer can generate the strike from a finicky fish.

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[skillet]

When you get to recognizing what most things feel like on the bottom, if you get to something that will let you pull the jig up and the let it flutter back down several times, have caught a number of fish doing this. I like black and blue, black and black or brown and orange with grn. pumkin trailer. Hope this helps ...

                           As Ever,

                            skillet

[JCrzy4Bass]

Good stuff guys.  Guess what?  Over one year fishing a jig, one fish to show.  This weekend Saturday - Today I had two outings.  Caught three bass on jigs.  I think my whole problem was lousy and small trailers that weren't drawing the fish in.

Two of these fish were caught off of a Booyah Baby Boo Jig in green pumpkin with a Yum Wooly Bug Trailer in Pumpkin color.  The other fish was caught on a Strike King Bitsy Bug Jig in Cajun Craw with an Uncle Josh Pork Trailer in brown color.

The first fish came on Saturday by pitching under an overhanging brush on a tapering ledge going into submerged grass.  After the pitch I let it sink down and hopped it twice through the top of the submerged grass and I got two solid tugs.  I landed a small fish at about 3/4lb.

The second two came using a quick hopping, swimming method on the bottom.  I was basically letting it sink and then hopping it along rocks and away from timber I was tossing too very quickly.  The first fish came as I approached a lay down I was standing next to and went for about the same as the first fish.  The other fish was a small keeper caught off of a fallen log at the end of a cove and went for 1lb 4oz.  Hit after the third hop away from the log.

So I think I'm developing a certain style of jig fishing that works for me.  While I can make the presentation (working on accuracy) as far as pitching to overhangs, brush, so forth... I can also swim/hop a jig fairly quickly away from cover and nab some fish using my run and gun appraoch.  So I'm pretty excited to add this to my arsenal and needless to say will be picking up some more Boo Yah jigs and Wooly Bug trailers to use in the future.  The action on those trailers and Uncle Josh Pork is so natural and it adds bulk to the jig allowing for a slower fall and a more enticing action.

Thanks to all those who helped me with my jig problem and got me on track.  This pitching method and the action I have added to some of my jigs have helped me add another powerful and different presentation to my fishing.