You guys trim down the weed guard on your jigs?

[Bream Master]

Guys,

I've been told that the weed guard sometimes prevents proper hook sets if too thick or long.  I just got my first two jigs in the mail today (Dr. Hook Lures, Mustad ultara hooks) and was just wondering what some of you guys trim down the weed guard.

Also, do I just cast and retrieve or do I jerk the jig vertically?

Thanks.

[Hawgin]

I always trim the weed guard on my jigs so that it just covers the hook point.  If you think the weed guard is to thick, you can also cut out a few of the bristles, but if you plan on fishing heavy cover, or around laydowns (trees, brushpiles, etc.) I would leave the thickness alone.

As for how to fish them, I'm sure you can find dozens of articles and discussions on here about the proper techniques.  However, here is a quick run down:

Cast, pitch, flip the jig as tight to the cover you want to fish, and allow it to fall to the bottom on semi slack line(on tight line the jig will pendelum back to you away from the cover).  Be sure to watch your line as the jig falls for any "bump", "ticks", or unusual movement.  Most of the time bass hit the jig on the initial fall.  Remember if any movement seems strange, hooksets are free.  Once the jig has settled to the bottom let it set for a few seconds, and then you can either hop the jig of the bottom with a quick movement of your rod tip, or you can slowly drag it a few feet along the bottom to imitate a crawfish moving along the bottom.  After you move it a few feet let it sit for a few seconds and repeat.  After you have moved a distance away from the cover reel the jig in, and repeat the entire process.  

Good luck to you, and remember jig fishing is tough at first, but once you get it down it can be very exciting, and will help you land some nice hawgs.  

[dodgeguy]

i never shorten it.that makes it stiffer.i may thin it out.this makes it softer.

[Banor]

I've seen and heard both schools of thought on this and have a question since I'm not a big jig n pig fisherman.   Either way you do this it seems like a catch 22.  I firmly understand and believe that if you trim the weedguard down shorter it makes it even more stiff and in my opinion the end of the fiber guards can redirect a fish's mouth to miss the hook.  On the flip side, keeping them long but thinning them out to make them more flexible would defeat the purpose of the weedguard.  By being more flexible wouldnt it just be more apt to have the fiber guards pushed back by weeds and snag up on the hook?

B

[Siebert Outdoors]

IMO its a make you feel good thing.  if it makes you feel good shorten it. If not dont.  Just my opinion.

BTW I dont shorten mine either.  Like said above I also think its a catch 22.

[Hawgin]

The reason I started shortening mine is because I heard numerous times from guys like Denny Brauer, KVD, Swindle, etc. that is one of the first things you should do.

The explanation I remember standing out to me is that if you leave the weed guard longer, when the fish takes the jig you can miss the hookset because the extra 1/4 inch of guard can cover the hook point, and cause it to slide out of the fishes mouth.  By shortening it, when you hold the jig in your hand and push the weed guard back to the hook you can see how the hook point immediately becomes exposed so it penetrates the fishes mouth.  A longer weed guard can affect the hookset, so that's why I trim mine.   I don't believe the length has any effect on the "firmness", only the thickness of the weedguard affects that.

[Ikaika]

I don't believe the length has any effect on the "firmness", only the thickness of the weedguard affects that.

:-?

The farther away from the pivot point the less force it takes to move something...in this case the jighead is the pivot point.

[RoLo]

1)

If the fiberguard tension feels too stiff, I'll remove some bristles until the tension is acceptable.

If the tension is acceptable out-of-package, I'll leave the weedguard as is.

The worst scenario is a weedguard out-of-package that has inadequate deflection tension.

2)

With regard to deflection pressure, shortening the bristles is probably a wash.

On the one hand, shortened fibers don't have to move as far to get past the point.

But on the other hand, shorter fibers provide less leverage and are therefore stiffer.

Nevertheless, I often shorten the fibers but for an entirely different reason.

After mashing the fiberguard into the hook-point several times, I do not want to feel a sticking point.

Any clash felt between the fiberguard and hook-point only deducts from the hook-setting pressure.

If I feel any raspy clashing, I'll shorten the fibers until they are just shy of reaching the hook-point.

(I've even seen instances where the fibers hung-up on the hook-point, which would prevent a hook-set)

3)

Finally, I'll fan-out the bristles laterally, so they form about a half inch wide fan.

Fanning the fibers distributes the deflection tension over a wider area,

but does not reduce the overall tension. The reason for fanning the fibers is to widen the weedless zone.

The fan causes the lure to deflect or cant to the side, instead of lumbering into a branch or weed stalk.

Roger

[telecaster]

I aint no pro,but if the bristles are really stiff i'll thin the bristles out .  I allways fan them out and trim them in a 1/4 circle to the hook.

[JiggaMan512]

I cut my guards alittle above the hook and make the cut in the same direction the hook is going. Also, i usually thin out the bristles about half or alittle less than half, since i still have minimal confidence in my hookset.

[bubbler]

I thin it and not cut it.

they can be used as a vertical bait and a horizontal bait as well.

Cast to the edge of a drop off and let settle to the bottom and twich rod tip every 10 - 15 seconds.

you can find lots of info on the site about jigs too.

[Catt]

I agree with RoLo's reasoning but also think it's an individual thing; meaning each individual jig is different. I'll flex the weed guard forward, backwards, & side to side before making a decision on if the length it correct. The reason behind the flexing is that most jigs have paint built up where the weed guard enters the lead head; I want this paint broken off.

The diameter of each individual strand is what determines how flexible the over all weed guard will be. If the weed guard is soft then the extra length is acceptable; if the weed guard is stiff then a shorter length is required.

[Brad_Coovert]

I trim my weed guards.  Just a confidence thing.

Brad

[HPBB]

I don't trim them.

I have heard the pros and cons

I have not seen, in personal use, any different in hook ups with the weed gard trimmed or not. So i just leave it the way it is.

I found a jig that I like right out of the box, no mods.  

[Guest avid]

I love trimming jigs.

I cut the skirt down, trim it in a taper with the narrowest point just at the bottom of the hook.

I trim the weedguard back, so it's a little forward of the hook point.  I fan the bristles and see how springy they are.  If needed I will thin out the bristles by cutting some off close to the jighead on the underside of the weedguard.

PS>  I love doing this.  It personalizes the bait for me.

[BD]

I trim them all the time. I also trim the skirt. As a matter of fact, last night I did these.

http://mighty-hero.panicnow.net/Bass/jig1.jpg

http://mighty-hero.panicnow.net/Bass/jig2.jpg

Fishing a jig is a harder, more in depth topic, but basically I keep constant contact with the bottom, fish them slow, and purposely try and find the nastiest cover I can to throw them in

[Other.]

I will trim the weed guard, I can deal with getting snagged once in a while but I cant deal with loosing a bass do to the weed guard.

[nboucher]

I love trimming jigs.

I cut the skirt down, trim it in a taper with the narrowest point just at the bottom of the hook.

I trim the weedguard back, so it's a little forward of the hook point.  I fan the bristles and see how springy they are.  If needed I will thin out the bristles by cutting some off close to the jighead on the underside of the weedguard.

PS>  I love doing this.  It personalizes the bait for me.

You should grow a beard, Avid. Then you can trim to your heart's content.  

[Gorgebassman]

I trim the brushguards on my jigs just slightly at an angle from the inside to the outside of the brush guard making sure that the outer bristles still give the hook point the weedless protection it needs.

[jmik26]

I always trim the weed gaurd on a angle towards the hook. Try it if your missing hook-ups...

[Guest the_muddy_man]

I just give em a Bikini wax

[.ghoti.]

I thin out and fan out the fibers, but don't trim them. And, if I'm going to be swimming the jig, I'll cut the brushgaurd off completely.

Cheers,

GK