Will Texas rigs work in place of jigs most of the time??

[The Rooster]

In my head I can't see much difference between how a T-rig works vs. a jig.  I've never really got into jigs much but I use T-rigs nearly everytime I go fishing.  Do I even need jigs at all??

[Jeff H]

In my opinion, yes you do. They are my 1-2 punch on deep structures. I always start with my 1/2 oz jig, if they don't want that, 9 times out of 10 they WILL take the worm. Other days it is exactly opposite and they will pound the jig all day. If I HAD to choose between them, I'd go with the worm.

When they quit hitting either I can usually pull a few more from each spot with a Producto 3" or 4" Mullet on a light Gopher Mushroom head. This bait is also killer on a Drop Shot rig. This bait has become my "spot mop".

My approach varies with weather though, sometimes I start with jerkbaits and traps if I think the fish are "up". but when it comes to bottom bouncing those "spot on the spot" areas I always start with my proven 1-2 approach.

Anyway, what you are covering with the 2 is options in profile, you gotta be able to offer both.

[The Rooster]

I don't feel like I understand them though.  When I fish a T-rig, sometimes it's a worm and then I could see there's a difference in that and a jig, but sometimes I fish a T-rig with a craw bait instead and then it seems as if it would be the same as a jig with a craw bait so if the T-rig didn't work then why would a jig in that situation??

By the way, what is a T-rigged worm supposed to be mimmicking??  I've never seen nightcrawlers swimming around on the bottom of a lake.    

[Big-O]

Hey Rooster, No need to ever tie on a jig'n'craw EVER. They aint no good and they don't catch fish anyway. Waste of time, money and energy....

And just imagine how much lighter your gear will be when you don't have a couple hundred of those heavy toten, no fish catchin, time wastin, stump hangin, line breakin and have ya cussin kinda baits to drag around.

I hate'em and if you can convince all of your friends of the same, then please gather'em all up and send them to me....I want to melt'em all down and make an anchor out of'em.  I'll pay the freight    

Big O

[Big-O]

Now just in case you didn't take my above advice in which I would really like for you to seriously consider....the following was info I posted for another member the other day that is also interested in getting more effecient with fishing those nasty ole Jigs.

Time and patience is all it takes to catch fish and gain confidence with jig fishing. My best advice from the beginning is:

1) Stay shallow in 8ft or less.

2) Stay light on the weight of your line 12 lb or so, and jig maybe 1/4 oz. max

3) Stay out of the wind as much as possible so you can concentrate on your technique.

4) Stay slow on your hops, twitches and drags and maintain contact with the bottom, fish them much like Tx rigged worms.

5) STAY WITH IT.

Last but not least, it is extremely helpful to use a trailer that provides great action to your jig in every situation whether it is on the fall, with the slightest movement of your rod tip or on a swimming retrieve.

I guess you can figure out which trailer I would advise...

Hope this helps you

Big O

[Catt]

A Texas Rig is no substitute for jig & a jig is no substitute for a jig  

Different profiles

Different Rate of fall

[basspimple]

both have  ther own niche. even though both are mostly bottom contact techniques(a loose statement) they both alure fish in very different ways. for ex, jigs are ultimate crawfish imitators, and i believe most fish will bite a jig with the intention of eating it. a worm on the other hand, doesnt exactly imitate anything, but apeals to a basses senses it lots of ways, and just looks like somthing alive. just my 2 bits.

-j

[The Rooster]

Does anyone ever fish a jig WITHOUT a trailer at all??  Just straight out of the package??  

I do have some good trailers to put on, some that will put a lot of action out.  The Net Bait baby paca craw.  That thing thumps pretty good when you reel it in, that was my experience when I was T-rigging them the other day.  

[Jeff H]

Can't say I ever have, but you could if you wanted to I guess.  I never will.  Part of the fun of jig fishing is dressing 'em up.

Maybe you want to try crossing the 2 baits.  Get some worm weights you can stick a jig skirt on (Thunder Bullets makes some) and T-rig a craw worm or trailer of your choice.  

[bigfruits]

though i fish them very similarly, i believe they are very different baits. like big-o said, start with 1/4oz in shallow water. ive caught bass smaller than my hand all the way up to a 6.5 lber on finesse jigs in shallow water. by far my favorite bait. might not be as productive as a senko (in certain conditions ofcourse), but very fun to use.

[Catt]

I think you're problem is mindset not lure choice  

Until you start catching bass on a jig you will cuss them as being the most nonproductive lures made but once you learn the jig you'll have a hard time putting it down. The most difficult part of jig fishing is distinguishing what is a bite and what is not. Even for a experienced Texas Rig angler it can be hard; been there done that and didn't get the T-shirt.

With the jig the bass will simply flare its gills causing a vacuum which moves water and your bait into their mouth. With this type of bite there is very little if any line movement thereby not much is transmitted to your rod tip.

The art of feeling the jig bite is a fine combination of watching your line and feeling for unnatural sensations of what your bait shouldn't feel like. Some times you will feel that classic Tap, some times you'll only see line movement, some times your line will simply go slack, but some times there will only be a feeling of heaviness that is almost like your line will not move. The bites where the bass moves after inhaling you bait are the easy ones to feel because there is line movement, the bites where the bass simply inhales your bait and just sits there are the hardest to feel. Feeling the 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 to the jig angler it makes total sense.

[George Welcome]

Totally different baits with totally different applications. Your analogy of similarity is akin to saying that channel lock pliers are the same as needle nose pliers, are the same as vise grips.

[Muddy]

Hey Rooster listen to Catt; He and LBH walked me through the jig learning process. After months of futility, I would not think of being out on the boat without at least one jig tied on, if fact most of my fishing this year was done with a jig.

Catt sent me an in between kind of rig that bridged teh T rig with a jig, but in the end just going out and fishing JUST A Jig was what did it for me

LINE WATCHING IS ESSENTIAL, if your line does anything weird, set the hook, after a while you just get the hang of identifying a bite. I caught a lot of good fish this year and I am willing to bet I did not detect nearly every bite I could have, still Learning!

[tyrius.]

In my head I can't see much difference between how a T-rig works vs. a jig. I've never really got into jigs much but I use T-rigs nearly everytime I go fishing. Do I even need jigs at all??

I used to only use t-rigs too.  Then I learned how to fish a jig this year and have caught much larger fish on average.  Now, I go to the jig first and then to the t-rig if they don't want the jig.

The jig and the t-rig are completely different though.  Even a t-rigged craw is different than a jig.  If you like your t-rigged craws, then use those as jig trailers for a big bait to target the big fish.  

[Wayne P.]

The only difference between the two is the weight. The weight is attached to the hook on a jig and the weight on a Tx rig is not. The dressing on the hook can be the same or different. Both can be fished in the same manner-swimming or bottom bouncing. Both can be heavy or light. A pegged weight Tx rig is a jig.

[Catt]

Sorry Wayne but if the bass are on a jig bite & you're throwing pegged Texas Rig you aint getting bite.

[Wayne P.]

Catt, if you have a plain jig head with a Yammy skirted grub on it and a pegged Tx rig with the same grub on it, you got the same lure. A jig is a jig, is a jig, no matter how its constructed.

[tyrius.]

Catt, if you have a plain jig head with a Yammy skirted grub on it and a pegged Tx rig with the same grub on it, you got the same lure. A jig is a jig, is a jig, no matter how its constructed.

I would wager that the OP is talking about the skirted bass jig and not a plain jighead.  A plain jighead and a pegged T-rig are basically the same.  Neither of those are the same as a jig with a skirt and a trailer though.

[Wayne P.]

Trius, you may be right, I didn't narrowly interpret his question to be comparing a rubber or silicone skirted jig to a Tx rigged plastic worm.

[The Rooster]

Mostly what I meant was bottom bouncing lures, but when I say jig, generally what I'm referring to is the skirted jigs with the fiber weed guard.

SO.......are jigs a year round bait?? Is it too late for me to start learning them this season??  Generally in mid October I'm done fishing for the year but this year I thought I'd keep at it right on through and see what happens.  I would rather be out there cold and catching nothing than sitting home warm and wishing I was fishing.  

[Wayne P.]

Not only is that type of jig a year round lure, its one of the few lure types that are.

[MichBassMan]

Although very similar they are two differant tools. For me perhaps the biggest difference is the placment of the hook eye in relation to the rest of the bait. Jigs fall more horizontal and tend to "hop" much better than a T rig. On most days the fish will prefer one over the other. Will Texas rigs work in place of jigs some of the time?? YES. Will they work "as good"  MOST of the time??  NO.

[OK Bass Hunter]

IMHO Texas rigs will never come close to the versatility of a jig. A jig is one of those go to baits that every fisherman, not just bass fisherman, needs to get comfortable with.

My first introduction to bass fishing was with a jig. There's not much you can't do with a jig except top water. You can drag it, hop it , swim it, jig it, bounce it off cover through cover. You can work it fast, slow, steady, erratic and anyway you want. You just have to get comfortable fishing it, and the only way to do that is with practice, practice, practice.

[MichBassMan]

Here in Michigan I fish them from spring all the way  untill the lakes freeze in the fall.

[Catt]

Plastic Worm (Texas rigged)

It's a long, thin shape resembles the profile of a wide variety of forage in the world of the bass, including earthworms, snakes, eels, and baitfish. Its action is almost entirely dependent on the contours of the bottom; and the rod movements of the fisherman, making it very random. It moves with little noise; the noise that it does make comes mostly from the random clicking of the sinker as it hits bottom. Bright colors and larger size can be used to increase its attracting qualities. Because of its basic resemblance to a wide array of living forage, this lure presents very few negative cues, and is hard for big bass to learn not to hit. (Doug Hannon)

Studies have proven that the plastic worm is the only lure made that a BASS CANNOT REMEMBER!

That is, a bass will continue to strike a worm even after repeated catches, whereas a bass will "turn off" to other lures, spinner baits and crank baits etc. after wearing them out on them. That's why you cannot continue to catch them on your honey hole with the same lure over and over. Bass will stop eating that which will eradicate them. Not true with the plastic worm, however. Although we all know bass will prefer a different bait at different times (i.e. "the pattern") you can always go back to the worm to catch them.

With today's wide array of plastic baits one would be wise to replace the word worm with one of the numerous plastic baits available on today's market.