What colors of jigs should I be buying??

[The Rooster]

What colors should I get for jigs??  I'm going to learn jigs for this coming season and I've been buying up a bunch to get me started.  So far I have bought colors that resemble crawfish such as browns and greens in different shades, and even a couple of solid black ones.  But there's a lot of colors out there so I just wondered which ones you use with success.

[Raul]

Any color is fine as long as it is black.

[tyrius.]

Brown/Greens or black

I normally don't care about color, but the fish in my favorite pond don't like black, but I haven't noticed any difference between browns and greens.

[BUCKEYEone]

black is always a great color, but I havent had too many fish shy away from the brown/green/orange combo either

[Pantera61]

Along with black and craw colors, I have found bluegill patterns to be excellent in clear to lightly stained water, especially around the spawn and just after.  Use a smallie beaver in sprayed grass or big texan(?) and you're golden!

[Dorkus]

I have been doing well with watermelon/red and pbj... with jigs color is more a confidence thing... the real deal with any jig is your casting accuracy and concentration (being able to detect bites)

[wagn]

greens, browns and black/blue jigs are my favorites. My choice depends on water color more then anything else.

I think action and trailer type are the 2 most important things.

[Raul]

I think action and trailer type are the 2 most important things.

X2

I put a lot more emphasis on the type of trailer than in the color of the jig, by type I mean in the following order:

1- Shape

2- Size

3 and lastly on the list ---> color

[MichiganFisherman]

Black, Brown, Green, Orange, and White is all you need.  

[bigfruits]

youre good with what you have. until you start swimming the jigs, then you want baitfish colors. buy those with the money made when you sell your crankbaits

[moby bass]

Black, Brown, Green, Orange, and White is all you need.  

I have a few white ones, but I've never used them.  Under what conditions are they good?

[The Rooster]

For trailers I got some Net Bait Paca Chunks in the green pumpkin and the crawfish (amber with orange glitter) colors. It looks just like the Paca Craw but without some of the body behind it, and it's solid instead of hollow like the Paca Craw is. I figured this would stay on the hook better. Plus being shorter than the Paca Craw I thought it would get the hook closer to the end of the bait where it would be more likely to be picked up by the bass. I did pretty good using the Paca Craw T-rigged so I figured these would be good jig trailers too.

I've been looking at the swim jigs also, but haven't bought any yet. I'm still building the arsenal of bottom bouncers. Still need some football heads too for rocks.

I'm really looking forward to learning these jigs.  If I can catch larger fish on average with them then I can see them becoming my favorite lures.  You say it's hard to detect a bite with them?? What does that feel like??  Just a bump, or does the line move off in one direction like it might do with a T-rig??  I've just started using fluorocarbon line so that might help some, and by time I began using these jigs seriously in the next season, I hope to have a couple of Shimano Compre rods to be fishing them on.  Those should be some fairly sensitive rods I believe.

[Jake.]

One must have color for jigs is black and blue. It is the only color I use unless the water is clear.

[Bassboss]

Well right now I only have 3 jigs 2 jigs in green pumpkin, and on in black, the black on has no weed guard. I have not gotten out on the water yet to try them, but I will use them this weekend.

I'll let you know!  

[Brian_Reeves]

My favorite colors for jigs are solid brown, solid green, or solid black.  When I'm pitching to shallows, I use thin skirted jigs.  

For trailers, I almost always use watermelon red and watermelonseed, regardless of skirt color.  Occassionaly I'll be a traditionalist and make sure that I match trailers to skirt color, but I am getting to where contrasting colors is doing better for me than matching.

[Catt]

For the newbie Black-N-Blue & Black Neon

Two of the hardest baits for my students to learn are always the Jig-N-Craw and the Texas Rig; I've came to the conclusion it's because they can't feel the bite. I think in part it's because they have heard for years about that classic tap tap bite associated with both baits and when it never comes they are lost.

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

The art of feeling a worm/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 you're hung on something. 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 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.

[tyrius.]

You say it's hard to detect a bite with them?? What does that feel like?? Just a bump, or does the line move off in one direction like it might do with a T-rig??

The best advice that I can impart is to do a search and read anything that Catt or Brian has posted regarding jig fishing.  Joe S (I think it is) has another really good post somewhere on here).  There's a ton of quality stuff from others too.  

To provide you with my simple answer regarding the bite.  Every single one is different.  It totally depends on how the fish attacks the bait and if it swims away with it.  

You also talked about increasing average size, well this is my first year jig fishing and last year I thought 2 lbers were big, but now they're average and I don't even take pics of them anymore.  I landed an almost 7lber last Sunday on a jig.  She just sucked in the bait.  I went to move the jig and it felt heavy so I set the hook.  Good thing I did too!!!

[The Rooster]

Well, I can do Texas rigs. I've felt that classic tapping before but it's usually a 12" fish or less. They're fun but if I was to ever hook something that measured in actual pounds (plural that is) then I wouldn't know what to do, and I'm sure it won't hit with the classic tapping I feel with the smaller ones.

But anyway, I've fished T-rigs for years and had fairly good success with them.......but in all that time, only one keeper that was 15 inches and he came this passed summer. It didn't "tap" either. Just felt heavy and I saw line moving so I set the hook and there he was.

One good thing, I have a brother-in-law who is experienced in catching fish in the 3 to 4 pound range, and at least one in the 5 pound class, so he can help me learn these jigs. He uses them all the time. Between him and you guys, I should be able to learn and catch a few bass on these by the end of next season.

[booneangler]

i use black and blue in darker colored water mostly at night but i use more natural colors in the day time.

[Catt]

If you are not catching quality bass odds are you aint fishing in the proper location  

Jigs do not guarantee you will catch bigger bass and many times jigs will not catch period; today is October 24th 2008 and I have yet to catch a bass on a jig! Still a Jig-N-Craw is on the deck of my boat 24/7 365 because I'm fully confident the jig bite will come.

[Munkin]

Read what Catt wrote about the bite as it is the best explanation on how they bite.

For colors I recommend solid black and whatever color you have confidence in for soft plastics? You will here black and blue preached and that is what I tried long ago that didn't work. When I was in MO for a school an older gentleman told me to get some Eakins jigs and trailers in the same colors I use for soft plastics. The answer was so simple and it has been on ever since!

Allen

[Pantera61]

quick note regarding a moving line bite, it often indicates the presence of more than one fish in the spot.

[Raul]

The art of feeling a worm/jig bite is a fine combination of watching your line and feeling for unnatural sensations of what your bait shouldn't feel like.

Dang ! couldn 't have said it better  ; I 'm gonna put that "feeling for unnatural sensations" in my vocabulary.

That deserves  

[BirdNestBen]

those ol' stanley jigs I used back in the 80s were great..... black and brown are still the best colors...... biggest bass I ever caught was on a huge 1 ounce black jig--

I'm trying to go new school bought the Bass Pro xps football jig in Blue-berkley chigger craw trailer.......sure looks good... will let you know if I catch any.... haven't got to test em out yet..........

[SimonDM17]

I throw black/blue or black/red, with a matching trailer, in anything except clear water.  Clear water I throw a trimmed-down skirt in black, with a green pumpkin trailer.  

IMO, the size/action of the trailer matters a lot.  Chigger craws have done well for me...I have no confidence in chunks, but I've picked up a couple bass on zoom super chunk jrs.  

I've started throwing baby brush hogs, and they're an awesome trailer...bulkier, but plenty of action.  

I've say the easiest way to start jig fishing is with a MH spinning rod, 15-30 lb braid (I use 30), a 1/4 oz. booyah jig in black/blue or a bitsy flip in black, and a black/blue chigger craw trailer.  Toss it around cover, and you WILL get bit.  

Now, deep football jigs, that's a whole different game...