Lets get jiggy with it!

[Chris]

When i go jig fishing i have atleast 3 rods rigged ready for action. Two rods rigged with 50 to 65lb spiderwire one rigged with 17 lb mono. One spiderwire rod has a 1/2 oz jig on it with pork or plastic trailer. The other spiderwire rod has a plastic creature bait on it and the mono rod has a lighter jig on it. What do you use when it time to get jiggy with it?

[MKYxD]

Havent yet learned to fish jigs. ....next year  

[njvbass]

Uusally I got my 6'6" st.croix heavy action acompanied by a curado and 8/30 braid rigged with a 1/4 oz-1/2 oz black/blue terminator w/ yum craw trailer 3.5" also black/blue

with yum craw spray. If that doesn't do it their is no fish their.

[duncast48TN]

I have tried what i call flippin & pitching jigs in shallow water around timber but I seem to miss alot of bites. I feel a tap but thats it. I miss the fish. Not too sure about my technique either.

[bquittem]

first of all im only 16 and learned to fish jigs this summer, u have to learn this deadly way of catchin bass. Its now by far my go to method when im in tournaments, jigs are so verstile and bass will never get conditioned to them because they resmeble the crawfish to well. they also catch big bass so well. they arent like some lures that catach alot of fish but mainley small bass. the jig gets the job done day in and day out. But for my favorite setup would have to be my Gloomis 7ft rod with a flueger president high speed reel, with 30 pound power pro or some 17lb original stren depending upon cover. The jig of choice would have to be a 3/8 oz black/blue denny brauer pro model jig with either a 3.5 inch black/red yum crawbug trailer or a yum super chuck black emerald tralier.

[bquittem]

about missing alot of fish

it will happen, when i started it took me a whole weekend of 5 hrs fishing time at least to catch my first bass, all with a jig. the best advice i can give u is get a rod with a very light tip and pay attension to what ur doing because bites can be so subtile that u might not even know. set the hook at every tap, otherwise u will miss them. u have to be quick on ur sets and i reccomend braided line because u get better feel. Other then that u need to get on the water and practice its the only way to get better with the jig. dont give up if u miss alot because if u get good with it its very deadly on big fish.

if u want more help just say so

[Chris]

When you feel the first tap its the fish grabbing it the second is the fish spitting it out. A jig bite is not like a worm! A worm bite they tap it then tap it and you still have them. The first tap on a worm is them grabbing it to stop it the second is the fish inhailing it. A jig is different. They almost always have it on the first tap. If not then you might want to change to something smaller or figure out if the bluegills are messing with you. If you swim a jig the bite is like a worm bite. They tap it to stop it and tap it to inhail it. Be a line watcher most of the bites you never feel or see your line tick. It just moves off or never hits the bottom.

[BassMaster_1]

Why do you all use such heavy line to jig?

[Chris]

In some of the areas where i fish i started off with lighter line and broke off fish...a ton of fish.  I still break 65 lb test but way less often.  I know 65 lb test seems extreme but trust me its needed for the kinds of cover i flip in.

[bquittem]

im with chris the heavy line is good for sure. when u use braid it has more sensitivity and with 30 lb test power pro, which i use, it has a diamater of about 10 lb mono.  it help to yank the lunkers out of the think cover. the only thing u need to watch out for is when the line frays, because when that starts your line is really weak at that spot and u need to retie.

[Chris]

The thing about it if i break off fish i loose money. So if 65 lb test is what i need to hook and horse a fish out then boat flip them if need be. Then thats what i gotta use.

[Chris]

What style jig or jig head do you all use? Why  does that style make it better than others?

[Guest notserp89m]

I almost always have a finnesse jig rigged, usally 3/8. 1/8. or 1/16 ounce jig. They work great for smallmouth and i just think they get more bites. The way i look at it is get your limit then try to get the big fish. Tight Lines

[L.D.]

All of my fishing is done in the North Branch of the Susquehanna River and 99% of the bass we catch are smallmouth . The bottom is all rocks and crayfish is the #1 food source. My go to lure is a tube jig in 1/8oz to 1/4oz, depending on the current in three inch lenght which best resembles the size crayfish there.

I use 10lb Stren Magnathin in moss green color with a 6 1/2ft med. light rod. I tell my fishermen to fish as slow as they can without getting caught in the rocks. Cast up river and bring it down in a natural presitation to keep it in the strike zone longer. The color depends on water clairity and light penetration. Nothing beats a jig in the river.

L.D.

[Chris]

I like and use light jigs in late fall early winter just because of the fall rate of the bait. I also feel that by this time they shy away from larger offerings and a lighter smaller profile jig fits the ticket.

[Nick]

LD,

I spend lots of time guiding and fishing Ozark streams for smallies. Years ago, in the 70's when smallmouth saw their first Arkie rubber legged jig, the bite was unbelievable.     Fast forward 30 years and today we have more ramps, the advent of 50 mph jetboats that can get up and down the river in a heartbeat and  fish that get lots more pressure.  I still get my licks in, but so many of the quality bass have disappeared. Instead on 100 bass days, my numbers are cut about 80%. Instead of an expected 4 pounder daily, I'm down to one about every fifth trip.  I still love it doen here in Missouri, but when I go north to smallie fish, I'm stunned by the quality and numbers.  How is it on your stream?

[Chris]

I know that up here in Illinois populations of smallmouth is high. As far as larger smallmouth they are few. To many people keeping instead of releasing is partly to blame. Also most of the rivers around in my area have dams on them and the water quality is decreasing from what it was. Bitsy jigs are still killers around here along with hair jigs.

[earthworm77]

This depends, I do a lot of light tackle jigging with 1/16oz and 1/8oz jig n pigs with big hooks, I throw these on a Kistler 6-6 M Helium  spinning rod He66MS with a Stradic 2500 and 6lb Yo Zuri Hybrid

For casting I tend to go light also and I normally use 15lb Vanish Fluoro on a Shimano Scorpion 1001 and 7ft M Kistler Helium LTA He70MC rod. This set up can handle 1/8oz and 3/16oz thru 1/2oz jigs comfortably.

[TCG83]

Oh man. Just got my jig confidence this year. Now I’m obsessed. I got a mega bass 7’5” Braillist and love it. I use a Lew’s 7.5:1 reel. But here’s the reel awesomeness. Sunline flippin fluorocarbon. It’s 18LB test and has alternating hi-vis chartreuse, and clear sections. Hi vis so you can see those faint bites, and clear sections to tie too. Love the setup so far. As far as jigs I love Geralds ballin out ball head jigs. 

Wow. Dead thread. Whoops 

[Big Hands]

It's easy to necro-revive a thread if you google something about bass fishing. It will often return links to threads here in bunches.

 

My jig game needs a shot of something. It's next on my bass bucket list of things to get better at. It would seem that plastic worm fishing skills and techniques would be transferrable to jig fishing, but it hasn't been that way for me.

 

Was there a disruption in the FORCE on January 12, 2009?

 

That was the last time visiting for three of the posters on this thread.

[ironbjorn]

3/16 or 1/4 oz Bitsy Bug with a Baby Rage Craw or Baby Menace on a 3 power Dobyns with 10 lb Big Game or Yo-Zuri Hybrid

 

3/8 or 1/2 oz 6th Sense Divine Hybrid with a Rage Craw or Rage Bug on a 5 power Dobyns with 50 lb Power Pro to a 15 lb Big Game or Yo-Zuri Hybrid leader (unless I'm on the banks and then I typically wouldn't carry a 5 power, so I use 3/8 oz on a 4 power with 12 lb Big Game or Yo-Zuri Hybrid)

 

[islandbass]

1 hour ago, Big Hands said:

 

 

Was there a disruption in the FORCE on January 12, 2009?

 

 

A disruption not, my young padawan, but a disturbance it is… yes…a disturbance.  (yoda voice, lol)

********

Dang, it’s not even Easter yet. ??

 

To the OP, congrats. Jigs are still a dumb monkey on my back. Ironically, it’s been nearly 16 and still no jig n trailer like a pig bass yet. Jig and worm? Yes. Feathered jig? Yes. Jig n Pig?  Wah, wah, wah, this piggy had none and cried all the way home. ?

[Hammer 4]

3 hours ago, islandbass said:

A disruption not, my young padawan, but a disturbance it is… yes…a disturbance.  (yoda voice, lol)

********

Dang, it’s not even Easter yet. ??

 

To the OP, congrats. Jigs are still a dumb monkey on my back. Ironically, it’s been nearly 16 and still no jig n trailer like a pig bass yet. Jig and worm? Yes. Feathered jig? Yes. Jig n Pig?  Wah, wah, wah, this piggy had none and cried all the way home. ?

Ummm, the OP hasn't been on here since 2018...;)

[the reel ess]

8 hours ago, Big Hands said:

It's easy to necro-revive a thread if you google something about bass fishing. It will often return links to threads here in bunches.

 

My jig game needs a shot of something. It's next on my bass bucket list of things to get better at. It would seem that plastic worm fishing skills and techniques would be transferrable to jig fishing, but it hasn't been that way for me.

 

Was there a disruption in the FORCE on January 12, 2009?

 

That was the last time visiting for three of the posters on this thread.

It wasn't for me either. I just tied a jig on my rod and never took it off. I fished every piece of wood cover with the jig. I got better. It also allows you to skip, a skill that's not possible with a T rigged worm, unless it's weightless.

[islandbass]

6 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Ummm, the OP hasn't been on here since 2018...;)

Ooops. Right!  I meant the one who resurrected it!