Jigs for mucky bottoms

[Tucson]

Are jigs effective in shallow mucky bottomed lakes or do they just stir up junky bottom stuff?  I have some 1/4 oz standup jigs, could I just swim them along in 3-6 feet of water without dragging them through the muck?  I'm trying to learn jigs this year, normally fish deep rocky lakes but currently have 5 weeks in Florida in a shallow lake and not sure how to do it.  Thanks for any advice.  

[jomatty]

go as light as you can if you are intent in using a jig.  swimming a jig is another matter and that can work fine but fishing it in a traditional style in the scenario you describe is always frustrating for me.  i much prefer a fat ika which will give the fish something jig like to look at but not stir up the bottom and burrow in as much.  fat ika is one of my top baits for this bottom type.

[squid]

GREAT QUESTION...AND THANKS FOR THAT ANSWER...WE HAVE THOSE SAME KINDA BOTTOMS WHERE I FISH.  THAT IS ONE REASON I DONT THROW A JIG, BUT ALSO GET BEAT OUT BY THOSE WHO DO BUT IN DEEPER WATER.

[Guest avid]

Fishing jigs in the conditions you describe is like throwing rocks in the mud.

I suppose someone will say that there is a particular style jighead that is made for this but in truth I think the fat ika, lightly weighted tubes and/or beaver baits are better choices.

[roadwarrior]

Fishing jigs in the conditions you describe is like throwing rocks in the mud.

I suppose someone will say that there is a particular style jighead that is made for this but in truth I think the fat ika, lightly weighted tubes and/or beaver baits are better choices.

Me, too!

[Brian_Reeves]

In 3-6 ft of water with a mucky bottem, the chances of a bass having enough time to get to the jig before it is eaten by slop is slim.  If it were deeper...like 12-20ft, then I'd say keep trying it.  I'm with avid and roadwarrior.  Senkos and Ikas are probably your best bet to get bass off of a shallow area with a bottem like that.  Don't overlook spinnerbaits though.

[Redtail]

I have the same issue, but want to at least try some jigs as so many people talk about jigs so highly.

I'm going to give them one more try this year using one from critterbait.  It's a 1/4 oz finess jig, but the trailer rides on top instead of behind.  You rig it weedless with what looks like a screw lock hook.

The wbsite is critterbait.com (looks interesting)

Also I'm a big fan of the Fat Ika - the Big Ika is also a good choice in a mucky bottom - it's a liitle longer and not as fat and heavy - other than that it looks the same.

Good Luck!

[Tucson]

Thanks to everyone for the great responses.  This will definitely save me a lot of effort.  

[Guest avid]

I love jig fishing.

It's not a typical florida method because of our shallow weedy lakes, but I still do it whenever I can.

right now the lakes are so low, jigs are pretty much out of the question.

They are alot of fun though.

[jomatty]

jigs are great but like anything there is a time and place.  one more thing i thought of was that if you are intent on fishing a jig in these conditions use a bulky trailer.  something that floats like a 3x chunk would also help some.  i still think that fat ika is gonna be the bet and that is what i would have tied on, although i might swim a jig with a grub a trailer.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Redtail your lake is different.  You have heavy milfoil combined with a pretty strong algae bloom.  The fronds of the milfoil are tough enough but when the algae get on those arms, forget it, muck city.

If we had some more time to hunt, we may have found a different type of bottom.  What is the bottom like in that 20-25 ft section?  Check your graph and see if you can find some hard bottom in there because throwing a jig around that milfoil is pointless.

A chatterbait or swim jig would be your best bet but that's not the type of jigging you are trying to become proficient at.  To learn the jig a little better, hunt out some condusive water.  If you have trouble finding some,....you know where I live

jomatty also makes a good point, I don't know if it's fact or not but in my experiences, go as light as you can get away with whenever you are jigging.  Open water, bank beating, etc, not talking about punching mats or any "specialized" type presentation, just everyday jigging.  My best producer in our lake is an 1/8 oz finesse or grass jig with a full wire hook.

[Guest avid]

LBH makes good sense as usual (especially for a skinny guy from the world famous bass fishing state of Rhode Island)  

but I would not rule out heavy jigs.  There are times when BIG bass will react to a heavier jig because it is sinking quickly.  They don't have time to study it.  Of course this is not a techniques for 2 feet of water with a mud bottom, but your jig box should contain some jigs that will get down quick and provoke reaction bites.

[patbfishing123]

The area that i fish has a muck covered bottom and Do very well with jigs in there..   The key is to go as big as possible with the smallest weight possible.  Bigger profile+lighter weight= slow fall.  But also key in on the structure of the water.  besides a pond or lake with a muck bottom is probably going to be somewhat stained anyway and the fish will being holding relatively close to the structures.  So fish the structures or and points or sandbars.  You should have some pretty good luck.  And the last thing is dont give up.. Jig fishing is very slow and and you have to perservere through the hours of fishing so slow but you will usually get some great results.  BIG Bass like jigs.  When i was younger and just starting into my jig fishing experience I would use a jig for half and hour and not catch a fish.  Its jsut because I was using the wrong one in the wrong area.. Keep fishing it until you find what works best for that body of water.. Good luck

Pat

[Guest avid]

 When i was younger and just starting into my jig fishing experience I would use a jig for half and hour and not catch a fish.  Its jsut because I was using the wrong one in the wrong area.. Keep fishing it until you find what works

this could be said of virtually any lure, but I think it is more true for jigs.

Jigs are so versatile that if the bass are biting anything, sooner or later you can find the right combo of jig/trailer that they will bite.

[patbfishing123]

I agree jig fishing was probably the hardest technique for me to get down.. still havent mastered it.

[Cephkiller]

I'm just guessing here but maybe you could use something really bulky like a double tail Hula Grub threaded onto a 1/4 oz finesse jig with the flaired short skirt surrounding the head (like an Eakins).  I believe the bulky Hula will both add enough weight to aid in the presentation as well as working in conjunction with the finesse style skirt to prevent the jig from digging in, both because it will slow the fall greatly and the large surface area/weight ratio will allow the bait to "float" on top of the muck.

[patbfishing123]

you hit it right on the nose.  I think anyway.  Double tailed hula grubs are virtually the only trailers i use.  Chompers make a great doubletailed hula grub which has a strong garlic scent which will prompt the bass to hold onto the bait longer.