feeling the bite on a jig

[bassman1976]

new to jigs i was just wondering if it was a tap tap or just felt like you were hungup

[Nick]

It can feel about like anything different from just water. With practice you'll get better and better with the feel. When the fish are really "on"  the jig usually a dull thud is felt.  That's the jig being sucked in and adjusted in the maw of a bass.  That's why people don't wait to set the hook on a jig. If a good bass sucks it in, it's all in one motion, and now it's time to set the hook. The most vicious strikes I get are when I go north and fish around the plentiful grass/weeds around docks. Those northern bass have a bad attitude.  They really crush the jig.  Often here in the Ozarks they bite a football jig pretty hard, although occasionally a slight tick -tick that I think is a bluegill turns out to be a solid 4 pounder.  You can develop your feel by casting to shallow water and watching the jig slide across slick bottom, gravel, rock, weeds etc.  By looking and feeling at the same time, you'll develop your sense of feel.

Use a quality graphite rod in medium heavy action, flourocarbon line, and keep your rod tip pointed nearly straight up to increase feel. Many keep their fingers on the line also just ahead of the reel.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

The jig bite might be the toughest of all to detect.  Sometimes it just a tap, sometimes it's a tap tap, sometimes you won't feel it at all (just see your line swimming off), sometimes it will feel like you are caught up in alot of grass, and then sometimes you better be holding onto to your rod good.   The absolute toughest is when you don't feel it and they swim towards you.  That seems to happen quite a bit too.  Biggest thing is to ALWAYS keep contact with your jig and know what your should be doing under water.  If something feels fishy .... IT IS.  It's a fish!!!!! ;D  Reel up the slack line and let er; rip.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Well I am in the same boat as you so to speak. I will fish the ways I have confidence in already this season( IF IT EVER STOPS &%#@*&SNOWING), but my goal is to spend a lot of time learning how ot jig. I have read most of the articles in the article section I think, like so many other things in fishing the best way to learn this jigging thing is to ACTUALLY DO IT

 I have a few people I can ask, who are sucessful at this, maybe I can fish with them for hands on knowledge. THE ONLY WAY I LEARN IS FROM DOING> A few years ago I couldnt catch a bass on a worm , now I won't go fishing without them so If I learned wormin I know I can learn jigging

Last year in the fall I caught some jigged fish In a weed flat under 12 of water All of the fish(4 of them) came on the drop. I only felt one hit the other 3 the line was actually moving away and I didnt eben feel the fish!!!!!!

 

[bassman1976]

thanks for all the info imgonna give it a go i learned worms last year do good on spinnerbaits an crainkbaits joined a club we have 12 tornys this year so i figure jig and pig could possibly bring home a win for me

[Guest avid]

I love jig fishing.  It can be very productive, get big bass, and become addictive.

I give advice to new jig fisherman that most folks disagree with, but I did this myself and it works.

When starting jig fishng, I suggest letting the jig fall on a tight line.

This will greatly improve your chance of detecting the strike.

As you start to gain familiarity and confidence you can go to the preferred "semi slack" drop.  This is better because the jig will drop straight down staying in/near the cover and the strike zone.

My belief is that when as a newbie jigger I was following this advice and not detctng the strikes.

I'd rather get fewer strikes that I detect than a dozen that I don't.

Avid has spoken  

[tbone31]

I am fairly new to jig fishing also, there are a couple things a friend of mine tought me, One is put your index finger on the line, this will help you feel the bite. Also next time you go fishing take nothing but pigs and jigs, this will make you learn without the temptation of picking up onther lure.  Happy hunting

[bassman1976]

thanks t-bone yor help was greatly appreciated

[David P]

This is the same thing I've been having a bit of trouble with. I've gotten it down a bit, but still don't have that confidence with it. It takes time to really get used to it, but from what I've seen, it's well worth the time.

[justfishin]

JIgs are my confidence bait. I use them more than anything else and that includes soft plastics. I agree with Avid on this one. If you are new to jig fishing, fish with a tighter line. For me, I always have a finger on my line. I fish a jig on controlled slack. First, 80% of your hits will be on the initial fall. Most of the time it is either a WHACK or THUD feeling, but, then you have the familiar tick, as well. Also, that mushy feeling or the weightless feeling happens too. The more you use a jig the more you will be able to interpret what is going on. Jigs are big fish baits so don't be shy with the hook set. Others disagree in here but, for jigs I use 20lb test and when I set the hook I tend to cross their eyes,lol. Good luck.

[Catt]

If at any time you feel a noticeable tap, tug, line tighten, heaviness, or see line movement.

Without hesitation drop the rod, reel the slack, and set the hook  

[Garnet]

Getting hung up on this touchy feely thing is tough. If you turn it in to a visaul thing success will be easier.

Most  rods don't have soft enough tip for all fishing. You should be able to cast your jig let it fall to the bottom. Then when you pick your bait up a noticeable bend should happen but not to the power point of your rod. All mine are 70/30 so the power point is 1/3 down from the tip.

So if I pick up my bait and can't get this bend thats a fish, if the rod over bends thats a fish.

Then add all the other things decussed and jigs, t-jigs, dropshot, tube jigs become all one.

C-rig are a little different because you dragging bottom.

Garnet

[John J.]

An easy way to determine a bite is to take the jig and cast it in a pond. I learned what to feel for when worm fishing by fishing in a pond. Bass in a pond will HIT ANYTHING! And therefore it will be good practice.

Like the others said. It can be anything from a tap to weight at the end of your line. What I do is get used to the way the jig feels by itself. Getting the basic feeling of a jig alone. And then if anything out of the ordinary from that feeling  is presented then I set the hook.

Always keep this in mind, "When in doubt set the hook!". There are free swings in bass fishing. If you get hung up, oh well, you can get the jig off. But if it was a fish, that when in doubt set hook thing will pay off big!

Usually when I fish a jig, I feel a tap tap or a pull. Sometimes (like in deep water) you can watch your line. If you see your line move off to the left, right, or toward you, you know it is a fish. Also watch for any sudden twitches in your line, that indicates a strike too. I always watch the line and see how fast and how the line goes out when it is sinking. When a jig is slowly sinking by itself, the line dissapears slowly. But for me when a bass hits it or something hits it (fish) I notice the action of the line changes. It will either twitch or increase speed and you can see your entire line moving.

Like I said the best bet is to practice in a pond with plenty of bass abundant. This will give you the feeling and the experience needed when fishing in a lake.

Good luck!  8-)

[G3-Basser]

If you feel a thud or see a twitch while the lure is dropping--SET IT!

If your bait is somewhere it shouldn't be or is moving off to the side--SET IT!

If the bait feels like it has weeds on it--SET IT!

Set early and often and eventually you'll get more savvy as to what is and what isn't a fish.

For goodness sake, don't be afraid to set the hook for fear of losing the bait.  You will lose jigs if you are fishing cover....that's part of the game.

One other thing, I'd use a leader of mono or fluoro if you are fishing jigs in rocks with braided line.  Rocks kill braid.

-J

[flyphisher #]

What Avid and Justfishin said.

Plus....It helps to use a 6'8" to 7' heavy or extra heavy rod. Lighter the better, most light rods like this will also be really sensitive. Also using 30-50 lb braid helps out a lot when your learning. Use heavier jigs too until you get the hang of it, 3/8th is about as light to go while learning. Another thing that helped me is casting the jig out past targets and retrieve it on a tight line. Use them everywhere you would fish soft plastic. just like a T-rig. The rest will come to you by time on the water.

[Cephkiller]

I prefer to keep my rod in the ready postion so dropping and reeling aren't necessary.  If your rod is in the 9 to 10 o'clock position at all times, all you have to do is snap the rod up and the hook is set.

[jomatty]

when i first started fishing jigs the toughest two things for me were understanding that mushy feeling and not setting the hook every time i whacked a branch in a brushpile or laydown.  what helped me with the not setting the hook on the branches was finding some shallow brush near the shore and standing there for awhile not fishing but just dragging my jig through it and paying attention.  with the mushy feeling watching videos of bass eating helped me understand what was happening.  you often see them eat it then you go to move the jig and its just heavy and gives a little.  so hard to describe but clear once you know what your looking for.

the biggest trick to learning jigs imo is to keep one tied on and keep it wet.  pay attention and with time the rest will take care of itself.

matt

[buckdawg]

Awesome topic.  Why I love this site!!!

I saw a couple replies refer to braid.  Is braid or flouro better for jigging because of increased sensitivity?

I'm just getting back into fishing after a 10 year hiatus and even when I did it was minnow/worm under a bobber so I'm soaking this stuff up like a sponge.

[gloomis7]

buckdawg

A jig is my absolute favorite thing to fish with i use mine as a search bait, I flip with it in heavy cover and i throw it on points and ledges and I only use mono. Others may have differing opinions on this but I think mono is as sensitive as you'll need if the fish bite you'll still feel it. Promise. Braid is too much of a hassle when dealing with backlashes and flouro makes a jig fall too fast sometimes so i just stick with BPS Excel 17lb test.

[jomatty]

when you start asking about line your gonna get a lot of different opinions.  here is mine...

you are not gonna beat braid for sensitivity although the line is more visible.  personally i use floro for most jigging unless im in weeds or heavy cover and then it is braid.

[nboucher]

Bassman, you've gotten a ton of advice here, but mine is: DON'T OVERTHINK IT. Just keep your senses sharp while fishing. It ain't brain surgery.

When I started jig fishing, I'd try a jig for fifteen minutes at a time, then just give up. For some reason, more than any other type of lure, jigs just don't feel like they would catch anything to someone first using them. They don't look like a worm or a bluegill; they just don't look real. Then you catch a fish or two on them and your confidence skyrockets. Seems every fish I catch on a jig is hooked beautifully right in the roof of the mouth in textbook fashion. And, yes, on average, the fish I catch on jigs tend to be bigger fish. This will happen to you, too. Just get out there and fish them with your senses of sight and touch in tune with what's happening. Feeling the bite will come naturally over time.