Im puzzled...

[Elite Image Fishing]

A fellow was telling me he was catching tons of spotted bass on high bluff walls here on the Chattahoochee River (Alabama Portion) on a Black and Blue Football Jig. He was telling me this technique has yielded many times for him in many conditions. This got me excited to try it, I have matched his jig and trailer, but no fish. It has to be in my presentation... he would not reveal to me how he was moving/not moving the jig or anything like that. I am relatively new to jig fishing so any info would help, but again high bank, bluff walls, deep water spotted bass. Any clue as to how he is making this happen?

[roadwarrior]

It's probably the weight of the jig

and speed of the fall. Try a 3/8 oz

Evolution e2 jig, brown & black skirt

with a green pumpkin Rage Tail Baby

Craw.

Killer!

8-)

[Hammer 4]

Can we ask how you were fishing the jig...?

[Shane J]

I was curious as to how he has working it, too, but Roadwarrior's suggestion is SPOT ON!!

[Chris]

My guess is the guy was either swimming it or making the bait free swim as it swings back to the boat.

[fishfordollars]

How well do you know him?

Is the source reliable?

Makes no sense that he would not tell you how he is working the jig after he offered the type of location.

Not saying it's so, but it happens all the time. Take what you hear with a grain of salt unless you are sure he is giving out sincere information. JMO.

[Catt]

The rythme at which we work a lure is more important than the lure (brand) itself, without knowing how he is working the jig there is nothing we can offer other than a guess.

[microman]

experiment with different heights and presentations, try different rhythms and speeds, and that guy was probably exaggerating a little to

goodluck

[grimlin]

  Quote

The rythme at which we work a lure is more important than the lure (brand) itself, without knowing how he is working the jig there is nothing we can offer other than a guess.

I agree....

[Elite Image Fishing]

To answer some questions provided here. I tried the following:

1. Letting the bait free fall down the bluff wall .

2. Bottom Bumping

3. Slow/Fast Swim

He is a very reliable source as I have talked with him on several occasions, look through pictures, and talked in depth on a-lot of things. I haven't spoken with the gentleman in quite some time. Also can someone provide me with a suggested way to work the jig back to the boat other than the ones listed. And the size of the jig is almost going to have to be the deal here (at least that is what I'm thinking now).

[Hammer 4]

Take this for what it is..on bluff walls, depending on how steep they are, I try to "walk" my jig down the face, kinda like bottom bumping. Having a trailer such as the one RW suggested helps the jig fall slower, which for me is Good..I also fish my jigs painfully slow, i.e. cast, let it sit for a min. of 30-60 seconds or more, twitch..let it sit, and so on, all the way to the boat. Very seldom do I swim a jig, although I on occasion will slow roll them.

Sometimes I will hop them 2-4 times, maybe 3 or so inches off the bottom. IMHO, try different retrives, hopefully you'll find one that works best. Having said all that, it will also depend onb the fish, if they are active or inactive..ect.

[christopherjake]

Or maybe the fellow was pulling your leg.

[dman]

what is a bluff or bluff wall?

[zach t]

My wife's uncle has been fishing Lake Tuscaloosa for 25 years. A few months ago, I joined him on a weekly tourney. We ended up 2nd out of 30 boats, although he is a normally a top 3 anyway, I did catch the 2nd and 3rd biggest fish of the tourney, only beaten by a 7.5 largmouth that came right off the launch with 15 minutes left. Here is how we did it:

I showed up with my Guntersville technique and baits....bigger the better. He quickly had me down 4 fish to 1, but I wasn't ready to swap to his technique. By mid day, he had me down 10-5, but I had the biggest of our fish from throwing a spinnerbait. However, we needed to cull up the small spot bass, so I swapped to his method.

3/8ts watermellan or blue and black booyah bitsy jigs with critter craw in appropriate colors. He fishes with a light spinner rod combo and 5-8lb test. Go find the bluffs. You need it to go from 0 to 30 feet in about 5 yards. You sit off the bluff about 10 yards. Cast against the bluff and deadstick it as if falls. Ease the tip up and let it fall. When you feel it hit the bottom again, deadstick it another 5-10 seconds. Ease the tip up. Shake. Repeat.

That being said, I added a little Guntersville to the equation. Where as he went with a light spinner gear and 5lb test(water is ultra clear), I used me jig rod and bait cast combo. This is a 6'6'' Med/Hvy, fast with 50lb braid. Add to that an 18'' leader of something ultra clear.

His rig certainly produced, and has for years. But I have fished with him twice and he also losses ALOT of fish(and lures) due to broken lines, and probably from a lack of feel. Once I swapped to his method, I started NAILING them. The braid lets you feel absolutely EVERYTHING.

[Fishes in trees]

I've never fishes in that part of the country, but here in Missouri, football jigs are primarily a dragging technique.  They go through rocks good, not so good on trees or bushes or brush.  Some Arkie head jig or an Eakins jig is much better at dropping & hopping.  Just my opinion.

[Mottfia]

Man I'm way behind on this one but I've got a pretty good idea on what he might be doing. Here on the Alabama those bluff walls can be awesome. With it being a river system and spotted bass, I'm sure that its very current based. The way we work it is by finding those areas on the bluff wall that stick in or out, something that creates an eddie such as a slide in or rock pile. For the most part you'd throw a heavy enough jig to feel bottom but not enough to get down in it too hard. Basically you'd throw that bad boy out there and let the current do the work. Your job is to keep up slack and feel until you hit something. When you do, give the lure a slight pop or pull to ease it over the rock. The lure should slide to the eddie behind the rock where the fish will be at. These fish will usually hit the lure readily as it gets in front of them. The real work to this kind of fishing is finding those key spots because you can't see them. but once you find them you'll typically catch a few quickly if they are there. Good luck, bro

Mottfia