Help Using A Bass Jig

[90x]

I have bas jigs. I have a Stacey king kit with jigs and trailers. I have tied these lures on and have fished structure. I have given them a chance to be fished so many times. I have never had one strike.

I am usually casting the bait out and hopping it slowly on the bottom. I have read numerous articles about these baits and still cannot figure out why they are not producing.

Can anyone offer a few tips or even what type of structure to fish?

-appreciate any help

[slomoe]

Pitch it to cover and watch your line. After your first fish you'll gain confidence. Good luck  

[90x]

I forgot to mention one important thing:

whenever I attempt to skip under docks, I always get a backlash. Is there a way that i could prevent it. I have my spool knob set. still don't see what the problem is. (Baitcaster-Tourney Special setup).

[Georgia Jeff]

Put them down and fish a weighted worm instead.  Throw the worm to the same spot with the same motion and you will get bit.  I have tried to fish a jig repeatedly and hardly ever get bit.  When the fish are bitting every other cast sometimes I will throw on a jig to get some confidence in them.  Then I am lucky to get a bite every 10 minutes.

I quit worrying about what was supposed to work and went with what did!

[Siebert Outdoors]

Probably need to slow down.

[Copen1822]

Learning to fish a jig can be one of the most frustrating things to learn, I know it took me a while. If you really want to learn, commit yourself to only fishing a jig for a few trips. I can tell you that after you catch your first one it seems to "click" and may become one of your favorite techniques. Try hopping it slowly, or jerking it up hard and letting it fall, or just dragging it across the bottom, or pitching it to cover. Any of these will catch fish. It'll be worth your time.  

[Hatty]

Can someone explain how to set the hook, specifically for a swimming jig?

hatty

[Catt]

The art of feeling a 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 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 jig angler it makes total sense.

Maintain contact with your lure at all times, allow the lure to free-fall unrestricted, but without letting slack form in the line; follow your lures down with your rod tip.

Pay close attention to the depth you're fishing, any sudden change in the amount of line you're using could mean you've been bit. For instance, if you're fishing 6 feet of water and the lure suddenly stops at the 3 depth, it's possible a bass has taken the bait. If you're fishing 3 feet of water and 6 feet of line sinks beneath the mat, chances are good a bass is traveling with the bait. This is extremely true on the initial drop and no line movement maybe noticed.

Learn to weigh your bait!

Explanation: if you can go to a swimming pool, pond, or creek any where with clear water where you can see your bait on the bottom in 5 to 10 of water. First pitch your bait about 10 to 15 yards on the ground, close your eyes a shake or hop the bait. Feel what the bait feels like in no water (I mean really learn it). Then pitch it out in the water and do the same thing. I can feel the thump of a ¼ ounce jig as it hits bottom in 15 to 18 foot of water. If you can't you need practice!

Now you are probably asking yourself what does this have to do with feeling a fish bite. Well if your bait feels any thing different that this, drop the rod, reel the slack, & set the hook!    

[roadwarrior]

I keep this in "My Favorites"

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1189609782

8-)

[Stasher1]

I bought that same jig kit over a year ago and wound up tossing most of the jigs and keeping the trailers. The weedguards are so stiff and stick up at such a strange angle, there's almost no way to actually get the hook to penetrate a fish's lip. Yours might be better than the ones in my kit, but I'd suggest buying a couple other brands before you give up on jigs entirely.

If you have to buy BPS jigs, I'd suggest their Enticer jigs. Not the best I've found, but pretty good for the money.

[fishfordollars]

Put them down and fish a weighted worm instead. Throw the worm to the same spot with the same motion and you will get bit. I have tried to fish a jig repeatedly and hardly ever get bit. When the fish are bitting every other cast sometimes I will throw on a jig to get some confidence in them. Then I am lucky to get a bite every 10 minutes.

I quit worrying about what was supposed to work and went with what did!

A jig is not about the number of bites you get. It's the quality. To fish a jig you have to commit yourself to five bites a day. If you can get the five bites they generally will kill any other five you weigh on another lure. There are always exceptions, but if I can get them going on a jig I will keep it in my hand all day.

Down here if you go out and catch twenty 2 1/2 pounders you still only have 12 1/2 pounds to weigh. Many times three good jig bites will weigh 14-17 lbs. I would much rather give myself a chance with the jig.

[fishfordollars]

I have bas jigs. I have a Stacey king kit with jigs and trailers. I have tied these lures on and have fished structure. I have given them a chance to be fished so many times. I have never had one strike.

I am usually casting the bait out and hopping it slowly on the bottom. I have read numerous articles about these baits and still cannot figure out why they are not producing.

Can anyone offer a few tips or even what type of structure to fish?

-appreciate any help

Well you have failed to note in your avatar where you are located. How do you expect any of us to answer a question without knowing where you are?

[Pitchinkid]

A stacey King jig is a big jig. Not going to get bit a whole bunch, but when you do, it will be a good one.Try starting out with a smaller jig with a small trailer. Strike king Bitsy Bugs and Eakins jigs with small Zoom swimming chunks or 3" Powerbait Chigger Craw as your trailers.Ive always done well with Green Pumpkin and Black/blue. Smaller jig you will get alot more bites. Some smaller fish but something you can build confidence in. Shake it, drag it, hop it, swim it, just let the fish tell you what it wants.  Hope this helps

[idahobass1]

I had that problem at first as well. Was throwing alot of different jigs. Was recommended to try a light weight spider jig so it would have better feel. Also went with a craw chunk trailer to match the lake we were fishing for the day.  Started using Kaotik jigs 1/4 oz with wide gap hooks and the bites are alot easier to feel.

Also went to 12 lb line for a little better feel as well. Too much lighter and it seems to break easy when setting the hook.

[rfrazier]

Slowing down is what got me started. Just let it sit there for a while.

[Catt]

My students have little problem when it comes to buying a jig because they love the glitz & glamour.

Where they fail is determining when to use a jig and what a jig bite feels like

[RobbyZ5001]

Jigs are something you just need to put your time into. I fish it as much as I can, because I know they catch fish. Last year I averaged a 3lb fish on my jig bites. This year so far I caught one fish on a jig, and it weighed over 6 lbs. Just put your time in, and it will pay off big time later. I still am not amazing with a jig, but I am getting there.

[Catt]

Another major mistake my students make when it comes to jigs is they will only flip or pitch it in shallow water; casting a jig in deep water is just a productive as a Texas Rig or Carolina Rig.

When working any structure I will not leave until I have thrown a Texas Rig and a Jig-N-Craw

[adclem]

I too am learning to fish jigs for the first time this year. So far no bites no fsh and I am very frustrated! I have read the articles on here and on other forums.

I got some of the new Image Jigs and Poison jigs from Gman. Got them in blue/black and black/brown/amber in 3/8oz size. I also got some Chompers 3/8oz football jigs in similar colors.

I am using some Chompers skirted grubs and jig trailers and some Yum Gonzo Grubs and Twintail Grubs.

In 4 and 5 inch sizes.

Should I be using smaller jigs?

Should I be using different trailers? If so what kind?

Best way to rig a trailer to the jig? I hear super glue? But mainly do you run the hook all the way through the body or just how? Pics would be wonderful?

By the way I have very little patience, so I am working on patience and fishing slowly.

I am in the Kansas City, MO area and am fishing mainly some private ponds. The water levels are very good and the water is pretty stained and slightly on the muddy side. Water temps are in the 50s range, maybe a little lower.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

[SoFlaBassAddict]

I keep this in "My Favorites"

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1189609782

Added to my favorites also.  Thats a really nice, informative post in the thread by Joe.  A few of the other posts in there are filled with some great tidbits as well.  Nice read.

[Muad Dib]

i didnt have any luck on jigs bigger than 1/16oz jigs. caught a bunch of dinks and a few lbers . then i started getting into the 3/8 oz sizes. i have a swim jig that i was useing the past few days and had to really cut down on the weed gaurd cause i set the hook(or think i did) and two heads shakes and the fish was gone. i felt it was best to use the jig by DOCKS. my suggestion cut down the weed gaurd and find some docks. i found they were on a pattern of docks at 3 feet of water. missed a 5lber two 3lbers cuaght a 2 and half and a 4 and a half. give docks a shot!.

Trage

[SoFlaBassAddict]

After going out for a few hours, I realized how aggravating jigs are for me in my lake.  Mind you, I'm not hurling jigs with the specialized heads on them (1/4 oz strike king bitsy bugs w/trailers).  It seems like nearly every time I retrieve a jig I'm getting hung up on the ledges close to my shoreline.  I probably need to pick up some of those arkey style jigs and try those out some.  Just frustrating the heck out of me because I'm about 85% sure that the bass in my lake are hiding down in the depths right now and I can't really reach them easily.  And I don't have the excessive patience needed to use a c-rigged bait enough.

[Menifee]

The number one rule for new jig fisherman is CONFIDENCE. If you do not have confidence in a bait, you will not fish it as hard or thoroughly. To many times people will fish it for 3 or 4 casts and give up on it because they didn't get bit and go right back to the worm. I was one of them. It took me the better part of a year to fully get comfortable and confident in a jig. Several trips I would only take a couple rods, all set up with only jigs. I forced myself to learn to fish them if I wanted to get a bite. I started catching some fish. Then one day in the fall everything kinda clicked. I was fishing a white jig with a curly twin tail trailer and swimming it around docks. I caught about 25 fish with 9 fish over 6lbs. Getting so many bites made me realize that there are a lot of bites that you don't feel anything. Only slack line. It turned me into a line watcher and raised my confidence through the roof. Now I am every bit as confident fishing a jig as I am a worm. Year round.