How the heck..

[wack]

do I "detect a strike" when fishing a jig? I've read quite a bit about it but I'm still not sure how. I know with soft plastics you feel the "tap tap", but that hasn't been the case with the jig. I hear you have to watch the line. Does that mean leaving no slack and just watching the where the line meets the water for any movement? Another thing is I fish it near a lot of structure so I can't tell if I'm dragging it over allog or if it's a bite. Any advice?

[Triton21]

If the jig feels different SET THE HOOK[/color}, heavy, mushy, any thing that feels different.

Kelley

[tyrius.]

Another thing is I fish it near a lot of structure so I can't tell if I'm dragging it over allog or if it's a bite. Any advice?

Keep practicing until you CAN tell the difference.  

Until then set the hook A LOT.

[roadwarrior]

If the jig feels different...

99% of the time, when you are "fishing", you are NOT

"catching". Focus all your attention on the weight of the jig &

trailer. Over time you will also develop a "feel" for moss, weeds,

limbs and rocks, but from day one: pay attention to how the bait

feels when you are just "fishing".

8-)

[BrnzeBckStalker]

when i fish jigs i have come to the procedure to keep the line tight when i feel the slight bit of difference at the other end and quickly watch the line to see if it is swimming off in a different direction then set the hook hard and fast. if you are not fast enough A) from the amount of pressure you are putting on the rod for feel could have the bass quickly drop the jig or, he may end up swallowing the jig resulting in a gut hook. so you want to make a quick sense of things and reaction when you feel the slightest bit of difference. IMO it works great for me. hope that helps a bit

[Fishing Rhino]

I prefer to keep the slack out of the line, but with no tension, unless of course I am retrieving the lure.

Many hits will come when you pause.  If you have a belly in the line you might not feel it.  If you feel a second tug right after the first, chances are its a fish.

The other thing I do is move the jig with the pole and then take up the slack, similar to "pumping" a fish.  Cranking with the reel will make the rod dip when the jig bumps an object, making it look, and feel as though a fish has tugged it.

Be patient, focus your attention on how each thing feels.  Eventually you will develop a sixth sense.  

For starters, it doesn't hurt if you try to set the hook for any contact even if it turns out to be a rock or log.  The jig head is what makes contact, not the point of the hook.

You won't be ruining your hook.

[The Outdoorsman]

If you are worried about not "feeling" the bite then you might want to use fluro or braid line.  I personally get the sensation that a bass is hitting my jig hard as if to crush it.  I've been also fortunate to have them take it on the fall and swim away with it so there really wasnt any guess work since my line was going to the side of me.  

[DINK WHISPERER]

The jig bite is very similar to the flippin' bite to me! Most of the time the line just feels mushy, or "alive". Hard to explain really, you just got to get a few to know what i mean!

[Hammer 4]

Feel the jig...be the jig.. ;D

[JacobK]

the jig bite around here usually feels like a freight train is on the other end of the line. but if the bite is more subtle just stare at your line. naturally your jig wont fall left or right just vertically so any sudden movement or sideways travel just set the hook, hooksets are free. i find it easier to see my line (12lb yozuri hybrid in green) with my polarized glasses on.

it really helps if your line/rod combo is higher quality too so you'll have more sensitivity. i've gone from a BPS bionic blade to a st croix mojo bass and its a WORLD of difference.

honestly i think the rod makes a HUGE difference. I was fishing my mojo bass and a 3/8 ounce jig under a small bridge, then after a few casts i used my buddy's st croix legend elite flippin under the SAME bridge, i felt structure that i didnt even know existed with the mojo rod.

all that expensive equipment aside, 95% of my jig bites the fish just ATTACK the lure.  

[Fishing Rhino]

Feel the jig...be the jig.. ;D

Na na na na na na na na na, etc.

[LooksLikeSinbad]

I am still learning to detect the jig bite. Actually, it's more about learning what everything else feels like - weeds, trees, rocks, etc. Then when you feel something else - SET THE HOOK! I think jig fishing really requires time and practice which is why not everyone does it, but those that do are rewarded for it.  One thing I've found is don't be afraid to try different things - pop it, hop it, swim it, etc.

[Shad_Master]

I too am still learning about the jig bite - I have only been at it about 30 years - I agree that braided line can really help you get a "feel" for what the jig is doing and help you sort it out - I prefer Power Pro (usually 20 to 30 pound test) but once you get the hang of it you can start experimenting with different line types.

The best way to "learn" is just do it - spend a day (or two) just fishing with a jig in waters where you know other people have had success with jigs and leave all your other stuff at home.  Once you get it, you will never go back!!!

[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 to the jig angler it makes total sense.

[Mottfia]

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 to the jig angler it makes total sense.

That just about sums it up  

Mottfia

[90x]

This is gonna sound weird, but I feel vibrations like I am rubbing up against something.

[rubba bubba]

Feel the jig...be the jig.. ;D

You're not being the jig, Danny.

[Hammer 4]

Once while fishing a drop off during the fall, I tossed a jig out in about 15-18' of water..jig falls to the bottom, I then start talkin with my fishin buddy, all the while I have my index finger on the line (rods weren't as good imho in the early 80's) so were talkin and after about 2=3 mins. w/o ever twitchin, or working the jig..I reel up, after about 3 turns of my reel, I realize there's a 4lb Bass on the other end. He musta inhaled it, and just sat there.

So ...bites can be different, as you've read here.

[LooksLikeSinbad]

The other day I was swimmin' a jig in clear water and saw a small bass swim up and bump my jig and swim off.  I saw it, but couldn't feel anything and the line didn't even move.  Makes me wonder how many bites I'm getting that go undetected.