Frustrating Outing

[The Bassinator]

So I went fishing early today expecting to have some decent luck and it started out pretty well. Within the first 15 casts I caught a little guy on a crankbait. After a while I switched over to a football jig. I never used one before and I was fishing a rocky point with baseball to car tire sized rocks. I didnt get any bites on it but after only a few casts I got hung up. I tried the bowstring method and it didnt budge so since I was fishing from shore I swam out directly over top of the snag and it still wouldnt budge. I eventually snapped the line trying to free it and was kinda ticked but kept fishing. Little did I know this would happen with 4 other jigs I got so fed up I just left even though I was getting some bites. I figure it was the angle at which I was fishing that they got lodged in the rocks and the fact that I didnt have a lure knocker that I couldnt get them back. Anyway just trying to vent and see if there was anything I did wrong. I was using Omega Custom Tackle Jigs the 3/8 promega, the 7/16 pitchin and the 1/2 football. I hopped all the jigs except the football which I dragged through the rocks but when it would hang up I would try to hop it over the snag. I guess I need to invest in a boat and a lure knocker

[A-Jay]

You could try something like the rig pictured below. You can rig / customize this to match whatever conditions you encounter. For me, this rig is very weedless and especially snag free in rocks and wood. The ridge hook of any traditional jig (including Football)seems to have it's limitations in an especially rocky/snag-filled environment. But that's were the fish are so often.

From the line to the hook here's this rig -

- A stopped knot (I use a double uni-knot made from left over braided line)

- A small bead to keep the knot from slipping through the weight.

- A 1/2 oz tungsten weight

- a Boss Punch Hub - this is placed inside the skirt collar

- The skirt of your choice

- A parasite clip (optional, but does help prevent the plastic from sliding down the hook)

- A 5/0 Owner wide gap plus EWG hook (#5139 - very stout, I love this hook)

- Your favorite soft plastic - pictured is a Power Bait Beast

Hope this helps

A-Jay

[Bluebasser86]

Big rocks like that are jig eating machines. A lighter jig with a big skirt and trailer may help prevent some snags but not all of them. If you're going to fish jigs in big rocks, especially from the bank, you're going to loose some. I think you should just go with your idea and use it as an excuse to buy a boat! Just think of all the money you'll save in lures you can get back!

[Grey Wolf]

Jigs + rocks = frustration.

[The Bassinator]

Ok Im glad Im not the only one with a sob story about hanging up. I really need a boat up here at school to explore the lakes since the shoreline access is pretty limited most of the time. Ill be sure to invest in a lure knocker and Ill take a look at that rig you posted A-Jay it looks sweet!

[The Bassinator]

Hey A-Jay I was wondering about the rig you posted. If it is so weedless and snag resistant in wood and rocks do you just use it instead of a jig. Besides the ease of having a ready made rig to tie on are there any advantages to using a jig over the punch style rig you posted?

[A-Jay]

Hey A-Jay I was wondering about the rig you posted. If it is so weedless and snag resistant in wood and rocks do you just use it instead of a jig. Besides the ease of having a ready made rig to tie on are there any advantages to using a jig over the punch style rig you posted?

There really are no other advantages over a jig other than it seems to get hung up less. It's basically a Texas rigged soft plastic with a skirt - certainly not magic. And it's not like I am getting snagged on every cast when throwing a traditional jig but this deal really cuts it down considerably. If you can punch it through a solid grass mat and expect to get it back, why not use it all the time ? Hook up ratio seems about the same. I still use jigs off and on, mostly around lighter cover like docks. This was one of those rigs born out of necessity. Rigging it up is a bit time consuming as compared to just tying on a jig. So if you don't mind or care about getting hung up and losing baits, then jigs might be the way to go.

I like this.

A-Jay

[The Bassinator]

Understandable I was just wondering what made you choose this rig over a regular jig other than the fact that it hangs less. Im definitely gonna try it out especially around heavy weeds and thanks for sharing it

[Ratherbfishing]

You could try something like the rig pictured below. You can rig / customize this to match whatever conditions you encounter. For me, this rig is very weedless and especially snag free in rocks and wood. The ridge hook of any traditional jig (including Football)seems to have it's limitations in an especially rocky/snag-filled environment. But that's were the fish are so often.

From the line to the hook here's this rig -

- A stopped knot (I use a double uni-knot made from left over braided line)

- A small bead to keep the knot from slipping through the weight.

- A 1/2 oz tungsten weight

- a Boss Punch Hub - this is placed inside the skirt collar

- The skirt of your choice

- A parasite clip (optional, but does help prevent the plastic from sliding down the hook)

- A 5/0 Owner wide gap plus EWG hook (#5139 - very stout, I love this hook)

- Your favorite soft plastic - pictured is a Power Bait Beast

Hope this helps

A-Jay

Here is a case where something arises spontaneously/indepependently from two separate sources. I use this set up too (with some minor differences) and thought I'd "invented it." Lol. It is more weedless and unlike premade jigs, you can use any combination of skirt color and soft plastic. Plus, when you do lose one, it' isn't quite as expensive.

[A-Jay]

Here is a case where something arises spontaneously/indepependently from two separate sources. I use this set up too (with some minor differences) and thought I'd "invented it." Lol. It is more weedless and unlike premade jigs, you can use any combination of skirt color and soft plastic. Plus, when you do lose one, it' isn't quite as expensive.

It's tough to come up with something new, and I wasn't looking to be an innovator.

I just want to hook up with bass and not everything else.

A-Jay