When To Use A Jig Vs. A Creature Bait?

[Brent1]

When do you know when to use a jig vs. a soft plastic texas rigged creature bait like a Zoom Brush Hog or a Beaver-style bait? I've used both, and both seem to produce, but when do you choose one over another?

[.Paxamus.]

You will hear alot of answers on this topic. Some say jigs produce better in the colder months than beavers and hogs. I like to have both tied on and try each and "listen" to what the fish are telling me. There is no one time where one is better than the other because I have killed them on the jig one day and the next they want plastic. Just got to try them both and see.

[00 mod]

Choose the creature when they are not biting the jig!

Jeff

[ww2farmer]

This is how I do it, and it seems to work for me. Any time the water is super clear I use plastics, cold or warm. When the water is stained and less than 60 degrees, and fish are relating to "hard" cover (rocks, wood, docks) I use a jig. When the water gets above 60, or the main cover is thick grass I use plastics.

[Crankenstein Crony]

I love fishing jigs, they always seem to produce a big bite when I need one. But I prefer to pitch and flip mats, wood, docks and other cover with beavers or creature baits. I break out a baby brush now when the bite is really tough. I don't know what it is about that bait, but it always comes through!

[cajun_flipper]

Once upon a time, I went to the jig indiscriminately over soft plastic creature baits. Then I came around and started T-Rigging more and more soft plastics. I've now gotten to the point where I own a few confidence jigs for very specific conditions, preferring Florida Rigged hula grubs 99% of the time to a jig. I guess that's the best of both worlds...skin hooked weedless with a skirt and trailer profile. It is a miracle bait for me.

Most of the time when I'm starting out fishing in the cover, I pick up a watermelon red brush hog, regardless of the conditions. If that fails to produce, I go for the more subtle hula grub and get tight to the cover. Granted I'm fishing for spots and small bass in shallow swamps and rivers and not huge lakes or river systems, so take that in account.

I pick up jigs when I think that the fish may want a faster fall or larger profile than the 1/8oz hula grubs or 3/16oz baby brush hogs.

[Catt]

I keep both tied on 24/7/365. I do not leave a piece of structure until I've throw both.

[ebfish]

I use one versus the other based on bulk, reaction, forage, rate of fall. I use a jig first mainly because i like my big bites first and as far as my averages, bigger bites come on jigs.

Sometimes it is just a matter of playing with both to see which they want more that day. On a tough dragging bite sometimes they want the slimmer profile of plastics, but then on the same days they could want the more real and life like movement of the jig skirt. If i am hangin the jig up alot i switch. I just keep both handy.

[smalljaw67]

This is how I do it, and it seems to work for me. Any time the water is super clear I use plastics, cold or warm. When the water is stained and less than 60 degrees, and fish are relating to "hard" cover (rocks, wood, docks) I use a jig. When the water gets above 60, or the main cover is thick grass I use plastics.

X2 !! If I'm fishing laydowns or rocks or sparse grass like cat tails I use a jig but if the water is clear or warm I'll use the soft plastic. The only time it is different is on points in deep water, then I'll use a football jig, even in clear water.

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

I like fishing jigs so much I will usually fish one even when I know something else would be a better choice!

[MichBassMan]

I always start with a jig, if they won't eat it or i'm snaggin' too much then I'll try a creature. I just like fishn a jig more.