Detecting a bite when jig fishing?

[Gangley]

I have been dedicating considerably more time to jig fishing recently, which finally paid off with my first jig'd LMB.  However, I am having a great deal of trouble determining what is a bite and what isnt.  The large pond that I do most of my fishing on has numerous laydowns that go as deep as 10 feet, but the water isnt clear enough to see them and I don't know where all of the laydowns, or possible wood piles are located.  Because of this, I cant tell when I am bouncing off of a tree llimb or getting a hit.  I have set the hook numerous times into what I thought was a bass, but wound up spending the next 5 minutes getting my jig unstuck from a limb.  Other times, i will be bouncing the jig through a brush pile, never feel a thing, and just see my line start moving whereupon I set the hook but the fish has already spit it out.  I have yet to experiance a THUD on the line with a jig. I have had numerous bites, but I have only landed one.

What are some things that you all look for or feel for when trying to determine if its a bass or not?

What type of hooksets do you all employ?

Being a very patient and methodical fisherman, I really do enjoy the jig, I would just like to have better landing percentages with it.

Thanks in advance for any and all information.

[Catt]

The art of feeling a worm/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 your line will not move. 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 worm/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 worm/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.

Strikes will sometimes so subtle with no line movement that they can go unnoticed if you feel is a spongy sensation, as if the line suddenly got heavy set the hook.

The hook set is the only part of this sport that is still free so when in doubt drop the rod, reel the slack, and set the hook.

 

 

[grimlin]

What helped me was palming the reel,while my index finger is touching the line at all times.I believe i got that tip from Lighteningrod Dan.

You can be looking for a little "tick"or your line is going to feel heavy.The term hook sets are free really does apply for jig fishing.Many of the times they'll inhale the bait and just sit there...you won't feel a thing,until you try to move your jig again.By then it could be too late if they feel the resistance. The more you fish it,the more you'll began to figure out the difference between a bite or not.

The Jig is by far my favorite,but it does require amount of patience when trying to learn it.

[Matt Fly]

Master a jig bite and theres not much you can't detect.

[Tin]

Master a jig bite and theres not much you can't detect.

Yup, if it feels different, heavier, or your line starts moving, just set it. You might be setting on something such as your jig coming through cover but on those days when they are on a light bite you will still get put them in the boat.

[K_Mac]

Learning to detect bites on a jig for the most part comes with experience. Staying in contact with the jig by keeping the line tight enough to feel what is going on-but not so tight as to pull it away from your target area, and staying focused on trying to picture just what the jig is doing at all times are two of the most important skills needed IMO. Getting good with a jig will make you better with other techniques because it teaches you to pay attention. A sensitive rod helps, but once you know the basics you just need to do it.

There are many articles on site by real experts that can help you. The link below is to an article by Denny Bauer. He has made a living throwing jigs for many years. At the bottom of the page you will find links to many other pages. Good luck.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bass_fishing_jigs.html

LOL In the time it took me to write this reply a couple of the afore mentioned experts have weighed in.  8-)

[roadwarrior]

The Other Jig Bite

Dateline: Sunday, August 16, 2009

Location: Public pond, Germantown, TN

Water: High & stained, 1' visibility

Eqipment: BCR854, Curado 200E7, PP 50/12

Lure: 1/2 oz GMAN jig, black; Rage Tail Lobster, blue

We all know about the soft bite, that weightless feeling or

a slight twitch in the line. That can be a tough bite to detect,

but there is another jig bite.

I started fishing in a small indentation located on the

northeast corner of the pond. Recent storms had pushed

a lot of tree limbs and other debris into a relatively small

pocket. Probability of getting hung-up: 100%.

What the heck...First cast is just outside visible timber.

Very slow retrieve, short pull and fall on slack line. No strike.

Second cast...hung-up on what felt like a big limb. Jiggling

the jig, the lure popped off and fell off the wood, but into

more trash.

I'm fishing to my right, so the reel is being palmed open

towards where I am working the bait. I lower my rod to

casually work through the mess. Light grip and not paying

too much attention. And then she struck!

Well now, a weak grip and out of position. Rod tip down

and slack line. Not a good combination for a hook-set.

The bass was probably just sitting in ambush, snacking

on bluegill, but when that jig fell in front of her, she

attacked!

The strike was violent as she came up out of her hideout.

She literally jerked the rod out of my left hand, I caught the

butt with my right hand and she took off.

I was in no position for a hook-set and she was pulling drag

towards the middle of the pond. After repositioning myself

and regaining my senses, I was finally able to engage the

rod and put a little heat on her. That's when she pulled a

Flipper!

Fish are always bigger in the water, especially the ones that

get away. When she jumped, I'm guessing about 22 lbs 5 oz.

The fat girl fought like a mule and when she was finally landed,

she was pregnant fat...Must have had a seven course meal

Saturday night and a full breakfast Sunday morning. This was

a big bass with a mouth the size of a salad plate.

So, great fish, but no scale or camera. I hate it when people

overestimate their catch. Some might claim double digit, I'll just

say a solid 5lbs or maybe a little better!

8-)

 

[Raul]

What you feel and what you don 't feel are equally important, maintaining "contact" with your bait starts the moment the bait hits the water and starts to sink to the bottom.

A common mistake is not paying attention to the bait as it sinks to the bottom, many strikes occurs while the bait sinks, so by "waiting to feel something" you are missing lots of strikes that atre taking place as the bait sinks.

So what you don 't feel is the bait dragging the line as it sinks, when the bait "dissapears" from the end of the line ( when you don 't feel the bait dragging the line as it sinks ) set the hook.

[Use ONLY Stren]

If something don't feel right, swing

[Craiger12]

What type of line are you using? If you are using mono/copoly then switching to braid will increase sensitivity and your hook setting ability due to the nearly zero stretch of the line.

[EastTexasBassin]

Lots of great advice in this thread already.  Especially Catt's post.

The one thing I'll add is to always use a good scent like megastrike or JJ's magic.  This will give you a lot more time to set the hook.  I've pulled what I thought was a clump of grass half way back to the boat before it pulled back and I realized it was a fish.  Bass don't want to spit out a jig that tastes good.

[Hornytoad 10]

It depends on the ammount of fishing pressure the lake/pond recieves. the less fishing pressure, the more intense the bite is, sometimes you feel a THUD! and then your line swims away. on lakes/ponds that are fished to death you can barley determine a bite from a rock, you might just loose contact with your bait. but you know what they say, when in dought SET THE HOOK!!!!!!! ;D

[Kowen117]

yep when in doubt check it out

[SportMN]

a lot of great advice so far.. My question I would like to know is.. What rod/line are you using.  While guiding, I have helped people out quite a bit in learning how to fish a jig.  Many times it just comes with "Seat time" as they say.  The more you fish it, the easier it will be to detect bites.  However, its a heck of a lot easier if you have the right equipment.

having said that, even the pros will set on a stump every so often..

[Gangley]

Castaway Medium-Heavy with a Fast Action Tip.

20 lb mono with a 14lb Flouro Leader

I will be switching to braid this afternoon and giving it another shot to see if that helps.

[SportMN]

What length?  I assume 7' and you should be fine with that set up.  Longer may be nicer but not needed.   I also would skip the leader.. Going from 20- 16 really isnt needed.

[Gangley]

I was thinking that 14lb flouro would be harder to see than 20lb mono.

[SportMN]

True.. but are you fishing that clear a water that you need it?.. I would rather not have a weak spot in the line myself.

[BassDeaton01]

As my uncle would say..."If yer not sure, set the hook!" He says something must not be right is it doesn't sound like bullets flying past his head when he's fishing from jerking so hard when a fish really didn't bite...haha. I wouldn't recommend that but it doesn't hurt to "check" with a little jerk if you think you had a bite. If I think I feel a bite I usually try to look at the line to detect in unnatural movement and if I see that I swing for the fences. Good fishing to you!

[JacobK]

Castaway Medium-Heavy with a Fast Action Tip.

20 lb mono with a 14lb Flouro Leader

I will be switching to braid this afternoon and giving it another shot to see if that helps.

braid offers a lot more sensitivity over mono, i'm sure you'll feel the difference.

[iceintheveins]

I have the toughest time differentiating between a bite and clingy grass like weeds with jigs and plastics than anything else.

[iceintheveins]

Nothing wrong with setting the hook when you hang up in weeds though because ripping the jig out of weeds triggers bites. Can get tiring when your doing it a lot though, but sometimes those "weeds" can be bass

[Rangerjoe]

I it does not wiggle, its not a fish. ;D

[Raul]

a lot of great advice so far.. My question I would like to know is.. What rod/line are you using. While guiding, I have helped people out quite a bit in learning how to fish a jig. Many times it just comes with "Seat time" as they say. The more you fish it, the easier it will be to detect bites. However, its a heck of a lot easier if you have the right equipment.

having said that, even the pros will set on a stump every so often..

What rod line I use for jigs, well that depends on the jig weight and jig use so for jig fishing I can use anywhere from a medium light fast action rod with 6 pound test all the way up to a heavy extra fast rod with 25 lbs test.

Doesn 't have to be a special setup for jigs, it depends on the application.