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Old 03-07-12, 09:50 PM   #1
Bassboss
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Default Where do YOU fish a jig?

One of the biggest things I look forward to in the upcoming season is feeling the "thumb" of a bass slurping up a jig... seeing the line jump, and setting the hook into an immovable bass! Sounds nice don't it?

I've been reading the archived bassmaster magazines about jig fishing, and I see more pitching, and deep water structure fishing associated with jigs more then anything else! And being a shore angler, I don't have the luxury of cruising down a shore line pitching to laydowns, or setting up over a deep point and casting a football jig to big bass. I'll pitch a jig probably 10% of the time, and rest I'm casting it to cover! Something I havn't been reading much of, nor do I hear much of. Yet I catch some good numbers of darn nice bass, doing this. I also rarely use a jig over 3/8 oz and prefer a 1/4 oz jig in most scenarios, and I rarely see most people fishing jigs under 3/8 oz.

Am I the only one doing this? Anyone else cast a jig to places they would fish anything else like a texas rig worm, or spinnerbait? Thoroughly fishing my jig from the end of the cast to the tip of my rod in shallow, grassy water, with small boulders interspersed is how I caught most of my jig fish last year!
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Last edited by Bassboss; 03-08-12 at 10:13 AM.
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Old 03-07-12, 11:04 PM   #2
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I fish them in shallow wood cover, around docks and I fish a heavy football jig on main lake points and hump in the summertime. I don't really think there is a wrong place to fish a jig, they are a versatile lure.
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Old 03-07-12, 11:08 PM   #3
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My dad is insane about jigs and fishes them exclusively. He has taught me a lot about them. There is never a wrong time to use a jig. There are many different ways to present them depending on the bass' mood. Most people just flip jigs, which is very effective, but there are many more effective ways to fish a jig. If you feel like the bass will be biting a faster retrieve type lure such as a crankbait or spinnerbait try fishing a swim jig instead. Instead of fishing a texas rig or carolina rig try a regular casting jig. When you would be fishing a shakey head or drop shot try a finesse or hair jig. Jig weights range greatly from 1/16 oz to over an ounce. I start with a 3/8 oz and depending on what the bass are telling me I will fish heavier or lighter. When looking for a feeding bite fish 3/8 or lighter, and when fishing for a reaction strike use at least 1/2 oz. Jigs are very versatile and once you learn to use them they will work in almost any condition.
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Old 03-07-12, 11:31 PM   #4
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Yes jigs can be effective in lots of places. I have always liked using them when I am fishing vertical structure like stumps and dock pilings. I also like to use them as deep contact baits. I won't throw one into thick milfoil beds but if I had much swim-jig confidence I might swim one over the tops.
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Old 03-08-12, 12:23 AM   #5
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I will pitch jigs around wood, piers, rocks, ect. I'll also pitch jigs into lily pads, and pockets in weedbeds. Shallow weeds that havn't reached the surface are very good for swim jigs. And I'll also use a heavy jig in deeper water. While I usually am using a 3/8 oz or larger most of the time, I often do use the 1/4 oz size, especially early spring when the water is very cold and I want a slower presentation. And yes, I do often cast jigs, espeically in clear water, or in situation where I can't get close enough to my target to pitch. I'll often make long casts with a heavy jig in deeper water and retrieve it the same way one would retrieve a c-rig. One trick I've had luck with is casting a jig up onto the bank and crawling it into the water. A bass nearby will often rush it and crush it! Durring the summer months, the weed growth in our lakes gets so thick all the way to the surface that I switch over to soft plastics which slide inside the thick weeds easier.
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Old 03-08-12, 01:20 AM   #6
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The only place I don't really like a jig is in weeds that catch on the jig, I switch to a beaver bait then. I fish ponds pretty often and I use them to cast to cover and I really like to cast them to rocks and docks from the bank.
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Old 03-08-12, 01:29 AM   #7
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Jigs have become a confidence bait for me. I guess I am opposite, I tend to cast them more than anything else. If I am pitching, I usually go with a t-rigged beaver. That's probably partly because I fish a lot of grass, too messy for jigs. I like to cast them to any visible cover, on points and around any change in bottom composition or depth. For general bottom fishing, I usually reach for a jig over a t-rig.
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Old 03-08-12, 02:43 AM   #8
carolina-rig-01
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I fish jigs everywhere I think there are fish. I will fish them in inches of water all the way out to 30+ feet of water. They have a reputation of being a big fish bait, and they are. But they are also a great numbers bait too, when there is a good jig bite going on you can load the boat quick with a jig.
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Old 03-08-12, 07:52 AM   #9
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No you're not the only one doing this, keep in mind 90% of what you're reading is in relationship to fishing from a boat. Most bass fisherman who fish a jig from a boat use 3/8 up because they generally are fishing into deeper water, it's a lot harder to feel what's going on at 10 ft. with a 1/4oz. than a 3/8 oz. and easier to keep a 3/8 oz. still with out moving than it is a 1/4 oz. Also a 3/8 oz. won't stray as much from the target as a 1/4 oz. on the initial drop. In general you can fish a 3/8 oz faster and more proficiently than a 1/4 oz. Which isn't to say the anglers don't use a 1/4 oz. they do, when they have a tough jig bite and they're targeting fish in 6' of water or less and need to slow the fall beyond what up sizing the trailer will do. or they just need a smaller profile and a smaller trailer, they'll go to a 1/4 oz.
Fishing from the bank I would normally be fishing 1/4 oz or even 3/16 oz. simply cause they won't get hung up as much and generally won't have access to water deeper than 12 to 15 ft. (which isn't to say never, it's just not the norm.)
From a boat they don't generally need to cast to a target, they can move the boat within pitching range which translates into controlling the bass a lot easier and moving them out of or away from heavy cover a lot easier and get the fish into the boat a lot quicker. Which isn't to say they don't cast them either cause they do it just depends on the circumstance and situation, but most of the time, espeacially in tournaments, if they can pitch the jig rather than cast it than the vast majority of bass anglers are going to pitch.
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Old 03-08-12, 04:23 PM   #10
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I really like using them on cliff walls and deeper banks that have trees completely underwater
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Old 03-08-12, 08:49 PM   #11
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I'm a jigger!
I also am shorebusting. I almost never throw a jig heavier than 3/8 and 1/4 oz is next in line. Like basstech mention it greatly reduces snags the liter you go. I change trailers to get different fall rates and such. 1/4 oz finesse jigs can easily be adapteed to a swiming presentation also.
Now throwing a football head jig from shore is almost a guarntee snag for me even in the Rock River which is obviously full of rocks.
I'll trailer a swimbait with or without a skirt, I'll even used a Ribbit as a trailer. Bassboss you can even use a jig as a weight on a dropshot rig, I do.
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Old 03-08-12, 08:55 PM   #12
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Liking the response guys!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jrob78 View Post
Jigs have become a confidence bait for me. I guess I am opposite, I tend to cast them more than anything else. If I am pitching, I usually go with a t-rigged beaver. That's probably partly because I fish a lot of grass, too messy for jigs. I like to cast them to any visible cover, on points and around any change in bottom composition or depth. For general bottom fishing, I usually reach for a jig over a t-rig.
Same here joe, when it comes to bottom contact lures, that's my go-to.
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