Retrieving A Football Jig.

[BeaverIslander]

How do you typically retrieve a football jig? Do you hop it, drag it, or both?

Football jigs are a lure I've always ignored, in favor of standard jigs, Tex Rigs, Carolina Rigs, shaky worms, or deep cranks. I've begun to use them this year and had my best luck by fishing a green pumpkin 3/4 jig almost like a slow, bottom bouncing crankbait with a slow, steady retrieve just slow enough to keep it ticking the bottom, with the occasional pause.

If you're a fan of the football jig, describe your technique and tackle.

Thanks

[TravisRush]

Like any other lure, you have to find what the fish are biting that day.

In Washington, guys like to use a bare football head with a DT hula grub. Hop it, drag it, pull it, swim it...just see what they want.

[Bassboss]

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/vlogp...?ccode=VLOG071

Check this video out. This guy's using 'em, watch his rod tip to see how he's working it.

Also hit F3 on your key board while on the page, type in "jig" and watch this videos it finds.

Edit:

If I was you, I would use something like 14, 15lb flouro for the jigs.

[BigBassin144]

I hardly ever use football jigs for the main reason of not having the right structure around here for it, or at least a lot of anyways.

Points and ledges are two of the best places to throw a football jig. I'll either drag them along the bottom like a c-rig or slowly crawl them back with the reel (I barely move the rod if I do at all when crawling them like this.)

BB

[BassMoJo]

I agree with BB144 except I like a little shake of the rod tip every now and then but it all depends on what the fish want. I have fish jigs on and off for the past couple years and this last month thats pretty much all I have thrown I been looking for bigger fish. But this morning I felt the tap tap on a finesse jig set the hook and up to the boats comes a 4 in bass ...? I just looked at my buddy and said jigs target the bigger fish right ? Sorry to get off topic just thought it was funny

[n8sbassin]

Typically if I'm fishing points I'll drag it with a side motion, similar to a Carolina rig. If I'm fishing a stretch of bank of a fast drop, I'll use strait lift and drop hopping the jig down the drop. some days they want it retrieved fast with a lot of shakes, and some days the slower the better.
I personally prefer a 7' med.-heavy with a fast tip. Some people like a 7'6" to get a good hook-up on a long cast, but I usually don't have to much trouble with hook-ups.
I use 17 to 20 pound test flourocarbon (Berkly vanish)

[nofearengineer]

I have had my best luck with football jigs using an unbelievably slow crawl. I'm talking 1 inch per second, only bouncing it when it would hit an obstacle. My buddy even remarked that he would go nuts fishing one as slow as I was. But hey, you can't argue with the fish. They want what they want.

[BeaverIslander]

Thats a good video. He's fishing that jig pretty fast, very similar to a standard jig and craw but faster than I'd expect.

I've yet to try a non-skirted football jig with just a trailer, but that looks like a good lure especially in white or smoke I'm guessing.

I use this rod for my jigs and I'm considering another for Texas Rigs/Beavers/Brush Hogs. It makes a great pitching rod, and for a medium power rod it has plenty of backbone plus a soft enough tip for pitching 1/4 oz jigs with ease. They call it medium but the line rating is more like a med/heavy and thats what it feels like. I use 15 lb. Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon on it. I tried 17, it was a little heavy.
http://products.gloomis.com/gl/produ...=1257201096122

[BigBassin144]

If you're going to get into football jigs, I'd suggest getting a heavier rod. With the 1/4-5/8oz rating, it may be ok for the lower weight class of football jigs, which are normally 3/8 to 1 oz, or maybe a bit heavier.

I use a 7'H Loomis IMX for all my jig applications since I don't fish football jigs nearly enough for a dedicated rod.

BB

[Baron49]

Normally, but not all the time, a football head is for fishing deep water. Hopping them like a regular jig usually does not produce as well as gently pulling the bait with a sideways motion of your rod, similar to fishing a carolina-rig. Upon contact with a rock, or other object, a little flick of the rod tip pops the jig over the obstruction and at times will trigger a strike. Otherwise dragging it across the bottom and digging up the bottom materials makes the bait look like a small fish, crawfish, or whatever rooting around looking for a meal. This make for an attractive target for a hungry bass.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by Baron49

Normally, but not all the time, a football head is for fishing deep water. Hopping them like a regular jig usually does not produce as well as gently pulling the bait with a sideways motion of your rod, similar to fishing a carolina-rig. Upon contact with a rock, or other object, a little flick of the rod tip pops the jig over the obstruction and at times will trigger a strike. Otherwise dragging it across the bottom and digging up the bottom materials makes the bait look like a small fish, crawfish, or whatever rooting around looking for a meal.

The exact way I do it.. I figured out the jig buy using it to back up a carolina rig.. I have caught a bunch of bass on a foot ball head.. My preference is 1/4 oz green pumpkin or blue/black..- don't ask it has been a LONG summer-

zooker

[Baron49]

Originally Posted by zooker

the excate way i do it.. i figured out the jig buy using it to back up a carolina rig..i have caught a bunch of bass on a foot ball head..my perferance is 1/4 oz green pumkin or blue/black..-don't ask it has been a LONG summer-

zooker

I have to ask....a 1/4 oz football head in deep water? Rarely do I use any under a 1/2 oz and normally use a 3/4 oz. How do you feel what that light a football head is doing on the bottom?

[zooker]

Straight braid and a sensitive rod ... I mostly fish 8-20 feet deep with a jig.

zooker

[1FASTLASER]

Im like the ole ZOOK... 90% of the time I fish a jig that is lighter than wha most throw...same technique... braid and as sensitive a rod as possible. I have caught several several wall hangers doing it this way.

[Backwater Charlie]

I LOVE to use football head jigs, and I hop them most of the time.

[carolina-rig-01]

There is no one way to fish a Football Jig. The retrieve that the fish want can change from day to day and sometimes even hour to hour so I always experiement until I get a few bites, then if the bites start to slow down I will start experiementing all over again. The type of bottom you are fishing can have a big role what retrieve you use as well. If the bottom has a lot of big rocks then hopping the jig will get you hung up less than dragging the jig.

[BassinID]

I would have to agree with C-rig. The fish have to be the deciding factor. Usually I have my best luck dragging a 3/4 green pumpkin really slow with small sweeps of the rod tip to the side, but for a two week period from about three to five weeks post spawn the smallmouth were killing a stroked football head in about 15-25 feet, ike style.

[muddy]

One of my favorite baits: I like to drag it slower than it takes paint to dry on most days, there are some times where the drag and pop ( a quick twitch, to pull the bait off the bottom) especially if the bass are feeding on crawfish

I like to use the smallest jig head that will get the job done, JIGHEAD; I never used dressed jigs or those with weed guards. I prefer the heads with the little wire srews for attaching plastics
My Favorite palstics; Alluring 4.5 inch Beaver Craws or 6 inch Brush Bugs.

I use 14 lb. mono: I know many like braid, if I loose a fish no big deal, I am not one to worry about catching every fish that hits, most is good enough for me,Since I don't fish competiton and I have caught a lot of bass in my life, missing a few not an issue with me and it gives me something to lie about when I get my boat back to the ramp.

[BeaverIslander]

Thx for the replies. Sounds like alot of variety in how people fish these.

[Acm4bass]

Where I fish, deep clearwater resevoirs the most sucessful technique is to drag it. But as has been mention hopping, swimming, or combinations of all these work. Also if dragging it downhill hasn't worked, try the reverse, go uphill instead. If you happen to fish a resevoir like mine, try the berserkbaits purple hornet color...Its December right now and that jig or a purple (MMIII) roboworm seem to be the ticket.

[InEccess]

When I fish a football head jig, I like to drag it until it makes contact with something. I usually pair the jig up with a full size paca craw or chigger craw. When I do come in contact with something underwater, I start shaking my rodtip, like I'm fishing a shakeyhead. I like to think it looks like a crawfish trying to burrow into the structure. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't. But I for one never hop the jig.

[flipit]

Originally Posted by BeaverIslander

How do you typically retrieve a football jig? Do you hop it, drag it, or both?

Football jigs are a lure I've always ignored, in favor of standard jigs, Tex Rigs, Carolina Rigs, shaky worms, or deep cranks. I've begun to use them this year and had my best luck by fishing a green pumpkin 3/4 jig almost like a slow, bottom bouncing crankbait with a slow, steady retrieve just slow enough to keep it ticking the bottom, with the occasional pause.

If you're a fan of the football jig, describe your technique and tackle.

Thanks

Here in the deep rocky lakes of Nor-Cal I really like to fish em fast(but Im using a 1oz head). Hop it and let it slam to the bottom then hop again. Thats my preferred method. Other times the fish want a slow drag, it which case Ill pull out a shakey head instead of the jig.