Jig Fishing

[crankitup]

Okay. So I was reading the other forum that was talking about fishing jigs vs. T-Rig Plastics. The lake I fish in Texas is a Highland Lake that has no underwater vegetation. Since we are getting into Fall I am focusing my efforts on the mouths of the coves, points, bluffs, etc. The water is abuot 68 to 72 degress, stained water, and the lake has been drawn down about 20'. I have never caught a fish or even gotten bites on Jig's but I insest on trying so I can learn the technique. I have marked spots on deep structure (Under Water Stumps, Points, etc.) and fished until my arms are numb. I'm not sure of the exact way I should be fishing the jig. I heard that you want to keep the jig straight underneath you, I heard that you want to move it slow, I also heard also to move it fast, etc. I need help with how to fish the jig. Since the water is murky I have been using a black jig and black craw with blue tips. Any advice?

Thanks,

Mark

[JB]

Hey Mark

If you're in a boat then run that jig along any edge line of the vegetation if you're lucky enough to have weeds this time of year.
Bass migrate and often will use a weedline next to deeper water to move.
Black and blue is the standard color here, among others like punkinseed or green colors. I'd cast it and move it back real slow, learn the bottom.
You'll bump in to limbs and feel resistance, thinking its a run or fish sometimes, you'll get used to it. I prefer this to hopping the jig.
Also, get a handful of jigs before ya go, you'll get hungup and loose a few.
If your water temp is below 55 I'd put on pork on a jig, but most craw imitation will prob work for ya. Fish slow and remember this time of year you may have to hunt for the fish...good luck!

[zooker]

crankit
i figured out the jig just a few years ago... it took watching a video called deep water bassin. to really show the locations to fish the jig..

i use it in fairly deep water like a carolina rig. in the normal places you would c-rig. about the same drag pause drag style and lenth as the c-rig..in the winter you MUST fish the bait with the currant bass will not or rarely turn around in cold water to pursue a bait..





i have yet to catch a bass on blue/black jig i prefure green pumpkin or water melon seed with matching trailer. i rarely use anthing bigger than 3/8 oz...the old raspberry if it aint broke dont fix it seems to apply..

zooker

[bamabassman]

very good info guys. so zooker, you say throw it up river so to speak, and retrieve it with the flow? just wanna get it straight pal. and jb, how far from the edge of the grass? say.....5 feet?

[Kevin]

Hi Mark,

Be sure to check out two of our Production Videos on Jigs as well.

[JB]

bama i like to test all the areas close to the edge, including bumping into the edge..its a crapshoot looking at the depthfinder and then what you feel as the boat goes over the area, ya have to keep your eye on what the depth finder is showing you and being able to navigate the boat over the edge, then feel for it..
check out Kevins Video

[bamabassman]

ok, i have watched kevin's video like .....a hundred times,lol. i am dying to try it out. the reason i asked about how far from the grass edge is here the grass seems to go ALL the way across,lmao. i'll get out there and try it, and will let ya'll know how it goes.

[zooker]

he still looks better with the fro jb photo shopped on him lol..


zooker

[bamabassman]

ROFL zooker!!!! yea he does.

[crankitup]

I will definitly check out the videos. Thanks Kevin. As I said earlier there is no vegetation at all on these lakes.

[SkeeterDave]

I'm an 80% Senko user and dying to try and use a jig effectively. I've caught 3 bass with a jig in 25+ years of VERY limited use. But I want to! I watched Kevin's video earlier this week. Practiced and observed presentation in the pool yesterday. This morning I tied on the Buckeye Mop Jig (and fanned the weed guard - lol) and went to the lake with the express intent of jigging the day away. 15 minutes into using the jig I didn't generate any hits, switched over to the Senko, and bang! 3 and 1/2 pounder!! Now I'm wondering, would I have caught that bass if I casted one more time instead of changing??? Switched back to the jig for the next hour or two with nothing. Later caught another 3 pounder with the senko which just seems to be the only thing that works for me.

[CMorg]

I just took nothing but jigs to my local lake for two fishing trips... now I rarely use anything but a jig. I love em.. you will figure them out if you use them long enough.

[carolina-rig-01]

hang in there, for a lot of people a jig is a bait that takes a lot of patience and work to gain confidence in. however once they figure it out it quickly becomes a go to bait. a lot of people will say that a jig is a great big bass bait and they will use it when they are in need of a big bite. while that is true i will use a jig a lot of the time to catch fish quickly. i have spent a lot of time focusing mainly on fishing a jig and with a lot of learning from mistakes and a lot of work i now feel more confident with a jig than anything else. when fishing tournaments i usually try to prefish different areas of the lake looking for a jig bite somewhere because that is my strong suit and it's what i feel most comfortable doing, followed by crankbaits.

play with different colors and different retrieves until you find what works for you. but remember that the right retrieve can change from hour to hour or place to place so be willing to change it up when needed. for colors go with more natural colors in clearer water and darker colors in dirtier water for a starting spot but again, be willing to adapt.

for retrieves start with a slow drag and pause. then if nothing start hopping the bait with pauses. just keep making adjustments until you figure them out.

there are times when you can't buy a bite on a jig but fish it enough and you will start figuring it out a little at a time. rocky banks, boat docks, brush piles, and points are all good places to throw a jig.

there are a lot of different styles of jigs out there but the 2 most popular are the football head and a finesse jig. the football head is hard to beat when fishing around rocks and the finesse jig is just a good all around jig.

also play with different sizes and weights and trailers to change the fall rate of the jig, sometimes this can make a huge difference.

lastly, the biggest problem a lot of guys have with a jig is detecting a bite. some bites will be that obvious tap...tap...tap. but a lot of times (especially better fish) the bite will be really subtle, you will feel nothing more than the bait feeling a little heavier or lighter than normal. a good sensative rod and line with little or no stretch will help a lot. some guys prefer braided line, i personally really like flourocarbon but either one will help you feel those light bites. really hope this helps and stick with a jig, it will be worth it in the long run!

[bamabassman]

thanks c-rig. yall have me all pumped up now!!! dang this blanky-blank weather!!!!

[SkeeterDave]

C-Rig... well described. I THINK I'm doing most of what you say here. More than anything I believe it comes down to confidence in the jig. Can't count how many times after using the jig for just a few minutes that I'll say to switch back to the senko 'cause I just don't have any confidence. From a retrieve persepective, the more I think about it, I'm not sure I've tried to just slowly drag it. I just cast it in, jiggle or hop it a couple times, and then reel it in and do it again. Maybe that's the next step.... drag it slowly from where I cast all the way back to the boat.

[pig n jig]

No grass and applying a jig is a tough call.I would approach it by using your fishfinder or you can take the long way 'round by dragging a carolina rig first to find hard bottom, change in bottom contour. In my opinion if your not targeting structure , you need to find hard bottom areas,preferrably within a stones throw from any structure or a contour change of the lakes bottom like a drop off, ditch, hump, or anything that looks different than the rest of the area.

The key is to be able to identify something different within the surrounding area whether its a barren lake bottom or a huge weedy area.If you pitch a jig to something that looks different than the surrounding area , be it a small gravel section in a barren section of silt bottom or a clump of weed looking different than the thousand other weeds surrounding it. You will definately increase your chances of getting bit by observing something different. Ivan

[Jigger]

Jigs are my go-to baits. Unless I know the fish are taking something else, I start with a jig and a zoom super chunk trailer. I keep it really simple. Blue/black in stained water and green pumpkin in clearer water. Always 3/8 oz. Fish it where you'd fish a plastic worm and fish it like a plastic worm. I have super confidence in the jig. Try swimming a jig some too. You can cover a lot of water swimming a jig and sometimes that's the way they want it. When I swim a jig, it's chunk and wind with a lift and fall retrieve. They'll usually hit on the fall.

[crankitup]

All such good advice! I apprecate everyone that put in there two scents. I just need to continue fishing with it and put in my due dilegence and it should all work out. The lake I fish has No Vegetation and all Rocks. You would think the Football Jig would be perfect!

[pig n jig]

ISG ? made a scorpion jig a few years back.It was designed to flip over to prevent snagging in rocks.I thought they worked well in that aspect but opt for a heavier wire hook as I think a heavier hook is less likely to tear.I have no proof that it actually helps but yet I continue to use heavy wire hooks in my jig component selection. Ivan

[pig n jig]

info on the scorpion jig. http://store.ebait.com/merchant2/mer..._Code=scbssjig

Jig color selection chart.

http://www.ebait.com/isg-scorpion-jigs.html

[Jigger]

I can't tell a whole lot of difference in the number of bites I get with one jig compared to another in the same size and color. To me, what defines a good jig is the hook up ratio and how much you stay hung up. If I'm trying out a new brand of jig and I'm staying hung up a lot or I'm missing a lot of fish----adios.

[3dkicker]

Skeeter - Just a thought about your 1st reply. Were the fish you caught eating the senko off the bottom or on the fall? The reason I'm asking is that senko's are normally hit on the fall. A jig might be hit on the fall but most of my bites occur when it hits the bottom or is worked across the bottom and cover. If the fish are suspended or feeding up then you may not have much success on the jig.
Next time you are on a good worm/lizard/creature bait bite then break out the jig and see how you do.

[SkeeterDave]

3d - first one was off the bottom. Senko made it to the bottom and I gave it one little twitch and he hit it. Second one was practically as it hit the water. That is one of the interesting differences I've begun to notice in the fishing comparison between NH and FL..... in NH, close to 80% of my hits were on the fall.... in FL, it seems like less than 20% are on the fall and the rest are after twitching or retrieving it back. I'm beginning to think though that the descrepancy is due to water clarity. NH, clear water..... FL, yucky water. lol

[woody]

I have also learned to use the lightest jig possible that will work within my present conditions, as in wind speed and amount of cover, ect. Reason being, I want the presentation of my jig's fall to be as slow and lifelike as possible, this gives my jig a greater chance of being targeted by nearby bass. I prefer using a 3/16 ounce jig head during lighter wind conditions. I've tried less than the 3/16 ounce, but I seem to loose contact(feel) with my jig. That's just me, anyways, there's my 2 cents.

[zooker]

woody
i like a 1/4 oz jig and i grew up worm fishing the one thing alot of guys need to learn is when using slower baits like a jig or a worm they need to TAKE THERE FOOT OFF THE TROLLER!!!

zooker