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Old 11-21-11, 10:17 PM   #1
bcklash
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Default Swimming a jig

When swimming a jig what kind of combo do YOU use. A crankin stik with a 5:1.1 reel or what (thats just an example).
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Old 11-21-11, 10:29 PM   #2
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Ron, are you asking about a swimjig or just swimming a jig like an arkie or something?
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Old 11-22-11, 01:59 AM   #3
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Is there a difference? Now it's getting confusing.
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Old 11-22-11, 02:07 AM   #4
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pretty sure it makes no difference...lol
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Old 11-22-11, 09:19 AM   #5
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Reel ratio controls how many times your spool revolves per one turn of the handle. That works togther with the size of the spool to affect the amount of line reeled in per one turn of the handle. Working together, that can affect both speed of retrieve and power. Power of retreive is important for lures that have a lot of drag. Using a high ratio reel with lures like that will require you to use more energy to crank the reel all day. Reels with a higher ration will generally have a faster retrieve rate or IPT. This also depends on the size of the reel spool so check both numbers for comparison. Lures used for burning such as burning a trap will be easier to use with a high speed reel. Most lures fall somewhere in the middle.
Now for the swim jig or swimming a jig. Jigs don't have hardly any resistence when they are pulled through the water, so there isn't any need to use a powerful reel. Therefore the only issue will be the speed of retieve you want. I think that swim jigs are used in a similar fashion to spinner baits. You may want to fish them slow, medium or fast, depending on conditions. Therefore, I would use a mid speed mid ratio reel. Any normal sized casting reel in a low 6 to 1 ratio should be fine as you can slow it down or speed it up. For rods, remember, the jig only has one hook and you need to drive it into the jaw for a good hookset, for that, you still need a rod with some backbone. The rod that I use for spinner baits has proven to be fine for swim jigs. It's a 6.6 ft med heavy general purpose rod. Works for me.
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Old 11-22-11, 09:43 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba_Bruiser View Post
Is there a difference? Now it's getting confusing.
There is a difference, a swimjig is designed specifically for this technique, it has a pointed head to help it work through grass more easily, it has a softer thinner weedguard, it generaly has an in-line line tie, thinner skirt and painted eyes. They are most often used with some type of trailer and fished in much the same way a spinnerbait is used.

Other jigs such as football head, shakey head, grass jigs, arkies, snooties and others also have their specific purpose. This is not to say that you cannont use them for whatever you want, just that their design helps them perform better at a specific technique.
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Old 11-22-11, 09:58 AM   #7
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pretty sure it makes no difference...lol
If it makes no difference to you, and you can fish all your jigs on the same equipment effectively, then I see no reason to change. Ron asked about swimming a jig, I wanted to be a little more clear on what he was asking, as I would use different setups depending on which technique I was using.

You can obviously swim any type of jig, but they do not all perform well at this. Many of them will roll onto their side as they are being retrieved, especially at higher speeds, makeing them almost useless for swimming.

A well made swimjig will stay balanced at most any retrieval speed, and therefore you can choose to burn or slow roll the jig depending on your fishing situation.

Just like everything else, jigs are tools, and some are better at performing certain tasks, take the time to learn which jig works best in a particular type of structure and cover, and there is a good chance you will catch more fish.
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Old 11-22-11, 10:35 AM   #8
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Lash, I'll use my typical spinnerbait combo for swim jigs. A Powell 683MHEF w/ a Shimano Curado E7.
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Old 11-22-11, 11:55 AM   #9
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I don't want to hijack this thread, but I am really excited that a new thread came up specific to swim jigs. I have been trying to use swim jigs more this year, mostly through the positive experiences I have read about from others on this site.

Although unrelated to what gear may be the best for using a swim jig, I was curious as to how most of you fish the jig. Do you cast the jig and let it hit bottom, work it like a regular jig, and then swim back? Do you use like a spinnerbait and cast to your target and begin your retrieve back? What conditions do you guys feel would constitute the use of a swim jig?

I am asking these questions because I have caught exactly 0 fish on the swim jig, which has been disheartening to say the least. I have had a fair amount of success this past year in club tournaments, and I feel like I have thrown the swim jig a fair amount. It may sound strange, but even though I am not catching fish on it, I am confident in it's ability to catch fish based on what I have read. The lake we have most of our club tourneys on hasn't produced a single fish on a spinnerbait, as far as I know, in a couple of years, whereas in the past, we used to slay them on the blade.

Anyway, sorry for being off topic, just wanting to learn a little more from the vast wealth of knowledge available from the fine folks on this forum.

Thanks.
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Old 11-22-11, 12:45 PM   #10
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dhaddix, first welcome to a great forum.
Just for your knowledge, do a search at the homepage, just put in swimjig.
There are some really good swimjiggers here (not me) and alot of really good information.
It's been a pretty hot topic around here, everywhere actually.
Again welcome to the site and I look forward to learning alot from you!

Ya I'm aware you joined in Feb.
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Old 11-22-11, 12:58 PM   #11
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Well, I did join in February, yeah. I just haven't had the initiative to get involved in discussions myself for whatever reason, but I have decided to become more proactive and see what happens. I have participated in the online chat room from time to time, but with work piling up on me I honestly haven't had time to do much but browse through the new posts I would find. I have convinced myself that to further my education as a fisherman, I am going to have to get more involved. I was a golf instructor for quite a few years, and I played professionally for a few years until a torn labrum put a halt to my playing career. I have been fortunate enough to instruct a couple of guys that played the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour, and I am taking my own medicine that I provided to them: you can learn something from everyone you play with, these guys wouldn't be at the highest level if they weren't proficient.

I saw an interview once with KVD, and the interviewer asked him a question something along the line of "What advice would you give someone who wants to become a better fisherman?". His response was classic, as he said "I would join a local club, I would fish with as many different fisherman as possible, because you will find everyone has different strengths and you can learn something different from everyone. That's what I did growing up in Michigan, I fished with as many different peopel as I could", which I paraphrased, of course. The point is, I truly believe that I could learn a lot from each of you, and maybe (although not likely, lol) you can learn something from me.

Anyway, thanks for the advice on the search function, I had used it in the past but honestly had just forgotten about it.
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Old 11-22-11, 05:25 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tavery5 View Post
Ron, are you asking about a swimjig or just swimming a jig like an arkie or something?
A swimjig. I'm all ears.
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Old 11-22-11, 07:29 PM   #13
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Swimjigs are fished in many ways the same as a spinner bait, but they have the advantage of being able to come through grass much cleaner, they also have allot less drag and present a more subtle appearance.

I like to use as close to a 7ft rod as I am comfortable with, this helps with two things, it helps with casting distance and when you are out along ways it helps with the hook set. I use allot of MH power rods, I feel like they are a very versatile and cover a allot different techniques well. A majority of swimjigs are in the 1/4 to 3/8 oz range and a MH rod can easily handle this weight of bait, don't forget your trailer will add a little to the overall weight of the bait as well. I almost always use a fast action rod, unless I am throwing the lightest of the jigs with no or a very small trailer, then I sometimes throw them on a moderate fast action rod. The biggest thing is that you have to have enough rod, power and action to set a single hook at a good distance, line plays a part in this also.
Reels, I like something in a 6.4:1 ratio or the 27" IPT range. Swimjigs can be burned in the upper part of the water column, slow rolled just above the bottom or anywhere in between, a general purpose type reel will offer you the most flexibility and without much drag, you probably won't need that low speed reel.

I have been fishing swimjigs the last couple of years, I have gained allot of on water experience with this bait and have become very comfortable and confident in fishing it. It is one of my goto baits and many times when I am fishing new water it is my first choice.

Hope this helps
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Old 11-22-11, 08:04 PM   #14
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Thanks Tavs and MIbasser thats what I wanted to know.
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Old 11-25-11, 09:40 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tavery5 View Post
Swimjigs are fished in many ways the same as a spinner bait, but they have the advantage of being able to come through grass much cleaner, they also have allot less drag and present a more subtle appearance.

I like to use as close to a 7ft rod as I am comfortable with, this helps with two things, it helps with casting distance and when you are out along ways it helps with the hook set. I use allot of MH power rods, I feel like they are a very versatile and cover a allot different techniques well. A majority of swimjigs are in the 1/4 to 3/8 oz range and a MH rod can easily handle this weight of bait, don't forget your trailer will add a little to the overall weight of the bait as well. I almost always use a fast action rod, unless I am throwing the lightest of the jigs with no or a very small trailer, then I sometimes throw them on a moderate fast action rod. The biggest thing is that you have to have enough rod, power and action to set a single hook at a good distance, line plays a part in this also.
Reels, I like something in a 6.4:1 ratio or the 27" IPT range. Swimjigs can be burned in the upper part of the water column, slow rolled just above the bottom or anywhere in between, a general purpose type reel will offer you the most flexibility and without much drag, you probably won't need that low speed reel.

I have been fishing swimjigs the last couple of years, I have gained allot of on water experience with this bait and have become very comfortable and confident in fishing it. It is one of my goto baits and many times when I am fishing new water it is my first choice.

Hope this helps
I have to agree 100% with Tavereys answer here. Like taking the words right out of my mouth. When I fish with swim jigs, it's nearly always around grassy cover. My lakes are full of it. And so I prefer to use braided line in those situations. In more open water I'll go with a good 17 - 20 pound copoly line. Some guys might prefer to use a flourocarbon line instead of copoly and thats fine. But I just don't care of flourocarbon for one, but mainly, copoly line floats and I prefer to fish a swim jig in the upper water columns. I think a heavy copoly helps keep the swim jig running higher in the water.
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Old 11-26-11, 02:43 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tavery5 View Post
Swimjigs are fished in many ways the same as a spinner bait, but they have the advantage of being able to come through grass much cleaner, they also have allot less drag and present a more subtle appearance.

I like to use as close to a 7ft rod as I am comfortable with, this helps with two things, it helps with casting distance and when you are out along ways it helps with the hook set. I use allot of MH power rods, I feel like they are a very versatile and cover a allot different techniques well. A majority of swimjigs are in the 1/4 to 3/8 oz range and a MH rod can easily handle this weight of bait, don't forget your trailer will add a little to the overall weight of the bait as well. I almost always use a fast action rod, unless I am throwing the lightest of the jigs with no or a very small trailer, then I sometimes throw them on a moderate fast action rod. The biggest thing is that you have to have enough rod, power and action to set a single hook at a good distance, line plays a part in this also.
Reels, I like something in a 6.4:1 ratio or the 27" IPT range. Swimjigs can be burned in the upper part of the water column, slow rolled just above the bottom or anywhere in between, a general purpose type reel will offer you the most flexibility and without much drag, you probably won't need that low speed reel.

I have been fishing swimjigs the last couple of years, I have gained allot of on water experience with this bait and have become very comfortable and confident in fishing it. It is one of my goto baits and many times when I am fishing new water it is my first choice.

Hope this helps
I agree with Tony. One thing I have noticed as I dig deeper and deeper into learning a swim jig is that it is one of the few techniques where I prefer a soft tip, at least if I am not fishing in really heavy cover. The reason is that when I use a rod that has a stiffer tip I seem to miss a few more fish and the ones I catch are rarely hooked deeper in the mouth. I think this has to do with the stiffer tip not allowing the fish to eat the jig deeper before you set the hook. I have had a lot of swim jig fish that were skin hooked on the outside of the mouth and I lost a few more, not to mention missing some altogether. I started using a rod with a much softer tip so the fish will get to eat the bait a little deeper before I get the hookset started. Since then I have had a lot of swim jig fish that were being hooked much deeper in the mouth and haven't had any trouble with missing or losing fish.
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Old 11-26-11, 12:07 PM   #17
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Kory, I am with you on the softer action rods. I know we have all been taught to use slower rods on trebles and faster on single hooks. But my hook up and land ratio has went way up since I started fishing buzz baits and spinner baits (single hook) with a mod - mod fast rod. And I usually don't use an agressive hookset, but more of a sweep when I feel the fish. Just my .02 for rods though for these single hook baits.
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Old 11-28-11, 09:24 AM   #18
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I use 7' MH rod with 6.2 Revo & 40# braid most of the time & BURN the retrieve. If I'm fishing heavy vegetation I'll slow the retrieve but anything else game on. I bought a swimjig mold and super glue Reaction Innovation Skinny Dippers direct. I also have a fiber weed guard 16 deg Mustad 4/0 hook. 3/8 oz UNPAINTED is my fav size. No skirt either. I discovered after paying $3-$4 ea that these FL fish didn't seem to care whether it had a skirt or not. IF - IF I was fishing open water I'd consider a lighter rod & line but not in my location. Also note that many times these fish are swimming so fast towards you that it's hard to tell if they're on until your line goes slack or makes a 90 deg turn at the boat with 6' of line out. HELLO!!!!!

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Old 11-28-11, 09:31 AM   #19
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I fish my swim jigs on a 6'10" MH Tour KVD Graphite Rod. This rod has a really soft tip to it but also has good backbone. I like the soft tip as to let the fish take the jig a little better. The reel I use is a Tour Edition PT 6.3:1. Line is 50 lb. Sunline FX2 braid.

Ryan
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