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Old 03-18-12, 10:01 AM   #1
toppwatr
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Default Feeling a jig

Last year I only managed one bass on a jig. This year I am looking to manage more. I used to have a really junky BC rod that I used for jigs, the sensitivity was very low. But this year I got a powell endurance. I thought it would solve all of my problems, but I am still having issues feeling the bottom and feeling bites. I am using a revo premier spooled with 20 lb braid and fishing in about 10 feet with a half ounce jig, so its not like the jig is too light. But yesterday I just got kind of lucky and after setting the hook into about 5 logs I felt something that felt just like the previous logs and set the hook into it anyway because I was frustrated and it turned out to be a bass over 5 pounds. Now I think I probably had more bites like this that i just didn't do anything to because i thought they were logs.....How can I feel my jig better and how can I tell when I am getting a bite? And yes I have watched Kevin's video several times, very helpful.
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Old 03-18-12, 11:13 AM   #2
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the only thing i can tell you is keep at it. i too have the same problem. mainly because i haven't "jig fished" that much. so i understand how hard it is to tell when you get bit. i am used to watching my line drift off when using a worm or lizzard. i do know to keep as much slack out of a jig as possible, maybe we are both having the same problem in that. not keeping the slack out?

i have anewphew and he just kills em wiht a jig. i cast to a spot and get nothing. he casts to the same spot and hauls out a 4 pounder, lol. so i watched him CLOSELY. he keeps his line pretty tight. so maybe that is our problem. i dunno.
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Old 03-18-12, 11:33 AM   #3
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maybe we are both having the same problem in that. not keeping the slack out?
So you're admitting in public for all to see that you are a SLACKER?

Actually that may be the issue, with a 1/2 oz jig, braid and a decent rod there shouldn't be a big issue with feeling bottom or structure. At times it may be the absence of feeling anything that will indicated a fish has picked up the jig. That's why it's important to keep a tight line, when you lift the rod and feel weight - set the hook. Be a line watcher also, that may be the first indication your offering has been taken.

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Old 03-18-12, 11:48 AM   #4
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I love jig fishing, so much that I started up a jig business several years ago. Are you having problems feeling everything, or just bites? I can't imagine you having much trouble feeing the bottom with the equipment your using. I certainly can believe you having problems feeling bites though because jig bites can be really hard to detect. Sometimes they hit it hard enough to almost rip the rod out of your hands and then other times you will almost never know they are there. Pay close attention to how heavy your jig feels while your fishing it, and if it ever feels lighter or heavier set the hook. Setting the hook on nothing is all part of jig fishing but you would be surprised how many times you set the hook on what feels like nothing and catch a fish. A lot of fish will just pick up the jig and the only way you notice the fish is because your jig feels a little lighter or heavier. In fact most of my better jig fish bite this way and it is kinda scary to think about how many big fish I might not have caught if I didn't set the hook because it didn't actually feel like a bite. Stick with it, you will get the hang of it and then you'll be glad you didn't give up on the jig.
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Old 03-18-12, 12:35 PM   #5
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I think you have gotten some great advice here. I am going to add one more thing that I think may help you with your jig fishing. Braided line is a very good at transmitting vibration when it is taunt, but if it has slack in it, it transmits almost nothing. For this reason I recommend that you purchase a good quality fluorocarbon line and use it until you have the feel for jig fishing. Fluorocarbon line is much better at transmitting vibration when the line is slack, and may help you feel some bites that you would possibly miss otherwise.
Don't misunderstand what I am saying, braided line is fantastic for jig fishing, especially when dragging jigs , but fluorocarbon may be the better choice while you are developing the feel for this technique.
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Old 03-18-12, 12:49 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Tavery5 View Post
I think you have gotten some great advice here. I am going to add one more thing that I think may help you with your jig fishing. Braided line is a very good at transmitting vibration when it is taunt, but if it has slack in it, it transmits almost nothing. For this reason I recommend that you purchase a good quality fluorocarbon line and use it until you have the feel for jig fishing. Fluorocarbon line is much better at transmitting vibration when the line is slack, and may help you feel some bites that you would possibly miss otherwise.
Don't misunderstand what I am saying, braided line is fantastic for jig fishing, especially when dragging jigs , but fluorocarbon may be the better choice while you are developing the feel for this technique.
That's a good point Tony. I use flourocarbon line for about 90% of the fishing I do, and I especially like it for jigs. I personally hate braided line, I will use it for the techniques that I need to use it for but it's just a pain to use so when I can get away without it I do. If you choose to try flourocarbon do yourself a favor and don't go the cheap route with it. There are a lot of guys out there that give flourocarbon a bad wrap because they buy cheap line and then find out that it's hard to manage and they don't like it as much as the mono that they have been using. I honestly think if you spend the extra money and buy a quality line you will find that it's very benificial to use. I would recommend Seaguar AbrazX for jigs but Sunline makes some really good flourocarbon as well.
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Old 03-18-12, 07:12 PM   #7
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Default gittin jiggy

i'm a old walleye guy that has jigged for 35+ years. I have set the hook on thousands of snags. But if you don't set the hook when you feel something differant you may be missing the fish of a life time. I use braided line Berkley fireline in paticular I can sometimes on a good day feel the fish pass gas.
The one thing you can't buy is experiance so keep at it and have fun.
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Old 03-18-12, 08:08 PM   #8
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Thanks for the advice guys. I need new line anyway, I think I'll buy a good quality fluoro. But I was out today and managed 2 more jig bass. The first one I casted to a tree and i saw the line immediately jump and then i felt to be sure and then set the hook. The other felt like i was dragging a wet towel so i set the hook and got it. I think....wait i KNOW i am missing ltos of fish. There are times where i feel something wierd and don't set the hook because I think its a snag. I keep trying to feel for that hard thump......unfortunately i feel very stupid because my line is very slack when I fish the jigs. But thats how I feel I have to. When I fish jigs, I am usually dragging them off of very steep drop offs. Like 10 feet off the bank into 50 feet of water. So I feel that I have to keep slack so that the jig has line to sink with the drop off. I feel that if i keep the line tight, the jig won't fall naturally straight down and will swing back to the boat....does this problem make sense to anyone?
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Old 03-18-12, 08:44 PM   #9
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Feed out few pulls on the line after the jigs hits the water. That should get it falling fairly straight down. (depending on water depth) Jigs usually fall on a controlled slack line that you need to watch. There was very interesting discussion I started on another forum about fluoro, braid and slack line bite detection. I've been fishing braid since Lynch line in the early nineties. I love the sensitivity but, I am think about giving fluorocarbon a whirl. I used Yozuri Hybrid for a while but, I am curious to see about 100% fluorocarbon.
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Old 03-18-12, 09:04 PM   #10
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haha, i am in the process of really jigging it up to, and i have hooked my limbs than my rump as a kid.. as said above better safe than sorry, and yes expericance.. but we all know that
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Old 03-18-12, 10:40 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bassboogieman View Post
So you're admitting in public for all to see that you are a SLACKER?

Actually that may be the issue, with a 1/2 oz jig, braid and a decent rod there shouldn't be a big issue with feeling bottom or structure. At times it may be the absence of feeling anything that will indicated a fish has picked up the jig. That's why it's important to keep a tight line, when you lift the rod and feel weight - set the hook. Be a line watcher also, that may be the first indication your offering has been taken.
x2. I went to a couple of one-hour seminars given by local small-time bass pros at the Cabela's here yesterday. One of them was talking about jig fishing and said exactly what boogie said above. Whenever you don't feel something, you need to set the hook. But that's also why it's important to keep the slack out of your line, otherwise you'll be feeling nothing all the time.
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Old 03-19-12, 12:37 AM   #12
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And remember two things.
#1. Hooksets are free.....you're not penalized for wasting one.
#2. If you're not losing jigs, chances are you're not fishing where the fish are. So don't be afraid to set the hook on what you "think" may be a snag. Sure, it might be a tree limb, but it also might be a 7-pounder.
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Old 03-19-12, 07:11 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by wallywallace View Post
and i have hooked my limbs than my rump as a kid..
Wally.....What in the world does that sentence mean? I have read it three times and can't make any sense out of it at all.

Regarding feeling a jig bite......like everyone has already said, it's a combination of using the right equipment and spending many hours throwing one. The good news is that when they're on a jig bite, they usually hang on long enough to get the job done. If they are spitting it out at the slightest resistance, a jig may not be the best tool anyway.
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Old 03-19-12, 08:06 AM   #14
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that is an ipod touch big fingers on small keypad idiot error, Ken,

it should say i have hooked more limbs than my rump has as a kid, meaning i have hooked into limbs more times than i got a limb to my a$$, my dad was a firm beleiver in go get your own switch lol, untill he bought a good belt
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Old 03-19-12, 10:45 AM   #15
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Great input full of great ideas.
I agree, when new, set EVERYTHING! Later you can be choosier when your confidence in the technique improves.
Sometimes the reason for spit outs is due to too much weight as opposed to too little weight. You may want to try just a size smaller and see if you have a better success rate. When new to jigging and using heavier weights sometimes we get so use to the weight bouncing off of everything on the bottom that you may be setting only on wood and such because of the obvious change in line tension and not setting on the soft bite due to feeling it's just a rock or something on the bottom. Jigging is a powerfull tool in your arsenal so just have patience and set everything in the mean time. Some times I'll throw a jig just to find out what the bottom is like, woody, rocky, sandy ect.
I too have done a lot of wally fishing and we would use the smallest weight that we could use and still reach the depths wanted. Many folks would even lighten equipment to feel the suttle bites of the walleye.
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Old 03-21-12, 08:28 PM   #16
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Jig bites are different from soft plastics, and honestly I thing everyone fishing jigs in wood loosed lots of them to the biting logs! I prefer soft plastics in wood but a jig everywhere else. Jigs are all about feeling the weight of the jig on controlled slack line. There's really no tricks or easy way about it , you just have to put in the time and get in touch with the feel of the weight of the jig. Fishing deep like that is tough as well. Usually you can get a feel for the jig in the water and generally get an idea of how long it should take the jig to hit bottom (which you should feel) at the depth your fishing. A bump sooner than expected....set the hook. No bump when expected? Lift the line a bit and feel for the weight of the jig. If it feels different than usual ..... Set the hook. From my experience and contrary to popular though, if you pick up line and feel for the weight of the jig , the fish usually won't spit it, but will bite down harder and usually move. They don't want to let that hard earned meal go.

I like braid for light jigs 5/16 or less say, but I find it transmits too many vibrations and has me swinging for the fences more with heavier jigs. I'm a P-line flouroclear guy 95% of the time. Most of your jig bites won't try and take the rod out of your hand either. A lot of the time you'll either not feel your jig hit the bottom, or just feel weight on the line (like the paper towel) . That's when you need to feel for the weight of the jig , if it feels any different , set the hook.

Jigs are simple, but have a big learning curve that's well worth the time.
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Old 03-21-12, 08:51 PM   #17
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Practice.

Each jig feels a little different. You're just gonna have to fish one enough to develop the skill. This is one of the seasons why jig fishing can be so difficult for new anglers. You can try holding the line above the reel to get better sensitivity though which may help. Don't be afraid to set the hook either, when you feel something, pull it a little, if it feels different, set the hook, if what ever you were feeling is gone, keep fishing. And as others have mentioned, keep a tight line and watch it. If you're gonna use use braid for jigs, keep a tight line.. great sensitivity, when tight, terrible when slack. Fluorocarbon however is a good transmitter of strikes on a slack line due to its high density.
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Old 03-21-12, 11:02 PM   #18
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Jig fishing is one of the techniques where the money you spend on your equipment will pay big dividends. There is no such thing as too much sensitivity when it comes to jig fishing, the more you can feel and detect the better off you are going to be.

I honestly believe that most people that say they have never caught a fish jig fishing is because they don't know what the bite feels like, or the equipment they are using does not have the sensitivity to detect a subtle bite.

Buy the best, most sensitive rod you can afford and spool it with a quality line. This may go as far as anything else in helping you catch fish on a jig.
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Old 03-22-12, 08:12 AM   #19
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If they are spitting it out at the slightest resistance, a jig may not be the best tool anyway.
What would be the best tool?
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Old 03-22-12, 10:04 AM   #20
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Dy-no-mite.
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Old 03-22-12, 06:07 PM   #21
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What would be the best tool?
ASK A WOMEN WHAT THE BEST TOOL IS A LET ME KNOW WHT THE ANSWER IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Old 03-22-12, 07:26 PM   #22
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What would be the best tool?
If the cover will allow it try something like a 4-5" finesse worm rigged wacky on 6lb test...sometimes bass just want something they can suck in and swim off with.... zero weight or resistance.(this is an excellent post spawn technique for spooky/tired/non-aggressive fish) If it's snaggy try a TR tube or a small light shakey worm.
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