Jig fishing, what do i need to know!

[MCTFisher9120]

This fall i started to use a bass jig around lake scugog and i had a decent amount of success. Seeing that using bass jig's in heavy cover can be really good in the summer time i think i am going to get myself some jigs for heavy cover fishing. What brand/or specidic model of a bass jig do you like to use the most in the summer for bass, what are the most productive colors, and what kind of trailer do you use and have most success with most often.

Any other good info on fishing jig's would be appreciated.

Edited December 7, 2008 by Mike The Bass Fisher

[OhioFisherman]

Mike I have used a lot of different brands, no real favorite but theses are good ones,

 

http://www.allterraintackle.com/products/grassjig.html

 

Available through Stamina Tackle and I have purchased products from them directly. Justin Hoffman seems into this type of fishing a lot and probably is a better source for what is available up there if you chose to purchase locally. The BPS jigs are ok too.

 

Trailers are mostly a matter of personal preference and confidence, I have used pork frogs, plastic frogs, pork grubs, plastic grubs, pork crawfish, plastic crawfish. The list could go on, get some you feel confident in and catch fish on.

 

Colors? Hard to beat black and blue, basic black, brown and orange or brown and chartruse, watermelon, pumpkin.

 

I have also used white, with a white trailer, baitfish scattering thru the weeds. Jigs catch fish, don`t leave home with out them! Caught bass in 6 inches of water on them and 20+ feet. Pointy nose better for weeds in my opinion, flatter for rocky bottoms, eg football style. You can swim them thru lighter cover also.

 

Jigs tend to catch bigger fish.

[Rich]

I like the Boo-Yah jigs. Various colors/sizes produce on different days depending when/where you're fishing but as a general rule I like black/blue. Cold water = pork trailer warm water = plastic..

[singingdog]

Lots of jig hype out there, especially for a lure that is essentially a hook with a hunk of lead on it. I look for a good hook and a good price. If you are fishing them hard, you are going to lose quite a few of them...you don't want to be throwing jigs that are so expensive that you will be too cautious with them.

 

There are only 3 jig colours: dark, light and in-between. I fish dark brown or dark green 90% of the time, unless I am swimming them, then I fish white or something close to it. I would probably do just as well using black/blue or black/purple.

 

IMHO the trailer is more important than the skirt. As far as I am concerned, the skirt is just there to slow the fall of the jig. Most of the time I fish jigs without a skirt at all and have just as much luck as with skirted jigs.

 

Don't forget about Trigged plastics. If you are fishing cover, they will normally perform just as well as a jig at a lower cost.

[hirk]

I have customs, you select either a Diachi or Owner deep throat hook/jig and I have 20 different color skirts that you can choose from to finish it off with.3/8 & 1/2 w/wo rattles.

[steverowbotham]

Jig colour depends 100% on the forage in which you are imitating.

 

Personally, I throw a black jig about 80% of the time, although certain things call for certain changes...

 

I customize my skirts a lot ... When I'm fishing docks ... there are usually lots of bluegill that hang around ... I use a jig thats green pumpkin, and I add some black and orange strands and use a blue trailer .... this is a great bluegill imitation, and will often outfish any other jig in these areas.

 

I had a lot of success this year swimming a white/purple jig this year, in areas that have good numbers of shiners, smelt or alewives.

 

As far as trailers go, I've grown to love the new Strike King Rage Tail Series.

[pikeie]

about 80% of my largemouths this year came on flippin jigs. best colour for me was black/brown/olive and a little bit of orange. i would use a black plastic craw trailer most of the time. i also started using the olive and orange jigs with olive trailer with blue fleck to imitate the blue gill and pumkinseeds. cant stress the use of approprate equipment enuff! use a 7'6" + rod heavy action with strong braid like 50 lbs plus. you will need this power to pull those hawgs out of the thickest of junk!!

[JustinHoffman]

Hey Mike,

 

Just came across this thread.

 

As you can probably tell from the majority of my reports, flipping jigs are my number one bait when chasing largies. If truth be known, I throw these 75% of my time when out on the water..

 

I've fished a lot of jigs over the years (some good and some bad), but for the last three years, I've stayed with the Booyah Boo Jig. Stick with the 3/8 and 1/2oz for the majority of your fishing. I generally go with a 3/4oz when fishing "deep" water - 10 feet + and if the wind is really blowing.

When fishing slop edges, laydowns, or docks in less than five feet of water, go with a 3/8oz, as the slower decent through the water will often trigger more strikes.

 

Top four colours would be:

 

Black/Blue

Black Brown Spice

Black/Red

Green Pumpkin

 

In terms of trailers, I'm a big proponent of the YUM Chunks. Go with the 3.5" size, and match up the colour of plastic to your jig. Been using these for as long as I can remember.

 

Remember to trim back the weed guard, and also thin it out - this will result in better hook penetration and more fish in the boat..

 

This image shows the colours I routinely use, and the matching trailers:

 

 

Toss jigs to any emergent or sub-surface structure you can find - pads, slop edges, docks, laydowns, undercut banks, cane, weedlines, rock shoals....the possibilities are endless.

Getting your confidence in fishing jigs is a huge deal. Many give up too quick. Best way to learn (and how I did many years ago) was to take a flipping stick and a handful of jigs out in the boat - nothing else. This forces you to use them, and practice definitely makes perfect..

 

Good luck!

 

Justin

[Reef Runner]

Justinn Hoffman\s advice is all you need. I would add jig fishing is a sensitivity game. Good no stretch superbraid is the way to go. I use powerpro but there are alot of good ones out there.

[BassAsin]

Justinn Hoffman\s advice is all you need. I would add jig fishing is a sensitivity game. Good no stretch superbraid is the way to go. I use powerpro but there are alot of good ones out there.

i use a spiderwire xxx braid all i use for my thick and heavy cover flipping is the 20lbs test it is more than strong enough and super thin diameter so when setting the hook it helps cut through weeds reeds pads and aany other cover which i find to be a huge help

[BassAsin]

so are u claiming to be perfect at flipping a jig justin? hahahah

[aniceguy]

1 thing to add to justins...if you find short strikes its wise to actually thread the trailer and tuck it under the rattle shorten it up a bit

[BassAsin]

last summer i had good success with a grub for a trailer on short hit days u can shorten them up quite a bit if u like and they come in just about every colour under the sky

[Blake]

Flipping Jigs are great big bass baits. My favourites are Strike King Premier Elite, Bootlegger Jigs, and the Dave Hite Mop jigs. Weights nothing less than 1/2oz up to 1 oz. For colours in my personal favourite order:

Black Blue,

Black Blue Purple

Black Chartreuse,

Blue Gill.

 

Good rattles, hooks and skirts are very important. Trailers there is only 2. Strike King Denny Brauer Chunk and Fishing World's Chunks. Braided line is great but Floro for clearer lakes are needed. Good Stick 7ft 6inch heavy Crucial and a fast retrieve reel like the Curado E7. Once you get on the pattern and the bite these baits will be a huge part or your arsenal. They have made me thousands in tournies and I have great confidence in them.

[profisher25]

Mike, try out a Strike King Weedless Bitsy Bug #15 Cajun Crawfish with a Big Fish Natural Scent C-Tail. Now, the only problem is that the C-Tail that I have hooked up was bought in Florida, however, you can use any curly tailed grub or what ever you like, however, try to stick to the same colors as the jig you use .. but then again, never be afriad to try out new color combinations

Edited December 16, 2008 by Profisher25

[JustinHoffman]

Hello All,

 

Few more bits of advice I thought I'd add.

 

In terms of line, 20 or 25lb test mono has always been my choice. I do very short line flipping/pitching, in extremely shallow water. Due to this, I want a line that has a bit of give when reefing back on hooksets. Just my preference. If you fish clear water and opt for braid, go with a flouro leader.

After a bit of research this past year, I will be making the switch to full flouro for 2009. Clearer than mono, a bit less give, and much stronger. Great attributes for flipping applications.

 

Don't be afraid to go shallow. At least 60% of my fish are caught from water less than 2 feet deep. A large portion from less than a foot. Many boats don't target water this shallow, but believe me, the fish are definitely there. If it is deep enough to cover there backs, they will utilize it as cover. Here are a couple of shots that showcase the skinny water I target. Each image was taken after catching a fish from the spot:

 

 

 

 

 

Splash-less entries are key - especially when working shallow water. Make your presentation as natural as possible, and that means nary a ripple when your bait enters the water. Continued practice is the only way to achieve this.

 

Equipment is also key. You need a flipping rod - this will allow you to utilize this technique to the best of your ability. My light-weight Kistler rods were a God-send out on the water this season. A reel with a flipping switch is also an excellent choice in my eyes...

 

 

 

Happy Pitchin'!

 

Justin