Ok guys, I have got a ? for ya.

I fish a lot, and I mainly fish spinnerbaits and plastics. I am gradually broadening my horizons, and want to start fishing with a jig some. My question is, what is the best way to work a jig? I have some jigs and trailers that I bought a month or so ago.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Scott

good question scott i would like to know the answer to that one my self i have never used a jig

Hi Scott, hope I can help out somewhat, since I love to fish jigs. During winter and early spring I use a jig 75% of the time. During that period I use a lift and drop retrieve. That's when I usually catch my biggest fish of the year. They usually slam it on the drop,so you want your line taught, but I've had them chase it too. As soon as you feel the fish, set the hook. I use a 1/4 oz. , but will go heavier depending on how deep I want to go. My go to color has always been blk/blu skirt with a blue pork trailer. The trailer gives it some action, and slows the jigs descent. I also like brwn/grn. During the summer and early fall I use jigs to fish laydowns, brush piles, pads, stumps ect. Presentations all start with a quiet entry. Let's sart with a laydown. I cast or pitch the jig onto shore then pull the bait into the water, no noise or splashing. Now there's a whole bunch of things you can do with it. Swim the jig slowly or fast, twitching it as you go, during the day I'm looking for reaction strikes. When you hit a limb pause and then resume the retrieve. Another presention is do what we've already talked about, but add some variations. When you get to a limb let the jig fall over the limb and yo-yo it, twitch it or just dead stick it. Another approach is to hop it along the bottom, although I personaly don't have much success with that, unless the fish are really aggresive. At night I like to pitch; you'll get stikes as it drops. I also like to swim it the same way I fish plastics. Just play around with them until you find a method that suites you. Hope I've been some help, the staff, I'm sure can give you more info. Good luck, Carl

Scott, jigs and trailers are great baits especially for beter than average size fish. Jig and pork frogs works better in tight-heavy cover, jigs and plastic trailers are better in more open water. Use a pointed nose jig with a plastic worm-straight tail trailer in weeds. Blk/blue-Brown/brown and black/chrt/green are good colors. Fish them fairly slow, but don't be afraid to swim the jig combo off the bottom if fish are active. I try not to allow any slack in my line when jig fishing, sometimes we only get one thump and we better be ready. Good luck, take some time and get a good feel for the different jigs you will use, it's worth the effort and time. Johnnie

I had a pretty in-depth phone conversation with fishing legend Hank Parker about the subject of jigs. (Which happens to be my favorite bait to fish) I will try to summarize a little of what Hank told me about jig fishing.

He said that jigs are an awesome bait that many people have trouble fishing. The reason for this is the lack of confidence. Jigs are baits that will produce less bites but bigger quality fish. As a result of the fewer strikes, people give up on them to early. Hank's words of wisdom for learning the jig were "Just tie the son of a gun on and keep fishing it until you catch a fish."

Ummm Yeah, what he said.

JT Bagwell

Thanks for the help guys!

Scott

I fish a jig year round and in almost every manor conceivable. There are times when bass will not hit a jig, but those times are indeed rare.

The most appealing characteristic of a jig & trailer (IMO) is its ability to get in and out of places where other baits can not. Carl talked about some of these areas and types of cover. If you want to learn to fish a jig, you can start in your own back yard. Find a bush, or low hanging tree with a lot of branches and practice pitching or casting the jig into the thickest part. Then practice getting it out without snagging it. When you feel you can do this effectively, then take it out on the water with you. You may have a bit more patience when trying to catch fish in heavy cover if you have a little head start.

Here are some tips for open water. I hope you find it helpful. Open water jig fishing is all about feel. You need to feel the jig at all times. Retrieves vary based on the activity level of the bass. Here is an easy way to figure out what the fish want if you are not sure what the activity level of the bass is. Start with #1 and try each of these methods in order until you get a strike.

1) Aggressive: Swimming Retrieve (Cast it out and let it sink to the bottom. Keep your rod tip down at and just turn the reel slowly like you would when fishing a crank-bait or spinner-bait.)

2) Normal: Hop-Pause Retrieve (Cast it out and let it sink to the bottom. Take up any slack in the line and hold your rod tip around the “9-10 O’clock” position. Then just use your wrist to lift the rod tip upwards about 3”-6”. A short quick flick of the wrist is all you really need to move the jig off the bottom.)

3) Neutral: Crawling/shaking Retrieve (Cast it out and let it sink to the bottom. Take up any slack in the line, keep your rod tip low and give a slow steady lift. You only want the bait to drag about 6”- 12” at a time. PAUSE Then shake the rod using only wrist movement. The idea is to make the jig quiver without moving from its resting place. Shake, PAUSE, Shake PAUSE, Lift (crawl)PAUSE.

4) Negative: Dead Stick (Cast it out and let it sink to the bottom. Take up any slack in the line and do not move the jig at all. Just let it sit there. When you feel like it is time to move the jig, DON’T, just leave it alone. This might be a good time to eat that sandwich you brought with you.)

*If you are getting hits with #3 or #4 and not connecting with a bass, try downsizing the jig and trailer combination.

One thing that I was taught years ago by Lonnie Stanley, is not to allow slack in the line when there is a pick up. Keep it tight, and set the hook. Anglers who are used to fishing plastic worms, and bow their rod tip to the fish, will have to learn this difference in jig fishing. If slack is give to the jig, it will fall and hit the fish's mouth, as a result giving an unnatural feel, and having the fish drop the lure.
Everyone else has fairly much covered the other points.
I either crawl the jig over any thing on the bottom, work it through cover when flipping and pitching, or swim it over area, making sure to bump the tops of any wood.
Best of fishing,
Dan