How to Fish a Jig
A bass jig is known as a big fish bait and for very good reason. I catch a lot of good fish on a bass jig. And you can catch fish pretty well any time of year on a jig with only a few adjustments. A jig is a difficult bait to learn and one which requires discipline. I am sure if you have asked anyone there is only one way to learn to fish a jig. Take a few jigs to the lake and go fishing. Here is a basic jig in the most common color.
For a basic start I would go with a 3/8 oz. This is a good medium weight jig, good for suspended fish who catch the bait on the fall of for crawling it slowly across bottom. You will have to play around with different weights until you find the right fall the fish want. I mostly fish a 1/2 to 3/4 because I like a reaction bite. The faster the jig falls the less time a bass has to decide if it is going to eat it or not. More often than not a bass will eat the bait because they are opportunistic feeders. Sometimes you have to fish a lighter to fish higher in the water column or to get finicky bass to hold it longer. As I said sometimes you have to play with the weight to get it right. If you are only getting bit a little or not at all then you adjust.
Alright let’s discuss color a bit. There are only a few basic color schemes you need. First, a good black and blue. This is your basic color scheme which will get you by in most conditions. Second, you need a good green pumpkin combination. Third, a good natural red/brown. These colors are generalized and you will eventually find your own color schemes. I base my color choice dependent on the type of forage the fish are eating or would most likely eat if available. This is why most color schemes revolve around bluegill or crawfish.
Where do you suppose you should put that jig? How about anywhere……… J/K almost. A jig is a very natural presentation and a strong power presentation as well. You can pitch and flip a jig for fishing close and accurate around cover or you can cast a jig and crawl or hop it along bottom. I think jig fishing in the south usually entails pitching and flipping and in the north I believe they do a bit more dragging. To fish a jig across bottom simply slowly drag the bait along or hop it along bottom basically the same way you would fish a Texas rigged worm. For pitching and flipping try to get the bait as close to cover as possible and try to let the bait fall on a slack line so it will fall straight down and end up closer to the cover by the time it hits bottom. If you don’t get bit on the initial fall I usually hop it a couple times then reel in and pitch again. Most bites will occur on the fall.
One last thing to mention about jig fishing is learn to watch your line. The hardest part about fishing a jig is detecting the strike. A bass usually inhales a jig and sucks it up when they bite. Most times you will not feel the strike at all. Watch the line as your jig falls and look for anything out of the ordinary. Some times the line will jump as if the line is flinching. Some times it just doesn’t sink as deep as you know it should. Some times it will swim off or straight at you. If you are not watching your line you would miss all three of these bites. Sometimes the bite just feels like the jig got heavy or soggy feeling. I have a sayings “Set the hook fish don’t have hands” And “Hooksets are free” Anytime you hesitate you may have just lost the fish of a lifetime. So don’t miss that opportunity and set the hook often. Now get some jigs and get after the big fish.
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