football jig weight selection

[coreynov902]

Just wondering how you guys determine what weight to use when dragging a football head jig? Is it based solely on how deep you're fishing, or are other factors involved?

[5 by 3]

For me, it’s based mostly on depth and how much wind there is. I want to maintain contact with the bottom and feel the structure that I’m fishing. 1/2 oz seems to be the best size for me and I fish them anywhere from 6-20 ft.

[Real L]

Easy for me. I ONLY use 1/2 oz.

[XingEyeballs]

Depth, wind, current all play. Enough weight to maintain bottom contact.

[Casslaw]

I use the lightest possible to maintain bottom contact. I get lots of hits on the fall so I want it to fall as slow as I can get away with while also being able to feel the bottom composition.

[coreynov902]

I use the lightest possible to maintain bottom contact. I get lots of hits on the fall so I want it to fall as slow as I can get away with while also being able to feel the bottom composition.

Are you talking about it falling off of a ledge or something? I don't fish football jigs much, but when I do I'm always just dragging them and my bites are when the bait is being dragged, not when it's falling.

[coreynov902]

Thanks for the info guys! I'd like to throw a football jig more this year and am looking for all the help I can get.

[DrewFlu33]

For me I almost always am getting bit on the bottom and pretty often right after it hits the bottom, so I throw heavy ones that allow me to get down quickly to illicit that reaction strike, and to otherwise easily stay on the bottom and feel bottom composition. 3/4 - 1 oz almost always. The only time I go lighter is if I'm fishing shallower and around a lot of snaggy stuff.

[SWbass]

I seldom go over 5/8 oz and probably use 1/2 most of the time, but we aren't fishing the same lakes or parts of the country so what works for me may not work for you

[coreynov902]

Ok, so here's my next question...when you're dragging the jig, do you sweep your rod to move the jig and then pick up the slack, or do you just slowly reel the jig along the bottom? I tend to sweep the rod but I'm always a little worried I might miss a bite when re-positioning the rod and taking up the slack line.

[DrewFlu33]

I seldom go over 5/8 oz and probably use 1/2 most of the time, but we aren't fishing the same lakes or parts of the country so what works for me may not work for you

This is a really good point. The rock piles on the lakes around here I tend to fish usually aren't that snaggy, and they're usually out in the open where wind is often a concern, and otherwise pretty deep (almost always over 10 feet and often 15-20+). If I were fishing more snaggy, shallower, or protected stuff, I'd absolutely tend toward a lighter jig.

Ok, so here's my next question...when you're dragging the jig, do you sweep your rod to move the jig and then pick up the slack, or do you just slowly reel the jig along the bottom? I tend to sweep the rod but I'm always a little worried I might miss a bite when re-positioning the rod and taking up the slack line.

Yes.

I sometimes drag and pause. I sometimes reel it constantly. I sometimes "stroke" the jig up off the bottom before letting it settle back down and feeling for a bite and/or watching for the line to jump before stroking it again. You've got to experiment to figure out what they want on a given day. Don't be afraid to mix and match, either. I'm rarely just straight reeling it...I'll almost always pause occasionally to let it settle back down, particularly if I feel the jig come over something substantial (I envision it like dropping a spinnerbait right after clearing a laydown). Other times, say I'm going over a pretty uniform bottom, I'll often impart a little lift and pause to the straight reel to try to get some attention from any fish in the area.

Regarding missed bites, I think it's just a confidence and feel thing. I'm usually more worried about missing a bite when I'm reeling it constantly as it seems to me like they're more likely to grab it, feel tension from the constant reeling, then drop it. If you're doing a drag and pause or stroking it off the bottom, you just have to be cognizant for that "mushy" feeling or any outright thumps before you move the bait again. Straight fluoro will often jump pretty noticeably when a fish sucks that jig in.

Past that, it seems like bites when dragging almost always seem to come when the jig gets stuck on something (bigger rock, crevice, log, etc.) and you have to kind of finesse or pop the jig over whatever it was getting stuck on. It seems like either you've brought it into one's house and they ate it, or that sudden motion of the bait coming free gets a reaction. Similarly, bites when stroking always seem to come right as you pause to let it settle back down.

[Alumicraft145]

I use the all terrain football jig in one color, gp/ purple. 3" chigger for a trailer. I like the lighter hook on this jig. I'll go with 3 /8 oz most of the time but I have used 1/2 and 3/4 oz in the past down to 40+ ft.
You can kinda group football jigs with swing jigs and possibly spider grubs too. All pretty much get dragged on the bottom and all are stuff I don't use enough!!
One other tip... Buy in bulk!!

[MattVT18]

Both of DrewFlu's posts are pretty much exactly what I would have said. I've found over the years that jig preferences are very personal, much like rods and reels. The best advice I can give is to throw one and throw it often. Experiment to see what feels best to you. I always try to use the lightest jig I can get away with. Maintaining feel is the only way to know what's going on, so if you a throwing a jig that you can't feel what's the use?

[coreynov902]

Thanks for the posts, I appreciate the help and tips. Seems most of you go lighter than I expected. As said, I'll just have to do some experimenting and see what works for me.

[BoatBuggy]

Under 10' ft 1/2 oz. Up to 20' 3/4 oz. Over 20 ft 1 oz. I would probably use 3/4 or 1 oz all the time but I use a different rod for the 1/2 oz ones (I know you're a bit of a Megabass guy, I use the Daemos for the 1/2 oz and I'll be using the Tequila Baccarat for the 3/4+ ones).

I don't want that thing off the bottom at any time. If I want to be off the bottom, I'll use a dropshot.

[krindgen]

I'm seeing a trend in my fishing to use heavier baits. Most times with a jig I'm in the open fishing rockpiles and there is some wind. Making looooong casts also gets influenced by line size and the depth that can be fished efficiently. For me I don't have a need for anything less than 1/2oz and in most situations I use a 5/8 or 3/4oz just to maintain bottom contact.