Jig frustration

[Okie74133]

I know that Jigs are always touted as one of the top bass getters of all time. I have never been successful fishing jigs because I literally can't keep them on my line long enough to catch fish. Over and over I have tried to fish them but regardless of where I fish, after about the third cast I'm hung up and have to break it off. My home lake that I fish 95% of the time has lots of rock. I make a cast, let it hit bottom, start hopping and bumping it as you should, and without fail it gets caught between rocks and it's game over. I seriously don't think I've ever voluntarily cut a jig off my line to change lures, the lake just takes them from me. Does anybody have a secret or is this just typical? Do I just need to buy them by the gross?

[bbcman]

You probably need to lighten up on jig weight. Rocks eat jigs. Football head jigs may give some better results. What type jigs are you fishing and what type of rock are you fishing (boulders, chunk, riprap, ect.)?
Don't cast horizontal to them, cast perpendicular to targets or shoreline will help especially in shallower water.

[Almag6]

lighten up your weights,
fish it faster...think swimming it occasionally hitting bottom.
Bump up your line weight
head design and line tie angle matters.

[Squire]

Serveral things you can do. One, as said above, lightest weight you can use for the depth. Second, make sure your jig rod is 7ft plus and when you retrieve it is as vertical as you can, I pull from 1 oclock to 12-11 oclock.... You have to be a line watcher. See the line move, reel down and set the hook. Third, make shorter casts. This gives the line, with the long rod a very large amount of upward momentum. If you drag it with rod level, hangups will occur every cast. Fourth, you can use mono to help. It floats and again provide the angle up you want. Next, really focus on feel. I can tell when my jig is entering a crack/crevasse and I do NOT put much pressure on it. I immediately go over to the jig and reverse it out. Use heavy line, I am down to 17lb abrazx, but learned on 20/25. Another trick, as I make my own skirts, is to add extra tabs to the skirt to give the jig large shoulders that will stop it from going too deep into the crack (feel) and then you can pull up with the rod, extended both arms and grab the line in front of your reel and snap it after you put some bend in the rod so their is pressure on the jig, and generally it pulls the jig out, sometimes I don't snap it, just the very upright angle is enough to pull it out. Retie OFTEN in rocks or you will snapoff on that 4 lber when you set the hook....ask me how I know. Use lead jigs to learn, tungsten besides being more expensive, are smaller and get into cracks and then more cracks lol.

[Okie74133]

You probably need to lighten up on jig weight. Rocks eat jigs. Football head jigs may give some better results. What type jigs are you fishing and what type of rock are you fishing (boulders, chunk, riprap, ect.)?
Don't cast horizontal to them, cast perpendicular to targets or shoreline will help especially in shallower water.

I've fished the various jig head styles. I also typically buy 1/4 - 3/8oz jigs just because I'm a finesse guy by nature. The lake is mostly chunk rock on bottom with some boulders. And I love fishing rip rap so yes to that. I'm trying to understand how casting angle would make a difference with something as non directional and random as rock.

[Okie74133]

I do use a 7ft rod and try to keep it high. I obviously need to heed the advice on techniques more. I use fluorocarbon so i'll try mono.

[jiggerjake]

Are you using football jigs ?

[Okie74133]

Are you using football jigs ?

Not exclusively, no. Are they less prone to hangups?

[Mcjenson]

Not exclusively, no. Are they less prone to hangups?

Football jigs are much better in rock.

[Kb444fishing]

What's your Oklahoma home lake. Dragging a jig is real big on grand. Eufaula tenkiller and such.

[Okie74133]

What's your Oklahoma home lake. Dragging a jig is real big on grand. Eufaula tenkiller and such.

Skiatook.

[Kb444fishing]

Skiatook.

I have a lot of buddy's that smack them on jigs at Skiatook. Guy in Bartlesville Jeff Gomez makes a lot of stuff for pros and Others. You can google him on Facebook. Tell him you want some Skiatook jigs. But anyway not all jigs are alike and not all rocks are alike. Like others have said a football will be less prone to get into cracks. Lots in the feel. Hopping over riocks not necessarily dragging like we do on grand. Stay with it they catch fish.

[bassfisher444]

Not exclusively, no. Are they less prone to hangups?

I would say they are more prone to hangups, I don't like football jigs at all, a round ball head jig is the closest thing to a football jig I will use and I don't even use those very often. I like the more traditional "Arkie" style jig head, although in the past couple of years I have been using the Trashmaster jigs, they come though cover without getting hung up better than any jig I have ever used. For fishing in and around grass I like a swim jig.

[Okie74133]

So I guess in the end it's just me! Lol

[DaveBrabec]

I have more confidence for a bigger bite with jigs.17-20 lb Floro and a football jig .I retire most jigs that get worn out before breaking them off.Flipping in cover you cant beat a Arkie style head.

[DrewFlu33]

You definitely will go through them, but shouldn't be getting hung up that much.

My vote would be for a football jig, lightest weight you can get away with in snaggy rock. It's a feel thing, too. If you're dragging one and you feel it starting to wedge up, lifting the rod tip and sort of finessing it over that obstruction is a big key to keeping yourself from getting hung. And to getting bites! They will grab them really often when you clear that obstacle.

What trailers are you using? Sometimes it seems that a trailer with some "kick" can help a jig float a bit and not get stuck. Something like a Z-Craw or Rage Bug for example.

Maybe left-field question: Are you throwing them on braid or braid to a leader? I was doing that for a bit as the feel is unreal, but noticed I got hung up a LOT more. The lack of stretch I think makes them wedge in more readily, plus the thin line diameter seems to keep them moving more horizontal as you work them which I think makes them more prone to finding a place to get stuck. Going to straight fluoro, I like Sunline Shooter or Structure in 18 lb test, helped a lot with that.

[The Pond King]

I've gotten lucky because Dobyn's had a blow sale of their football jigs for $1 each. That's right $1 per jig. I bought 276 jigs with the vast majority of them being 3/4 football jigs. I don't care about losing my jigs now because they aren't $5+ dollars each. Anyways, this has also made me a better jig fisherman as well because I've been experimenting with retrieves on to how to not get snagged in rip rap, and I throw them in the nastiest stuff without fear. I've lost a lot of jigs in the process, but I didn't care, and I have to say, out of all of the lures that I fish, I feel like jigs are the lures that I snag and lose the most. For this reason, I can't justify paying $5+ for a jig no matter how high quality the jig is.

Anyways, I fish these jigs in the worst rip rap that you can possibly imagine. The whole bottom floor, by the culvert that I fish them out of, is all just a pile of rocks. This is the type of area, where, I don't like dragging a football like you would typically do. The best retrieve to not get snagged in this environment is to use a "hop - hop" and pause retrieve from what I've found and never dragging it. It's counterintuitive because you'd think that you'd get the jig would get stuck in one of the holes in between the rocks, but it doesn't. Dragging is what will get it wedged. Even with my heavy 3/4oz footballs, I hardly snag using a hop-hop retrieve.

Heavy braid will also give you a better shot at unsnagging your jig by using the bow and arrow technique. Also, keep in contact with your lure. Try not to have any slack in the line.

If you want to drag your jig in an environment where there's chunk rock and the occasional boulders, get the most sensitive rod that you can afford. When you start to feel that jig starting to wedge, ease it out of the crevice that it's starting to get stuck on instead of pulling it further in. You need a very sensitive rod + braid to feel this effectively.

[bilgerat]

Don’t fish them. Seriously, find another technique you do well with and roll with that. I was like you years ago, got obsessed with them and tried to force myself to use them. I was miserable so I put them away and moved on. There’s far too many ways to catch quality fish to needlessly stick with something that’s just not working out for you. My “jig” happens to be lipless cranks. There’s plenty of guys who despise them and can’t catch a cold with them … so move on

[RangerTim619]

Shorter casts are the key and fish the fall of the jig more. watch your line and keep the jig moving

[Solitario Lupo]

If it’s that rocky skim the bottom don’t actually hit the bottom.