Jig Fishing Help

[tnbassin]

I just can't get confidence in jig fishing even though I know a lot of people catch fish and win tournaments with a jig. What is the best way to fish a jig? I usually fish a spinnerbait or crankbait. I can feel those baits but I have trouble feeling what a jig is doing. So how do you fish one? I spent several hours last week with a jig and didn't catch squat. I threw a 5/16 black/blue Eatkins jig right up to the bank and try to work it back slowly next to rocks and stumps but I never got a bite. I am sure it is that I just don't have confidence. Thanks.

[Mike Adams]

The way I taught myself how to fish a jig was, that was all I took those days...it may take more than one to start to develop confidence under varying conditions. Don't get locked in on a single presentation, there is no "best way", swim it, stroke it (snap it off the bottom for a foot or two and let it drop), drag it, shake it, you get the idea. The only thing that limits how effective a jig can be is your imagination. You also can experiment sit size ( i throw anywhere from an 1/8oz to a 1/2oz) depending on the conditions and trailer size too, from a smaller salty chunk trailer to a Paca Craw. I prefer jigs with no rattle even in dirty water, but some people only throw jigs with rattles; its all in what you have confidence in. Alot of it is going to be based on the predominant forage for the time of year, if they are on a shad bite, stick to a lighter colored jig (white jig and trailer) if they are on a craw bite, stick to the colors that imitate a crawfish and the same for bluegill, perch etc. Watch the line, you will not always feel the bite, it may just start swimming away without so much as a twitch in the line, other times it will feel like they are trying to rip the rod out of your hand. What kind of line and rod are you using, I know that you said you were throwing a 5/16oz Eakins, I dont see why, but that might b why you are having trouble "feeling" the jig.

[paulpus]

If you are having trouble feeling the jig, you might want to go alittle bigger, say a 3/8, and something with a wider head to give you more bottom contact
I fish a jig 90% of the time I am on the water, ask questions, I will help all I can!!
Paul

[20_lb_sack]

If you have confidence in spinnerbaits, maybe start with a swimming jig. Fish it just like a spinnerbait whenever you would reach for a spinner. Fish will be shallow and cover oriented for the next couple of months. I love pitching a jig, around shallow cover, one five+ out of a shallow brushpile and you'll be hooked. Dragging football jigs over flats and deep structures takes a little more confidence but is still a great way to catch them on jigs. It probably took two years of steady fishing with a jig for me to get fully confident in my ability to fish one in most any situation and feel I was gonna catch a biggun.

[Mark Perry]

Start with a finesse slipping jig. They seem to fish more like a Texas rig and the bites are similar then go from there.

[Derek B]

I just started gaining confidence with a jig in the past 6 months. When the water temps were in the 40s I dragged it pretty slow, I almost never felt the fish bite, just felt like grass on the line.

Now that the water is warmer I haven't done so well, but pick it up later in the day and fish it tight to cover. I like using a Zoom speed craw as a trailer and bite off about 1/2 inch and thread on the hook.

Only stick to natural colors. I urge you to check out Flatlands Tackle and try the Turkey Creek Craw colored jig. I've caught a ton of fish on this color with a greenpumpkin or watermelon trailer.

Let the fish dictate how you fish it. Last week I was swimming it off the bank then killing it, fish bit when it stopped. Somedays they'll hit it on the fall so you can fish it fast. Other days you have to work it over limbs into deeper water. Down here the dirtier the water the closer the fish are to the bank.

[jimfc3]

All good comments but I would like to add stick to the greens and browns when throwing up shallow and save the black and blue for thick bush and/or deeper darker water

[schmidte]

I've always thrown jigs in the spring when fun fishing, but never had the confidence to throw them in a tournament. Then a buddy of mine was fishing one of our tournament lakes an said he killed them on a black/blue jig with a Zoom super chunk. I was forced to fish a jig if I wanted to do good. Bottom line, I caught 6 fish (3 fish limit per day) that weighed 19.5 lbs. Since that tournament I've gained the confidence to throw it at any time. Now I'm working on doing the same with a drop-shot.

Trying a different bait is like going on a diet, just got to have the will power to stick with it until you see results.


Modified by schmidte at 3:41 PM 3/26/2011

[medicpelle]

A lot of good advice here and I could add a paragraph myself. Use Fluorocarbon !!!! It's a night and day difference feeling cold water bites especially in deeper water. adjust the line size with cover or water color. This past weekend I was throwing a 1/2oz football jig with a Berkley chigger craw trailer sitting in 18-20' casting onto a bluff shelf then dragging it off and back to the boat. They wanted it S-L-O-W. I tried to speed the retrieve and no bites. Had 22lbs prefishing, never really felt the "tic" bite, just pressure or sometimes it felt soft compared to the rock. It takes time as will any new technique. I tend to speed up the retrieve as the water warms. It's kinda like a jerkbait, you have to find the right retrieve, dragging, Hop, Swim, Swim-hop, soak, or just a flip or pitch. If you are fishing in open water or around big rock trim your weed guard back to just above your hook for better hook sets. If you have the patience to stick with the jig it will payoff for you in the long run.

[tnbassin]

Guys, I really appreciate the tips. I will be back on the lake in the morning unless we get a flood tonight. The water will be cold and muddy on Old Hickory Lake. I hope to at least get a couple of bites.

[tnbassin]

I went a couple hours on Old Hickory this morning with my jig rod. It was cold and light rain. Water is still muddy. Didn't catch anything. It was just too miserable out today.

[medicpelle]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by tnbassin &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I went a couple hours on Old Hickory this morning with my jig rod. It was cold and light rain. Water is still muddy. Didn't catch anything. It was just too miserable out today.</td></tr></table>

Stick with it. It is a pattern that will produce.

[RangerRick54]

You've got one of the best lakes to learn to jig fish, by the way, everything on here is good info, but, I learned from two almost exclusive jig fisherman, be persistant, get as good as you can on pitching and flipping. If you don't like flipping, that's ok, master the pitch and learn to roll pitch under docks. Get a video from someone like Denny Brauer. He is a master!! And a great teacher. Color is not that important, here is why, once you get confident, there are only 3-4 color combinations that you need. I've watched pros use one color in both stained river conditions, then the next time I was with him he used the same color, but a lighter combination in clear lake conditions. Something else, fish the jig back to the boat like someone else said, slow like a spinnerbait and watch as you get close to the boat, you might just have the lunker of a lifetime following it back!!