Swim Jigs

[NathanDLTH]

Recently this summer I've found myself throwing swim jigs a lot more in and around cover, in open water and in the river(Mississippi River in Minnesota). I've come to the conclusion this is one of my favorite baits to throw, basically anything reaction is lol! That being said I'm looking at swim jigs in terms of hooks, cover-ie open water, around docks, weedlines, through grass etc then learning how to keep the bait in the depth of water. What started all this was messing around with a 1/4oz megabass swim jig this weekend, catching some late fall largies creeping it. It was quite the experience and the last few summers this bait has become a staple in my line up, it's a confidence bait essentially. My desire is to keep it simple from line, lures, baits, rods, and reels. What are some specifics which can help me become more profiecent at this technique? Equipment isn't really an issue with this area for me and 90% time I'm bank fishing. Thanks for your time and feedback.

[Bassjam2000]

You can still "swim" it on the bottom. Some of my best days came grinding one through weeds very slowly. Adds another dimension to an already versatile lure.

[NathanDLTH]

You can still "swim" it on the bottom. Some of my best days came grinding one through weeds very slowly. Adds another dimension to an already versatile lure.

No kidding, that's how I got bite on Friday and Saturday.

[Bassjam2000]

No kidding, that's how I got bite on Friday and Saturday.

Haha yeah it works. Many just cast it and crank it and shake it and that presentation has it's time and place, but it's still a jig and one that comes through weeds very well, might as well take advantage of it, I rip and grind it through milfoil and coontail as long as they're standing from about post spawn right through late fall.

[willwork4fish]

I fish a swim jig a good bit and I actually think it's one of the best junk fishing lures out there depending on the trailer you use. One of my favorites is a 1/4 oz swim jig (brand isn't that important, I pour a lot of my own but Brovarney and Lethal Weapon are both good and local to WI) and a Kalin Scrub for a trailer. Say you're going down a bank and there's some riprap...pitch it and work it like a jig. Then you go down a little further and it transitions to eel grass...throw it and wind it like a swim jig. Then in the back of the cut there's some mats...a 1/4 oz (I pour 1/8 and 3/16 too) can be brought over the top like a frog or buzz toad with the scrub. On the river or anywhere with more stained water I throw it on 40-50lb braid.

[FryDog62]

The jig that seems to keep the trailer on the longest is a 6th Sense Divine Swim Jig w/screw lock. Less weedless, but great bouncing off rocks on a slow retrieve is the Megabass Uoze.

[Kodiak16]

Just light 1/16 tungsten jig head with a swim bait catches fish every time for me. Rarely throw anything else.

[DrewFlu33]

I throw them on a Phenix X-11 which is a composite rod, really designed for mid-depth crankbaits, like a DT-10 or something...the same thing I throw my chatterbaits on. Lots of people in our neck of the woods throw them on straight braid or straight fluoro, either works fine. I personally throw them on braid to a leader...braid in the 0.25-0.30 mm diameter range, 16 lb Sniper leader for most situations. Probably just in my head, but I feel like the noise braid makes sawing across vegetation matters. The fluoro also won't cut into wood like braid will, seems to come around/over pads more cleanly, and it holds up better around pike teeth and metal dock posts that quickly fray braid, too. I usually run a fairly long leader, 12-15 feet, FG knot it onto my mainline. It goes onto the reel easily and casts out like there's no knot, and that's using Daiwa T-wings that everyone says won't play nice with leader knots.

Tough for me to throw anything other than a Brovarney unless I'm fishing around really heavy cover. They run true (which I never realized could be a problem with swim jigs until trying some others), have Gamakatsu hooks, and hand tied skirts in any color you could ever want. Zoom Z-Craw Jr (3 top segments cut off) or a Fat Albert grub as a trailer. The Big Bite 5" Finesse grub is basically a dead ringer for the Fat Albert despite being "listed" as 2" longer, so I throw that if available--you can get them in bigger packs which is nice. The Z-Craw Jr. I usually rig vertical and it looks incredible. Rigging it horizontal allows you to slow down your presentation and keep the bait up, if that's in the cards. Skinny Dippers are also really great swim jig trailers. They make a swim jig rock side to side in a really subtle way that fish just can't seem to stand.

Almost always 1/4 oz for me too. One thing I learned is that if you rig a grub or swimbait with the tip of the tail pointed up vs. down you can change the running depth of a swim jig by more than a foot on a normal retrieve. I've gone from catching them to not catching them just by flipping a trailer over many times.

Varying retrieves is definitely smart. Another thing that works really well is using the rod tip to steer the jig into cover, then pausing it for a split second right after making contact. Whether that's pads, wood, dock posts, reeds, whatever, it's amazing how often that will lead to bites.

[NathanDLTH]

Guys, thanks for the info! I've mainly used the standard swimbait as a trailer then just started expanding what I use for trailers. I know this is gonna be one of those techniques where I just figure out what works for me and how to apply it in different siutations.

[NathanDLTH]

The jig that seems to keep the trailer on the longest is a 6th Sense Divine Swim Jig w/screw lock. Less weedless, but great bouncing off rocks on a slow retrieve is the Megabass Uoze.

I've tried both and love the Megabass jigs for slow rolling.

[softwateronly]

Me too. Taking a heavy swim jig w/ a 4.5-5" paddletail and erractically pulsing my retrieve in weedy waters is akin to the swing head bite in rocky water. Makes that 12-15' weedline my most productive area from april thru sept.

scott