To Jig or Not To Jig

To jig, or not to jig... that is the question. Definitely jig! As a lot of my fishing buddies and followers know, I never head to the lake without a vast array of jigs in my tackle assortment. They are among the best lures for big bass! They also know that I am not shy about teaching others how to catch more fish, and help them enjoy the sport to the fullest! I am going to give you some pointers here to help you out when it comes to jig fishing, so get out your notebooks and pay attention!

Every time I post a picture of a bass with a jig in its mouth, I hear things like "You have to teach me to jig fish" and "I wish I had luck like that with a jig." Well, here we go! Your luck has changed, I'm going to teach you! For the purpose of this article, we will focus on Flippin' Jigs. I will write on swimming a jig another time.

I want to help you all catch a few like this on the Flippin' Jig!

Weight

My first bit of advice is to use as light a jig as possible. When fishing in relatively snag-free water, a 3/8 oz (ounce) to a 1/2oz is plenty heavy. An example would be when you see a dead head log sticking up out of the water, or perhaps a boulder with little to no weeds or limbs around it. Remember, a heavier jig is more likely to snag up. This isn't a rule however. Sometimes I will flip a 3/4oz to 5/8oz in these conditions, as well as in light to moderate cover like weed pockets, docks, bridges ect. Jig fishing is 95% reaction strikes and sometimes to get that reaction you need a faster rate of fall. Now that we have discussed absent to moderate cover, we are left with every angler favorite... the thick, nasty, heavy stuff! Heavy you say? Yes, this is where you pull out the 1oz to 1-1/2oz cannon ball jigs!

Color

As far as color goes, keep it simple. In clean, clear water I opt for a Green Pumpkin or Watermelon with some Red in it. In the dirty, chocolate milk water I go for a Black and Blue jig, or a Plum Purple with some Black in the skirt. Fairly text book stuff, I just keep it simple. There is no need for all these crazy neon and florescent colors. Like I said, jig fishing is predominantly a reaction strike, but it is still important to "match the hatch." Remember that most colors you see in the tackle shop are to catch anglers at the cash register, rather than fish on the lake. Experiment with rattles on the jig. If they like it, use. If you aren't getting hit too often, take the rattles off and see if that's what they want.

Keep your colors simple and "match the hatch"

Rods and Reels

Let's be honest, the spinning combo you use for finesse drop shotting isn't going to get you far when flipping jigs. This is fishing abrasive structure and heavy cover. You will require trigger rods and casting reels. Be sure to select a quality reel with a good drag system and a high gear ratio to quickly winch the bass out of the cover!

You'll want to use a minimum 7' Medium to Medium-Heavy power, fast action rod for lighter jigs. I toss everything 1/2oz or less on a 7' Medium stick. That way I have the power to move the fish out of the structure he is on, but I also retain sensitivity with the light jig to feel his bite. I throw my 3/4-5/8oz on a 7'2 Medium-Heavy Shimano stick. For everything 1oz or bigger I pull out the lumber... either a 7'6 or 7'11 Heavy to Extra-Heavy action Flippin' Stick.

Lesson Summary Thus Far:

The key to remember at this point in the lesson is quite simple. The cover or structure you are fishing determines the size of the jig you need. The jig size determines the correct rod. And water clarity determines the appropriate color. Let's continue!

Line

This again is a simple topic to teach. I prefer a heavy Fluorocarbon (17-20lb) on my lighter jigs (generally 1/2oz or less.) My heavy jigs on heavy rods get heavy line. Is this a coincidence? Nope! Jigs 3/4oz or greater are flipped on 65lb straight braided line. That is mostly for hauling them out of trees, docks, lillies... anything that will destroy your line in a hurry. Remember, you get the most sensitivity out of straight braid, but you lose the invisibility of fluorocarbon. Again, experiment with and without a fluorocarbon leader. Let the bass tell you what they want.

The Strike

After you make your flip to your target, watch the line and keep a finger on it! More often than not, the fish will hit the jig on the fall as a reaction to it invading the fishes space (reaction strike.) When you see the line jump, feel it in your finger, or both, SET THE HOOK! I mean, really set the hook, drive it through his face. It was probably a jig fisherman that came up with the term "Rippin' Lips." Don't make long casts with 10,000 miles of line out, try to keep to short, accurate flips and pitches to specific targets. Your swimming jig however is an excellent search bait, but that's another topic.

Lesson Summary:

Use a line that suits the weight of your jig, you rod power and the cover you intend to fish. Make short, accurate flips to your target cover making as little disturbance as possible when the jig enters the water. Keep an eye and a finger on the line and set the hook hard when you detect a strike. 

Weed Guard Tip

Based on the cover where you intend to fish, if appropriate to do so don't be afraid to thin out or fan out the weed guard tines on your jig a little bit. I find that by doing so I can get the hook in the lip of a few of the fish that hit it very lightly, as if they are sampling it. I do this because you never know if those light strikes are a small bass or a 7-pounder tasting your jig. Obviously, if you are in thick weeds and snag infested cover or structure, don't go messing with the weed guard. Nobody want to snag the cover and have to go in on your spot to free the jig and spook all the fish.

CHECK YOUR LINE

The absolute best advice I can offer you is to check your line for abrasion after every single flip, pitch and punch! Fishing in cover and structure like this absolutely demolishes your line. There is no worse feeling in the world than losing a good fish because your line is all chinked up from rubbing along the cover and structure you're fishing. As if losing the fish isn't a bad enough kick in the teeth, consider that you're also losing a jig that most likely cost you anywhere from $5 to $8!

A 4-14 that recently fell for a 1/2oz Green Pumpkin Randall Tharp Signature Series jig from a small company in Alabama called 4x4 Bass Jigs

I really hope that this writing has shed a little light on jig fishing for you. Flipping can be a little tricky to wrap your head around, and difficult to learn the casting technique, but I hope that after reading this you will have a better understanding of the variables involved in jig fishing, and how to control said variables. 

As always, I am always open to questions and very willing to answer them and help you guys catch more fish. As always, feel free to contact me on twitter, Facebook or even email (yes, I get emails from fishermen and I ALWAYS reply and keep in touch!)  Keep a watch in the near future as I am planning to have a Twitter account specifically for the blog to help me keep up with my readers better! 

Until next time, Tight Lines!


-Cody