JIG FISHING
A Must Learn Technique

The jig, a simple lead headed hook, is by far the best fish producing bait for any species. You can catch just about any species that swims with jigs. However, chances are if you are a bass fisherman, you rarely take advantage of this old standby. Just a few simple techniques can add fish to your livewell.

Jigs come in many types and style. The first type is a round, lead head with a good 2/0 – 3/0 hook. Add a soft plastic grub or tail to complete this fish-producing combo. The other style is the arky jig. A weed guard is added to create a lure that is productive in cover such as grass, wood cover, and rocks.

The grub style lure is a prolific technique for fishing. Any depth can be fished with lead heads. Simple increase the lead for deeper depths. Split tails, curly tails, paddle tails, and other designs are used for soft plastic grubs. Fish open water with grubs.

At this time of year, you hear phrases like “slow as molasses” or “cabin fever”. Cold weather fishing can be slow and painful. If you add a simple grub to the mix, you can produce some nice trips in the dead of winter. The key to fishing a grub or jig is to fish it slow. Let it do the work. That is why a 1/8 or ¼ oz head with a three to four inch curl tail is good for cold water. As the jig falls slowly through the water column, the tail is producing a tempting action. This fall also covers the water from the surface to the bottom. Always keep a tight line because a bite might come at any depth. Try to keep a count on the time it takes to reach the bottom. This is important because it tells you what depth the fish may be holding on a given day.

Concentrate on drop offs, points, or humps. The areas where the river channels cut into a flat or another channel are always good starting points. Fish jig up or down the drop off. And do not be afraid to fish deep or vertically jig the lure. As far as the plastic body, I use a three to four inch, curl tail grub on a 3/0 head ranging in size from 1/16 to 1/4 ounce. Use a fat bodied grub to slow the fall even more.  The key is to cover as much water as possible without retrieving the lure to quickly. Bottom contact can be an important factor. Swim the lure off the bottom briefly. Allow the lure to fall back to the bottom. Most strikes occur on the fall. Be sure to keep the line tight to detect the strikes.

The second type of jig is more familiar to bass fisherman. The arky type jig comes with the same lead head but adds a weed guard for fishing in cover and a rubber skirt to imitate crawfish legs. This lure is designed for heavy cover. However, a jig-n-pig, as it is known as, will produce fish at any time of year. The arky jig is best in shallow water. However, it does work in deep water situations.

I like to use this lure in depths of eight feet or less and in heavy cover like fallen trees or docks.  Fish the arky style jig in visible cover like logs, fallen trees, or bushes that are in two to eight feet of water. Since it is cold, fish the structure thoroughly. Drop the lure into any hole among the braches you can find. Do not forget to fish in front of the tree first. In the winter, fish will sometimes stack up in front of the structure. Unless you have established a pattern that fish are holding in the cover, always fish the outer edge of the cover first.

It may take a month or even a year to learn how to catch fish with a jig-n-pig. Sometimes instinct is the only thing that tips you off to a bite. For beginning anglers, this is the most frustrating thing about the jig. Some bites are so subtle. Often the only thing you feel is the fish spitting the bait out.  There is nothing written to tell you an easy way to detect bites. However, with practice comes the skill and knowledge needed to fish a jig.There are a few tips I can pass on that will help. First, be a line watcher. Always watch your line. Often the line will move to one side when the fish strikes. Next, know the depth of water you are fishing. If the lure only falls a few feet and stops, the bass has the lure or the lure has stopped on a limb or other structure. The last tip is the hardest to learn. Check the lure with light tension. Strikes on some days are undetectable. If you feel any pressure or the lure does feel different, set the hook. This is where instinct and practice comes in to play. With time, knowing what is a fish or a stick will be easy.