Swim Jig Tactics for Bass
By: Scott M. Petersen

Every spring the same ritual starts, bass fishermen get their tackle and rods ready for another year on the water. Sorting through the tackle thoughts start to wonder looking back at last years results. Anglers think about things that went right and worked and some of the things that went wrong but most of all they are looking forward and thinking of what they want to change for this year. Looking through my tackle boxes I was wondering what is new for this year, are there any new magic baits that I need to stock up on? As I was looking through my jig box I remembered that I had heard about a new tactic to take bass by swimming a jig. So I set out to do a little work in finding out what was behind this new technique that is taking the bass world by storm.

To start with swimming a jig is not tough to do in fact I can bet you have swam a jig and not even thought that much about it. How many times has this happened to you? While trying to hit a target with your jig you make an off target cast and to get the bait into the area that you wanted to fish you quickly reel in your jig to make another cast. Half way back to the boat you feel a bump or see a bass follow your jig back to the boat only to turn away because you pull the jig out of the water or the bass sees the boat and turned away. It was this same situation that caused a few of the bass pro’s on the trail to think there was more here than just a fluke so they did some work and came up with a pretty reliable technique that is catching bass all over the country. In fact if you have paid attention to the Bassmaster or the FLW tournaments this past year you were able to see first hand how well swimming a jig works as it has been the winning pattern more than a few times.

When it comes to swimming jigs your ordinary weedless jigs will not do the trick, the jig that I have found that works the best is the Outkast Tackle Pro Swim Jig. The bullet shaped head holds a 30 degree super sharp hook that gives the jig just the proper lift when using a swimming retrieve and makes setting the hook easy, many of time the bass will hook themselves when they take the bait. As for size 1/4 oz is the most popular and works the best.

One of the biggest keys that I have found looking at the make up of the jig is the skirt. A skirt that is too bulky will not look or act natural to the bass and in the long run will cost you bites during your day of fishing. Through testing, the best combination when it came to skirts make up was a skirt that had a strand count of 20 to 25. This is key in making your swimming jig look real to the bass. Another Outkast Tackle feature is the life like eyes that are painted onto the jig head and then clear coated to give the jig a real lifelike look when it is in the water.

When it comes to a trailer you have to team the jig with the Outkast Fat Tail Grub. This single tail grub works best in giving the swimming jig a true swimming action that no double tail grub or chunk can give. In fact the best trailer that you can use is a single tail grub. When you use a double tail grub or chunk the swimming jig loses action and will cost you fish. Now we all know that color is important so do not be afraid to mix and match colors of jigs and grubs. The Pro Swim Jig comes in 6 different jig colors and the Fat Tail Grub comes in 10 different fish catching colors making color combination possibilities endless. Mixing and matching colors is mandatory; one of the best color combinations that I have found has been a White Swim Jig with a Purple Fat Tail Grub.

When it comes to fishing a swim jig a 6' to 7' medium action baitcaster will do the trick. Team this with a matching reel spooled with 14lb Berkley XL line and you are set to hit the water. The key to fishing the swim jig is simply let the jig do the work. Make your cast, point the rod towards the jig and start to reel. Swimming speed will depend on the mood of the bass so try a few different retrieve speeds and the bass will let you know when you have it right. One of the best features about swimming a jig is you can get the jig into more areas than you can many of the other baits that you carry. A swim jig will go through areas that no spinnerbaits can get through for the simple fact they do not have blades to get fouled. You can also pull a swim jig through and over more tangles that you can any other bait so keep this in mind when the bass bury up in deep cover to escape the affects of high fishing pressure or during tough cold front conditions.

So when you are getting your tackle ready for this up coming fishing season make sure you leave some space for Outkast's Pro Swim Jig and Fat Tail Grub. It may be in your best interest if you set aside a whole box for swimming jigs you will soon find out what I am talking about. To get your Outkast Swim Jigs and Fat Tail Grub log onto www.outkasttackle.com and soon you will see what you have been missing. In fact I bet you will take a step back in wonder why you did not think of this pattern yourself, swimming jigs; believe me I have done it many times.

If you would like to read more from Scotty Peterson, visit his web site Fishing Insider