I've written a number of articles about jig worms. I won my first club tournament with a jig worm back in June of 1993. All of this now seems like ancient history, as this versatile rig has been overshadowed by the more popular rigs of the day. It would be hard to argue against the effectiveness of the drop-shot rig, wacky rig or a shakey head. So has the jig worm become the Rodney Dangerfield of the rigs? Let's hope not, as it still deserves a lot of respect.
Here's a quick background on the jig worm. In the 1970's Charlie Brewer developed the Slider System. Using a well-designed flat-head jig and slim four inch, straight- tail worm. This system is probably the godfather of finesse bass fishing rigs we use today. And our modern day jig worm is an off shoot of Mr. Brewer's system, which by the way is still an extremely deadly finesse system to this day.
Before we get started on the equipment and bait for jig worming, humor me and keep reading while I talk about my thoughts on the jig worm. I use to look at the jig worm as strictly a finesse rig, but after years of guiding and tournament fishing I've come to think it is a 40/60 split. About 60% of the time I use it as a finesse rig and the other 40% of the time I use it for heavy jig worming, which has nothing to do with finesse.
So, let's talk about the finesse side of jig worming first. Look at finesse fishing a jig worm as a numbers game. It will put lots of fish in the boat. And nowadays when faced with a tough bite I will pick-up a jig worm even before I try a drop-shot rig. Don't get me wrong, I've caught some very big bass on a 1/32-ounce jig head and a four inch worm. But for the most part, when finessing a jig worm I expect to catch numbers of fish rather than big fish.
The equipment I'm using now for finessing a jig worm is a 7- foot, medium action spinning rod (C3X-S701M) by Okuma, with a Trio (Trio-30s) reel, also by Okuma. I started out using a 5'6" rod for jig worming, but kept losing fish when they would jump. Over the years I've worked my way up to a seven foot rod and now seem to lose fewer fish on the jump. I think the extra length gives you more control over a jumping fish.
My line selection for using a jig has not changed much over the years. I settled on 6/14 Fire Line early on and have stayed with it to this day. Most of the time I will tie directly to the Fire Line, but if the bite is insanely slow I may add a three foot fluorocarbon leader. Using the back-to-back uni-knot and a little fishing glue is the simplest and strongest way I've found to connect the two lines. Rest assured I have yet to have the line break at the knot. One of the extra benefits to this rod, reel and line combination is that it is the same set-up I will use for light wacky rigging.
Over the years I've been able to narrow down the plastics I use for this finesse rig. For jig heads I use mainly Strike King Tour Grade jig heads for my round jig heads; and Gopher Tackle Mushroom Heads for (you guessed it) my mushroom jig heads. The two main colors have been black and brown. Both brands offer a wide selection of weights, from 1/32-ounce on up.
My go to plastics for finesse jig worming are straight-tailed worms or stick baits. I won't go into the colors as this is such a regional or seasonal decision. Mainly I use some variation of black, pumpkin, green pumpkin or watermelon. The main baits are Strike King Elaz-tech plastics, KVD four inch Super Finesse Worms or five inch Zero's. This year I'm really interested in the new KVD Dream Shot worm. This is a new four-inch, straight-tail bait designed for the drop shot, but it looks like it will also be great finesse bait on a jig worm. I also like a four-inch straight-tail worm, black with a chartreuse tail that Berkley used to make, which is no longer in production.
How and where do you fish this diminutive fish catching bait? Truth be told, you can fish it anywhere... on inside weedlines, flats, docks, rocks. But where it really excels is on a deep weedline. During the summer period, deep weedlines can hold huge numbers of bass and they will hold there all summer long. Look for weedlines made up of cabbage, coontail, northern milfoil or any combination of these, the more cabbage the better. Eurasian milfoil and chara (sand grass) are hard to fish a jig worm through.
This is pretty easy fishing, you're just making short casts or pitches to the deep edge of a weedline and letting the jig worm settle down into the weeds. Most of the time you're going to get hung up on a stem or leaf and that's what you want to happen. Once the jig hangs don't jerk it loose, gently shake it. This will usually cause it to start falling again, which is when you generally get hit. If you can't make the jig fall, then tighten up and snap it loose. Again, expect to get hit, as the instant acceleration can trigger a bite. Once you hit the base of the weedline give the jig some gentle shakes and wait a second or so. If you don't get a bite snap the jig off the bottom and let it settle back down. No hit? No problem, reel in and start all over again. Remember this is still finesse fishing, so be patient, go slow and believe the fish are there. But what if you're just not getting bit, what next? Keep reading.
If you're not getting bites finessing a jig worm on the deep weedline, move right up into the weeds. But wait; first we need a change of equipment and baits. Now we are getting into some down and dirty fishing and any thought of finesse should just fly out the window! Now we are talking about heavy jig worming.
I still look at this as a numbers game. Just like a deep weedline a deep weed flat can produce numbers of fish, but now you're going to be fishing larger plastics and I expect to catch more quality fish. And to drag quality fish through a field of submergent vegetation calls for heavier equipment.
I switch to a bait casting combo for this type of fishing. The rod I use is an Okuma Carbon Cone Concept (C3X-C-701MH) and the reel is the Okuma Serrano (SR-200W). Again, I like a seven foot rod, as it lets me control the fish better. And I can move more line on a hook set. I've used both super braid and fluorocarbon lines for this application and have gravitated to using 17-pound fluorocarbon most of the time.
Because the plastics used for this type of fishing are bigger and thicker, I really like a jig head that has a long shanked hook and good retention barbs on the shank. Strike King Tour Grade jig heads and VMC Barbarian heads fit these criteria. As to jig head weights; I primarily use 1/8th - 3/16th and 1/4-ounce heads. My go-to bait is the Strike King Rodent, followed by the Lake Fork Ring Fry or Berkley Power Slug. Again the choice of color is so subjective, varying by the region, time of year or water color.
Rigging is a little different than the finesse jig. The retention barb and long shank of these jigs make keeping the plastic up against the jig head a little easier. And by adding a little drop of fishing glue to the hook shank and retention barb, you can really anchor the plastic in place.
You don't need or want to make long casts with this rig; medium or short casts are just fine. While thick submergent vegetation works for you as it holds fish, it can work against you once you hook a fish, as you need to muscle them to the boat, so short casts will up your landing ratio. Just make a short cast and let the jig worm sink on a tight line. Once the jig worm stops falling, lift the rod just a little. It's surprising how many hits come on the fall. If you do get snagged on a leaf or stem just shake it loose and let it fall. If that doesn't work then snap it loose. Again, be ready as instant acceleration generates bites. If you are fishing this rig right, you should be able to look behind the boat and see floating vegetation you've sliced through while fishing it. The only better indication of fishing it correctly is all the vegetation lying on the front deck, from hauling in fish!
As always, stay safe and we hope to see you on the water.
Wayne Ek is a retired fishing guide, tournament angler and writer in Alexandria
Minnesota.
You can reach Wayne Ek at Agape Outdoors, LLC. week@rea-alp.com
