Author: Wendy Lou Kendrick
Founder: Women’s Bass Tri-State Federation
If you get on the internet and ask what is the best brand, color, and size jig to throw, you will get 200 comments and 60% will all be different. If you don't fish a jig, you are missing out on the opportunity to catch really large bass!
Big fish are lazy, they get big because they expend the least amount of
energy necessary obtaining food. Bass are opportunistic feeders 75% of the time. Better said, they prefer ambush feeding.
A jig offers many things a bass is looking for, a big meal, moving very
slowly and can resemble crawfish, shad or a bream. Jigs are very versatile, they can be swam, fished slowly like a worm or vertical like a spoon.
Let's break down the selection process by reviewing the variables:
Jig size. Determined by numerous things.
Size of forage
Water clarity
Rate of jig fall (time it takes for jig to fall or sink to the desired depth)
If water is cold, or barometer is high, a bulky jig with a slow fall is best. Bass don't expend energy as much in cold water temperatures.
When high barometric pressure sets in, Bass will often move to vertical wood structure and set with their nose to it. Under these conditions a 3/8 or 1/2 jig with a bulky trailer works best when pitched up against the wood. However, you need to strip line off the reel so the jig will fall straight down against the wood. The bait moving slowly in the bass zone can create a reflex bite.
Heavy vegetation.
This is where a heavier jig will come into play! There needs to be enough
weight to carry the jig through the vegetation into the clear water underneath. This call for 3/4 to 1 ounce jigs. Punching is a great way to get your bait in front of fish that never see a bait! It can be frustrating and requires cleaning vegetation off, but it can be highly rewarding!
Line.
Use what is best for your situation!
If you are in the West or northern parts of the country, fish clear rocky lakes, smaller poundage fluorocarbon is probably your best bet as you don't have timber or heavy vegetation to contend with.
If you fish lakes with timber or heavy grass, or stained water, generally
speaking a quality braided line woks best as it handles abrasion, has high
tensile strength and it transmits the feel of a bite much better.
Colors.
This is where you can go wild! However, there are a few basic colors that work anywhere:
Green Pumpkin is great in clear or slightly stained water
Black and Blue is the number one color fished! Great in stained or muddy
water, and low light conditions,
White or Blue/White, Silver/White, are great colors when bass are actively feeding on shad! They really shine when cast, allowed to sink to a preferred depth, then yo yo retrieved back, using a swim bait type trailer gives it more action and vibration.
Brown and Orange, Black and Red, covers the stages of crawfish and produce very well.
Brand.
Everyone you ask will tell you the jig they use is the best! I have fished lead jigs for years because that was the only thing available.
Tungsten is my jig of choice today! It is so sensitive and really helps you feel structure and especially those light bites.
Presentation.
A jig can be as versatile as you want it to be! After all, a spinnerbait is just a jig with an arm and blade!
Cast and fish like a worm:
I will cast a jig like a worm and let it fall to the bottom. I then will fish it just
like a worm except when I lift it I will shake it then allow it to fall. I really
prefer adding a rattle for this, as shaking the bait gives off vibration and
sound.
Pitching:
Pitch the jig past your target and fish it back into the expected strike zone, Work the zone slowly before retrieving the jig and pitching it again to the next target.
Flipping:
Getting the bait against the structure and letting it fall straight down, feeding it line slowly to keep it next to the structure. If you do not feed the bait slack, water restriction on the line will cause it to move away from the tree or structure.
Swimming:
Cast long and let the jig fall to desired depths and them reel slowly.
Use the rod tip to make the jig swim erratic, up and down rises and falls,
side to side motion.
Trailers.
As with a bait selection, trailers need to be used for the application at hand. Size and buoyancy effect the way a jig falls. The larger the trailer, the slower the fall.
My favorite trailers are Uncle Josh pork frogs and eels. Regretfully they no longer make the eels but the pork frogs are available. Fish will eat and hang on to them!
Currently, I use varied soft plastics. They range from craw worms to creature baits, the ribbon tail from a worm, or a swim type trailer. Pre spawn bass are looking for big meals with lots of protein before they become engrossed in spawning.
Crawfish imitation trailers combined with a bulky skirted jig offers a bass what appears to be a large easy, fat crawfish meal!
When fish are pressured, especially on docks, they have seen the jig and craw scenario over and over. It pays to be versatile! Look at downsizing to a quarter ounce jig with a single tail grub trailer, thrown on 10 lb. line and a spinning rod. This is especially good in a white/green or white/blue shad pattern.
In stained or muddy I like to throw a dark colored jig with a rattle. Adding
a large trailer such as 4-6 inch ribbons tail or paddle tail worm , or big Brush Hog, creates really good vibrations and a lot more bulk and silhouette.
So this should give you some insight on fishing jigs productively! Remember, they are one of the best baits for heavy cover and produce very large bass year round!
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