The Jig Bite

As winter roles on one way that I have been successful in catching fish as we transition from winter to spring is bouncing a jig on the bottom and dragging it along the drops and ditches. To me this is an ideal way of catching fish transitioning out of the deeper cold water looking for them to react to the change in weather and hence increased water temperature.


Bass have tendency to transition slowly as water temperature changes, their bodies become increasingly active, they just don’t turn on like a switch; they slowly feel the change in their bodies. This change over time causes them to move to locations that become pathways to the spawning grounds like drops, ditches, road beds and more. These locations act as highways to their next stopping spots and these locations are ideal jig fishing spots. The key is understanding the type of structure along this highway and attacking the bottom with a jig presentation that allows you to slowly fish the cover along this path way.


This is one time that your Lowrance Structure Scan is extremely important, not all these pathways are created equal and being able to scan the bottom mark the structure and fish it by dissecting the cover is a big advantage. Its also true that angles are very important when bass are positioned on these pathways. There are many ways to work angles when fishing a jig along the bottom, but the best way has a lot to do with the conditions this time of year. Winter to spring is always a time of year where we have a lot of rain and hence current is a big part of understanding the angle it takes to catch fish. When the current is strong bass position themselves along the drops and breaks and on the backside of the structure to hide from the current.


This pure fact tells me that my jig must be angled to pull up the edge from deep to shallow so the jig lays in the current free zone as the bass position away from the current. Pulling up from deep to shallow puts you at the correct angle and hence your jig in the strike zone and is a starting angle for me most of the time. Pull up the structure and you will catch fish.


Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
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Email: bassguide@comcast.net
Call: 256 759 2270
Capt. Mike Gerry