Jig Tips?

[blueboat]

I usually just read but thought I would reply to this one.
The best Jig fishing tips I ever got was from a seminar class I took with Eddie Good at the Southern Ky Expo a couple years back. He had it all covered down to even how to make a trap (and what to bait the trap with)and put it at the lake your going to fish at the night before to see what colors the crawfish are in the lake you are fishing. He had a brochure there at the expo and I asked if he could email it to me and he did at no charge. What a great guy and knowledgeable fisherman.

Blueboat

[CP-Procaster]

Flourocarbon is a must when throwin a jig. When fishing a jig your mostly keeping the bait on the bottom and dragging the bait to or pass the fish and trying to lure him into eating it. When a fish comes up to the bait you don't want him to see your line, and when there not aggresive sometimes they will follow if for a ways before inhaling it,so you want them to see just the jig,12-15lb seaguar is what I use. For colors I stick with blk/blue,blk/chart,cumberland craw, and naked or barren craw. Darker colors on darker days and water clarity, lighter colors for sunny and clearer water. For chunky rock,trees,grass etc I stick with a 3/8oz casting head and for deep structure such as drops and ledges that have rock,trees and grass ill go with a 1/2oz football head and sometimes a 3/4oz if its windy,really deep, or winter time just to keep the bait down there. As for my trailers I use zoom big salty green pumkins all year long. But when the water temp rises and the fish get more aggresive,ill put on a rage craw or paca chunk to give some action to it. Just remember the colder the water the less action you want, the warmer water the more action you can get by with. I live and die by a jig every year and most of the time end up throwing it in every tournament I fish. Sometimes they want it and nothing else and sometimes well,they just don't. It's all about confidence. I would recommend you start with a 1/2oz casting head just so tou can get the normal feel of the bottom and what it all feels like then downsize.

[MLTSPCS]

Light, low-profile jigs on calmer days in shallow water. Wind and deep water call for a heavier jig as others have pointed out. With that said, the three main jigs I lean towards are the triple rattle back, mostly in the 3/8 size, usually black/blue with or w/o a black berkley powerleach trailer (they come with a good gamakatsu hook), a heavy (usually 1/2oz and up) xps enticer football jig with or w/o a matched paca chunk, and a finesse jig (still switching back and forth on styles and brands).
I use the triple rattleback mostly to cast to spots I see, spots I have marked with the df, or spots I know have produced. Cast it in, give it a few shakes, hop or drag it a bit, shake it a couple more times, and repeat until I feel I have moved off my target or into too deep of water to keep bottom contact.
I use the XPS in deeper water or when the fish dictate. Usually more of a lift and drop or dragging it like a c-rig. Don't do much hopping with the heavy jig. Sometimes when they are neutral the fast drop seems to help, guessing maybe more of a reaction bite. With fluoro and the heavy jig you can really feel everything you drag it over.
The finesse applications are pretty self explanatory and I have yet to pick a brand or style I prefer over others, so not much advice on what has worked best for me yet.
Hope something in there helps you and good luck.

[DJ_Callahan_27]

Also, here is more information than you ever wanted to know about jigs, but all the info in the world won't substitute experience on the water.

http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/jig-fishing.shtml

Just my 2 cents

That site was nothing but a big infomercial for their jigs and Gary Yamamoto soft baits. There was nothing every informative as far as jig fishing goes. However, it was a good advertisement with all the pic.s of thier varying models and colors. Sure it helped improve their sells. But that's all that was.

Read it hoping to learn something new but may as well have watched the Mightybite infomercial.

DJ

[alycat]

I begg to differ. I never mentioned a certain name brand of bait. I gave as much general informaton as possible. Besides i make most of my jigs cause nobody makes a color that I like. Plus most of the name brand jigs don't have enough of a skirt for my likeing either. Too sparse I like the shirt to give it a bulky apperance which most off the shelf products don't have. And as far as Yamaoto baits they are way over priced. There a alot of cheaper and better products on the market so I don't endorse them either. The only real way to get better with any bait is to use it and know what conditions is best suited for the bait. Time on the water has no substitute.

[HawgHunter75]

That site was nothing but a big infomercial for their jigs and Gary Yamamoto soft baits. There was nothing every informative as far as jig fishing goes. However, it was a good advertisement with all the pic.s of thier varying models and colors. Sure it helped improve their sells. But that's all that was.

Read it hoping to learn something new but may as well have watched the Mightybite infomercial.

DJ

Well, since you "read" the article...and didn't learn anything at all new, you must already know all there is about jig fishing. I personally found the article informative, which is why i stated that it was my opinion. That being said, if you don't agree with my opinion, I couldn't care less, but don't come on here and bash me for sharing information that I found helpful.

[smljaw]

Keep it simple. Also, I really like the "leave everything at home but the jig box" thought. As someone else mentioned, once you have a great day of jig fishing, it's hard to put it down.

15-20 lb line or 40 lb braid is what I use most for jig fishing. If I were starting from scratch, I'd stick with black/blue jigs and green pumpkin jigs. Go with an arkie style. 1/4 oz, 3/8 oz and 1/2 oz weights will do the trick 99% of the time.

[smljaw]

Here's something else you might enjoy related to jigs... Go to http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-LURECUSTOM.html and buy your own components to make your own, custom jigs! I make about 90% of the jigs I fish... Lots of fun in the winter.

[Todd2]

Thanks again everybody... a lot of good info here.

[Fishwhisper]

One of the easiest ways to fish a jig is to fish it in a lot of cover or big rock edges. I like to use black n blue when the water is a little murky and when it's clear or stained then I go with green pumpin or watermelon. I also try to use a trailer that matches the jig.. Not a huge trailer either make it look even with the jig. Throwing into heavy cover I use a7'6 rod 20 pound braid with a 7 foot liter I tie the blood knot and use suffix mono.. It gives you more control over the jig. Also when in brush pop it hard a couple times let it sit.. If u hit a limb then kind shake the jig quickly on the limb then let it sit I seem to get hit a lot of times doing that.. Rocky areas I usually try dragging it or popping it along the bottom letting it sit about 5 seconds.. Colder the water let it sit longer.. Hope this helps