To jig or not to jig...

[hookorcrook]

The reason I ask, is because that is the one bait I throw (ad naseum It catches so many fish, that a lot of the time I don't get around to using anything else.

[the1fishingpro]

I'll admit that after rereading what I said, I make some mistakes. Sorry about down grading Texas rigs, its not my place to so anything about something I have barely used. I was only trying to give advice that I have heard from other fisherman. If Im wrong I would like to hear from someone. Thx for correcting my error.

[T Dot]

... I was trying to bounce the jig. I then started to drag the bottom to see if my results would improve. First cast...nothing. Second cast...STRIKE! Holy crap! Set the hook and it was game on. Then it hit me...right in the chest.

Chad

do you have a set of quality sunglasses?

:king:

i would suggest you get a pair. you only have 1 set of eyes, and they are not replaceable.

[leahcim_dahc]

HEHE! That was just an attempt to play up the story...with regards to that painful stabbing sensation in the chest due to me loosing a fish because of my mistakes...not actually taking a hook to the chest.

Good glasses are a must...snagged a rooster tail the other day. Played it, then finally decided to walk the line out and break it off. Only for a split second did I remember, I changed it to some braided stuff and decided to duck as a 1/6th oz. chartreuse rooster tail went sailing by at 850 mph!!


Chad

[skeeter bassin]

When using jigs there are several factors to consider. Water clarity, depth fishing, amount and type of cover fishing, and so on.

On westside lakes I fish one color and one color only, Black. For size I will use a light jig, most will be fishing 3/8 or heavier. I use a 1/4 or 3/16 with a large plastic craw trailer ( I only use craw trailers). Think about the water conditions in most (before i get flamed, i said most - not all) western WA lakes. They stained to dirty. Fishing a light jig with large plastic trailer will slow the decent giving the fish an opportunity to locate it. Secondy, ur flip with the jig has to be silent. Fish around here get hammered and they are used to the loud telltale kerplunk most flippers deliver. Check with one of the best flippers around here on this, Dave Newby. I can almost guarantee you he will say the same on flip technique, he may have a different theory on the jig size tho.

For east side lakes and the clearer western lakes I will go to natural craw colors for that lake and will upsize to a 3/8 oz jig with a natural colored pork or plastic craw trailer. Most times these fish will hit on a reaction strike, thus the heavier jig to speed up the descent to trigger that reaction strike. Again, the flip has to be silent though.

As far as line goes, fish braid. It is ultra sensitive, and will help to detect even the lightest strikes. Line watching is typically not the most productive way to detect strikes. Watch the pros, every one of them has a finger in constant contact with the line all the time. They don't do this for the fun of it, they do it cuz it is the best way to detect strikes. Wind and line bow make line watching difficult at best during windy conditions. The only productive time to line watch is on calm water, but the larger fish will be too spooked in calm conditions which will make flipping at close quarters unproductive anyway. When these conditions are present, most often other techniques will be more productive. My preferred way is to Texas rig with with no weight and cast in from a distance with a worm or whatever your preference is (sorry, not giving up my secret bait for this) . Once again, keep the entry as quiet as possible by casting onto the bank and dragging in, placing on a pad, or hitting the outer end of a limb and slowly shaking it off.

Remember there are a million different ways to fish, different conditions require different techniques. I typically have a game plan worked out the night before for two or three presentations I think are going to work. Most often I end up having at least 10 rods on the deck of the boat before the day is over. It is great to focus on one type of technique to get confidence with it, but if your not fishing it in the right conditions you will quickly lose confidence in it and not go back to it. This goes with all types of presentations, wether it be swim baits, T-rigs, C-rigs, drop shotting, etc.

Chad,I aint no expert in any form of bass fishing by any stretch of the imagination, but if you are interested it would be my pleasure to take you out sometime. I am encouraged by your interest in the sport and readiness to gain more knowledge. Not to mention, I am sure I can pick something up from you as well. We call all get something from others on this forum.

Good luck and keep us updated on your successes.

[cavdad45]

Skeeter, That was one of the best responses I have seen to date on any of the threads concerning jigs. I totally agree with you. The info you gave will work in a majority of the circumstances encountered in our region. Good job!

[YellowBear]

Hi there fellers,
Good job Skeeter.

I agree with with most of it.
I would like to point out the line watching thing, LOL.

Now keep in mind that I have the boat hooked up and its raining so bare with me guys.

Here is my take on this.
You have the Rod and the reel in your hand, then you have the line from the reel going to the Rod tip.
Then from the tip to the surface and from the surface to the bait.
There is going to be slack line between you and the bait.
Weather its from wind or just the bend from the water.
Now lets say ole Mr Bass comes by and sucks up the bait and just sits there. Smallmouth seem to do this a lot.
If you wait to feel this fish you are already behind him, doesnt matter what line you use. If you feel him, he feels you. If you learn to watch your line you will miss fewer fish.
The first thing to react to a strike is the bait, the next is the line.
If you watch your line you can stick him before he knows your there.
A good rule of thumb is the more line you have between you and the bait, the more line watching comes into play.
I always lay the line over my finger like you mentioned, but this allows me to stay in contact with my baits when I am looking around for movement and the next target.

Well the rains letting up and I am gone fishin.

[EastsideRedneck]

Great info Skeeter! Posts like that are what make WL.com such an amazing resource for those of us wanting to expand our horizons and learn something new.

Y'all are gonna make a northwestern fisherman out of me yet... as opposed to my southern redneck style. Its kinda funny how I thought just about all of the water here on the West side of the State was pretty darn clear- I guess it is all relative to what you are used to. In my case I grew up fishing in muddy lakes and ponds in Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

[leahcim_dahc]

...Chad,I aint no expert in any form of bass fishing by any stretch of the imagination, but if you are interested it would be my pleasure to take you out sometime. I am encouraged by your interest in the sport and readiness to gain more knowledge. Not to mention, I am sure I can pick something up from you as well. We call all get something from others on this forum...

Thank you for the tips! I have received many tips from many individuals, and I appreciate every bit of the information I get. Fishing for bass has been a challenge for me thus far...but very educational. I just keep reading, researching, and practicing and with due time I will have this game figured out. Thank you!

I really appreciate the offer of going fishing...some day when I have gotten practiced up a bit better, I will take you up on that. Thank you very much!


Chad

[lskiles]

Here I am resurecting an old thread because I read an article called "Solutions For The Top 10 Jigging Mistakes."
It was very interesting to me since I have only succesfully used small (1/64 oz) jigs for pan fish and trout. I have tried larger jigs, but not with any success...so I gave up on them. With this new information I might just try again. Either way it is a pretty good read.

http://www.fishingclub.com/Projects/Pro ... x?id=97022

Lewis