Bass Fishing Jig

Finesse Jigs
Finesse jigs are designed for light-line use; normally for smallmouth and finesse largemouth bass fishing.

The light-line jigs are a lot less bulky than their larger cousins. The hooks are also a lot smaller. Relatively snag-free conditions are fished with these bass fishing jigs, allowing the use of spinning outfits with 6 to 10 pound lines.

Flipping Jigs
Flipping jigs are designed for heavier line and going for largemouth bass in and around cover. When you are fishing in heavy cover, switch to bulkier flipping jigs with weed guards to help keep them from fouling or snagging. These baits usually have rubber or plastic skirts and large hooks.

They work great with a pork rind or plastic trailer. They add bulk and action and help slow the jigs fall to better imitate a crayfish or other creature. Use flipping jigs when fishing short-range targets such as docks, submerged stumps, or holes in heavy vegetation and weed-beds. To pull large bass out of this heavy stuff, use strong bait casting equipment.

A baitcast reel with a flipping switch built in the reel is my number one choice. Pair this reel with a medium-heavy 7 ½ foot pitching or flipping stick and as far as equipment, you are ready to go. Most prefer to use a heavier line such as 50lb Power Pro. This will assure that you have the strength needed to horse those big bass out of heavy cover when necessary. You want to be able to flip the jig into a place without causing a big wake and disrupting what you hope lies below. Accuracy is a big key when flipping jigs.

The shape of a bass fishing jig is important. There are several shapes available in bass fishing jigs, but a few basic styles are all you really need to get started.

The standard ball-head is a great choice to begin with. However, the banana shaped head will snag a lot less in vegetation. Other styles like arrowheads, sliders and football jigs can be used in different situations. The shape is argued by many, but it really comes down to a personal choice. Many choose a football shaped head and this style will sit up nicely on the bottom. It brings the trailer to life and looks as if it is trying to defend itself. This action will often evoke a strike by the bass.

One of the oldest jig dressings is bucktail. When worked properly, the deer hairs pulsate as the jig is pumped through the water to resemble a darting minnow or baitfish. There is no built in action to jigs and a bass lure with the plastic skirts are the easiest to use. Their actions attract bass and can be worked effectively even by the novice angler. Twister tails, shad tails, twin tails and a host of other shapes and actions are also available. Stick to these two common types and you will have no trouble attracting those lunker bass.

A trailer gives your jig two advantages. One advantage is that it gives your jig more body and life. Bass are a fish that likes to attack unsuspecting prey. The trailer will make the jig appear more life like. The trailer will also make the bass lure look more like a crawfish. This is one of the favorite foods for bass. A trailer also helps the jig fall more slowly for a better presentation. I fish the jig both with and without a trailer and they will produce both ways.

Color can be important. Take the 4 or 5 colors that work on the other lures and use those for your jig colors. Look around you and “match the hatch” so to speak. I fish black, black & blue, brown & orange and watermelon green jigs most of the time. For clear-water smallmouth bass the smoke bodies are effective. Some models have rattles and some do not. Jigs come in a vast array of sizes as well. I prefer 1/4oz and 1/2oz the most, unless I have to punch down through structure like heavy brush or submerged hydrilla.

The presentation of a bass fishing jig is pretty simple. Find the spot you want to lay the jig and flip it to the target. This is a technique that takes practice. Keep in mind that jigs are target-specific lures. Once the lure is flipped out, I usually let it sit for a few seconds. You can lift and drop your tip and let the jig fall and then repeat again or you can bounce, hop or swim it across the bottom as well. Do what you want to do with the jig, as there is no right or wrong way to fish it.

During fall, bass tend to become more lethargic as water temperatures drop. My favorite method during this period is to simply drag the jig past each and every piece of cover. Just a slow steady retrieve without any jerks or tugs on the line produces the best results. Bass will absolutely whack the jig if it comes cruising slowly past them. I also like to flip it to a stump or cover point and just let it fall, then hop it a few times and let it fall again. This technique is used when you are simply going for a reaction bite on the fall.

Many weekend anglers and some pros miss the majority of their strikes on the bass fishing jig because they set the hook too late. I am a big plastic worm fisherman and have become accustomed to setting the hook on the second tap. With a jig, the first tap is generally the bass sucking the jig up and the second tap is the bass spitting it out. I recommend you to set the hook the very second that you feel a tap or when the bass fishing jig feels different in any way. One method that I use whether fishing a plastic worm or a jig is to put my finger under the line and lift up just a bit so I can feel any change that might occur.

As you can see, there is nothing difficult about the mechanics of bass fishing with a jig. Give it a try and in no time you will build the confidence to land the big one!

Thanks for reading.

Good fishing.

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