Heart Pounding Jigs

By Gabe Bolivar

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OFTEN times I hear people talk about wanting to catch more fish on jigs, but not having the confidence to throw them. Fishing a jig is something that every angler needs to feel confident about. Not only have more national level tournaments been won on jigs over any other bait, but also it’s a great way for a weekend angler to catch a trophy bass. Once you have felt the thump of a good jig bite you will be hooked I promise. Early spring and the pre spawn is the best time of year to hone your jig fishing skills. The fish will be feeding heavily on crawdads for nourishment during the up coming spawn.

To gain confidence in a technique you have to plain just spend time doing it. When I was trying to expand my fishing skills, the jig was what I really wanted to master. I had no confidence with a jig and I knew that. When I wanted to catch fish on the bottom my go to bait was a plastic worm, like yours I’m sure. That’s the bait we learn to fish first, generally speaking, and it works so we stick with it. I would try a jig for a few minutes get no bites put it down and grab the worm. That’s the mistake we make, after getting frustrated at myself for doing that, I finally found the solution. The next trip I only took two rods and they both had jigs that was all I had, and I was going to fish them all day no matter what. After hitting a few spots with no luck my confidence was falling fast, until I pulled my jig over a rock and felt a bone-rattling thump. It was a seven-pound largemouth. A plan came together… what an awesome feeling, I went on to catch a couple more like that throughout the day. Taking only jigs on that trip forced me to learn a new technique and improve my overall angling ability.

Choosing the right jig is easy, you will need a couple of sizes to start, 3/8oz and 1/2oz will be standard sizes and should do the trick. Pick a jig that has a quality hook and doesn’t have too stiff of a weed guard. The colors that seem to work the best are brown, black and green. Really you can’t go wrong with any of those colors in any combination. My overall favorite is a green pumpkin jig with a few strands of purple in the skirt and a green pumpkin Zoom super chunk trailer. A medium heavy rod with a bait caster and some fifteen-pound line is a good place to start as far as equipment. I prefer fluorocarbon to mono. You will feel the bite better and get more penetration in the fish’s mouth because of minimal line stretch.

There are a few different ways to fish a jig. The standard retrieve would be a hop and pull method very similar to working a Texas rigged plastic worm. This style of retrieve will be your bread and butter it will catch fish most of the time. Swimming a jig has produced very well for me too. To swim it just cast it out and reel it by cover just like a spinner bait. You can cover water fast and it might help you to find a big school, then you can slow down and pick them apart. Keep a few white jigs handy they work great for swimming. Dead sticking the jig also can be a sleeper, even more so in the spring, as the fish start to go on beds. The last retrieve you will need is a hard pop. When your working the jig and you reach a good piece of cover, stop it for a second then pop it hard. This method will draw a reaction strike from an inactive bass.

When you get to your fishery picking out the type of cover the bass will be hiding in can be challenging. Jigs are made to be fished in all types of cover; there will be always be something there for you to throw to. Clay banks with chunk rock on them are an excellent choice. The clay and rock mixture really seems to hold the heat well. Heat will be a key ingredient in finding a good pre spawn spot. Riprap is awesome you will get frustrated with breaking off and retying but it’s worth the rewards. After fishing on the FLW Tour back east for a few years boat docks have become a major player for me. Look for outside poles that are a little deeper with plenty of sunlight. Females will use these poles to sun themselves. Be ready on the sink, because lots of times these fish will be suspended, and bite as the jig is falling. Grass can also be very good. Look for the deepest grass that is the greenest. This is where you should find the pre spawn fish schooled up.

Depth will vary depending on where you are fishing. In most cases the fish should be in 20 feet and less in the early spring. If the water is dirty they will be shallower as a general rule of thumb. They will be deeper if the water is clear. In all types of water there will be a very shallow afternoon bite and I mean shallow like zero to three. Sunshine is key for this ultra shallow bite. Look for isolated pieces of cover like a laydown, stump or rock. If it’s been warm all day and it’s early spring you will catch fish with this pattern. The real shallow fish will be aggressive so you can fish fast. Make a few pitches to each peace of cover then move on.

A jig is a great lure and a big fish catcher. Spend some time this spring throwing it you will be glad you did. Be sure not to get discouraged, to get good at something you must put your time in. The more days you can spend on the water the better. Once you start catching some fish you will be hooked. A good jig bite will get your heart pounding every time. I hope that some of my tips will help you put more fish in your boat. Thanks for reading and good luck.