Winter Jig Fishing

[westcoastbass]

I was wondering if any of you jig guys out there could recommend a couple of good jig set ups for the winter bite. I am currently using a 3/4oz football jig w/ a Chigger craw trailer. If any of you have any suggestions on color, size, pork trailers... I would grrrreatly appreciate it.
Thanks in advance!!

[phill strader]

3/4 oz Ganns brown/purple (chrome) with a Yamamoto cin./purple twin tail, Dobyns 784 rod, 14lb sunline fluro....that's about as sure as it gets for deeper water fishing for largemouth, spots and smallies.

phil strader

[Oldschool]

You might to read Cooch's jig article and the thread on this page.
Superpork trailers are excellent.
Tom

[R.Cook]

I prefer Berserk Jigs, 1/2 or 3/4 oz, and I normally stick with the browns/greens. For trailers it's hard to beat yamamoto, but berserk baits has come out with a "brawler" and a "baby brawler" that i have been playing with and having really good results. I like to throw any lake jig on a 7'mh fast action St.Croix Tournament or Elite series rod with 12-15lb flourocarbon.

[ash]

3/4oz - 1oz football head jig living rubber , 14-15lb flurocarbon Super pork, yamamoto Hula Grub, sweet beaver, or double tail grub. This time of year I like a big bulky bait on my 3/4oz football the Hula grub really slows down the fall, adds some contrast to the rubber and really keeps the bait on the bottom. The winter time jig fish have a tendancy to hold VERY close to the ledges. I try to slide that jig right on the ledge and let it free fall strait down to them, let it sit, perhaps yo yo it on the ledge working it down and hit the area again. You can find small pockets or ledges where fish will stack up. I start in the morning moving my jig at a pretty good pace and will slow down throughout the day.

Second setup 1/2oz football head puff ball jig with a single tail or double tail grub.

Hulagrub on a 5/8th down to a 1/2oz on the 14lb

10lb Flurocarbon 3/8 - 1/8oz on jig heads and shakey heads.

I will also have a Carolina Rig tied on with a 1oz Mojo Rock Hopper weight a 2-3' leader with a robo zipper grub, hula grub or Senko tied on.

[westcoastbass]

Thanks for the great info guys!! I figure if I'm going to be out there freezing I might as well increase my odds.
Thanks again!

[Steve45]

Don't forget to bring extra warm clothes with you and something hot to drink just incase.

[Oldschool]

Winter jig fishing, like any other time of the year; keep it simple.
Use a jig with a premium sharp hook and head design that doesn't hang up where you plan to fish it. Retying with cold numb fingers isn't any fun and breaking of a big bass because the line is damaged doesn't make your day.
Use a jig with enough weight to keep in contact with the structure or bottom, not so heavy it wedges into every rocky crevice.
Top colors during the winter for me are;
1. black
2. brown
3. purple
4. combination of all the above.
Materails; bucktail, living rubber or vinyl.
Trailers; Superpork, custom cut.
Where I fish; line 14 lb FC, 5 power 7' jig rod, Ardent reel.
Tom

[Guest]

3/8oz. Standup head or 3/8-1/2oz. /Football head / light fiberguard - Puffcraw jigs
Reg ( grade ) round rubber - Brown/ dark pb & j
Reg ( grade ) round rubber - brown/ light pb& j
yamamoto 221 cinnamon w/ blk & purple flake
Silicone skirts
Hunter green w/ red flake
Blaze orange / light grn pumpkin w/grn flake
yamamoto 284 rootbeer w/lg red & sm gold flake
286 drkpumpkin w/blk flake

4 Really good winter time colors

[acm95301]

I'm still new to deep jigging too, but I've been working on 3/4 oz football heads either in melon craw or purple hornet from beserkbaits and I've been using yamamoto twin tail grub in brown/purple or watermelon red flake...matching colors....

Also like reaction innovation double wide beaver if you want super big, but there is a new beserkbaits 2+" mini-brawler...er babybrawler that I have super high hopes for ....was hard to get because all those LA guys at the show bought them all up...hopeing they are back in stock.

Beserkbaits also has a couple really interesting colors...one is a flesh color with red flake ....cool.

[big_gorilla]

I have been using a 3/4 oz. Gann's jigs and have had good success with them. I switch from several different trailers. Chigger craws, twim tail grubs and craw papi's.

You can go wrong with the ugly color. I'm waiting to see what colors they come out with.

[Cooch]

I think one of the most productive jigs here in our lakes in California is a 1/2 football head with a 297(green pumkin w/blck flake) double tailed Yamamoto Hula grub. Bounced down the points, rocks, drop off, shear walls and ledges from 1-20 feet, this bait will catch em anywhere. I took this bait a couple years ago with me to Cumberland in KY, it was a balmy 19 degrees out, water below 42 degrees and the smallies there were just gorging this bait. It's worked well for me over the years right here at home, especially on the foothill lakes we have here with smallies & spots. The Largies will bust it too. When the situation requires me to go deeper, I'll use a 3/4 or 1oz ONE TON football head to git that bait down as far as 90 feet if needed.

Another jig I always have on the deck is a 1/2 oz Rubber skirted brown purple jig tipped with a black/blue piece of 101 or 10 piece of pork. The good ole jig-n-pig is always reliable, especially on the largies.

Places like the Delta, Clearlake, McClure, Tulloch, Berryessa, Folsom, Shasta and Pedro, that have various forms of heavy cover like weeds, tulles, timber and such, I'll go with a standard 1/2 oz arkie flippen' jig with a weed guard in solid brown. Again I'll tip this jig with pork in either Olive Green or Black Blue. Although my first choice is always the old Strike King Bohog pork, the Uncle Josh and Super Pork products will suffice. I definately like at times here on the Delta, to toss that Uncle Josh's Big Daddy chunk. Nice large profile, fluently flowing tails and really slows the fall of the jig down.

I like ta keep it purty simple in color selection this time of year, Brown/purples with Blue trailers. When it's the Hulas, that 297 works everywhere, but I also have the 196 Watermelon, 176 Cinnamon and the 157 Smoke Purple readily handy too.

Keep it simple, keep it on the bottom, and keep it movin'!!!!!!!!!

[Oldschool]

Good reply Cooch. The plastic trailers will get you more bites most of the time, however the pork will usually get you better quality bass.
I make my own 7/16 to 5/8 oz jigs that are my first choice, unless it's windy, then I will go heavier; 3/4 oz.
You can get carried away with jig skirt colors and trailer cominations. Stay alert, keep it basic and moving along the bottom.
Tom

[Oldschool]

Just looked at the December BASS Times, page 6; John Murray "Whats on my line"; Yamamoto 5" Hula grub twin tail watermelon/red flake on a football head jig.
Cooch, did you happen to memtion this to John?
Tom

[N.A.R]

Is it just me, of does the Nor Cal guys give up more information than the So Cal guys? I am not trying to be an ARSE but after visiting this site time and time again it just seems like the Nor Cal guys want you to catch fish and the So Cal guys seem alittle more tight lipped.

[ash]

Is it just me, of does the Nor Cal guys give up more information than the So Cal guys? I am not trying to be an ARSE but after visiting this site time and time again it just seems like the Nor Cal guys want you to catch fish and the So Cal guys seem alittle more tight lipped.

Coming to NorCal by the way of SoCal its a culture difference. I know guys in SoCal that are extremley honest and forthright on how they are catching em; but the issue becomes the lakes are so small that the seemingly pressure of everyone throwing the exact same bait is a fear that most anglers have. I think in NorCal there are many more bodies of water, and they are much larger, so more general information is freely shared as its not really a "secret" to begin with. The tips and tricks are just that, the key is knowing how, when, and where to apply them and when to wipe the slate clean and go with your gut.

Since I found this board I have always hung out on the Northern side to glean information, and I found that many NorCal baits and techniques translate very well to SoCal water, and the SoCal baits and techniques translate very well for when the fish get lock jaw. A bass is a bass is a bass - its the EGO that gets in the way to remind us that your secret is something that only you are privy to

[Oldschool]

Western Bass forum code word for sharing info is "PM". Yes the SoCal lakes are small and every public lake gets tournament fished every weekend, both organized and club events. Tight lipped doesn't have anything to do with the bite, it's a way life in SoCal...always has been.
Share what you know and someone will use it agianst you. Since I don't fish tournaments, that has never been an issue. I will share tips, not locations or spots. You want to know what I catch 90% of my DD bass on...jig & pig. Pork rind sales are so bad few shops carry it more. Very few anglers fish pig & jig anymore in SoCal and it's no secret how effective it can be. It's too low tech, swimbaits are hot big bass lure, the newer the better.
Tom