Questions from a novice jig fisherman

[jack65274]

I have never fished with jigs before and have some questions.

1. Are jigs ever fished bare with no trailer?
2. What are common plastic trailers that are used? I assume worms, creature baits, tubes, etc.?
3. When a trailer is used is it threaded on the hook leaving the point bare or is it stuck on the hook point only?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Jack

[Andy Giannini]

1. Yes jigs can be fished bare with no trailer, but most anglers fish with some type of trailer.

2.Common trailers would include Yamamoto Twin tail grubs, Pork chunks, or plastic pork chunks. (Or just about any creature type plastic bait.)

3.Most often the trailer is not on the hookpoint, but on the shank or bend of the hook. But not always, because you can rig up a jig "Texas" and that would put the trailer right on the hookpoint.

A.G.

[Oldschool]

I have never fished with jigs before and have some questions.

1. Are jigs ever fished bare with no trailer?
2. What are common plastic trailers that are used? I assume worms, creature baits, tubes, etc.?
3. When a trailer is used is it threaded on the hook leaving the point bare or is it stuck on the hook point only?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Jack

First things first.
Bass jigs; 6 basic jig types.
1. Jig & pig style flipping/pitching jig.
2. Casting jig.
3. Shaky head jig & worm.
4. Dart head jig & worm
5. Tube jig.
6. Swim jig.
I believe your question was directed toward the #1 Jig & pig; Arkie style jig with weed guard, silicone or living rubber skirt. This jig is normally used with a trailer that resembles a crawdad, sometimes called a frog, grub, chunk or creature. Today most jig trailers are made of soft plastic, Uncle Josh makes pork rind trailers like # 11 or 101 frogs. Pork rind trailers are nose hooked, soft plastics are normally threaded onto to the hook shank.
Casting jigs are similar to #1, except the head is usually a football style with or without a weed guard. This style jig is cast and retrieved like a Texas rigged worm along the bottom.
Shaky head jig is made for soft plastic worms and threaded onto to the hook with the point skin hooked. Shaky heads are normally worked on the bottom.
Dart head is similar to #3 except the worm is rigged hook point exposed and worked in the water column for suspended bass.
Tube jig is similar to a dart, except you use a Gitzit style tube with hook exposed like the dart.
Swim jig is similar to #2, except a bullet head is used and the jig is retrieved through the water column, like the dart head.
Keep in mind these are basic rigging for jigs listed, there are more types and you can and should experiment with all bass lures to determine what works best for you.
Tom

[jack65274]

Andy and Tom,

Thank you both very much for the info. I feel as if I am pointed in the right direction now.

Jack

[ash]

A few things - Welcome to the wonderful world of Jig fishing! There are some GREAT videos and articles on jig fishing on Westernbass.com in the library section Cooch and the dawg pound have some great insight on this http://westernbass.com/dotcom/library/view.html?id=1021

For starting off with jigs KISS - Black and Brown jigs in 3/8ths and 1/2oz - I prefer Cooch's Wadda Jig - sold at the Hook Line and Sinker - and the Bass Patrol Jigs for a football head jig - sold at Monster fishing. I would start with the Arkie head (ie the WADDA's) For trailers you CAN NOT GO WRONG with the Yammamoto Double or single tail grubs in Green Pumpkin 297, 221 -Cinnamon Purple, or 164 Purple Blue Flake - all lakes - for a pork CHUNCK style hard to beat the Zoom Chuncks in senior and pro sizes - colors Black and Blue - or Purple and Blue Flake - this is a good starter kit.

For the grubs thread them up the hook shank so that the grub is on strait - http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/20 ... grub12.jpg

For Chunks I rig them down the middle of the chunk shown below, for a smaller profile you can thread them on.

http://www.30secfisherman.com/Images/jigs_x3_crop.jpg

These are not rules, only a guideline to fundamentals - IMO. You can thread on anything as a trailer - what are you imitating crawdad - bluegil, shad, etc... The last thing that has really helped me and my friends - Fish with an Experienced Jig Fisherman - fish it all day - once the mystery starts to unfold I hope you find yourself in my shoes as a devout jig fisherman -