20 replies to this topic

[Catt]

Ok let's see if we can shed some light on the subject of feeling a worm or jig bite; many people say the two are totally different but I believe they are very similar. Let me first start by comparing what is felt with a variety of other baits.

Top water: with these baits the bass will generally suck the bait in from underneath, from behind, or come completely out of the water.

Spinner bait/crank bait: with these baits the bass will generally hit from the side or from underneath.

With these baits there is a certain amount of line movement because the bass are moving when they hit the bait.

Worm/jig: with these baits the bass will simply flare its gills causing a vacuum which moves water and your bait into their mouth. With this bite there is very little if any line movement thereby not much is transmitted to your rod tip.

The art of feeling a worm/jig bite is a fine combination of watching your line and feeling for unnatural sensations of what your bait should feel like. Some times you will feel that classic “Tap”, some times you'll only see line movement, some times your line will simply go slack, but some times there will only be a feeling of heaviness that is almost like your line will not move. The bites where the bass moves after inhaling you bait are the easy ones to feel because there is line movement, the bites where the bass simply inhales your bait and just sits there are the hardest to feel. Feeling a worm/jig bite requires keeping a certain amount of tension on your line while at the same time keeping a certain amount of slackness in your line. To the average angler this makes no sense at all but the worm/jig angler it makes total sense.

Tommy T

[bassbob08]

I always keep a little slack in the line,not so much that its lying all over the water but so that my line is bowed from my rod tip to the water.I feel that, if I feel the fish before I see the line move I react faster,I guess my thinking is if I feel the fish before I see the line move,its almost to late.It sounds correct to me. have been doing it that way in forever and it works.

[roadwarrior]

I find the most important difference between the two bites is the holding period. Bass will hold a soft plastic MUCH longer than a jig. I think the texture of soft plastics feels right whereas lead does not. I find jig fishing challenging and I think it requires a much quicker response.

[CJ]

I agree CATT.Nice thread.

For the most part an angler must be quicker with a jig but it is not always that way.

[IdahoLunkerHunter]

I find the most important difference between the two bites is the holding period. Bass will hold a soft plastic MUCH longer than a jig. I think the texture of soft plastics feels right whereas lead does not. I find jig fishing challenging and I think it requires a much quicker response.

Have you been reading my mind RW? This is exactly how I feel. You better be ready to set the hook asap when jig fishing, I usually give a second or two more when fishing plastics, I seem to lose less hook sets this way.

[roadwarrior]

I have been working on my jig fishing for two years with some limited success. I know this will make me a better fisherman, but the learning curve has been steep.

[Pond Hopper]

I find the most important difference between the two bites is the holding period. Bass will hold a soft plastic MUCH longer than a jig. I think the texture of soft plastics feels right whereas lead does not. I find jig fishing challenging and I think it requires a much quicker response.

I agree completely, jig fishing requires quick reactions and hooksets at the slightest detection of a bite(thanks HawgHunter).  Worm or soft palstic fishing to me,, gets more small panfish bites and often time I will let them run with it a couple feet to ensure a solid hookset.  To me fishing the 2 is different also, but thats a different thread also.  

Corey

[Siebert Outdoors]

very nice Catt.

This is a going to be a very opinionated post but here goes.

IMO to learn how to "feel" the jig.  Start night fishing.  I believe this has made my jig fishing even better.

Reasons:
Not much going on lake wise
Nothing to look at and will give you better concentration.
When you cant see you relie on feel.  This is where a good rod comes into play.  You can feel the jig and every move it makes.  After awhile you will learn what is and isnt a bite for the most part.  The difference between, wood, rocks, mud, etc.  I think night fishing is a good use for a learning tool.

[Catt]

I totally agree RW that the difference is in the holding period but the feel of the bite are very much alike in that the bites are subtle. Both requiring total concentration and an awareness of what is taking place with the lure.

GMAN I believe every one who wants to truly learn what a worm and jig bite feels like should night fish.

Some thing else that taught me how to feel that subtle bite was the fact that during the 70s we used what is known a “Bubba” tackle which is heavy rods and line no lighter than 25# test. After becoming accustomed to this tackle, the change to today's more sensitive rods along with lighter line only magnifies the subtle bites.

[nboucher]

Not to make jig fishing too Zen, but one of the things I like best about this kind of fishing—and I've come to love jig fishing—is that it has really forced me to learn how to fish by feel. There's obviously a lot of truth to watching your line, etc., but I do that anyway, whatever the bait. In fact, I often find that jig bites happen so quickly that afterward I'm hard pressed to tell you what I reacted to. Something triggered my hookset, but it happens so instinctively that I often don't know whether I responded to sight, feel, or just some kind of jig mojo that doesn't have a name. I'm convinced that the key to jig fishing is to do it a lot and then to do it some more, even if it's sometimes frustrating. Analyze it if it helps, but above all, try to just feel it.

[David P]

This is what I have been trying to get the hang of for the past month now and have come a LONG way sense I first started.

The tap tap is the easiest to detect, obviously.

Just recently I have begun to set the hook when I feel resistance though, and many times this has resulted in a fish of decent size.

It's tough though when there's tons of weeds and stuff in the lake you fish because I feel resistance 90% of the time.


It's ironic that you post this when I've been dealing with the same issue and really trying to master this one part of fishing.

[Bass XL]

I have really enjoyed using the jig lately....mainly because I got the skill down. I noticed that the jig hit can be just like a worm hit, but dif. Most of my jig fish suck it in, and swimm left or right. Or they just suck it in and start shaking like crazy.  But I also do feel that famous "tap tap" like a worm bite.

[justfishin]

I feel soft plastics fishing comes with experiance. You have to learn for yourself whats going on at the end of your line. The taps, ticks, weightless feeling, line watching, judging the depth and seeing your line stop before it hits bottom are all  generated from personal experiance. Jig fishing is a little different. Anything unusual and set the hook. They will not hold on near as long, especially with a 1/2 jig and big trailer. Most of the jig bites are on the fall so pay attention. I always keep a finger on the line while jig fishing, even when flipping in which makes up 90% of my green bass tactic in heavy cover.

[moby bass]

I have a question here on jig fishing. I've recently started to try it.  It seems as though every jig I find has the fiber weed guards on them. It seems to me that this would be unnecessary in open water and would make the hookset more difficult.  Do you guys always keep the weedguards on or do you cut them off.
Is it more difficult to set the hook or does the bass inhale the whole rig sufficiently that a strong set pushes
the fiber out of the way.  Also what weight rod and line. I know this will depend on how heavy the cover might be but in general.  Last night I was trying a jig in some open water, hopping it on the bottom, using
a 7 ft. medium rod.  The tip flexed quite a bit, giving good action without much rod movement, and I could feel the bottom but I don't know how well a hookset would have gone. I believe the jig was 3/8 oz plus trailer.

[Catt]

I can not think of any place I fish that doesn't have heavy cover but I think if you are fishing areas with limited amounts of cover you would be better off using a jig without fiber weed guards with say a Fat Ika type bait.

Here's my selection of rods

Jig Rod
Daiwa TD-V701MHRB Team Daiwa-V
Length: 7' 0”
Line Class: 10-20 lb
Lure Weight: 1/4-1 oz
Power: Heavy
Action: Fast
Coupled with a Shimano Cardiff CDF100A spooled with Power Pro 50#.

Worm Rod #1
Shimano Crucial CRC-X610MH
Length: 6' 10”
Line: 10-20 lb
Lure: 3/8-3/4 oz.
Power: Medium Heavy
Action: Extra Fast
Coupled with a Shimano Calcutta CT100A spooled with Berkley Big Game 15#.

Worm Rod #2
Castaway CSAP68 Sport Series All Purpose
Length: 6' 8”
Line Class: 10 to 17 lbs.
Lure Weight: 5/16-3/4 oz.
Power: Medium Heavy
Action: Extra Fast
Coupled with a Shimano Calcutta CT100A spooled with Berkley Big Game 15#.