Hey all, I have a few questions on jigs I am very new to serious fishing and have never jigged before.

I do not have the extra money as of now to buy a whole nother 180 dollar setup.. What is the best type of jig and trailer? Would I be able to use any type of jig on a 7'Ft Medium Fast Skeet Reese Spinnerbait/Worm rod? And whats the best way to work a jig? (Never fished one before)

Sorry for the simple questions

Bare with me,

Nick.

I generally am only throwing NorthStar Custom Baits jigs, so below are the types of jigs they offer and how I use them.:

Premier Jig: This is your all around jig and you will be throwing this the majority of the time. I use this jig to flip, bottom bounce, or any other technique where I want the jig in the strikezone for a longer period of time.

Swim Jig: The name says it all - this jig is made to be fished in a constant retrieve, like any other moving baits (crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc.) This really shine in the spring and fall when big females are staging to spawn and want a quick meal.

NorthStar Custom Baits Flip & Swim: This is the most unique jig on the market; no other jig would go where this one does. This is also a well rounded jig that you can throw in the thickest cover or swim this in deeper water.

Hair Jig: The rule of thumb is to throw these jigs in colder water and fished slow. I know people have good luck for largies on this jig, but generally I stick to throwing these for smallies.

Color:

I have been there and I understand how overwhelming it is to see so many color options, but keep it simple and then build up your box with colors over time.

I would start out with a natural, dark, and a color with a lot of contrast. My picks are: Watermelon/red, Alimony (black/blue), and Missouri Craw.

As for swim jigs and flip and swims, I would go with two colors; natural and dark. For the natural color, go with what type of forage you have in your bodies of water (for example I throw new gill) and black/blue for your dark color.

Sizes:

This is the most crucial variable in jig fishing, which can lead to terrible days on the water, or the best day of your life (true story). I would pick 3 sizes in each to give you a lot of options that depend on what depth you're fishing. Again, the general rule of thumb is that the shallower you are, the lighter jig you want to use, and in most cases that is true, but always keep an open mind and experiment to see what they want on that particular day. Here are the sizes I would recommend:

Premier jig: 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 oz

Swim Jig: 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 oz

Flip and Swim: 1/2, 3/4, 1 oz

Hair Jigs: 1/4 and 3/8 oz

Head Types:

Alien Head: This is a great all around jig head that is good for flipping around vegetation, but can be used in really any type of conditions

Football Head: Excels when fishing rock. I really like to throw these deep and slowing drag them along the bottom - very good summer technique

Arky Head: good jig head around wood cover.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions, otherwise thanks for the support and enjoy the jigs!

Setup:

I would start out with a 7' MH F of your choice..In that price point, I would like at the Veritas line of rods. For the reel, you want a fast gear ratio, so find a 7.1:1 or faster.

VC

Thanks for the help man, just one more question.. is it crucial I have a specific rod just for jigging? or will I be able to get away with it

Also, as far as line choices stay away from mono. I prefer Flouro, but alot of people like braid! Fishing a jig is very addictive, and you will want a new setup eventually. I lean towards h/f , but for now just stick to throwing lighter jigs (less than 3/8 oz) and you will be OK.

Jeff

I personally use a 7' heavy with a fast tip. I wouldn't go any smaller than a MH when fishing a jig.

Right now my rod is 7ft medium fast, real sensitive... I will be trying out a real light swim jig just to see how it works.. currently throwing 12lb berkley vanish, no complaints so far. Whats everyones favorite fluoro?

I throw 1/4 oz and 3/8 oz. jigs on a Saint Croix LTBC70MF and 12# P-Line CXX. You'll know when the jig is "too heavy" for your gear. Eventually, you'll want a MH and/or a H rod for this. Luckily, a good jig rod can do MANY other things.

Personally I would stay away from vanish, I have had nothing but troubles with that line... I use braid for my jig rod, its very sensitive and gets the job done.

What was your experience with vanish? So far only one bad backspool but i also casted it into the back of my buddies back Lol. I had braid on previously and it didn't sink and had no feel.. what lb test are you using / brand?

Vanish.....it's what happens to your fish when you set the hook.

I may have had a bad batch but it always broke on me, and lost way to many fish. I switched to Yo Zuri hybrid and haven't had a problem. I use 50-65# power pro on my jig and frog rods.

Like others have said, I strictly throw flouro. more specifically, I throw 12lb - 15lb seaguar invisx on my jig rods.

Med power rod is not going to give you strong hook sets. I also throw a 7' H F action, but I also have a 7'4 MH, so if you are looking for one intial setup I would go with a MH F because like Francho said, it is a lot more versatile.

Best way to work a jig is think crayfish. You can slowly crawl it on the bottom by simply move your rod in an upward position,reel the line of slack in and bring rod back down to setting the hook position. You can also give the rod a twitch or a sudden pop and it'll make the jig look like it's running away(This cause fish to reaction strike)

A jig bite can be very different in terms of feeling a fish on the end of your line. It takes some patience to master it. Many of times you won't feel the bite,it's just this heaviness on the end of your line. Remember Hook sets are free!

Being new to jig fishing I'd say start small, learn finesse jigs first, they will help you learn how to fish a jig and what bites feel like and the reason is the smaller size makes them appeal to fish of all sizes so you will get more bites. The other think with finesse jigs is the rod you have will work great as you want to fish finesse jigs on the outter edges of cover and in sparse grass and light cover unlike larger jigs. My idea of a finesse jig is any jig 1/4oz or less, I make my own finesse jigs in 1/8oz, 3/16oz, and 1/4oz, and they normally have thinner skirts and a "crop top" which is just short skirt strands that stick above the head. Once you get bites and catch fish on the finesse jig 2 things will happen, first you will begin to understand how to fish them and the second thing is you'll gain confidence in it which will make you a better jig fisherman overall, so get some smaller finesse jigs and fish them around docks or on the outside edge of weedbeds, you'll be surprised at how well they work.

I generally am only throwing NorthStar Custom Baits jigs, so below are the types of jigs they offer and how I use them.:

Premier Jig: This is your all around jig and you will be throwing this the majority of the time. I use this jig to flip, bottom bounce, or any other technique where I want the jig in the strikezone for a longer period of time.

Swim Jig: The name says it all - this jig is made to be fished in a constant retrieve, like any other moving baits (crankbaits, spinnerbaits, etc.) This really shine in the spring and fall when big females are staging to spawn and want a quick meal.

NorthStar Custom Baits Flip & Swim: This is the most unique jig on the market; no other jig would go where this one does. This is also a well rounded jig that you can throw in the thickest cover or swim this in deeper water.

Hair Jig: The rule of thumb is to throw these jigs in colder water and fished slow. I know people have good luck for largies on this jig, but generally I stick to throwing these for smallies.

Color:

I have been there and I understand how overwhelming it is to see so many color options, but keep it simple and then build up your box with colors over time.

I would start out with a natural, dark, and a color with a lot of contrast. My picks are: Watermelon/red, Alimony (black/blue), and Missouri Craw.

As for swim jigs and flip and swims, I would go with two colors; natural and dark. For the natural color, go with what type of forage you have in your bodies of water (for example I throw new gill) and black/blue for your dark color.

Sizes:

This is the most crucial variable in jig fishing, which can lead to terrible days on the water, or the best day of your life (true story). I would pick 3 sizes in each to give you a lot of options that depend on what depth you're fishing. Again, the general rule of thumb is that the shallower you are, the lighter jig you want to use, and in most cases that is true, but always keep an open mind and experiment to see what they want on that particular day. Here are the sizes I would recommend:

Premier jig: 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 oz

Swim Jig: 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 oz

Flip and Swim: 1/2, 3/4, 1 oz

Hair Jigs: 1/4 and 3/8 oz

Head Types:

Alien Head: This is a great all around jig head that is good for flipping around vegetation, but can be used in really any type of conditions

Football Head: Excels when fishing rock. I really like to throw these deep and slowing drag them along the bottom - very good summer technique

Arky Head: good jig head around wood cover.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions, otherwise thanks for the support and enjoy the jigs!

Setup:

I would start out with a 7' MH F of your choice..In that price point, I would like at the Veritas line of rods. For the reel, you want a fast gear ratio, so find a 7.1:1 or faster.

VC

Very good post Vinnie

Mike

Your just starting out fishing a jig so I'll keep the answer short and simple. Don't overthink it or make it tougher than it is. Your skill and equipment will grow as you do it and learn. As mentioned above think crawdad. Keep bottom contact, use compact jigs 3/8 or less (more bites to learn on), GET RID of the vanish (vanish will eventually break your heart) and go with #12 to #15 copoly or flouro. Copoly I use yo-suri ultra soft and for flouro I use segaur invisex but everyone has their favs. Be persistent, keep your line in the water, fish slow!

Good luck