Jig Fishing Questions

[Loop_Dad]

Chris, one of the reason I am using braid is I find it it easier to break off when snagged. I fish jig from banks (no boat on lakes in winter) and with braid I rarely loose jig. I like mono least because I feel a lot less than fluorocarbon or braid.

roadwarrior, I am liking braid once the jig hit the bottom and start working, but when jig is initially falling, so much line is floating creating extra slack compare to fluoro. That got me thinking maybe I am missing bites. I don't know.

[Loop_Dad]

I use mono for casting a jig mainly because if I hang it up it is easier to break off when needed. When I am casting I put enough tention on the line to stay incontact with the lure because I don't need the slack for a fall presentation. If you fish it like a worm you will be missing fish.

Oh one more, Chris. I think you are saying you lock your reel when you are casting from your boat to shore. That makes sense because the chances are there are not much depth there. I guess I wasn't clear when I said "casting". I meant casting from bank to deeper side of the lake.

[merc1997]

Great thread. To those of you fish jigs deep by casting (not pitching/flipping)...what kind of line you favor? I've switched from Fluorocarbon to braid, but starting to think I might be missing some strike on semi-slack line.

there are two ways to let a jig sink. one is with tension on the line, and that will result in a pendulem fall. the other way is to keep a belly in your line as the jig is falling, and this will let the jig fall more vertical, but still be in touch enough to feel a bite. to keep a belly in your line, it must start at the rod tip and continue to where the line enters the water. you must feed line and/or lower you rod tip as the jig is falling. you use this same method when fishing a spoon. you will still be able to feel bites when using braid with this method.

bo

[Loop_Dad]

there are two ways to let a jig sink. one is with tension on the line, and that will result in a pendulem fall. the other way is to keep a belly in your line as the jig is falling, and this will let the jig fall more vertical, but still be in touch enough to feel a bite. to keep a belly in your line, it must start at the rod tip and continue to where the line enters the water. you must feed line and/or lower you rod tip as the jig is falling. you use this same method when fishing a spoon. you will still be able to feel bites when using braid with this method.

bo

Exactly, Bo, however I think the belly would be bigger with braid. Like this diagram:

When you are casting far from bank, the difference might be big enough to make a difference in detecting subtle bites during the drop. I'm planning on experimenting more with flouro and braid.

[merc1997]

Exactly, Bo, however I think the belly would be bigger with braid. Like this diagram:

When you are casting far from bank, the difference might be big enough to make a difference in detecting subtle bites during the drop. I'm planning on experimenting more with flouro and braid.

the belly that i am talking about is the one that starts at your rod tip to the water. you line needs to belly down from your rod tip to the water. by doing this, you will not impede the drop on your lure. if i knew how to post a video on here, i would make a video to show what i am talking about. i watch many fisherman fish their lures, even spoons, and their fishing line from the rod tip to the water is in a straight line. this means you always have tension on your lure which will cause it to swing back toward you and not fall straight to the bottom. sometimes with worms or jigs a swinging motion can be effective. but, with lures such as a spoon, a swinging motion will not let the spoon flutter and dart. take your drawing, and flip it upside down. your jig on the bottom is your rod tip. the lines are your fishing line, and the water surface is where your fishing line is entering the water. now, you can see you have made a belly in your line, but you are in contact with your bait. if you have slack line laying on top of the water, you do not want that. the correct way is to have belly in your line to the point of contact with the water. your bait will fall straight down, but you will still be able to feel a bite. hope this will clarify what i am trying to say.

bo

[WRB]

If it's not windy you watch the V the line is cutting through the water surface as a strike indicator during the initial drop. Braid floats well and you can watch the line move easier than FC. I almost always fish big worms when working up hill from shore and casting out into deep water, jigs are very difficult fish uphill.

The small diameter of 15 lb super braid is difficult to cast with a bait casting reel, if you are making a long cast over 90', backlash is a $itch to pull out with cold fingers! You need a longer FC leader; about 7' with a 7' rod, the knot between the 1st guide and reel and the knot must go out through all the guides smoothly.

I use 14 lb FC Shooter line because of knot strength issues and I hate to make long cast with braid, unless fishing heavy cover. I will 8 lb FluoroClear in water over 25' in the winter sometimes to get the jig to sink a little faster, less drag on smaller diameter line.

Tom

[Chris]

1. I use mono because I want to break off the lure without disturbing the area and spooking the fish. When I am fishing I am more worried about loosing the opertunity to get the fish than loosing a lure. (yes lure companies love guys like me I think I should have stock in some of them)

2. When I am fishing deep for the most part I am fishing like a point or brush pile or some other item on the bottom. I cast beyond the object and bring the jig to it. I am not looking for a vertical presentation.

3. If my aim is for me to get in the general area where my cast ends up I do strip off line so that the lure will drop more vertically. The problem is that it is hard to get a lure to drop exactly where you want it 100% of the time.

4. With tention you risk the lure swinging away from your target on a cast. With slack line or stripping off line for a more vertical fall you still need to either be a line watcher or be good at figuring out if a fish is on your jig on the take up when you put tention on your line.

5. There are times where I sweep the jig off the bottom and let it swing and swim to the bottom and other times where you want to let the jig to swim or swing through a like a thermocline or area that the fish are holding.

6. If I am getting bites before the lure hits the bottom then maybe the bottom isn't where I should be fishing.

I have no doubt that you might be missing fish I think we all miss them mostly from human error me included. The only way to curb this is to pay attention on every presentation so that your more aware of what your jig and the fish are doing. If you have a hard time feeling the bottom or strike go for a heavier jig or a more sensitive line.

[WRB]

It may be a surprise to some, but I don't fish jigs to catch bass in general. I fish jigs to catch big bass, if I'am fun fishing or just fishing to catch 2 to 4 lb bass, jigs are not my lure of choice. Nearly every other lure is usually better choice for average size bass. With that in mind the bass I am targeting are large adult size bass, hopefully the largest in the lake! The big bass prefer to eat high protein prey and Crawdads are high protein.

Large baitfish are also high protein prey and that is where a swimbait or a giant worm comes into play.

The jigs I am using represent Crawdads in color, profile and movement.

Your best opportunity to get a strike is when a big bass first see's your jig when it swims down to the bottom at the end of your cast. When you cast and the lure hits the water any big bass within hearing distance is aware something hit the surface, even in deep water, and they are looking to see what it was. If the water is clear enough they can see a long distance. If the bass is active feeding it will react. If the bass isn't active it may not react. When you consider bass are only active about 10% of the time, the odds are small that a bass will react and go strike your jig. If you know big bass are in the area, keep visiting the spot every few hours and you may get lucky and put your jig near an active big bass. If you do everything right, detect the strike, you have a change at a bass of a lifetime!

Jigs are without question the most difficult lure to learn how to fish consistantly, bass strike and reject a jig faster than any other lure, so you must concentrate all the time on every cast. The upside is jigs catch big bass!

Tom

[North Ga Hillbilly]

It may be a surprise to some, but I don't fish jigs to catch bass in general. I fish jigs to catch big bass, if I'am fun fishing or just fishing to catch 2 to 4 lb bass, jigs are not my lure of choice. Nearly every other lure is usually better choice for average size bass. With that in mind the bass I am targeting are large adult size bass, hopefully the largest in the lake! The big bass prefer to eat high protein prey and Crawdads are high protein.

Large baitfish are also high protein prey and that is where a swimbait or a giant worm comes into play.

The jigs I am using represent Crawdads in color, profile and movement.

Your best opportunity to get a strike is when a big bass first see's your jig when it swims down to the bottom at the end of your cast. When you cast and the lure hits the water any big bass within hearing distance is aware something hit the surface, even in deep water, and they are looking to see what it was. If the water is clear enough they can see a long distance. If the bass is active feeding it will react. If the bass isn't active it may not react. When you consider bass are only active about 10% of the time, the odds are small that a bass will react and go strike your jig. If you know big bass are in the area, keep visiting the spot every few hours and you may get lucky and put your jig near an active big bass. If you do everything right, detect the strike, you have a change at a bass of a lifetime!

Jigs are without question the most difficult lure to learn how to fish consistantly, bass strike and reject a jig faster than any other lure, so you must concentrate all the time on every cast. The upside is jigs catch big bass!

Tom

This man knows what he's talking about

NGaHB

[aceman387]

This site is the best. Its because of guys like tom and some others who reply often and spew their hard earned knowledge for the rest of us for free. The more time one spends on this great site the better angler he becomes.I wish i had something more to add to this topic but these guys blow me away.

[Loop_Dad]

This site is the best. Its because of guys like tom and some others who reply often and spew their hard earned knowledge for the rest of us for free. The more time one spends on this great site the better angler he becomes.I wish i had something more to add to this topic but these guys blow me away.

+1

And thread like Senko $3.89, which I missed.

[merc1997]

tom made a great statement about a jig being a big bass bait. i can also tell you from my years of fishing that i have caught, at least ten to one, big bass on a jig than all other lures combined. the close seconds would be a big worm, a jerk bait in the winter, and a big six inch plastic crawdad fished on a jig head in the late summer. i have stated it before, and i state it again, in my opinion, a jig is the best fishing tool in the tackle box!

bo

[Big-O]

I agree with some of the comments that were provided to your topic, and here's my two cents...

The versatility of jig fishing makes it an important tool in most any fishermans arsenal and for any size or type of predator fish desired, especially BASS. The variety of jig styles, shapes and sizes are produced for the many different uses and presentations that are effective. The only thing difficult to learn about jig fishing is the multitude of presentations and styles of fishing that are available with them. Any single style of jig fishing is relatively EASY to master, so don't let one particular style of fishing intimidate you or keep you from attempting to learn it!

Swimming a jig is effective at times and the style of trailers can be changed, such as short compact, long and narrow, or shapes according to the preferred prey species at any given time. You can basically retrieve them much like a spinnerbait with occassional twitches, drops and/or retrieve speed changes depending on the fish's request. Also at any desired depth.

Jigs can also be flipped/pitched, used to punch matted grass, casted and worked slowly through most any type of cover or fished vertically over certain types deeper structure if necessary.

You can use skirted jigs or naked jigs with any variety of trailers and soft plastics including Big worms and swimbaits, mounted on them depending on what you find the fish are wanting most.

To help answer some of your specific questions:

When is the proper time to use a jig?

There is never a bad time to have a jig tied on, except when you have found a more successful pattern on another bait style. Often when you've caught several fish in one area on other baits and the bite slows, a jig can pick up those fish that wouldn't eat your first choice.

How do I work the lure?

Depending on your chosen type of water or structure being fished, would determine your style of jig and presentation or best retrieve style.

For flipping /pitching, make accurate pitches to your target and keep the water entry or splash to a minimum especially in calm conditions. In windy conditions, it's not as important and the splash may even help with the bite. Allow the bait to fall on a slack line paying close attention to the line for a twitch or pause prior to it reaching the bottom. Any pause or twitch will often signal a bite from a suspended fish. Reel down to feel the fish and swing on it, keeping the rod back at full pressure until the fish exits the obstruction. If the jig reaches the bottom without a bite, lift the rod tip to feel the jig and pause for a second with a tight line. If there is no fish, short jump the jig once or twice allow to settle back to the bottom and repeat the process of feel etc. If no fish, retrieve the jig slowly back up through the limbs with light twitches and falls over each limb as it slides over. The speed of the fall is extremely important and the weight of your jig, size and type of line used, amount of wind present, size and bulk of the trailer, or the amount of drag represented by the trailer action are most of the determining factors for fall rate... Faster fall is often better for this presentation because the bite is normally a quick reaction strike. As usual, water clarity, amount of daylight and wind conditions will make color more important and require tweaking as needed.

Football jigs are excellent for fishing large and medium SMOOTH rock, small rock, shell, gravel, or hard bottoms. The benefit to Football jigs is their ability to keep the trailer in an upright position as it is moving across the bottom and the amount of noise or bottom disturbance that results when it is slowly walked or drug along the bottom. This noise is very beneficial for fish that aren't actually in or near the jigs path back to the boat. The noise and vibration produced will attract fish from several feet or even yards away and will cause them to come and investigate the commotion. This is especially important in low visibility conditions or deep water. It's VERY important to let the fish tell you their preference on presentation or retrieve style. MOST often, the fish want a SLOW short drag or hop then PAUSE presentation, to allow the fish to locate the jig and STRIKE. The pause is EXTREMELY important when dragging jigs slowly across the bottom, and has proven to be the ticket in 90% of my jig fishing experiences over the last 45 yrs. When I know that the fish are there, my pauses and speed of the jig movement will SLOW even more!

Have you Ever Fished for a Cat? I'm talking about a HOUSE CAT! Pull a small toy on a string and pause.... after several series of CAT attacks, you'll notice that often, the "It's ALIVE" movement or action gets the cats attention and the PAUSE makes him POUNCE. When the cat is hesitant to attack, small motion with longer pauses is better. Swinging or dragging the toy near the cat causes a reaction strike but if it's further away, they may move in quickly to close the distance and STALK it. I wish that I could always make a perfect presentation or cast in front of a Bass or drag it near their nose EVERYTIME, LOL.

Definitely, more fish are caught after the jig touches the bottom (unless flipping/pitching) and more often during the slow bottom bumping process that ensues. Of course you can catch bass that are suspended in open water with jigs making the fall rate and appearance even more important... locating these types of opportunities can sometimes be a big challenge. An easier solution, is once you find the depths that the bass and bait are holding or suspended at, you can then then find bottom structure at that same depth to fish which may make your fishing more successful.

For large or medium JAGGED rock and just about ANY casting situation, stand up head designs like Siebert Outdoors Brush jig or Moaner hooks Predator jig hold the trailer in a stand up position and snag much less than a football style which is preferable in many situations. They're great for Flipping as well, which makes them extremely versatile.

Are trailers required? and What advantages do they add?

IMO, YES and the more action the trailer can provide on the fall or slowest of retrieve speeds the better, regardless of water temps. Here are my thoughts on this:

Although it is not what many have preached in the past and possibly different than many still believe today, I have found from my many yrs of jig fishing along with fishing beside some of the best in the business, that regardless of water temps, the additional bait action on the fall or with minimum movement of the rod tip, makes a bass eat faster! I think that while fishing jigs, soft plastics or other slow style bottom bumpers in cold conditions when fish are more dormant, it is your speed of movement of the bait... or the speed that you cover any given piece of water that determines your bite success and not because of less action from your chosen bait. When you find fish in colder conditions, it's important to be closer to them with your presentation for a longer period of time, to allow them to become aware of your baits presence, and any additional action of your bait will only speed up this process. In fact many times, once a given group of fish are disturbed by one of them eating, often the rest of them wake up and become more eager to eat as well! It's about your bait or presentation disturbing their slumber enough to get them to strike, and high action baits along with a slower more diligent presentation will do exactly that... again IMO.

It's important to look at past thought processes, types of baits that were available to the market that had no action other than what was achieved through rod tip movement. Also look at the variety of popular cold water baits that are effective. Then dissect the process to determine why. A quick example is crankbait and Rattletrap style baits which are popular in cold water conditions, can be heard from extreme distances and disturb a bass' slumber from afar only to get smashed when it arrives in front of the fish... The fish is alerted previously from the noise and vibration that is coming ever closer and bringing a fish out of it's slumber, then they EAT when it arrives. How fast was the action on that bait?

A bit more information on the advantages of trailers: Jigs may represent any number of prey species or opportunities to a bass or other predator fish, so the style of trailer can be easily adjusted or changed to accommodate the need or look. You can choose matching colors or contrasting colors and switch from one to another easily, which is often needed to TWEAK the bite to Optimum results.

1) In CLEAR water and conditions, the use of clearer lines like flouro, or smaller dia.is important. Also the fish can see the bait better from further away. As they close in to investigate to see if it is REAL, more natural colors and some kind of trailer action during the even the slowest of rod tip or retrieve motion can gain the visual priority causing the fish to commit to the bite more easily.

2) In low light, stained or deep water conditions: The noise, vibration, action, size or profile of your total jig and trailer combination should be increased to make the bait felt, seen or heard easier. This also gives cause for a slower more diligent presentation to give the bass time to locate your bait.

FYI , Braid isn't great for sharp rocks or super clear water and conditions, but will work great otherwise and especially when flipping/pitching is necessary.

There are many more details that could be added that are important to understand about jig fishing, but hope this helps to answer your questions

[roadwarrior]

Is this a great thread or what!

[Dwight Hottle]

Is this a great thread or what!

This is such a great thread you should sticky it to the top of the page sir. Hint, hint

[roadwarrior]

Okay, pinned!

The thread is still open for anyone to add their thoughts.

-Kent

[iabass8]

Big-o just made this thread of the year. Great write up sir!

[WRB]

Good write up Big-O.

The bass I fish for rarely give you enough time to reel down, feel the fish and set the hook. if you did that you will miss 99% of the strikes on a jig that you are working along the bottom or fishing on the fall. This is the big difference between FLMB and NLMB strains; big Florida's can and do reject a traditional jig in the blink of an eye. My general rule is smaller bass are very easy to detect a strike, the bigger the bass the more difficult strike detection is. For this reason learning to jig fish is the most difficult lure to master....so we just agree to disagree on that point.

To me the most important elements is becoming a good jig angler is using a jig with a premium sharp hook, that matches the line size you use and the jig head design/weight. A list of 10 common jigs;

Arkie head

Ball head

Brush head

Dart head

Fish head

Football head

Standup head

Snootie head

Shaky head

Scrounger head

The Arkie head is what I refer to as a traditional jig with a fiber weed guard and the most common jig.

There are some excellent custom jig head designs for specific applications, none can do everything well.

A real eye opener to learn strike detection with a jig is to bed fish in clear water where you can watch a bass strike your jig! You will be amazed how quick a strike can occur and how little feedback you detect. This is a good training lesson, not that I am promoting bed fishing, that is something I avoid, but to see how fast strikes occur and what little time you have to get a hook set. Bed bass are not eating your jig, there are killing it, the same way they kill a live crawdad.

Because big bass will reject a jig quickly, most anglers miss the strike a very high percentage of the time.

This is why how you hold your rod and reel becomes critical. With a bait casting reel you should be feeling the line at all times when the jig is in the water. I run the line under the thumb and over the tip of my index finger. With this method you can feel the slightest line movement and improve your strike detection and catch more big bass. Today's bass anglers have the belief their rods are so sensitive they can feel anything that touches their lures. I have heard this statement for over 30 years now and no rod will ever be more sensitive than your finger tip.

Tom

[J Francho]

]A real eye opener to learn strike detection with a jig is to bed fish in clear water where you can watch a bass strike your jig! You will be amazed how quick a strike can occur and how little feedback you detect.

This is huge.

[Hanover_Yakker]

Don't ever think there is such a thing as to shallow, I use to cast to about a foot off shore till a guy on the back of my boat beat me bad, the fish were in that spot right on the bank, now I cast to were I'm pretty much hitting the shoreline.

Great point - often times the action of a jig hopping off the bank into the water is what will alert or trigger a response. I've caught several largemouth this way. Same approach I use when working any soft plastic, including a topwater frog.

[Big-O]

I haven't fished Casitas or Castaic in Cal. so those fish may be different animals! Someday, I hope to give'em a go and maybe fish with you West Coast Guys

I quit site fishing 30 yrs ago and found that I could catch more big fish if I concentrated on where they live most through out the year. The majority of my jig fish are Cast/Drag. My home waters are in Tx and many of them have FLMB, so many of my Bigger fish are FLMB. Also, I learned to jig fish in Fla waters back in the 60's and early 70's spending weeks on the water there several times a year.

IMO, EXPERIENCED anglers with the proper tools in low wind situations, who maintain constant contact with their jig, can detect up to 98% of the strikes, pick-ups etc. regardless of the size of the fish. The difference between small fish and large fish are normally noticable but the bites are detectable just the same. For a FACT, many of the hardest and most jarring strikes are BIG fish. Many of the bigger fish are NOT so finicky as some may suggest. Big Fish are BIG EATERS and the most prolific feeders of their species. The real trick is finding them.

If a fish is taking and rejecting your jig, it's because they questioned it's appearance or validity as food and made a quick ck on it, because they don't like the taste/scent, because they felt pressure from the line, or from aggravation to kill it or move it out of their comfort zone

Back to the basics: When casting jigs, I only use jigs that are designed to hold the bait in an upright position during the drag or bottom bumping process. This presents my Rage CRAW or Lobster trailer UP off of the bottom which is easier for a fish to see and bite without getting a mouthful of mud, muck or rocks. It also puts the CRAW in a defensive posture which can generate a more aggressive strike from the fish..

All of this information is simple to learn and makes common sense... so there is no real art to jig fishing, only many different styles and presentations in jig fishing.

IMO, if you can find the fish, with the proper tools you can learn the Cast/Drag jig technique in but a few moments.

[Dwight Hottle]

Wealth of knowledge displayed throughout this thread for all to learn & enjoy. Thanks for all the info bass resource members.

[merc1997]

I haven't fished Casitas or Castaic in Cal. so those fish may be different animals! Someday, I hope to give'em a go and maybe fish with you West Coast Guys

I quit site fishing 30 yrs ago and found that I could catch more big fish if I concentrated on where they live most through out the year. The majority of my jig fish are Cast/Drag. My home waters are in Tx and many of them have FLMB, so many of my Bigger fish are FLMB. Also, I learned to jig fish in Fla waters back in the 60's and early 70's spending weeks on the water there several times a year.

IMO, EXPERIENCED anglers with the proper tools in low wind situations, who maintain constant contact with their jig, can detect up to 98% of the strikes, pick-ups etc. regardless of the size of the fish. The difference between small fish and large fish are normally noticable but the bites are detectable just the same. For a FACT, many of the hardest and most jarring strikes are BIG fish. Many of the bigger fish are NOT so finicky as some may suggest. Big Fish are BIG EATERS and the most prolific feeders of their species. The real trick is finding them.

If a fish is taking and rejecting your jig, it's because they questioned it's appearance or validity as food and made a quick ck on it, because they don't like the taste/scent, because they felt pressure from the line, or from aggravation to kill it or move it out of their comfort zone

Back to the basics: When casting jigs, I only use jigs that are designed to hold the bait in an upright position during the drag or bottom bumping process. This presents my Rage CRAW or Lobster trailer UP off of the bottom which is easier for a fish to see and bite without getting a mouthful of mud, muck or rocks. It also puts the CRAW in a defensive posture which can generate a more aggressive strike from the fish..

All of this information is simple to learn and makes common sense... so there is no real art to jig fishing, only many different styles and presentations in jig fishing.

IMO, if you can find the fish, with the proper tools you can learn the Cast/Drag jig technique in but a few moments.

i will agree that equipment is better now than it used to be. BUT, those that hold the rod behind the reel, or even palm the reel, do not feel the really subtle bites that you can when you are touching the line. second, if you really think you feel all of your bites, you need to take a look back at the film footage that done of big bass inhaling and spitting our a big crankbait, and the guy behind the rod never knew anything had happened. i two have watched bass on a bed with an underwater camera and could see the bass take in my partners lure, and he never knew anything had happened, and the bass had spit out his lure. these are nlmb that i have observed. now everytime that i hollered jerk when the bass took the lure in, my buddy caught everyone. so, i will agree with tom that really big bass, most of the time, the bite is really subtle and sometimes not detectable. i have also caught many flmb, especially at lake falcon. when you can feel a bite, it is a little one. the ones that you just do not feel much of nothing, they are almost always a very big bass. i think that i catch my share of pretty big bass, but i will also be the first one to tell you that it would absolutely scare me to death at how many big ones had my jig in their mouth, and i never knew it.

bo

[merc1997]

i just remember the nzme of the gentleman that did the film of the bass taking the crankbait in, glen lau. i would also guess that glen has viewed more big bass up close and personal than the rest of us.

bo

[WRB]

What you call cast/drag, I call horizontal jigging; casting a jig like you would a T-rigged plastic worm. The difference is a T-rigged plastic worm floats off the bottom slightly and the hook isn't molded onto the weight.

When a bass strikes a T-rigged worm, the weight can slide away from the worm and a bass will hold onto the worm or swallow the worm given enough slack line. A jig different, the weight is molded onto the hook and covers about 1/3rd of the hook shank, so the weight goes into the basses mouth all the way back to the crunchers and the bass then clamps down onto the jig. The jig doesn't feel right and out it goes! The bigger the bass is, the quicker it is rejected. It doesn't matter if the bass is in Texas, California or anywhere else, the bigger the bass, the more difficult it is to get a hook set. What is different in California is our gin clear water and small size lakes in SoCal, Nor Cal the lakes are larger, the water off color and good cover, more like bass water across the country.

I logged my first 100 DD bass in '73 and stopped fishing with live bait and bed fishing in '71, both personal choices and have strong commitment to fish lures for bass. I have been blessed to catch several FLMB over 15 lbs on jigs and 2 that exceed theTexas state record; 19.3 & 18.6, both on jigs. For me it has been very challenging to catch DD bass on jigs and have spent well over 40 years trying to detect the very suttle strikes. So we have very different experiences. I have had a few freight train strikes on jigs, 2 that I can recall. Most strikes are a light tick, some are nothing, like the jig line was cut off...you must stay focused!

Tom

PS; night bass fishing is very different, most jig strikes at night are aggressive and easy to detect!