Does anyone do well swimming a jig for smallies? what colors, size, brand, etc

Siebert Outdoors Swim Jig (Chartruese Shad)/ Rage Tail Menace (Blue Glimmer)

 

http://www.siebertoutdoors.com/Siebert-Swim-Jig-418.htm

 

http://www.ragetail.com/news/color-charts/rage-twin-tail-menace-color-selection/

 

 

Yes, the northern or bullet style jigs work well. I like a GP or Okechobee craw. A rage menace or RI little dipper seem to work well.

Yes, I have done a lot of it . I use  a Texas jig no skirt  and   half of a Wave Tiki Stick. Color hasnt made much difference for me. Ive had 100 fish days just casting it out and slowly reeling it back. I use  the hook exposed unless I come upon a log , then simply texas rig it . Its much like Charlie Brewer Slider fishing .

is 1/4 oz the standard size for SM?

There's no standard size. It depends on how fast you want your bait to fall in the water. But that being said a good all around size is 3/8oz.

Personally i'll use different styles depending on what i'm fishing. Sometimes the bullet style and sometimes the regular jig head style. As long as the line comes straight off of the bait. That being said I came across a custom swim jig about a year ago and got that smallie in my profile picture on it. John Graham makes them.  Hes got a light weed guard and also a pin bait keeper. He makes the bullet style and a standard head style, big hammer produced baits to match his jigs. More expensive but worth it. 

 

 

...a good all around size is 3/8oz.

 I agree!

 

 

 

There's no standard size. It depends on how fast you want your bait to fall in the water. But that being said a good all around size is 3/8oz.

Yup. If you can only have one size, that's the one to get. When I first started swim jigging that's all I used, and over the years tweaked my system to include 1/4 and 1/2 oz., but I still find myself using 3/8's as much as the other two combined.

I was thinking a 3/8 ounce strike king bitsy bug flipping jig was a good option in watermelon or green craw for the clear water in upstate NY. It is also around 2 bucks and i  can just change my trailer from a paca chunk (watermelon) or a swimbait like the swing impact( watermelon with white bottom i was thinking ) on 12- 14 lb floro mh 7ft rod and use everyway i can think of swimming, skipping, pitching light cover ? Any thoughts on this??

I was thinking a 3/8 ounce strike king bitsy bug flipping jig was a good option in watermelon or green craw for the clear water in upstate NY. It is also around 2 bucks and i  can just change my trailer from a paca chunk (watermelon) or a swimbait like the swing impact( watermelon with white bottom i was thinking ) on 12- 14 lb floro mh 7ft rod and use everyway i can think of swimming, skipping, pitching light cover ? Any thoughts on this??

You can swim any jig. The thing is that you want to use a swim jig with its head design because it gets through weeds better. Also the eye comes straight out of the bait so when you swim it the bait pulls forward. The hook is also key I prefer in line hooks over the style of hooks you see on a football jig. Bitsy will work for an all around jig. 

I do better with hair jigs here in Canada.

Here in Canada I absolutely crush smallies on swim jigs. Better bait then a spinner bait in most situations. I cant tell you my skirt color or brand of swim jig but I will say that 1/4 oz is the ticket and a small skinny dipper as a trailer. Only power fishing horizontal bait I need period.

Smallies love swim jigs here in Missouri.  I like the Dirty Jigs regular and finesse models with a Keitech Fat Swing or Easy Shiner trailer

+1 on the keitech swing impacts on a 3/8 oz football jig. I use the green pumpkin. Killer smallmouth bait especially for finicky fish. i use the 2 inch swing impacts.

1/4 ounce or 3/8 ounce KVD swim jig.  Cant go wrong with the zoom trailers either.