I was thinking back to April and my trip to the everglades and i realize that the way the guide told me to fish my jig may have been a bit odd.

 

What i would do is cast it out, let it hit the bottom and immediately hop it. Then let it sink back down from the hop and hop it again aggressively. I was barely letting the jig hit the bottom and aggressively and quickly hopping it.

 

Do any of you do this?

 

If it makes any difference i was using part of a zoom trick worm as a trailer.

Just seems like an aggressive way to fish a jig. Probably useful in muddy water or on a soft mucky bottom.

I'll do it to sometimes if the fish are more aggressive. 

  I fish jigs and Texas rigs that way. I usually dont let them sit  , as soon as they hit bottom  I'm moving it .

I fish a lot of things that way also.

Most notably a chatterbait and really any type of bottom oriented plastic.

Mike

It's called stroking a jig. It mimics dying bream/bluegill/baitfish w/e. it's generally done in deep water but i've found it equally effective in shallow water.

What iabass8 said.  This is a killer presentation I use with a 1/2oz. jig and Kalin's Lunker Grub from late Aug. through Sept.  I've also used a similar retrieve with RedEye Shads up in Wisconsin for smalliess.  The only difference is how aggressive I hop it.  True stroking involves an aggressive upswing of the rod almost like setting the hook. Another benefit to this style of presenting a jig is that, because the jig only sits on the bottom for a very short time, the fish don't get a close look at it before it shoots up again.  I've gotten many strikes on the upward movement of the jig just as it begins to rise. No need to set the hook as I just continue the upswing.

Sometimes. Can't say I've caught a lot, or anything big, fishing a jig like that. Might have something to do with the waters I fish.

 

I first heard of it from an Iaconelli video. More recently, Matt Allen was talking about it in a seminar (maybe in the Fred Hall show, not sure).

Y'all ever watch a freighted crawfish?

They will flick their tail which quickly lifts them off the bottom & moves them forward. They will do this repeatedly until they feel they have reached a safe distance.

Your guide was correct, especially in the soft muck of Florida waters! We call that a jig w a trick worm trailer around here, hehe!!

When you jig fish trying to determine the action and pace the bass are reacting to is something that needs to be learned by trail and error. There isn't a standard retreive that works all the time. The guide who fishes this lake knows what has been working with his clients from prior outings and suggested a retrieve action that was successfull.

With that said retrieve pace and action can change hourly, don't get locked into a particular method all the time because the bass change feeding activity levels and using a fast hopping retreive may not work all day long.

There are a lot of ways to rig and fish jigs.

Tom

Y'all ever watch a freighted crawfish?

They will flick their tail which quickly lifts them off the bottom & moves them forward. They will do this repeatedly until they feel they have reached a safe distance.

That is also when they're the easiest for a bass to catch as well as all their defense mechanism are useless while they're flipping away. I normally start out dragging a jig but will switch to a few quick, short hops of the rod tip when I think they're really targeting craws. 

That is also when they're the easiest for a bass to catch as well as all their defense mechanism are useless while they're flipping away. I normally start out dragging a jig but will switch to a few quick, short hops of the rod tip when I think they're really targeting craws.

Somebody paying attention round here

It's called establishing a rhythm!

Crawfish & bait fish do not seat around waiting to be eaten, their first instinct is to flee not fight.

I rarely drag a t-rig or jig, I'm gonna be hopping it at various speeds, heights, & distances.

One of my favorite ways to catch bass on deep structure is to rip a jig 6-7 ft. off the bottom. We call it stroking. You see less of it nowadays with new lures and methods such as giant spoons and swimbaits but the jig has and always will catch em. But thats on a lake the fish are known to go 20, even 30 ft. deep.

Thanks for the tip.   Just another way to fish a jig in the 'ole arsenal.

I've been having good luck on jigs lately.

I was at a local retention pond after work yesterday and the water was all churned up and stained from high winds and rail earlier.

I was planning to try a NED rig, but I set it aside and grabbed a black/blue jig with a blue craw trailer and caught two nice bass in 30 minutes.

Agree with WRB.  In addition, I've found that on occasion the change from one weight to another will change the sink rate to better match what the fish prefer.  Both with smallies and largemouth, jigs/trailers and tubes.

When trying to establish a pattern the most over looked part is lure rhythm!

It does not matter what lure you're throwing there is a perferred rhythm!

This is how I generally fish a jig in saltwater for redfish, trout, and flounder. I only fish a jig like this for bass if they are feeding or very agressive

Y'all ever watch a freighted crawfish?

They will flick their tail which quickly lifts them off the bottom & moves them forward. They will do this repeatedly until they feel they have reached a safe distance.

 

When they flick their tail they move 'backward'

When they flick their tail they move 'backward'

Yelp

Y'all ever watch a freighted crawfish?

They will flick their tail which quickly lifts them off the bottom & moves them forward. They will do this repeatedly until they feel they have reached a safe distance.

 

As Catt said, you have to mimic a crawfish.

 

You can drag the jig like a slow moving crawfish or hop it along like a frightened mudbug.

 

In fact, you need to do both when you start fishing the jig to find out which presentation they want that day.

Sam ya like me!

Most mudbugs we see are red & dead