Ok, so I want to start Finesse jigging. I just want to finally learn to be comfortable with jigs because I am not. Jigs are like taking pills in the morning for me. They are a pain. I have a bitsy bug finesse jig 1/4oz. I have two types of trailers, rage menace and craw trailer. What do I throw, where and how? How long before should I toss the jig idea into the trash? 

The Bitsy Bug can be a good place to start jig fishing. Trim your trailer back slightly, and use either one. Cast and let it hit bottom, and retrieve with short hops. Fish it slow, and watch your line where it enters the water for strikes.Whatever you do, don't toss it in the trash. Practice on jig fishing.They are one of the best baits you can throw, and have a solid rep for catching bigger bass.Its not easy, but we'll worth learning.

46 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

The Bitsy Bug can be a good place to start jig fishing. Trim your trailer back slightly, and use either one. Cast and let it hit bottom, and retrieve with short hops. Fish it slow, and watch your line where it enters the water for strikes.Whatever you do, don't toss it in the trash. Practice on jig fishing.They are one of the best baits you can throw, and have a solid rep for catching bigger bass.Its not easy, but we'll worth learning.

Your the best, Thank you 

Try War Eagle finesse jigs with a baby Rage menace trailer.That has been a killer this year.Swim it or hop it,drag it.A great little bait.Darker colors when fishing it close to bottom,Shad colors when swimming it in the water column.

I like the Strike King Bitsy Bug 1/4oz with a Zoom Chunk Jr. Or a Zoom Swimming Chunk Jr. I've caught Bass in January in open water conditions in Michigan, just casting and hopping the jig every 20 to 60 seconds. When the weather is warmer and water temperatures are above 50 degrees, you can more quickly hop the jig along bottom to produce strikes. It's a very tedious process but when the bite is on it's like JJ Walker says....Dino-mite!

Jig fishing is the way to go man! The past two times I’ve went fishing, which was last yesterday and Thursday. I was bank fishing at a pond not too far from my house after work, pitching jigs to isolates cover tight to the bank. Last week I got a 5lb 11oz and yesterday a 6lb 2oz.

They eat the jig man! 

 

I use a 7/16oz stand up Arky jig, my go to trailer has been a Yamamoto Cowboy. Remember, the heavier the trailer, the slower the fall. But I also like Strike King Rage Craws, Netbait Paca Craws, I could go on for awhile lol. You’re missing out by not fishing a jig man. Get some strike king hack attack heavy cover jigs in black & blue and green pumpkin, some crawdads to use as trailers and you’ll be on em!

10 hours ago, B_Rose12 said:

Jig fishing is the way to go man! The past two times I’ve went fishing, which was last yesterday and Thursday. I was bank fishing at a pond not too far from my house after work, pitching jigs to isolates cover tight to the bank. Last week I got a 5lb 11oz and yesterday a 6lb 2oz.

They eat the jig man! 

 

I use a 7/16oz stand up Arky jig, my go to trailer has been a Yamamoto Cowboy. Remember, the heavier the trailer, the slower the fall. But I also like Strike King Rage Craws, Netbait Paca Craws, I could go on for awhile lol. You’re missing out by not fishing a jig man. Get some strike king hack attack heavy cover jigs in black & blue and green pumpkin, some crawdads to use as trailers and you’ll be on em!

Thank you for showing me these brother, love it

For finesse jigs I started with the bitsy bug, but quickly moved to the bitsy flip.  I seemed to miss a lot of fish because of the 2/0 hook on the bitsy bug, switching to the 3/0 helped with that problem for me.

 

As far as how to fish them, read the pinned thread on jigs.  There is some really good stuff in there.  If you don't want to read that thread, just use your favorite craw bait as a trailer and drag it, hop it, or swim it like a t-rig. 

 

At some point someone on here, I think @A-Jay, said they drag their jigs like it's a live crawdad that doesn't want to be seen.  No big jumps, moving as slow as possible, hugging cover, etc..  Once I started using this mentality the number of fish I caught improved big time.

1 hour ago, bigbassin' said:

 

At some point someone on here, I think @A-Jay, said they drag their jigs like it's a live crawdad that doesn't want to be seen.  No big jumps, moving as slow as possible, hugging cover, etc..  Once I started using this mentality the number of fish I caught improved big time.

Yup - I will often work the bait back while attempting to as little as I can with it.  Definitely not looking for a reaction strike this way.   The mind set that anything on the basses menu is trying pretty hard not to draw any attention to itself so that it can avoid that end game scenario. 

 It's the basses world; she knows it's there whether I hop it, drag it or just inch it along.  

If she wants it - she find it & hopefully eat it. 

Can sometimes turn pressured or wary fish into temporary Live Well Guests. 

A-Jay

On September 27, 2018 at 12:28 PM, TKFactory said:

Ok, so I want to start Finesse jigging. I just want to finally learn to be comfortable with jigs because I am not. Jigs are like taking pills in the morning for me. They are a pain. I have a bitsy bug finesse jig 1/4oz. I have two types of trailers, rage menace and craw trailer. What do I throw, where and how? How long before should I toss the jig idea into the trash? 

What type or rod, reel and line do you plan to use? Smallmouth or largemouth bass?

Tom

52 minutes ago, WRB said:

What type or rod, reel and line do you plan to use? Smallmouth or largemouth bass?

Tom

Tom, I plan to use the rod I am most comfortable with, 6'6 medium heavy with blackmaxx reel and 20lb mono. I want to start finesse so small presentation. Don't want to go to heavier jigs just yet. 

Would anybody be willing to show me a short video of the technique of fishing a jig? Like hopping it and such. 

 

This a a great place to start 

Don't  look for the hole in the donut and KISS

To start, stick with 2 colors, B/B and GP.

A couple craw trailers is all you need.

Reach out to @Siebert Outdoors

......the arcky head is pretty universal.

With smaller jids I like lighter wire hooks and that will improve  your hook-up ratio.

My primary  retrieve is a hop-n-drag, repeat...until I find a pattern.

Don't get discouraged, for many, detecting the bite is challenging  and remember, swings are free........which is why folk tend to spend more money on sensitive rods.

I use braid to leader on a fast real as I find it easier to set on baits, 30 yards  away and 25 feet deep.

Have fun!

12 hours ago, TKFactory said:

Tom, I plan to use the rod I am most comfortable with, 6'6 medium heavy with blackmaxx reel and 20lb mono. I want to start finesse so small presentation. Don't want to go to heavier jigs just yet. 

20 lb mono is way to heavy and stiff to cast a 1/4oz effectively and keep in contact with a light weight finesse, result you may not be able to detect a high percentage of jig strikes. My suggest is 10 or 12 lb with 15 lb being the max Big Game line.

The 2 common techniques to fish finesse jigs is 1) horizontal* cast the jig and retreiving along the bottom, 2) pitching the jig into or under cover laydowns and docks. If you fish from a boat you have more options then a shore angler.

There a long thread on this site answering jig fishing questions, suggest you start reading it.

You can present a finesse jig the technique used for T-rigged soft plastics with a bullet weight. A jig is a more compact lure the a T-ririgged worm do bass tend to reject quicker, so strike detection is critical.

Tom

* search Old School Horizontal Jigging for the presentation I use.

42 minutes ago, WRB said:

20 lb mono is way to heavy and stiff to cast a 1/4oz effectively and keep in contact with a light weight finesse, result you may not be able to detect a high percentage of jig strikes. My suggest is 10 or 12 lb with 15 lb being the max Big Game line.

The 2 common techniques to fish finesse jigs is 1) horizontal* cast the jig and retreiving along the bottom, 2) pitching the jig into or under cover laydowns and docks. If you fish from a boat you have more options then a shore angler.

There a long thread on this site answering jig fishing questions, suggest you start reading it.

You can present a finesse jig the technique used for T-rigged soft plastics with a bullet weight. A jig is a more compact lure the a T-ririgged worm do bass tend to reject quicker, so strike detection is critical.

Tom

* search Old School Horizontal Jigging for the presentation I use.

When you say horizontal, keep the rod parallel with water?

1 hour ago, TKFactory said:

When you say horizontal, keep the rod parallel with water?

No, casting a jig horizontal verses a short cast that relies on strike as the jig fall vertically in lieu of being retrieved along the bottom. 

I do hold my rod parallel to the surface unless lifting the rod tip up the move the jig over obstacles or to shake it. The reason for pointing the rod tip at the jig is to reduce and control slack line in the air and water to increase strike detection when making long cast. 

Jigs are not a panacea to catching bass, sometimes the bass want something else.

Tom

 

Bitsy Bug is an excellent jig to start with, I would get a half dozen 3/16 & 1/4 oz. Keep colors simple like Black-N-Blue & Green Pumpkin.

 

Trailers I would suggest something small like Zoom's Ultravibe Speed Craw, Swimmin Chunk, or Rage Tail's Baby Craw.

 

Do ya know how to fish a Texas Rig?

 

Fish the jig the same way, dragging on the bottom, hopping it, stroking it.

 

Your tackle is fine  ?

25 minutes ago, Catt said:

Bitsy Bug is an excellent jig to start with, I would get a half dozen 3/16 & 1/4 oz. Keep colors simple like Black-N-Blue & Green Pumpkin.

 

Trailers I would suggest something small like Zoom's Ultravibe Speed Craw, Swimmin Chunk, or Rage Tail's Baby Craw.

 

Do ya know how to fish a Texas Rig?

 

Fish the jig the same way, dragging on the bottom, hopping it, stroking it.

 

Your tackle is fine  ?

Walk me through how you would fish a jig. Please and Thank you brother. 

Keep throwing them. You'll learn to love them.

16 minutes ago, Paul Roberts said:

Keep throwing them. You'll learn to love them.

Hahahahahahah will do man. One of these days I will find try happiness in fishing this jig. 

2 hours ago, TKFactory said:

Walk me through how you would fish a jig. Please and Thank you brother. 

 

Like a Texas Rig there's no wrong way to fish a jig!

 

Like A-Jay mentioned you can crawl slowly along the bottom by either using your rod or your reel.

 

I'll make a cast & let the jig sit for about 10-15 seconds. Then I'll hop 3 times real fast & the let it sit again. I'll repeat this all the way back to the boat.

 

A-Jay's mindset is a crawfish unmolested meandering along the bottom.

 

My mindset is a crawfish that's frightened & fleeing the area.

 

Both represent natural movements of a crawfish

 

This is my #1 finesse jig period, 5/16oz GP with matching Zoom Super Chunk Jr. I have probably caught 1000's of fish on this exact jig.

 

Allen

1 hour ago, Munkin said:

 

This is my #1 finesse jig period, 5/16oz GP with matching Zoom Super Chunk Jr. I have probably caught 1000's of fish on this exact jig.

 

Allen

Thank you for showing me this man, I am a hands on learner and seeing this really helped. Your the best. 

22 hours ago, TKFactory said:

Would anybody be willing to show me a short video of the technique of fishing a jig? Like hopping it and such. 

I don't hop a jig a lot. I subscribe to the same idea as A-Jay, I usually drag my jigs like a craw or something trying NOT to be seen, which I generally assume they don't want to be. Bass seem to have no issues finding my bait.