I’ve been trying to give swim jigs a try especially as a more finesse technique versus a blades jig in the winter. However, I’m having a terrible time fishing swim jigs near grass. My local ponds have a ton of vegetation and every cast gets covered. My understanding is that swim jigs are great around grass but it hasn’t been my experience at all. Is this user error or are they not great with grass? Are there certain grass types that they are better with?

 

Chatterbaits have little issue with the grass in my pond. I can rip them through when encountered and the blade cleans it off pretty quickly. 

I wouldn't run a swim jig through the grass but just over top of it which may mean moving it fast.  If the water is shallow, less than two or three feet, I would try a different jig, like a punch jig or a grass jig. 

2 minutes ago, FishTank said:

I wouldn't run a swim jig through the grass but just over top of it which may mean moving it fast.

Yep - skim the top of the weeds, don't plow a swim-jig through them

4 minutes ago, FishTank said:

If the water is shallow, less than two or three feet, I would try a different jig, like a punch jig or a grass jig. 

Or a lighter swim-jig to make it easier to keep it up. Normally I run a 3/8oz swim-jig, but if I want to run shallower, I drop to a 1/4oz with a smaller trailer to keep it light.

Running it on top of the grass feels like a tactic outside of winter. I’ll keep that in mind...

It depends on the type of grass. Some you can run it right through the middle, but some are going to cling to it and you won't be able to rip the bait through to clear it.

Swim jig is all I can get to come through grass

Head style and shape has a lot to do with it to.

 

Some jigs I see marketed as swim jigs, have...IMHO...100% the wrong style of head to come through grass.

 

I like a a bullet shaped head, vertical line tie, and a fairly shallow line tie angle (less than 30 degrees). And I like a lighter head for grass too. Sometimes as light as 1/8th oz, but rarely heavier than 3/8's. 1/4 is that nice sweet spot in the middle if you only want one for fishing grass from the bank out to 6-8 feet deep.

The Boss swimjig head comes through grass nicely.

Santone's Chris McCall Rayburn Swim Jig was designed to be the ultimate jig for swimming.  Extremely weedless, it’s loaded with a 2X Strong Mustad Ultra Point Hook to keep even the biggest fish pinned. 

6 minutes ago, Catt said:

Santone's Chris McCall Rayburn Swim Jig was designed to be the ultimate jig for swimming.  Extremely weedless, it’s loaded with a 2X Strong Mustad Ultra Point Hook to keep even the biggest fish pinned. 

Gotta have a couple!

 

I prefer swim jigs that have a bullet shape and expose 30-45 degree line tie. My personal favorite is the Omega Custom Tackle signature series. I feel it's even more weedless than a Texas rig. Texas rigs tend to un-texpose when you rip the bait out of grass. 

 

I found out this year I can fish it like a horny toad, use it for topwater, drop it down on holes and swim through it.

I fish 1/8 oz size jigs, but not necessarily swim jigs, in areas that have a lot of vegetation.  The smaller size of the jig lets me rip it free easier than if I was fishing with a 3/8 oz jig.

KVD swim jig does great in grass

Swim jigs go right into the grass for me. I prefer a tall, thin head shape. I've found that each jig has its own optimum retrieve to go through the grass without getting totally mucked up.

 

This is my favorite one for heavy grass: 

That's a good looker !?

swim jigs excel in grass. the correct ones do at least. 

https://brovarneybaits.com/product-category/swim-jig/

I've used both Dirty Jigs and Siebert swim jigs to rip through grass.   Sometimes it can be aggravating but it is one of my go to methods early to mid morning in summer.   I've won the Big Bass pots in two tourney's with that exact method.   

Regardless of head style, the trailer affects how the bait swims. A shad type trailer will have the bait rocking side to side overly exposing the hook. A craw type trailer will keep the hook more vertical making the bait less likely to catch grass as it passes.

I’ve been using Seibert swim jigs with Rage Menace on the back. I have three swim jig types from Seibert and none of them work with the grass at my local lake. Hm....