I decided that I was going to become proficient in fishing a jig recently. This past week, my wife and I went on vacation to Old Forge, NY, which is on the Fulton Chain of lakes in NY. I figured this would be as good a time as any to teach myself how to use a jig. So here's how I did it.

 

 I've read a lot of articles about learning to use a jig that say only fish a jig until you catch fish. That sounded a little too much like jumping into the deep end and hoping you can figure out how to swim before you drown, so I took a different approach. I started with a Ned rig craw. I know I can catch fish on this, so I started focusing on what it felt like when the Ned jighead would bounce off of rocks, crawl through weeds, and most importantly, how it felt when it got stuck on weeds (more on why this is important later). This was on Monday. I caught about a half dozen fish; mainly smallmouth bass, with one or two rock bass as well. On Tuesday I moved up to the Ned jig (https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Z-Man_Shroomz_Micro_Finesse_Jig_2pk/descpage-ZMSMJ.html) It feels roughly the same as the regular Ned rig, but with the actual skirt of a jig. I used the Z Man TRD Craw on this as well. It performed roughly the same as the Ned rig, catching about a half dozen fish. The following day I moved up to the 3/16th @Siebert Outdoors jig, tipped with the same craw. I caught three that day, and all three were larger than what I was catching on the Ned rig. Next I moved up to Siebert's 3/8th oz jig tipped with a Yum Christie Craw. I blanked that day, so I went back to the 3/16th oz jig on Friday and caught a few. On Saturday I moved back up to the 3/8th oz jig and caught several fish.

 

 By making each step small, I never felt over my head using any of the lures. Also, I used all of these following Road Warrior's Guaranteed To Catch Bass formula of casting parallel to the shore 10-15yds away from shore. I just dragged the jig along each time. 

 

 I mentioned how important it was to recognize when I was hung up on weeds and here's why: Most of the sizeable fish I caught,  I didn't feel them hit it, I only felt the weight on the line. That was the most difficult part of this entire process. Small fish were reasonably easy to feel because it was the typical 'thump thump' that we've all experienced. But the larger fish usually just took the jig and sat there. No doubt I definitely missed some bites as well, but over the span of a week I'm very happy with the results. My reason for posting this is, if I can do this, clearly anyone reading this can do it too.

It wasnt until I got my first decent rod, a stC Avid. Then I could feel bottom

Excellent ?

 

You have learned the hardest part, feeling the "bite".

When a friend taught me how to fish a jig he said you need to learn how to weigh your jig with your rod tip. Every time you lift that jig just a little bit if it doesn’t feel like a half an ounce you set the hook. In the beginning there was a lot of setting the hook on weeds mixed in with some fish. Pretty soon it became mostly fish and just a few weeds. 
 

I’ve taught a few friends that just couldn’t figure out the whole feeling for weight. They would only set the hook on the thump thump hit

Thank you, I’ve been trying to figure out how to fish a jig all summer. The concept of “feeling the weight” makes sense, and this is the first time I’ve heard that. 

@KSanford33

Nicely Done ~

What is/was your rod, reel & line used for this

and did you use the same rig for each jig ?

Congrats

A-Jay

Interesting take on jig fishing, and good way to learn. I started fishing jigs many years ago, and I had a real struggle with catching fish on them. It took me quite a while to get it down.

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

@KSanford33

Nicely Done ~

What is/was your rod, reel & line used for this

and did you use the same rig for each jig ?

Congrats

A-Jay

Thanks A-Jay. I used two different setups; one for the Ned rig and one for the 3/8th oz jigs.

 

I used a 5' Quantum ultralight rod and spinning reel with 6lb braid for the Ned rigs. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't use an ultralight setup because the whippiness of the rod caused me to break off more jigs than I probably needed to. I'd probably start with a medium action spinning rod.

 For the 3/8th oz jigs, I used a Quantum Octane medium action baitcaster with 10lb braid. The feeling is a little more muted than the ultralight (obviously), but the transition wasn't difficult.

 

 There's an excellent chance that you or another one of the more experienced anglers on here could offer suggestions on equipment that would help the next person trying to do it. 

 

 

P.S. One thing you'll appreciate about this is every single bass I've caught doing this has been a smallmouth. They are definitely the pound for pound kings.

Congrats on learning to fish the jig.  I was told that if you can fish a t-rig then you can fish a jig, but it still took me a while to learn it.

Jig is a must have

 

Good to hear your success on it ?

6 hours ago, KSanford33 said:

Thanks A-Jay. I used two different setups; one for the Ned rig and one for the 3/8th oz jigs.

 There's an excellent chance that you or another one of the more experienced anglers on here could offer suggestions on equipment that would help the next person trying to do it. 

P.S. One thing you'll appreciate about this is every single bass I've caught doing this has been a smallmouth. They are definitely the pound for pound kings.

You're Welcome.

First off there are so many fantastic jig fisherman here it's hard to comprehend.

I am not one of those. 

And while I can usually hold my own, I'm still in the 'learning' phase for sure.

One thing I will say that has helped me along the way

is to ensure my gear matches or is at least adequate for the jig/trailer weight I'm throwing.

For me that means, as the jig weights go up, the heavier the cover and/or the farther away from me the strikes are expected to come, (how long the casts are in other words) the 'heavier' my tackle (rod & line test) needs to be.

Could just be me, but a blank that loads too much with just the weight of the jig seem to really hamper my strike detection.  So there's a sweet spot where the rod tip is strong but still sensitive enough to fish the jig effectively. 

Rarely am I throwing a 1/2 oz (or heavier) structure or football jig on anything less than MH - or H 

and at least 15 - 20 lb line.  I prefer FC.

Tried using braid and I did not do well.

Lost fish, broke rods and just about broke my own wrist a few times. 

My favorite jig rod, that is pretty close to a do it all for my style of jig fishing, (I don't fish docks)

is a 7'6" MH Moderate Fast stick that loads nicely with plenty of bottom end. 

So there's that.

One of my favorite jig fish right here

https://youtu.be/1to6ti-tlZY?t=697

A-Jay

 

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

a 7'6" MH Moderate Fast

I am rather surprised by that. 
 

My jig rod is a iRod Genesis III 704C, 7’ Heavy. Absolutely incredible rod but I dissed it nonetheless on a thread because I didn’t think I had a reel that was comfortable on it until I put on a Tatula 100. 
 

3 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I am rather surprised by that. 
 

Once I sink the steel and that rod bows up,

I lose very few fish.

A-Jay

?

7 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Once I sink the steel and that rod bows up,

I lose very few fish.

A-Jay

I can see the merits of having a long rod for jigs, especially when fishing deeper water or perhaps sparser cover. And, well, I like a moderate fast rod for holding fish good. 
 

I’ll leave it at that, that I understand. I just got one jig rod and that is what I’ll use for everything jig related, whether it is swimming jigs, skipping docks, fishing brush, offshore, whatever.

Congratulations . Fishing on the bottom , detecting fish is an important skill. Jig fishing skills come in handy  for deep spinnerbaits , lipless baits , blade baits and everything else .

 

   I never felt any difference between fishing a jig or a Texas rig . I've been bouncing crappie jigs in brush piles since I was a kid , so working worms and jigs came naturally . I have taken beginners with me who caught right on  and others who never did get the hang of it .

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

You're Welcome.

First off there are so many fantastic jig fisherman here it's hard to comprehend.

I am not one of those. 

And while I can usually hold my own, I'm still in the 'learning' phase for sure.

One thing I will say that has helped me along the way

is to ensure my gear matches or is at least adequate for the jig/trailer weight I'm throwing.

For me that means, as the jig weights go up, the heavier the cover and/or the farther away from me the strikes are expected to come, (how long the casts are in other words) the 'heavier' my tackle (rod & line test) needs to be.

Could just be me, but a blank that loads too much with just the weight of the jig seem to really hamper my strike detection.  So there's a sweet spot where the rod tip is strong but still sensitive enough to fish the jig effectively. 

Rarely am I throwing a 1/2 oz (or heavier) structure or football jig on anything less than MH - or H 

and at least 15 - 20 lb line.  I prefer FC.

Tried using braid and I did not do well.

Lost fish, broke rods and just about broke my own wrist a few times. 

My favorite jig rod, that is pretty close to a do it all for my style of jig fishing, (I don't fish docks)

is a 7'6" MH Moderate Fast stick that loads nicely with plenty of bottom end. 

So there's that.

One of my favorite jig fish right here

https://youtu.be/1to6ti-tlZY?t=697

A-Jay

 

Is there a reason you prefer fluorocarbon for jigs?

23 minutes ago, KSanford33 said:

Is there a reason you prefer fluorocarbon for jigs?

I like the way it fishes and it lasts a little longer on the reel.

I've used mono several times with decent success.

Sunline Shooter Defier Armilo is very nice as far as mono goes.

A-Jay

 

5 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Tried using braid and I did not do well.

Lost fish, broke rods and just about broke my own wrist a few times. 

How did all of this happen? I’ve been fishing extra fast JWR rods, braid to FC, and almost never lose a jig fish, and never almost broke my wrists or a rod. What were you up to on your hook sets?

I went through a similar process when I finally decided I needed to get good with a jig. I spent an entire week fishing nothing but jigs, not caring if they were even hitting jigs (they usually were…)

 

The “pick it up and sit there” hit is the reason I now use my most sensitive rod for jigs. If I miss a jig hit, I wanna know it’s “my fault”. 

Great job on learning the jig!!! My favorite saying is that the jig is the easiest lure to fish but the hardest to learn. The reason is that it isn't a numbers bait, it draws strikes from larger fish on average. 

 

I taught 2 of my friends to jig fish in the early '90s and it took about 5 or 6 trips before they started getting comfortable with it.  Fish a jig isn't hard, it is learning what the bite feels like that is tough. Just as you mentioned, you didn't feel the larger fish bite, you just felt the weight when you moved the jig. 

 

Since a lot of bites are subtle it becomes very important to keep an eye on your line. The longer you fish with a jig you will begin to become a line watcher. You start focusing on it and before you know it line watching becomes second nature. Welcome to the wonderful world of jig fishing, good luck in the future!!!!!

12 hours ago, scaleface said:

I never felt any difference between fishing a jig or a Texas rig

 

?

 

The most difficult part of jig fishing is feeling the bite, many will tell you it aint like the bite you get on a Texas Rig but it is so get that notion out your head.

 

Like with a Texas Rig those bumps, thumps, tics, & taps are easy to detect it's the ones where the bass inhales your jig without any tell-tale sign or line movement.

 

I say now is the time to bring forth all your expertise on feeling subtle bites stored away in your brain from Texas Rigs.

 

You will also hear "bass don't hold a jig long", don't be surprised when a 2 lb bass inhales your 1 oz jig without any tell-tale line movement and proceeds to sit there until you apply too much pressure at which time they spit it!

 

Sounds kinda like a T-rig bite huh! 

 

Outstanding! Excellent work. 

 

The lakes I fish have lots of vegetation and moss...about the only jig fishing I do is pitching and flipping trees, docks, structure. This is one of my favorite ways to fish for bass!!

Believe me, I miss fish....All. The. Time!

 

I agree, with the smaller fish, you can feel the bite. 

 

With larger fish, it's usually:

• I pay close attention to the fall...if the fall stops early...a fish has it = set the hook
• After the fall stops...if the line moves...a fish has it = set the hook
• On retrieve or pickup...if the line feels "mushy"...a fish has it = set the hook
• On retrieve or pickup...I can feel my line rubbing against limb = do not set the hook

My boat is small (14' long, 60" wide), casting deck up front with cable steer Minn Kota 40lb...I can steer without looking down. I can jam my boat in areas like this, where others won't go. 

 

Keep after them!!

 

 

 

Let me speak for all the river fisherman and say that the best jig fishing bite happens when the tube bite is on.

Nothing else like close quarters combat.