35 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Honestly if y'all can fish a t rig, you can fish a jig.

 

Ok let's see if we can shed some light on the subject of feeling a worm or jig bite; many people say the two are totally different but I believe they are very similar. 

 

Let me first start by comparing what is felt with a variety of other baits.

 

Top water: with these baits the bass will generally suck the bait in from underneath, from behind, or come completely out of the water.

Spinner bait/crank bait: with these baits the bass will generally hit from the side or from underneath.

With these baits there is a certain amount of line movement because the bass are moving when they hit the bait.

 

Worm/jig: with these baits the bass will simply flare its gills causing a vacuum which moves water and your bait into their mouth. With this bite there is very little if any line movement thereby not much is transmitted to your rod tip.

 

The art of feeling a worm/jig bite is a fine combination of watching your line and feeling for unnatural sensations of what your bait should feel like. Some times you will feel that classic Tap, some times you'll only see line movement, some times your line will simply go slack, but some times there will only be a feeling of heaviness that is almost like your line will not move. The bites where the bass moves after inhaling you bait are the easy ones to feel because there is line movement, the bites where the bass simply inhales your bait and just sits there are the hardest to feel.

 

Feeling a worm/jig bite requires keeping a certain amount of tension on your line while at the same time keeping a certain amount of slackness in your line. To the average angler this makes no sense at all but the worm/jig angler it makes total sense.

Tommy T

Based on what you all say I'm throwing it in the right areas (rocks, docks, stumps, laydowns) but I'm guessing its my retrieve. I grew up fishing nothing but a 10" purple worm with a split shot so I'm very up to speed on the slow bottom bite.

 

Either way I'm convinced youll see a few posts from me this year with 1 or 2 rods on deck with nothing but a jig.

 

 

EDIT: @Catt you just summed up years of what I've learned fishing that purple worm. The inhale and sit are tough, I'll usually get a smidge of tension back in my line but not enough to move the lure if its just sitting there, a lot of times I can feel the wiggle of the tail and I'll set, others you get nothing but that little tick in your head goes off and yous et the hook. Sometimes you pop over a branch, other times you get a good fight started. 

@Functional That "bite" you're feeling for with a worm is the same bite you're feeling for with the jig.

 

Take the way you retrieve that worm & apply it to the jig.

Like @Bazoo said, I'm a minimalist. I primarily use flukes, jigs, t-rigs, and ned rigs. 

5 hours ago, Functional said:

10" purple worm with a split shot

 

If it helps go with a smaller jig, I threw a Stanley Jig for years, they only came in 5/16 & 7/16 oz. 

12 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

If it helps go with a smaller jig, I threw a Stanley Jig for years, they only came in 5/16 & 7/16 oz. 

 

I've been using Bitsy Bugs and whatever Seiberts compact 5/16oz is with the smaller rage craws. It's usually those 2 or if I'm feeling froggy a 3/8 seibert archy. 

 

At least with my spinners and chatterbaits I've had better luck on the smaller side so I try the same with jigs. 

For me the worm strike is easier to detect than a jig strike more often. Totally agree both happen with the engulf meant with LMB but worms are long soft and skinny compared to a hard jig with trailer that is shorter. Why?...don’t know, but big bass almost always engulf and don’t move other then crunching down to kill the crawdad, no need to crunch down  and kill soft plastic worms, eat and move.

I agree if you are a good worm fisherman you should also be a good with jigs, just set the hook faster.

Tom 

1 hour ago, WRB said:

I agree if you are a good worm fisherman you should also be a good with jigs, just set the hook faster.

 

This is both reassuring and informative. Thanks, WRB!

When I'm covering water my main 3 are chatterbaits, walking topwaters, and squarebills. When picking a spot apart my go to lures are the ned rig, flick shake, and neko rig.

My most used depending on the season and conditions:

Jig & trailer

T rig

Chatterbait/Spinnerbait

Wacky Worm

Top Water - Frog/Whopper Plopper/popper

Shaky Head

Fluke

Ned Rig

Swim jig

 

Weeds permitting, a Crankbait

 

I'm committed to minimalist fishing. I've talked about my gear and tackle box before. Two thin 3600s..one for baits one for tackle. One rod and reel. That's it.

 

As such, it's usually simple for me as I believe if you can't catch fish with 3-4 different baits/techniques...the fish aren't going to be caught that day regardless.

 

My first half of the season differed slightly from the second half.

 

First half:

 

Search bait:

Chatterbait. Great search bait. Can also be fished like a jig or Ned depending on trailer.

 

Target fishing:

Jika Rig: A great do it all rig. Jig, Ned, Swin, etc Choose your plastic and go!  I use a modular system here so I can change hook and/or weight in 5 seconds without re-tying.

 

Topwater:

Any Z-man Goat...up to and including the Goat Toad. They all work.

 

 Second half:

 

I replaced the Jika and used "poop" baits almost exclusively the second half of the year. They worked so well and I had a ton of fun fishing them.

 

 Now throughout the year, I still fish rigs I love to fish. If for no other reason than to keep in practice. And, because my system gear is mostly modular, no extra tackle required. For example, I'll tie on a Free Rig. I love the Free Rig...which can use the same hooks and weights as my Jika. And so on with other rigs.

 

Always good to keep in practice..especially with rigs you really like! 

 

 

9 hours ago, Functional said:

 

I've been using Bitsy Bugs and whatever Seiberts compact 5/16oz is with the smaller rage craws. It's usually those 2 or if I'm feeling froggy a 3/8 seibert archy. 

 

At least with my spinners and chatterbaits I've had better luck on the smaller side so I try the same with jigs. 

I found it easier to feel the bite with a heavier jig in the beginning. 1/2 oz to start after several successful days with it I could fish smaller jigs too. 

A jig imitates a crawfish correct?

Yes I believes they do

A crawfish has a hard shell does it not?

Yes they in fact have a hard shell

 

Why would a bass spit what it preceives to be a crawfish because it feels somthing hard?

 

When the bass "crushes" the jig to kill it; it feels the hardness of a shell, the softness of the skirt, & the firmness of the trailer just like a crawfish. 

 

As for the weight, how much do ya think a 4-6" crawfish weighs?

30 minutes ago, Catt said:

A jig imitates a crawfish correct?

Yes I believes they do

A crawfish has a hard shell does it not?

Yes they in fact have a hard shell

 

Why would a bass spit what it preceives to be a crawfish because it feels somthing hard?

 

When the bass "crushes" the jig to kill it; it feels the hardness of a shell, the softness of the skirt, & the firmness of the trailer just like a crawfish. 

 

As for the weight, how much do ya think a 4-6" crawfish weighs?

For me it wasn't trying to match the crawfish but I felt the 1/2 oz weight better on the end of my line. I was looking for the bait to feel different. And the heavy weight has more of a pronounced feel when you had to pick it up and it was easier to have no slack in your line cause it weighs more. Once I broke that confidence barrier I didn't have any problem with any size jig. This was the way my brother learned to fish a jig and he passed it on to me. Maybe it wasn't the best way but it worked for me. Everyone probably has their own was they started out.And I bet they all were different at least at first. 

1 hour ago, rgasr63 said:

Maybe it wasn't the best way but it worked for me.

 

That's essential 😉

 

My comment was directed at @Functional who stated he has extreme confidence in a split shot. 

 

But in the end you do what works for you!

 

It's often said take nothing but jigs & I used to agree with that theory. But it’s kinda hard to gain confidence when ya ain't getting bit.

 

I used to take almost everything, now I have down sized to about half the lures. That is always difficult, because you tell yourself, "I may need that someday out on the water." You know you most likely will not. Still trying to cut down, but with new lures and presentations each year, the struggle is real. Normally I use what is already tied on to 5 rods. 😕

1. spinnerbait/chatterbait

2. jerkbait

3. senko

4. soft swimbait 

5. fluke

I am committed to cutting my arsenal in half again this winter, wish me luck. 😬

 

I am in the group who struggles with jigs. No confidence, and the bottom structure here is very soft mud, so bottom lures quickly disappear.