this year i want to become a better jig fisherman..last year i experimented a little. i fish a smallmouth stream i used a jig and was blown away by it's results. the problem was that it was very hard to detect a hit. it felt more like a moving snag. now do largemouth bass hit jigs hard or is it more of a tap and bump   Thanks

Kicken_Bass,

I am one that fishes a jig A LOT. In reality I probably fish them too much.

Largemouth aren't always going to hit jigs in a manner that is violent. A lot of times you won't even feel anything. You will just notice your line swimming one way or the other.

My advice to you would be: When fishing jigs, anytime the bait feels different, set the hook. If there is extra weight or no weight at all, set the hook. If the line is moving in any direction without your control (whether you feel it or not) set the hook. As far as I am concerned, it is a lot better to set the hook and have it be a snag, than to not set the hook on a big bass.

Once you fish with jigs enough, you will start to build a great sense of how the bait should feel. A couple of years ago I had a guy out fishing with me. I was using a 1/2 oz Jig with a Big Trailer. So overall my bait had a pretty large profile. On one cast it just didn't feel normal so I set the hook. Shortly after, I reeled in a 3" Bluegill that I had stuck through the head. The bait was as big as the fish, but that Bluegill was big enough that I could feel the difference. The guy that was with me just couldn't believe that I could feel that little fish.

JT Bagwell

I am a jig fisherman and built a tackle company based on my fondness for them .Very early on I learned to "weigh the line". This helped me determine if I had a strike on a jig. It is simple. A 3/8oz jig should feel like a 3/8oz jig when it is in the water. Learn this and get used to the feeling. Under normal circumstances, anything heavier or if you lose the feeling of that weightis likely a strike. You will uickly learn the difference between weeds and snags and strikes. I suggest getting on the water with only a box of jigs and cutting loose, you are less apt to switch to your confidence baits if you don't experience immediate success with them.

another great bait on a creek or small stream is a white 1/8 oz buzz bait

Fishin_fool

tell me more about buzz baits and creeks. will smallmouth go after a buzz bait what are the best times to use them or doesn;t it matter     Thanks

I have also found it to be eaiser to detect a strike if I am swimming the Jig rather than using the pop up form , I have caught Bass ten to one Swimming the Jig.

the best advice i can give and im sure youve heard it 1000 times is hooksets are free!  Just stick with this bait and before long you will have a new go to bait i promise.

Time On The Water....!!!! Keep with the jig and practice, practice, and practice.....! The feel of the hits will come with experience.......