i went up to our "secret" spot this weekend and fished hard for a day and a half. after fishing for about a half hour i got what turned out to be the biggest one of the trip....5.41 lbs. i caught about 10 fish over the course of both days...but heres my question i fished only one bait the whole weekend a translucent white and powder blue 5/8 oz jig and plastic trailer...which was working good around the beds where i caught the 5 lber laying on her bed but it wasnt great but i was catching some fish about 15-20 feet out from shore in roughly 6 ft of water....in this particular pond there is a thick bed of coontail that grows starting about 10 feet from shore and i was getting some decent action swimming my jig across the top and letting it drop into the bed and swimming and dropping but it got to be where 9/10 casts by the time i let my bait drop into the plants even a little bit all i did was end up reeling in a 2 foot long piece of coontail and my bait wasnt even presentable to where the fish were....is there anything i can do about making a jig even more weedless to where i can just drag it through that stuff without it hanging up and pulling it in because i tried just swimming it over the top of the plants but i didnt get one strike doing that i only got bit when i let it fall...so any tips on what i can do to keep my bait presentable through this stuff for a little while so i have a chance would be greatly appreciated

I would switch over to a T-rigged floating worm.

I've totally switched to swim jigs with line eye pointing forward from the nose. The only other jig head I use is the Spot Remover, a really bad plant harvester, but I need that one for fishing bottom. Most of my jigs have it at around 90 degrees, on top of the head, sure to catch a strand of plant. I also tie the line directly with a neat knot and no tag end sticking out. The more streamlined it is the cleaner it fishes. I also smear some anise flavored lard on them which keep plants from sticking.

Jim

If you want to stick with the jig (confidence), try using a weedless finess jig in 1/8 oz. Seems light but with trailer, etc, you still get a full-bodied profile. TRy a terminator finesse jig or a nichols mango jig. Heads are designed to come through weeds easily. I have yet to recieve the nichols jigs I ordered last week but ones I know work for sure are the terminator, Rocky ledge, and booyah (3/16, not the baby bug)

Below is a pic of a nichols mango jig-notice the conehead shape for coming through the weeds.

Good luck.

YOu need to use the right tool for the job.  In grass you need a good grass jig.  Go here

http://www.unclejosh.com/bassstalker/modules/cart/navigate.php/nav_id/72'>http://www.unclejosh.com/bassstalker/modules/cart/navigate.php/nav_id/72

They also have a swim jig as well

http://www.unclejosh.com/bassstalker/modules/cart/

T Mike

There are 3 jighead criteria that make a jig WEEDLESS:

1. Position Of the Eyelet (Best = nose-mounted or recessed line eye <> Worst = top-mounted eyelet)

2. Angle of Weedguard in Relation to Top of Jighead (Best = obtuse angle <> Worst = 90 deg angle)

3. Shape of Jighead (Best = spire-pointed <> Worst = blunt head)

Actually, the shape of the jighead is the least important, because if numbers 1 and 2 are satisfied,

even a ballhead jig will come through without weeds. In contrast, a jig with a top-mounted eyelet

or a jig whose weedguard forms a right-angle corner with the jighead will be a BUST in soft weeds.

After every retrieve the angler will be plucking salad off his jig.

The best I've ever seen was Denny Brauer's Weed Sneek, which was discontinued years ago

(I've still got about 20). Today however, the Nichols Mango Jig and Monsoor Swim Jig

do pretty well in soft slimy weeds

Roger