Never fished a jig before and I am wondering do you fish it like a worm and if so is the stike the same feeling as the worm?  What time of year should I use one?  Thanks for the advise.

A jig is an all season bait. It is the most versatile bait and will produce when other baits dont. You simply fish it as a worm. The strike is very difficult to describe. The strike is based on the fish. watch the line very closely. it will move in different directions. also, recognize the weight of the bait. Usually if there is an irregularity that means a fish has provably taken it. By simply experimenting the jig in many different structures you will develop a sixth sense for its feeling. All I can say is, practice!practice!practice! use the bait and you will experience all that you wanted to know.

A jig is an all season bait. It is the most versatile bait and will produce when other baits dont. You simply fish it as a worm. The strike is very difficult to describe. The strike is based on the fish. watch the line very closely. it will move in different directions. also, recognize the weight of the bait. Usually if there is an irregularity that means a fish has provably taken it. By simply experimenting the jig in many different structures you will develop a sixth sense for its feeling. All I can say is, practice!practice!practice! use the bait and you will experience all that you wanted to know.

Great advice, 90X !

I find in most of my students feeling a jig bite is more of a phobia or mental block, having heard how hard it is to fish a jig their brain immediately locks up. If you are good at Texas rigs then the transition to feeling a jig should be naturally easier than for someone with less experience with a Texas rig.

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 shouldn't 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 you're hung on something. 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 to the worm/jig angler it makes total sense.

Pay close attention to the depth you're fishing, any sudden change in the amount of line you're using could mean you've been bit. For instance, if you're fishing 10 feet of water and the lure suddenly stops at the 7 depth, it's possible a bass has taken the bait. If you're fishing 5 feet of water and 8 feet of line sinks, chances are good a bass is traveling with the bait. This is extremely true on the initial cast and no line movement maybe noticed.

Just like the other guys said here.  A jig is a fantastic bait that should be relied on.  Fish it like a worm and make sure to "match the hatch" also using trailers on these works really well.  I have never really had a hard time feeling the bite because it is so similar to a texas rigged worm.  However, often times I feel it is easier to determine the jig because it is a solid piece and i think that them biting down on them transfers more energy through the line rather than having a weight and a hook.  Another way to fish a jig is to rip it off the bottom and let it freefall back down, pull up the slack and then do it again.  If you are using a crawfish color, think about how crawfish move and try to replicate that.  If you are using a baitfish color, think about how they move.  Good luck, i'm sure it will soon be one of your favorites!

I keep this in "MY FAVORITES"

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1189609782

8-)

thanks everyone for the info.  i guess i'm gonna have to start tryin out this jig fishin.

I got my feel for jigs fishing walleye in canada, and I think that helped big time.  The walleye did not run or move at all for that matter, even after they were hooked.  It felt like you were snagged on a clump of weeds, until they saw the boat and started running.  But those bites were so subtle, took some getting used to.