Sometimes, you only need one or two rods on your deck. When you get to this time of the bass season, it’s time to put a jig in your hand and try to grind out bites. There are two parts of the season when that is true: late season through early season cold water periods. Yes, I have been stubborn at times as I thought I had found some new bass breakthrough, but I always put this new spur-of-the-minute idea to rest, only to lay it down, pick up a jig again, and get back to work.
When the waters in your area start to hit their lowest temperature of the season, it’s jig time. There are a few things that you can do to help you get more bites along the way. Let’s have a seat and break down cold water jig tactics.
Jigs To Carry
I depend on and have a few jigs in my cold-water jig box when it comes to cold-water jig time.
Arky Head: My first jig choice is an Arky jig. This jig was one of the original jigs that gained traction when bass fishing started to catch on and get noticed. The sled-style head keeps your jig in a hookup position as you fish it along the bottom. With most of the weeds down in deeper depths, it’s a dependable jig to use at this time of the season and will match your presentation of a crawfish or baitfish moving across the bottom.
Bullet Head: If the weeds don’t die off in your waters, a bullet head is another jig head to add to your cold-water box. It started as a Midwest must-have as the natural lakes in the upper Midwest were full of thick weed growth. You can get an Arky jig through these conditions, but getting a bullet head jig through the thick weed areas that bass call home is much easier.
Ball Jig: When you’re fishing sparse weeds and open rock areas, I always start with a ball head jig. A ball head would get my nod if I could only carry one weed/rock jig. I will set up my ball head with a cut skirt and a small craw or trailer and start fishing. I have spent many late seasons and early cold-water days working this combo across the bottom, triggering strikes.
Football Jig: If you’re in a part of the country where the crawfish don’t hibernate, and their activity just slows down. You can’t beat a football jighead when imitating a crawfish. If I had to pick only one jig when fishing a crawfish imitation on a hard or rock bottom, my choice would be a football jig head. The shape of the head imitates a craws movement as you slowly work your jig across the rocks.
Wobble Head: When you’re looking for new areas to fish in or just areas that you know hold bass but are looking to find that active bite, you’ll have to cover water so I’ll put a wobble head jig in my hand. Now I know that the bass activity has slowed down, and you must follow suit when fishing your jig. I team my jig with a creature or craw bait, make a cast, and let the bait settle to the bottom. Here is what I changed to slow my presentation during the cold-water period. Instead of slowly reeling my wobble head across the bottom, I’ll switch to short pulls, stop, and reel up the slack just like I do when I fish a Carolina Rig. This slower retrieve has gotten me bites when other retrieves did not generate any action.
Key Jig Adjustments
Skirts: Pick your jig skirt to match the forage as best as possible. I always carry a few variations of these colors. I have had days when it did not change anything and other days when it was the main difference in triggering bass to bite. I carry stock crawfish and baitfish colors in my jig box, but I also carry colors of these skirts with accent colors (chartreuse, orange, red) added. I have had times when the accent colors of skirts made the difference in getting bites or not getting any bites.
Trailers: When it comes to jig trailers, I try a few different types. I carry craw and creature imitations in my trailer box in a few different assorted color patterns. I’ll also have a few accent color trailers (where craws are a distinct color). Another way is to add scent to your bait. Take your standard craw and dip the claws into Spike-It dye. It will make your craws standout and add scent at the same time. I’ll do this on days when the bite is downright brutal.
I stock a 3" and a 4” trailer sizes. I use the two sizes of trailers to help adjust the fall rate and the look of my jig. It leaves me room to make adjustments, or I have had times when this simple size adjustment helped me better match the forage in that body of water I was fishing.
Jig Fall Rate
Pay close attention to your jig's fall rate. Stock and carry a few assorted sizes of jig heads in your mix. I always try to carry 3/8oz, 1/2oz, 3/4oz, and 1oz jig heads in my box. My rule of thumb is to start with a 1/2oz jig and go up or down from there. If the bite is active, stay with a 1/2oz or you can go up a size. But if the bite is slow, I’ll go down to a 3/8oz jig to help trigger bites.
The same goes for trailers. Use different sizes to help adjust the jig's fall rate. Rig two jigs, one with a smaller trailer and one with a larger trailer, and let the bass tell you what they prefer that day. There have been days when this was the simple factor of getting bites and bass over the side of the boat or not.
Tungsten Jigs: Invest in a few tungsten jig heads. Tungsten is a harder material than lead and weighs more compared to size. The most significant factor with tungsten is twofold. You’ll get a better feel from your jig, and the little-known factor is that the jig is louder when fished in rocks. Tungsten will create more sound as it’s fished on the bottom. Bass may not only be drawn to your jig for its looks but for its sound as well.
Rod & Reel Set Up
I use a few rod and reel setups during this part of the season. My standard jig rod is a 7ft MH Denali Lithium Pro baitcaster teamed with a Denali Novus Elite baitcaster reel spooled with 16lb Sunline Sniper FC line. I'll also add a second setup, the same 7ft MH Denali Lithium Pro bait caster teamed with a Denali Novus Elite baitcaster spooled with a 30lb Sunline Asegai braided line. I’ll tie on a 16lb Sunline Sniper FC leader at the end of my line. This setup increases my feel, so I often use this rod setup to fish a smaller jig because of the added sensitivity I get from the braided line. If the bass are dropping my jig before I can get a hookset, I’ll change my leader from a fluorocarbon to a monofilament leader choice. It builds a little more stretch into my setup, making it harder for the bass to feel me, but I still get an increased feel that allows me better hookups.
Jig Tweaks
At this time of the season, you won’t be faced with fishing a jig in heavy weed conditions. Most of the weeds at this time of the season will be lighter and easier to get your jig through compared to when the weeds were in peak condition during the summer months. One thing that you can do to get better hookups is to trim the weed guard back more than you regularly would. It will allow you to get better hook penetration, creating better hookups. Also, pay attention to your hook point throughout your day. Make sure your hook points are sharp and straight. If the hook tip is bent up or down, take a plier, make it straight again, and re-sharpen your hook point.
This cold-water jig breakdown will help you put more bass in your boat this cold season. There is nothing better than feeling a bass pick up your jig and you start to see your line move off to the side. That is the time to reel up the slack and set the hook. Game on.
