Bassin With Jigs

Jigs are perhaps the most basic of bass lures. Because they can be fished in dense brush or weeds, jigs can be used when bass are inactive and holding tight to cover.

COMPONENTS OF A JIG: Jigs are simple lures made up of five basic components: 1. The head. This is made of lead or zinc and molded around a hook. Head weights normally used for bass fishing run from 1/4 to 5/8 oz. 2. The Hook. This can be either a light-wire hook or a very stout hook, depending on jig style. 3. The Weedguard. Not all jigs have weedguards; on those that do, the guard is usually made of multiple strands of stiff fiber or one or two strands of wire. 4. The Skirt. Jigs can have either a hair, rubber, soft plastic or synthetic skirts. Leadheads are plain jigs without skirts. 5. The Trailer. Jigs are normally fished with a pork or soft plastic trailer.

JIG STYLES: Four main types of jigs are used for bass: 1. Leadheads. These are plain, weighted jig hooks to which a soft plastic worm, crawfish, lizard or grub is attached. They're normally used in clear lakes, especially for smallmouth and spotted bass. 2. Casting Jigs. These have a rubber or synthetic skirt and a light or medium strength hook. They're used for casting in lakes that don't have a great deal of dense cover. Spider jigs, soft plastic twin-tails with a squid like collar fished on a leadhead, are excellent casting jigs. 3. Flipping Jigs. These are rubber or synthetic skirted jigs with a heavy duty hook, designed to be fished with a pork or plastic trailer. Their weedless design allows them to be fished in dense cover. 4. Hair Jigs ( Bucktails ). These have a hair skirt and may or may not have a weedguard. They're most often used for smallmouth bass. Hair jigs can be fished with or without a trailer.

WHERE TO USE JIGS: 1. In Cold Water. Jigs can be fished very slowly when bass are sluggish in cold water. Plus, their compact size matches the smaller forage bass prefer in winter and early spring. 2. In Heavy Cover. Jigs are the best of all bass lures for probing brushpiles, thick weedbeds, submerged trees and other dense cover in shallow water. In cover, they are effective in both cold and warm water. 3. On Sloping Banks. Jigs can be worked slowly down sloping banks and ledges. The rate of fall can be varied by changing the jig weight and/or size of trailer. 4. On Highly Pressured Lakes. Fishing pressure can make bass retreat to dense cover and slow to bite. However, a pressured bass can be coaxed into biting a jig presented right in its face.

JIG TACKLE: Vary your tackle according to water clarity and amount of cover where you're fishing. In stained to muddy water with wood cover, use a stout flipping or pitching rod and 20 to 30 pound test mono or stronger high-tech lines. In clear water with weedbeds, use a pitching rod and 14 to 17 pound test mono. In deep, clear water, use a stiff 6 foot spinning rod and 6 to 8 pound test mono or a 6 1/2 foot medium action baitcasting rod and 10 to 12 pound test line.

JIG PRESENTATIONS AND RETRIEVES: Here are some pointers for working these lures in thick wood or weeds: 1. Rate Of Fall. As a rule of thumb, fish react better to a slower fall in cold/clear water and a faster fall in warm/murky water. To make a jig fall more slowly, you can either use a lighter jig, a bigger pork or plastic trailer, or larger diameter line. To make a jig fall faster, use a heavier jig, switch to a smaller trailer or fish the lure on smaller diameter line. 2. Color. Color is very important in jig fishing. Often fine tuning your color presentation shows immediate, positive results. In muddy water, try combinations of black, chartreuse or pumpkin. In stained water, try black and blue. In clear water, use smoke gray, watermelon or pumpkin. Flake colors also work best in clear water. Use pink in muddy water, white when bass are on a shallow shad bite. 3. Shake It. When working a jig through dense cover, gently shaking the rod tip will provide all the action the lure needs as well as help nudge it out of tight spots so it doesn't hang up. Avoid tightening down on a jig that's hung up in branches or grass; it'll usually stay hung and you'll have to go in and retrieve it, thereby spooking any fish in the area. Instead, shake the rod tip and the lure will free itself. Many strikes occur as a hung jig works free and scoots away from an object. 4. Focus. When working the jig in dense cover, try to focus on what the jig is doing. You must envision the lure hopping, crawling and nudging its way through and around branches, roots, weeds, etc. Losing this focus will mean missed bites. Set the hook immediately when a bite or and unusual resistance is detected. 5. To Rattle Or Not. The current trend is to use a rattling jig. However, many anglers believe bass can become conditioned to the noise and learn not to bite these lures. In theory, a rattle works best in low visibility water. When in doubt, a quiet jig is always a safe choice.

DRESSING JIGS AND TRAILERS: Jigs often require some dressing or on- location modification. 1. Skirts. The skirts on many jigs are too big. Many anglers trim the skirt to just behind the bend in the hook. Others thin the skirt by removing some of the strands. 2. Weedguards. Many fiber weedguards are too thick or long. Trim if necessary. The weedguard should be even with the hook point or no longer. Split a thick fiber weedguard with your finger so it forms a V with the hook point in the middle. 3. Pork Trailers. In warm water use a knife to trim the fat off the back of the head of a pork frog; this retains the trailer's large profile but allows the lure to fall faster. Cutting ribs in the legs of a pork frog or split tail eel can make the trailer more flexible and lively.