Jig fishing is a versatile, effective technique every angler should know. Whether you're after bass, walleye or panfish, jigs catch fish in almost any situation. Here are the essentials to help you catch more on jigs.
Types of Jigs and How to Use Them
- Flipping jigs: Compact, heavy-hooked jigs for pitching and flipping into heavy cover like brush, docks and weeds.
- Football jigs: The wide head rocks over rocks and gravel, great for dragging on deep structure.
- Swim jigs: Made to be reeled through grass and around cover to cover water fast.
- Finesse jigs: Smaller jigs like Ned heads and shaky heads for clear water and finicky fish.
- Jig heads: Ball heads and swimbait heads for soft plastics, popular for walleye, panfish and bass.
Choosing the Right Jig
- Water clarity: In clear water, go natural, like green pumpkin or brown. In stained or muddy water, try darker or brighter colors like black and blue or chartreuse.
- Depth: Heavier jigs reach deep water faster and keep bottom contact. Lighter jigs fall slower in shallow water.
- Cover: Use weedguard jigs in heavy cover to reduce snags.
- Tungsten or lead: Tungsten jigs are smaller for their weight and transmit more feel. Lead jigs cost less if you fish around a lot of snags.
Presentation
- Hopping: Lift the rod tip to hop the jig off the bottom, then let it fall back. This imitates a fleeing crawfish or baitfish. Watch your line on the fall, since many bites come then.
- Dragging: Slowly drag the jig along the bottom for a subtle, natural look.
- Swimming: Reel steadily through the water column to imitate a swimming baitfish.
Tips to Catch More
- Add a trailer: A soft plastic craw or swimbait trailer adds action, bulk and a slower fall.
- Sweat the details: Trim skirts if needed and keep your hooks sharp.
- Use the right line: Low-stretch braid or sensitive fluorocarbon helps you feel light bites and drive the hook home. In heavy cover, braid is hard to beat.
- Experiment: Try different colors, sizes and cadences until you find what the fish want.
Mastering jigs takes practice, but the payoff is worth it. Learn how to set the hook right in How to Set a Fishing Hook, then shop all jigs and hit the water.
