Jig & Pig

[Beef46]

Jig and Pig is one of the things I am going to work on perfecting this year. I have a general idea of working these baits but I'd like to hear some input from the experts. Situations where they are best used, types of cover, what sort of action imparted on the baits is best. I realize conditions play a part but just looking for some feedback.

Thanks in advance.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Wow, this could really turn out to be a fun post. The Jig is the single most versitle lure out there. The lure its self has little to no action, it is up to you to impart the action on the bait. However, there really is no wrong way to fish it, there are just ways that are better than some. Most of the time when I see people fishing a jig, the one piece of advise I would most give them would be to slow down. Practice workign the jig in shallow water and look how far a jig moves with each rod movement.

The jig is a great lure just about anywhere. Docks, rocks, weeds, openwater, shallow water, deep water, wood, pads, you name it a jig can be fished in and around it. Its just a matter of confidnece in the lure. I know a lot of people who swear they can fish a plastic worm, but cant fish a jig. To be honest, you fish them much the same way at times.. but I believe the jig is more versitle. You can hop it, drag it, crawl it, pop it, swim it.. or just plain let it sit!

[fisher98]

Beef46---

A jig is the most versatile bait you can use in this part of the country. I use the jig from the beginning of the season until ice is on the lake.

You can use it in every type of condition., but for me the weather will dictate the size of lure that i use. Cover and structure also dictates the size of the jig as well. I use jigs in reeds, pads, weedlines (inside and outside edges), rocks, wood or stumps, docks, or anything else you can imagine!!!

There are some different styles of jig heads that are better for certain types of cover than others, which just make them easier to fish. This is just a trial and error process, and there are articles out there that cover which head or style works best.

Now for the rod action...i usually do 1 of 2 things...hop it, for aggressive fish, or drag it when fish are in a neutral mood, these are the 2 technigues that i put on my jigs.

For color, i rely on 2---black/blue (it works everywhere), and green-pumkin....another key is to match the trailer to the color of the jig....and dip the pinchers, or claws or tips of your trailer in chartreuse dye....this is just an attracting quality of the lure...some pro's believe it helps resemble the tail of a bluegill...

the more you throw a jig the more confidence you gain in it...you also tend to catch, or at least get bigger bites!!

one way that i learned to fish jigs was, when i went to a lake...i would take all lures out of my boat except my jigs...it forces you to learn how to fish it, where it works, develop some confidence colors, try different sizes in different areas...and just get a feel for the lure....

i hope this helps some---

fisher98

[Forestlaker]

Not much to add just want to second what the first two replies covered.

Last year I committed to jig fishing and fell in love with it. Started out the year

with a half a dozen jigs in my tackle box now I have a tray full.

[Beef46]

Good info guys. Thank you. Looks like I will be leaving all of my other tackle at home a lot times this year.

Ok, maybe I'll bring a spinnerbait or two with as well.

I knew this was a versatile lure I just didn't realize how versatile.

Thank you again for the info. Can't wait for open water.

[TB Basser]

I mite add that this is a proven big fish lure.

Practice your pitchin and flippin now before you get

out on the water for your close quarter fishin and hang on.

I always have at least 4 flippin sticks on the deck at all

times with multiple colors and a piece of plastic. Black/blue, pumpkin, watermelon and my personal favorite,

white. Definitely give it serious consideration, its a great

way to fish. One more thing, you can swim a jig and leave

the spinnerbaits at home too!

[delmuts]

i'll just add; that when just stating out, if you have a pond or smaller body of water where you can just go and fish for a hour or so. this is a great place to start. i have two small pond close so that if i want to fish for an hour to try something , i can. gives you a head start for when you are out in the boat.

[FlipR70]

I just started to use the jig -n- pig about two years ago and I definitely use the jig -n- pig as one of my confidence baits.

A couple of things: I think of working the J&P in a similar manner as the way I would work a T-rigged piece of plastic in the water. Here's the difference ... instead of a tap, tap, tap, (like how a walleye feels) a bite will feel like a single THUMP. If you feel the THUMP, SET THE HOOK. The fish will have the entire jig in its mouth. There have been several occasions when I thought that the bass was going to rip the rod out of my hand.

The way I learned how to use the J&P was that I was out on Big Marine with my buddy and he was catching a ton of bass on a tube. I started using the same color and catching bass until I ran out of tubes. I decided that if they were biting on tubes, they should bite on a jig & I proceeded to tie one on.

I caught a lot of nice bass that day and my buddy eventually tied on a jig to try it out as well. His first fish was 3 1/2 lbs.

Another note for jig fishing is to watch your line. I've had several instances where a fish has picked up my 3/4 oz jig & all I saw was my line coming towards the boat. When it happens to you, it'll take a second to realize what's happening but when you realize it, SET THE HOOK HARD. The last time this happpened to me, it was a 4 lb'er.

Also, I like my jigs to have a BIG extra wide gap hook on them. I've had better hookups with bigger hooks. I personally like the Picasso jigs sold at Gander. I usually like two main colors: Black & Blue and Pumpkin with matching trailers. I've heard good things about white but haven't done a lot of fishing with it. I would start out with a 3/8 & 1/2 or 3/4 oz in those colors and give them a try before you buy too many.

My $0.02,

FlipR70

[I Luv2FishLakeX]

First of all I cannot call myself expert. But I have had some success in a couple different situations. First, I had some decent luck on White Bear Lake in about 15-20 feet of water off of some docks just slowly jigging a jig with a craw. (Orange/Brown/yellow)

Second, I have also had luck (although my stepdad beats me two to one with this) on very hot days in the middle of the summer when the fish are a little slow themselves dropping it the holes in the lillypads. For this I like the blue/black jig with a blue frog style tail. Drop it to the bottom count to 30 (if you can, it is hard to wait that long) then give it a bounce or two.

[TNFL]

Does anyone use scents? Or which trailers give off good fish attractant?

[Deitz Dittrich]

TNFL- I am a very firm believer in scent... Its not a secret on this board, I am sponsored by MisterTwister and exclusivly use Exude products. They are water soluable(over time they will become nothing) so they are constantly giving off scent. Just my opinion!

[delmuts]

i to believe in scents! i just don't like the sprays or dips, so i use chompers brand or berkley power baits as much as possible. just a note. if you try chompers; please don't open them in the house.

[st.crioxfishin]

I didn't have any confiedence in the jig n pig last summer at all, I just never could get a good hook set. Eventually I forced myself to use the jig for the rest of late summer through fall. I learned to use it right an it sured payed off, I have great confidence in it now. I believe thats the first step in learning how to use it. One thing that really helped me was putting a finger on the line when using the bait, this really helps to detect the bites quickly, which is key when fishing the jig because the bass will drop the jig pretty quick if it feels anything unusual right away. My favorite color was blue/black and white for swimming the jigs in the reeds, pads, and around docks. Good luck this season!