Let me start this off by saying I know what you seasoned fisherman are saying ... fishing with jigs isn't no secret! I know, I know. This article is meant for those who have never tried fishing with jigs before or may not even know what they are.
What are Jigs?
Jigs are a weighted lure with a "head" - also known as a "jighead" - that has a hook coming off the head. The hook shank, or end, is imbedded in the head. The jighead has an eye on it to easily attach a snap swivel or tie line directly to it. The hook and the hook's shank embed into a variety of baits including plastic grubs, plastic minnows, and all kinds of soft artificial baits.
Some people will use just the jighead with live bait, such as a shiner, to keep it weighted and down where the fish are. The weight on the jig, mainly the jighead, gives the lure weight to cast it, and also to bounce close to the bottom, if preferred. Jigheads come in a variety of sizes and are rated by weight, such as 1/32 oz, 1/16 oz, 1/8 oz, 1/4 oz ... etc.
Colors, Sizes and Weights
There are millions of colors of jigheads, just as there are countless soft plastic bodies and colors you can embed on the jighead. There are also lots of jigs "pre-made" ... meaning you can buy a package of jigheads with bodies already matched to them. The weights are dependent of where you are fishing, you want the ability to cast and get to the bottom and bounce there, but not too heavy as the fish will feel the weight and quickly drop your bait.
Unless you are fishing Lake Erie or another huge lake, you will probably want jig sizes 1/8 ounce and smaller. a 1/8 or 1/16 should work fine for panfish, bass, and walleye in a standard lake. The little bigger and heavier is needed if you tip your jig with a minnow, to help keep it where the fish are and not swimming up and everywhere. You will probably want a hook that is sized as a number 6 or 4 on the jighead for medium to bigger fish.
There are countless bodies you can buy if you do not buy pre-made, and a very popular and deadly body is a twister tail - the body looks like a grub with a twister tail at the end that is spiraled. These come in sizes ranging from about 1 inch in size
on up. I usually use 2" and 3" twister-tail grubs and also use split tails and Fuzz-E-Grubs. The colors
I have in stock and use frequently are: white, green, yellow, black, and chartreuse.
There are many variations also, with stripes, glitter, fish attractant additives, Berkely Gulp,
etc.
If one body color doesn’t work try another. The color of the jighead isn't as critical and I usually use a black or white jighead. The important thing for you is to try as many colors as possible and pick some favorites. One color may work one day, but not the next. Another rule of thumb is to use bright colors on darker days with darker or muddy water, and lighter colors on clear water and bright days. If I had to pick one color, my personal choice would be white.
Why Fish with Jigs?
Fishing with Jigs allows you a number of opportunities. The first one is that fish love jigs. They see action that mimics their natural food and attack. They may also see something that looks unnatural and attack it out of pure curiosity. When combined with live bait -- that is, "tipping the jig" (hooking a piece of live bait on the jig) -- fish can get double the action and cause them to go into a frenzy when other baits or plain live bait doesn't seem to work.
The second opportunity is that jigs get the bait to where the fish are. You can bounce jigs up and down all over the water column, thus working the top of the water to the bottom. If you find suspended fish, a bobber placed a few feet up on your line with a jig can get to the hungry fish.
Third, jigs are fun to experiment with and you can give extra action to stimulate a finicky fish into striking just a plain jig. As stated above, a jig tipped with a little live bait can be deadly and be the difference between a slow day and a big lunker.
The last opportunity I can think of for jigging, and possibly the most important, is that bigger fish are consistently caught on jigs or a jig combination with live bait. I don't know why, but it may be the extra action that presents itself as a more satisfying meal. I have proved this to myself, and I have read this on a fishing website somewhere. If I remembered the site, I would credit it here. The author was saying how in walleye tournaments the guys who are jigging normally catch more and end up with bigger fish. I believe it!
How To Fish with Jigs
I'm sure there are millions of ways to fish with jigs. I made up some of the method names. The most popular are:
Rod Sweep or Lift and Drop: This works best when shore fishing. Cast the jig out, and then reel in the slack. Lift the rod tip all the way up. Drop the rod tip. This drops the jig. Get ready and feel for a strike. A lot of times the fish hit the jig on its fall. Pause a second or two and reel in any slack line. Repeat the lift and drop method. Keep up until jig is to the shore. Try to alternate the pauses and retrieval method to see what works best for you and the fish. The Rod sweep is about the same, except instead of lifting the rod, you sweep (move the rod tip) to your left or right. Then point the rod tip straight ahead. Reel in the slack. Both of these methods work with or without a bobber, depending what part of the water column you are targeting.
Slow and Steady: Works well from the shore also. Cast out your jig. let it settle. Slowly retrieve the jig with alternate pauses. This method also works with or without a bobber.
Wave and Bounce (Lazy Man Method): This method works with a bobber, and preferably the jig is tipped with live bait such as a minnow. This allows for lots of action and can be deadly. Cast your jig and bobber into a lake with decent waves. The motion of the waves will bounce your bobber up and down, thus jigging for you. The live bait fluttering around also adds to the action. Just let your bobber sit there and keep any slack out of your line. Sit back and enjoy a cold drink or hot coffee.
Boat Drifting: This is when you drop a jig from a boat and drift fish, letting the jig basically bounce off the bottom or anywhere between. The jig is normally right underneath the boat or a little out from the boat (for the newbie only: always fish into the wind when drifting, opposite the way the boat is heading). Any waves on a lake will give the jig an up-and-down jig action. Tipping a minnow or work on the jig could help too.
Vertical Jigging: Basically the same method as boat drifting. Except the jig is directly under the boat, or close to it, and you have to pull the rod tip up and down (see Rod Sweep or Lift and Drop method). This is effective when there are fish under the boat and around you (according to the fish finder) or you know there are fish suspended and you are targeting that water column level by how much line you have out. Usually this method is used in deeper water. Obviously you probably wouldn't try vertical jigging in three feet of water!
Conclusion
Hopefully this article helped you out a bit if you are new to fishing and jigging in general. I tried to cover the basics of What, Why and How. What: "what are Jigs" and "Colors, Sizes and Weights". Why: "Why Fish with jigs". How: "How to Fish with Jigs". Where is waiting for you anywhere you can find water! Impress your friends and family, and pick up a couple and tie one on and let it Rip!
Good Luck to you, and if you find this article helpful, want to make any corrections or suggestions, or catch hundreds of fish on some jigs, give us a holler! See you on the water!
Thomas W Streiff 6-25-2008
