How to Fish a Jig:
Many people get frustrated with jigs because they do not catch very many fish or they may be intimidated with the idea of something that is composed of metal, paint, thread, feathers, or plastic actually catching fish. Hardly a week goes by that I don’t have someone asking me about how to fish a jig. Well I would like to try to share the little bit I know about jig fishing with you in a three part series; 1. Line, Knots, & Terminology 2. Techniques & Tactics 3. Colors and Size.
Part 1: Line, Knots, & Terminology.
Well if you have picked up a fishing magazine recently, walked through the sporting goods department of your local supply store, or browsed your favorite online tackle store you know there are as many varieties of lines as colors of the rainbow. You can pick from the traditional monofilament, braids, or new fluorocarbon super lines. Though all of these lines have their place in different types of fishing and you will find many professionals who use all of these lines during the course of one days fishing, I prefer to find one line that I can use in any application.
Now before I give you my line preferences let me first tell you what I do not like. I do not like braided lines. Yes they have unmatched sensitivity and strength but I change baits a lot when fishing and a braided line is not conducive to changing lures easily. Secondly, braided lines are somewhat dangerous. Unlike other more traditional lines, that will break when put under a moderate load, braids will not. They are designed to endure much higher tensions and this can be detrimental to your equipment but more importantly your hands. When tension is applied a braided line can and will cut you very badly much like being cut with a knife. Lastly, braided lines are 2-3 times as expensive as regular fishing line. For these reasons, I rarely use a braided line.
I do like traditional monofilament and some of the super lines. These lines are much easier to change lures on and safer to use. The main difference between traditional mono and super lines are the diameter and strength. Monofilament will generally have a larger diameter per rated pound than a comparable super line. For example, an eight-pound piece of monofilament will be almost twice as large in diameter as an eight-pound piece of super line. This difference comes into play when you are trolling, pitching a jig, or fishing in very clear water. Personally, I use both traditional mono and super lines. Now I do not have any ties to the two companies I am going to name, they are just the two lines that I always buy. For traditional monofilament, I use Stren Original and for the super lines, I use Silver Thread AN-40.
Terminology:
Terminology or better yet slang is different for different parts of the country so the explanation I give for a word may not be the common one you have heard. In jig fishing there are four main methods of presenting the jig; pitching, dipping, trolling, or corking.
Pitching:
Pitching a jig is a common approach used when fishing from a dock, fishing a lay down, or anytime you want your jig to fall through where you think fish are suspended. To pitch a jig you can either, make a short cast past where you want the jig to fall, preferably an underhanded cast or “pitch” or you can let out a length of line and flip the jig out with a pendulum swing.
Dipping:
Dipping is a shallow water tactic used a lot during the spawn but also through out the year when fish are holding tight to visible cover. Dipping works best when done with a long pole, 8-13ft and a heavier jig, 1/16 - 3/16oz. To dip a jig you let out a length of line usually shorter than the rod you are using, pull the line back with your free hand, place the rod tip by the place you want to deposit the jig and slowly allow the jig to descend. A common mistake when dipping is to give the jig too much action when it first enters the water. You want to hold the jig as still as possible when you first place it in the water. Then if nothing happens move your rod tip horizontally (left or right) to swim the jig.
Trolling:
Trolling, pushing, spider rigging are all synonymous terms. They are all techniques employing the use of longer poles (8-20ft) placed at different locations on the boat while the boat is moved very slowly by the electric motor. This tactic can be a very elaborate and expensive one or can be made very simple. I use a simple method involving two 10ft rods. I tie 3-4 jigs (1/16 & 1/8 oz) 1.5 ft apart on my line and lower them to different depths. Then using m trolling motor set on the lowest speed I move very slowly across point and humps in the lake. This is a very productive post spawn and late summer tactic.
Corking:
Corking, slip corking, or bobber fishing is probably the oldest trick in the book. Cork or slip corks can be used all year long. The more I fish with slip corks them more I appreciate them. They allow you to fish at a constant depth and fish spots much more slowly than you typically would. I like to use the simple and cheep Styrofoam slip corks you can get for .30 cents a piece. I have all different sizes to allow me to use all different sizes of jigs. The easiest rig is to by the tied bobber stops, place one on your line with a small bead, then slide on your cork and tie you jig or hook to the line. I like to test mine out in the kitchen sink to be sure I have the right amount of weight on there so that only the top third of the cork is above water.
I know this is a lot of information to take in a once but I hope this will help you have a better idea of what people are talking about in fishing magazines and websites.
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