by G. Wayne Byrd
As I was fishing several months ago under a partly cloudy sky with
patchy fog starting to
set in, the reality hit
that fall weather was
upon us. The temperature
when I arrived at one of
my favorite fishing
holes was a beautiful
and sunny 70 degrees and
now I was starting to
get a bit chilled. The
weather had taken on a
new identity in the past
hour or so. The fishing
had started to slow down
as well. The hits were
plentiful and constant
when the sun was beaming
down upon the dam and
the bass were stacked
around the rocks
adjacent to the weed
beds just begging to be
caught. I had already
landed around 15 nice
keepers when the sun
disappeared behind a
cloud and failed to show
its face again. I began
to rummage through my
tackle bag trying
desperately to find the
perfect bass wrangling
lure that would take my
catch rate back to an
acceptable level. I
threw a spinnerbait for
a while and then
switched to a
Rat-L-Trap. I then threw
a few in-line spinners
followed by some
crawfish imitation
plastics and followed up
with the Junebug colored
stick worm I had caught
all of the previous fish
on. Still, I could not
find a bite. As I sat
on the bank of the pond
I started to think very
hard about my present
situation. I looked
around and noticed that
the trees were just
beginning to shed their
dark green colors and
change to shades of red,
orange and yellow. I
reached into my bag and
pulled out my box of
jigs and selected a
1/4oz model with a brown
and orange skirt. I then
put a chartreuse plastic
craw as a trailer, which
made the jig match my
surroundings perfectly
and flipped the jig
towards the rock ledge.
The jig was allowed to
sit for about 60 seconds
and then the slow
retrieval process began.
A very slow upward
motion of the rod tip
with a few slight jerks
thrown in intermediately
was exactly what the
bass wanted. After a few
retrieves were made and
I was waiting for the
jig to travel back
downward so I could
begin the process again,
that's when she hit!
Once I landed the fish
she was weighted and
released. It was the
largest bass of the day
weighting in at 5lbs
4oz. Fishing
with a jig or the
jig-and-pig is an
extremely effective
method for catching
those stubborn fall
bass. I rely on this
method during the spring
as well as certain times
throughout the year, but
sometimes forget how
effective the bait
really is until I throw
it a few times usually
out of desperation. Lets
first talk about the
equipment needed for
effective jig fishing. A
baitcast reel with a
flipping switch built in
the reel is my number
one choice. Pair this
reel with a medium-heavy
7 ½ foot pitching or
flipping stick and as
far as the equipment
goes, your ready to go.
I prefer to use a
heavier line such as
50lb Power Pro with
about 48" of Berkley
Vanish or Transition
fluorocarbon line tied
on to the braid as a
leader. This will assure
that you have the
strength needed to horse
those big bass out of
heavy cover when
necessary. I realize
that some of you might
not be baitcast users so
rest assured that a
spinning reel works also
as long as you have a
long spinning rod about
7 to 71/2 feet. You want
to be able to flip the
jig into place without
causing a big wake and
disrupting what you hope
lies below. Accuracy is
a big key when flippin'
jigs. I know many
anglers who are of the
opinion that jig fishing
is rather complicated
and they don't really
understand how to do it.
Lets take a little time
and discuss the
important facts
surrounding jig fishing.
First and foremost, I
want to stress to you
that confidence is the
most important key
regardless of what you
are throwing. I have
been in the situation
when I am fishing with a
partner and he ties
something rather odd on
his line and I think,
"What is this guy
doing"? I watch as he
fishes the lure with
total confidence and
concentration and before
you know, the fish are
coming in the boat. I
might not have tried
that particular lure,
but through commitment
and confidence it's
surprising what can
happen, if you will
maintain an open mind.
Whether you fish the jig
as is, or with some type
of plastic chunk, craw
or worm as a trailer,
the choice is yours. I
fish the jig both with
and without and they
will produce both ways.
I usually put on a large
flat plastic chunk if I
want to slow the fall of
the lure a bit. Color
is very important, and
to some people overly
technical, but I tend to
simplify if a bit. How
many of you have a
favorite lure, that you
have all 26
colors available in your
tackle box? Do you use
each and every color?
Most anglers have all of
the colors and out of
all of those colors,
they might have 4 or 5
colors they are stuck on
that really produce. I
simply take the 4 or 5
colors that work on the
other lures and add a
few other colors and end
up with 7 or 8 jig
colors. Don't forget to
look around you and
"match the hatch" so to
speak. I fish black &
blue, black &
chartreuse, blue &
chartreuse, brown (or
copper) & orange and
watermelon w/black flake
jigs most of the time.
Some models have rattles
and some do not. I love
to fish lipless cranks
because of the noisy
rattle; therefore I
choose models with
rattles. Once again, it
all revolves around what
you have the most
confidence in. Jigs come
in a vast array of sizes
as well. I prefer 1/4oz
and 1/2oz the most,
unless I have to punch
down through heavy
structure like heavy
brush or submerged
hydrilla. When
everything is still and
the wind is not blowing,
I always go with the
lighter jig. As far
as the presentation
goes, it's pretty
simple. Find the spot
you want to lay the jig
and flip it to the
target. This is a
technique that takes
practice and during the
off season I tend to
practice in the basement
with 5lb coffee cans
placed strategically
around the floor. Keep
in mind that jigs are
target-specific lures.
Once the lure is flipped
out, I usually let it
sit for about 30 to 60
seconds. If you choose
to just leave the jigs
sitting there for a
while and then reel it
in and repeat the
process, this is called
deadsticking. You can
lift and drop your tip
and let the jig fall and
then repeat again or you
can bounce, hop or swim
it across the bottom as
well. Do what you want
to do with the jig, as
there is no right or
wrong way to fish it,
just theories. During
fall, bass tend to
become more lethargic as
water temperatures drop.
My favorite method
during this period is to
simply drag the jig past
each and every piece of
cover. Just a slow
steady retrieve without
any jerks or tugs on the
line produces the best
results. Bass will
absolutely whack the jig
if it comes cruising
slowly past them. I also
like to flip it to a
stump or cover point and
just let it fall, then
hop it a few times and
let it fall again. This
technique is used when
you are simply going for
a reaction bite on the
fall. I think one of
the hardest things I had
to figure out when jig
fishing was when to set
the hook. I still know
weekend anglers as well
as pro anglers who miss
about 70% of their
strikes on the jig
because they set the
hook to late. I am a big
plastic worm fisherman
and have learned to
always set the hook on
the second tap,
especially when you are
using a Senko style
worm. With a jig, the
first tap is generally
the bass sucking the jig
up and the second tap is
the bass spitting it
out. I think it would
behoove you to set the
hook the very second
that you feel a tap or
when the jig feels
different in any way
whatsoever. One method
that I use whether
fishing a plastic worm
or a jig is to put my
finger under the line
and lift up just a bit
so I can feel any change
that might occur.
Remember, don't try and
force the jig on the
fish. He will either
want the bait or he will
not. During early spring
fishing, the jig can
really irritate bedded
bass and cause them to
strike uncontrollably.
As you can see, there is
nothing difficult about
the mechanics of bass
fishing with a jig. Keep
in mind that confidence
plays a major role in
everything you do in
life. When I am fishing
and starting to struggle
with the confidence
factor, I am often
reminded of Takahiro
Omori from Japan.
Takahiro came to the
U.S. in 1992 to become a
professional bass
angler. When he left
Japan, he had it in his
mind he would win the
Citgo Classic event.
Before the 2004 B.A.S.S.
Citgo Classic, Takahiro
went to Woo Daves house
to visit Woo and see the
trophy that Woo had won
at the Classic several
years prior. When
Takahiro saw it, he
grabbed the trophy and
started to yell and
scream and shake the
trophy over his head as
if he had just won the
Classic himself. He
actually visualized
himself winning! He was
pretty pumped up when he
left Woo's house that
evening. A short time
later, Takahiro Omori
won the 2004 B.A.S.S.
Citgo Classic and was
the first non-American
too ever win a B.A.S.S.
Classic. Bye the way,
Takahiro said that he
refocused his thinking,
pumped himself up and
started fishing hard
during the last minutes
of the tournament.
Takahiro caught his two
biggest bass during the
last five minutes of the
tournament. "This is
the best day of my
life," said Omori, who
pounded the stage
repeatedly and cried
openly before the 13,200
spectators in the
Charlotte Coliseum.
Until next time, keep a
tight line and happy
fishin'.
About the Author
Wayne is a professional bass tournament fisherman. He is a major contributor
to Fishin' Secrets with Eric Allee and Friends
http://www.fishinsecrets.com
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