Anybody Else Find Jig Weedguards To Be Worthless? 2024
NateFollmer reply :
Am I the only one who hates weedguards? I have found that if the weeds are bad enough to need a weedguard to keep slop off the hook point, it just gets stuck on the jighead or the guard itself anyway... The only time I have thought a weedguard saved me is when I am fishing timber. It seems to keep the point from snagging the wood. Am I missing something here?
Bass Dude reply :
I agree....I haven't found a "weedless" jig. When the weeds are thick, it's time for a Texas rig. A more fitting name is a brush guard.
J Francho reply :
Weedguards help keep the jig pinned in the fish's face. They work better for wood and rocks than weeds. For that, the skirt and head shape are more crucial.
Siebert Outdoors reply :
Very true. It should be called a brush guard.
OkobojiEagle reply :
Welcome to enlightenment, Nate.
oe
Hooligan reply :
It helps in heavy growth, thick stemmed weeds like Curly leaf pondweed and cabbage. Milfoil and hydrilla, it's basically worthless.
Catt reply :
Y'all need to learn how to fish a jig 
J Francho reply :
If you're in the "right stuff," a simple shake of the jig will release the weeds, and half the time get you bit. 
hatrix reply :
The shape of a jig head really helps keep the weeds off maybe more then the guard. Eakins jigs work really well for me and have a fairly stiff guard.
Catt reply :
Google Terry Oldham's Jigs
CWB reply :
"Weedguards" seem to be most effective in brush or wood, around docks and such, and in reeds, pads, cabbage weeds and other weeds that do not grow so thick together and accumulate moss and other gunk amongst them. In clumpy weeds and slop, they help but are not as effective. The head design helps, but there is some stuff that nothing will make it through. I'd rather have a guard on the jig than not.
roadwarrior reply :
Mandatory on the Tennbessee River. I lose a lot of jigs, but a weed
guard saves many. The guard brings a lot of jigs over limbs and rocks.
Fishing a jig "naked" in this part of the world equates to a jig's life
expectancy of 10 casts or less.
jignfule reply :
I was pitching in cat tails the other day and trimmed my weed guard down on a new jig a little too much.. Gained a new appreciation for weed guards real quick.
clayton86 reply :
My nephew had 3 of his bps jigs weedgaurds fall out today after getting hung up they just came unglued and fell out
River Rat316 reply :
Nothing is going to come clean through snot grass, its just the way it is, but one thing to think about here is the angle of the hook/ weedguard, find a jig with a 30 degree eye and a swept back weed guard and it is about as good as it gets, the weedless jig design could definitely be improved upon, and will be shortly but for now this is as good as it gets!
Alpster reply :
I just plan on losing a lot of jigs in thick cover. This is why I have boxes full of jigs and stock up when they are on sale. If you throw them where the fish are they have to be expendable. JMHO
Ronnie
.ghoti. reply :
I regard everything I tie on the end of my line as expendable. If you fish where the fish are, you're gonna leave some tackle in the water.
Having said that; I agree with Nate, up to a point. About 1/3 of my jigs have the "weedguard" cut off.
Gangley reply :
Head design and the angle relationship between the line tie/hook/weedgaurd are the most critical components to beeing weedless, but something that not many people notice is the tag end of the knot. Most people dont realize that the tag ends need to be snipped really close to the knot otherwise the knot will pull in more weeds than the jig will. When I say close, I mean that unless I look very carefully, I cant even see the tag on the knot, much less feel it. With cranks and texas rigs, I leave a good MM or 2 of tag end on the knot, but with jigs, you will not see a tag end on the knot and you will definately not feel one.
Tie a good knot, trim the tag end close, and use a jig style that directly relates to the style of fishing you will be doing. Its amazing how few weeds you get once you start clipping that tag end down real snug against the knot.
J Francho reply :
Or you can leave the tag 1/2" long, and weeds slide off.
Catt reply :
During the early 70s the Hydrilla/Milfoil/Coontail Moss on many southern lakes started really getting thick so you either learned to fish grass or learned to enjoy getting skunked. Jigs with craw worm trailers were invented and techniques refined to effectively fish for bass in grass.
When making a cast/pitch/flip/punch keep your jig at a "near vertical presentation"; the less vertical your cast/pitch/flip/punch the more you actually have work not only your jig through the grass but your line also.
Yes it’s extremely aggravating trying to get any lure through the grass but the payoff is larger than average bass.
Fishing Rhino reply :
Or, Super glue/Crazy glue the tag end to the line. Take your pick.
One more thing, don't forget to fan out the bristles of the weed guard on the jig.
Hooligan reply :
On 5/8/2011 at 12:03 AM, Fishing Rhino said:.
One more thing, don't forget to fan out the bristles of the weed guard on the jig.
I hate fanned weed guards. Drives me nuts. Firm believer in that fanning a weedguard gives you a greater chance of a fish not getting the hook. Most times I don't even trim a weed guard, unless it's excessively long.
senile1 reply :
On 5/6/2011 at 8:26 AM, roadwarrior said:Mandatory on the Tennbessee River. I lose a lot of jigs, but a weed
guard saves many. The guard brings a lot of jigs over limbs and rocks.
Fishing a jig "naked" in this part of the world equates to a jig's life
expectancy of 10 casts or less.
It is the same for me Kent. I fish lakes with a lot of timber left standing and a lot of timber on the bottom. As the years progress I trim my guards less and less.
On 5/8/2011 at 1:47 AM, Hooligan said:I hate fanned weed guards. Drives me nuts. Firm believer in that fanning a weedguard gives you a greater chance of a fish not getting the hook. Most times I don't even trim a weed guard, unless it's excessively long.
I have to agree. As mentioned above, I fish a lot of highly timbered lakes. I am to the point where trimming the weed guard in some cases is useless.
slonezp reply :
On 5/8/2011 at 1:47 AM, Hooligan said:I hate fanned weed guards. Drives me nuts. Firm believer in that fanning a weedguard gives you a greater chance of a fish not getting the hook. Most times I don't even trim a weed guard, unless it's excessively long.
Rather than trim a weed guards length, I trim off about half the bristles. Still have the length to "guard" against weeds but more hook ups because the guard is softer.
bilgerat reply :
All trimming the length does is make for a super stiff guard that is harder for the bass's mouth to mash down.
philsoreel reply :
On 5/6/2011 at 10:40 AM, clayton86 said:My nephew had 3 of his bps jigs weedgaurds fall out today after getting hung up they just came unglued and fell out
I have just about given up on that brand.
BassThumb reply :
On 5/8/2011 at 6:07 AM, slonezp said:Rather than trim a weed guards length, I trim off about half the bristles. Still have the length to "guard" against weeds but more hook ups because the guard is softer.
Same here. I would rather trim the weedguard shorter and remove a few bristles rather than fan them. I used to fan all my jigs. Fanned weedguards tend to catch and trap skirt strands and it makes the profile of the jig bigger, and also sometimes makes the jig fall funny or flip over when you hop them.
Jigfishn10 reply :
I'm a firm believer that weed guards are an essential part of jig fishing in weeds. I like to trim them down or thin them out during early season bassin when the vegetation isn't as thick. From mid-saeason on I'll leave them alone. If I'm fishing brush and timber, I'll use an arky type jig which has a hook that is bent at 60* for the line tie. I like jigs for weeds that have a 30* bend in the hook and a more bullet shape to the head.
Chris reply :
I used a jig several years back that was being sold at the time by cabela's with a mister twister keeper hook on it. By far it was the best jig for slop fishing. The jig had no weed guard but when you rigged it with a trailer of some sort Texas rigged it was very weedless. You can also build a comparable lure with a slip jig made with a do it mold.
grimlin reply :
On 5/8/2011 at 6:50 AM, bilgerat said:All trimming the length does is make for a super stiff guard that is harder for the bass's mouth to mash down.
Remove a few strains of the weed guard.
Gangley reply :
On 5/8/2011 at 12:03 AM, Fishing Rhino said:Or, Super glue/Crazy glue the tag end to the line. Take your pick.
One more thing, don't forget to fan out the bristles of the weed guard on the jig.
I hadn't thought of that, but it's a great suggestion. Have you had any issues with the glue melting the mono/flouro/co-polymer lines?
GrundleLove reply :
I tried really hard to get into Jigs this season, but so far I really cant stand them. It is mainly because of the weeds it pulls up, sooo many. I guess its just the Ponds I fish are just really weedy, I feel like jigs are meant for like, gravel bottom or rocky bottom bodies of water. But I am probably wrong.
slonezp reply :
On 5/9/2011 at 11:30 PM, Gangley said:I hadn't thought of that, but it's a great suggestion. Have you had any issues with the glue melting the mono/flouro/co-polymer lines?
The glue has no effect on the line.
Chaz Hickcox reply :
Try the Fin-Tech Title Shot Series of jigs. You get the weedlessness of a T-rig with the presentation of a compact jig. You have to add skirts yourself though.
Hamby reply :
On 5/9/2011 at 11:49 PM, GrundleLove said:I tried really hard to get into Jigs this season, but so far I really cant stand them. It is mainly because of the weeds it pulls up, sooo many. I guess its just the Ponds I fish are just really weedy, I feel like jigs are meant for like, gravel bottom or rocky bottom bodies of water. But I am probably wrong.
Are you kidding me? First of all make sure you're using the best type of head for the situation. Then get a stout enough rod and some braided line and rip that thing out of the weeds! A jig can cause some big commotion in those weeds and draw some pretty knarly strikes from bass sitting in pockets or cruising the edges.
Chris reply :
On 5/10/2011 at 7:44 AM, suicidenemesis said:Try the Fin-Tech Title Shot Series of jigs. You get the weedlessness of a T-rig with the presentation of a compact jig. You have to add skirts yourself though.
yep that would work 
Fat-G reply :
On 5/10/2011 at 1:13 PM, Hamby said:Are you kidding me? First of all make sure you're using the best type of head for the situation. Then get a stout enough rod and some braided line and rip that thing out of the weeds! A jig can cause some big commotion in those weeds and draw some pretty knarly strikes from bass sitting in pockets or cruising the edges.
Yep! You need to keep using them. Rip them off the hottom. The first time you get that VICIOUS hit, you will understand. Everything.
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