Fish Here Don't Eat Jigs? 2024
TriCityBassin' reply :
I fish a lake that has a lot of cypress, grass, blowdowns and just generally nasty cover. In this lake, i have never.....ever......EVER caught a bass on a jig. I have hooked pickerel and bowfin but never a bass. Could the impoundment possibly not have crayfish? (I seriously doubt it...not possible) i have not been able to easily find crayfish to check the colors as this is text book swamp.
Have any of you run across lakes where the bass won't bite jigs?
Do you think i can make a change to make jigs work? I know the lake has HUGE bass in it.
Sam reply :
TriCity, where you fishing???? The Vulcan ponds outside of Colonial Heights???
If you PM the name of the lake you are fishing I may be of some help.
We fish the big lakes and rivers with jigs and do well. The fishing can be slow and you need rocky points to have the most success, but flipping and pitching jigs is a staple in Virginia waters.
You may also be correct in stating that there may not be any crawfish in the pond. However, bass will still hit a jig even if there are no crawfish in the waters.
Have you tried a swimming jig that mimics a bluegill?
This summer try those jigs again. You may be surprised what you can catch on them.
Shewillbemine reply :
Important question: do you catch bass using jigs at OTHER lakes?
SirSnookalot reply :
A jig is going to catch just about anything, I wouldn't give up on using it, I've caught bass with or without trailers. Sometimes ya just gotta think out of the box, I don't always have a bass jig, I don't stampede out to my local tackle shop, I improvise. I may use a bucktail with a creature trailer or worm, maybe no trailer at all. I've taken a kingfish skirt (I put a 1/8 or 1/4 egg weight, the skirt covers it) then tie on a hook and used a trailer, works just fine.
Bankbeater reply :
Don't give up. It sounds like you are not working it the way the fish want to see it. Keep working on it and change your presentation. When I started fishing jigs it took me eight months to catch my first bass.
Nitrofreak reply :
On 1/29/2013 at 3:09 PM, TriCityBassin said:I fish a lake that has a lot of cypress, grass, blowdowns and just generally nasty cover. In this lake, i have never.....ever......EVER caught a bass on a jig. I have hooked pickerel and bowfin but never a bass. Could the impoundment possibly not have crayfish? (I seriously doubt it...not possible) i have not been able to easily find crayfish to check the colors as this is text book swamp.
Have any of you run across lakes where the bass won't bite jigs?
Do you think i can make a change to make jigs work? I know the lake has HUGE bass in it.
Generally you won't find bass where the Pickerel are, they are much more aggressive and more dominate fish than the Bass, location of where you are using the Jig may be of some fault, however the presentation you are using must be working if other species are picking the jig up, you may just need to keep looking for other areas the Bass actually dominate.
The structure of this lake will be better to search than the shallow cover if Pickerel are abundant.
aharris reply :
ever tried a football head in deeper water? Fish some ledges and creek channels and you'll probably break that streak.
Jig Meister reply :
Crayfish or not, bass will eat jigs. I have a little little local pond where I live that I will fish when I do not have time to get out the kayak. There is nothing but mud on the bottom, some vegetation and zero crayfish. But guess what, those bass love jigs! I would guess you are either fishing them in a way that is not productive for your waters, the colors are off, or you are not locating the bass.
I have always been of the school that slower is better when you are fishing a jig, if you dont get hit on the drop, then shake and move it along slowly, sometimes I just dead stick it and let the skirt do the job, even on the hardest of fishing days jigs will produce.
MarkH024 reply :
At my family's lake house in Wisconsin I have caught bass on jigs for years. Up until August of last year, I was under the impression that there were no crayfish in the lake.......until I hooked up a bass on a frog and when I landed it, it spit up a whole crayfish, freshly eaten. Nice bright red one too. Either someone was using crayfish as bait or they are there, always have been, but I just have never seen them.
Regardless of their presence, the jig isn't just to mimic a crayfish. It can be anything.
Try using a swim jig...slow roll it through weeds. You're bound to hook up on a bass at some point. Or you can use an arkie style jig and skip it under some docks or fallen timber if you have it.
Bluebasser86 reply :
You may try a finesse jig or play with the colors more. Jigs will catch bass anywhere they swim, crawdads or not. I've seen times where you had to drag a football jig really slowly and basically it couldn't lose contact with the bottom or they wouldn't touch it. One lake I fish they love jigs, but you have to have a mismatched jig and trailer, usually a craw color jig with a black and blue trailer. No idea why, just the way they are. Another lake it has to be a finesse jig and it has to be hopped fairly quickly along the bottom. Jigs will catch fish in your lake, just going to have to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and figure them out. I'm willing to bet it will be very worth it when you do!
TriCityBassin' reply :
On 1/29/2013 at 3:16 PM, Shewillbemine said:Important question: do you catch bass using jigs at OTHER lakes?
Yes, all the time. They are a staple of mine when fishing the bigger tidal rivers here and lakes like John H. Kerr. I consider myself skilled with them (not a pro, but i hold my own).
I am fishing in a lake, not a pond. Roughly 700 surface acres (i think).
I have used swim jigs in Sexy Shad....only caught pike on those as well.
Typically I do very well on Bass in this lake and my staple is a 7.5" Culprit, finesse worm, spinnerbait or topwater. I am trying to get a bigger bite with the jig.
The lake is basically swamp, some deep areas but not a lot of structure..sharp breaks into creek channels, etc. Absolutely no rock as it is on the eastern coastal plain, all sand and mud.
Points are looong..and slow tapering not what you see in bigger impoundments.
I have used them on brush on deep drop banks, cypress bases, laydowns and docks (which are few on this lake.)
One thing i have not tried is red. I don't see many red crayfish around here. I mostly stay with black/blue or pumpkin/pb&J.
None of you have had a body of water that they would not hit a jig in? That is shocking.
Here is a link for info. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/display.asp?id=36
Nitrofreak reply :
It's getting to be that time of year, why have you not tried red?
WRB reply :
What size and type of jig are you fishing with and what size and type of trailer?
What color worm works best at this small lake?
Jigs are not my first choice in areas that have shallow sloping mud bottoms, unless there is some isolated breaks with cover.
What is the water color and depth of light? Are you casting the jig or pitching?
Tom
keith71 reply :
On 1/29/2013 at 11:58 PM, TriCityBassin said:Yes, all the time. They are a staple of mine when fishing the bigger tidal rivers here and lakes like John H. Kerr. I consider myself skilled with them (not a pro, but i hold my own).
I am fishing in a lake, not a pond. Roughly 700 surface acres (i think).
I have used swim jigs in Sexy Shad....only caught pike on those as well.
Typically I do very well on Bass in this lake and my staple is a 7.5" Culprit, finesse worm, spinnerbait or topwater. I am trying to get a bigger bite with the jig.
The lake is basically swamp, some deep areas but not a lot of structure..sharp breaks into creek channels, etc. Absolutely no rock as it is on the eastern coastal plain, all sand and mud.
Points are looong..and slow tapering not what you see in bigger impoundments.
I have used them on brush on deep drop banks, cypress bases, laydowns and docks (which are few on this lake.)
One thing i have not tried is red. I don't see many red crayfish around here. I mostly stay with black/blue or pumpkin/pb&J.
None of you have had a body of water that they would not hit a jig in? That is shocking.
Here is a link for info. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/display.asp?id=36
I grew up fishing Cahoon and the surrounding Suffolk lakes.Im not an expert but I have caught them on Black and Blue jigs there.Junebug colored jigs work great there as well.I havent fished there in awhile but I remember using light jigs 1/4 ounce 5/16.Keep on jiggin brother.PM me for more info if you like.
RODNEY reply :
While I'm no expert I would think that jigs work everywhere. Have you tried different retrieves, different weights and colors. If you're moving it slowly, try speeding it up, try crawling the jig instead of hopping it or the other way around. Do different things with it until you find what works.
Rodney
Teal reply :
TriCityBassin, the next your are down here on Kerr or Gaston, give me a shout. Ill show you how to work a jig.
J/k buddy. Just keep focused on on finding the fish. Sounds like you may need to change ssomething. Just keep hammering away at it until something happens. You keep finding the fish and they will eventually bite the jig.
And no, ive never fished a lake or pond that i couldnt get a jig bite. Alot of times its the only thing i can get bit on.
But seriously, next time u fish gaston or kerr, pm me ahead of time and i can give you a heads up on what the deal is down here. Good luck to ya bro
11justin22 reply :
I have a local lake that I have caught very few bass on a jig and I fish a jig a lot. Have caught a few swimming it though.
merc1997 reply :
jigs catch bass anywhere. you might just need to change the profile and size of the jig you are using. if you are using a rubber skirted jig, you might need to use one with more or even less rubber in the skirt. skirt length can make a difference too. hair jigs still catch bass even though they have fell out of favor with most bassers. a bucktail jig with a pork trailer is still deadly. i think tom mentioned that bodies of water with smooth mud bottoms are not to condusive to jig fishing. that has been my experience also. i will say that an 1/8oz jig with white bucktail will catch a bass in about any environment.
bo
Clash City Rocker reply :
Main bass forage in my favorite lake is bluegill and I caught my PB swimming a bluegill colored jig w/craw trailer. Jigs can immitate baitfish too!
WRB reply :
Bo, just waiting to get a few questions answered before guessing what hasn't worked. Lighter weight jigs are a good suggestion, unless he is already using them?On 1/30/2013 at 3:26 AM, merc1997 said:jigs catch bass anywhere. you might just need to change the profile and size of the jig you are using. if you are using a rubber skirted jig, you might need to use one with more or even less rubber in the skirt. skirt length can make a difference too. hair jigs still catch bass even though they have fell out of favor with most bassers. a bucktail jig with a pork trailer is still deadly. i think tom mentioned that bodies of water with smooth mud bottoms are not to condusive to jig fishing. that has been my experience also. i will say that an 1/8oz jig with white bucktail will catch a bass in about any environment.bo
I did read his attachment and this lake has a lot of predators competing for baitfish; pickerel, crappie, some walleyes, red ears and LMB, it didn't mention what bait fish are in the lake? My guess this angler may relate to the shore cover and needs to look outside and fish the deeper breaks during the day and fish at night more.
Tom
panda_slicks86 reply :
i think bass are just wired to hit certian baits regardless of how much they have the oppertunity to see em...... craws,lizards....ect.... some times when jigs with craw trailers dont work i just use a jig head ( football ) and a craw trailer some times they dont like the skirt.
TriCityBassin' reply :
On 1/30/2013 at 12:21 AM, Nitrofreak said:It's getting to be that time of year, why have you not tried red?
Hahahaha....I haven't been out yet. LOL
VaBass official Tournaments start in March. I have been committing my time to rigging up, taking inventory, buying E21 Flipping sticks and trying to get that new Skeeter!!!!
I will be using it on Gaston, no worries!
TriCityBassin' reply :
On 1/30/2013 at 1:35 AM, WRB said:What size and type of jig are you fishing with and what size and type of trailer?What color worm works best at this small lake?
Jigs are not my first choice in areas that have shallow sloping mud bottoms, unless there is some isolated breaks with cover.
What is the water color and depth of light? Are you casting the jig or pitching?
Tom
I am using a 3/8 and a finesse 5/16 with one of the Zoom chunks (speed craw, flappin' craw or chunk) on the 3/8 and a split tail zipper grub on the finesse jig.
Best worm in this lake is a Grape slider or a Red Shad 7.5" Culprit.
I don't usually factor in structure breaks as there is no lack of "crawfish" cover/habitat in the Va. waterways. Hurricane debris, sunken quarry barges, cypress, tidal debris and it is the east coast so you have to fish TRASH (tires, blocks, old cars, lawn mowers, etc lol).
Water is what is known as "tannic". It is a common occurrence in swamps, makes it look somewhat tea colored. Odd as it has "color" but is still great visibility. Light penetraion is good imo.
I am predominantly pitching with some flippin' mixed in when in heavy cypress.
Thanks Tom
Nitrofreak reply :
On 1/30/2013 at 10:07 PM, TriCityBassin said:Hahahaha....I haven't been out yet. LOLVaBass official Tournaments start in March. I have been committing my time to rigging up, taking inventory, buying E21 Flipping sticks and trying to get that new Skeeter!!!!
I will be using it on Gaston, no worries!
LOL !!
Glad to see you caught the humor in that post.
Have you tried any of the structure in that body of water, in my original post I thought you may have been tossing the jig where the more prodominate species were taking up house, if you know there are big bass in there and I know that you do, I was wondering if you tried targeting some of the more prodominate structure the bass like to be around, I know you know how to fish a jig, but do you think you may be simply using it in the wrong areas?
Shaky Head reply :
I fish a small lake in north Alabama that is the same way. This is a clear lake with depths to 56 ft. Its only about 200 acres. I have fished jigs for years with not a bite. This winter, I decided to try it again and I am consistently taking fish in tree tops that are 6-12 ft deep, and some way up under docks. I love jig fishing and sometimes you just gotta put the jig in almost impossible places to get bit. Good luck, they are there if you can just coax them into eating your jig.
roadwarrior reply :
Jigs work everywhere, but not all the time anywhere!
TriCityBassin' reply :
Speaking of profile. Here is a picture of the "small/finesse" jigs i use a lot. They are made locally and only available at one tackle store in Richmond, Va.
Note the total jig size compared to the zoom chunk and the 3/8oz 4/0 hook. This is the size that has worked for me on this lake.
I did try to use just a Gambler little otter not on a jig and got bit....all little fish.
Question. There has been some discussion of jigs not working on shallow muddy lakes for different people. This goes against punching mats. Most punch baits resemble craws. Grass grows best on a muddy/soft bottom. Thoughts? lol
Thank you to everyone who has chimed in on this discussion. The dialogue is great!
TriCityBassin' reply :
Nitrofreak
I could absolutely be picking the wrong places. I took the approach of using it where plastics work.
Typically, i stay on the deeper banks with a fast taper into deep water with blow downs. When snaking through the cypress, I do really good on slider worms but no heavy hitters.
I follow up with the jig looking for a bigger bite....no luck.
I have never seen any ditches/drains or sharp drops for old creek beds. As it was all shallow stuff that got flooded.
The lake was built at or before 1918 (stamp on the train bridge in the back of the lake). Possible that with the low current flow, most of the breaks have silted in.
As i read through this topic, I am starting to picture crazy color combos that I don't have in my jig box. like green pumpkin/blue skirt with an orange trailer, etc. Who knows, it could just be the wrong color.
Nitrofreak reply :
I honestly don't think it's your jig size but it just seems that you may be in the wrong place imo, the blue/black should work there as well as just black, but you keep mentioning how soft the bottom is, I think if you can find some harder bottom areas, the jig should be more successful and give you that jig bite you are looking for.
Is it soft around the bridge areas too?
TriCityBassin' reply :
no, just deep by the bridges. Lol.......12-15' deep! hahaha, like i said swampy.
Why the correlation with hard bottom and jig?
Would it not matter more the type of cover and depth associated with the area and not bottom composition? If we were talking smallies, i would be on board.
Again, jigs work in lillypads, grass, etc. and these areas are soft bottom. Crayfish live in soft bottom areas (they burrow into the banks) and so do bluegills.
Just trying to learn the correlation as I have never considered it.
Now, i am not talking soft like you step and sink up to your knees.
Nitrofreak reply :
On 1/31/2013 at 4:00 AM, TriCityBassin said:no, just deep by the bridges. Lol.......12-15' deep! hahaha, like i said swampy.
Why the correlation with hard bottom and jig?
Would it not matter more the type of cover and depth associated with the area and not bottom composition? If we were talking smallies, i would be on board.
Again, jigs work in lillypads, grass, etc. and these areas are soft bottom. Crayfish live in soft bottom areas (they burrow into the banks) and so do bluegills.
Just trying to learn the correlation as I have never considered it.
Now, i am not talking soft like you step and sink up to your knees.
Not the hard bottom and the bait, the hard bottom and the bass, thats the correlation I am reffering to, hard bottom and hard cover provide a couple of different things, bridge pilings, boat docks, rocks, all will have algae growth which attract bait fish, places that have changes especially abrupt changes like a big rock or a couple of rocks in close proximity of one another create opportunities for bass to ambush their pray, silt bottoms don't supply enough food source for bait fish but however is great for plant life and bass love the 02 rich water that the plants help provide along with the cover, but if a dominate species other than bass already occupies that area, then bass will be hard to find in such cover.
Yes I agree craws love to burrow themselves in the silt, but they will also find cracks and crevases in which to protect themselves as well.
If you can find a grassy area in a litlle deeper water with a rocky or sandy bottom, thats where I would be working my jig.
A-Jay reply :
On 1/29/2013 at 11:58 PM, TriCityBassin said:Yes, all the time. They are a staple of mine when fishing the bigger tidal rivers here and lakes like John H. Kerr. I consider myself skilled with them (not a pro, but i hold my own).
I am fishing in a lake, not a pond. Roughly 700 surface acres (i think).
I have used swim jigs in Sexy Shad....only caught pike on those as well.
Typically I do very well on Bass in this lake and my staple is a 7.5" Culprit, finesse worm, spinnerbait or topwater. I am trying to get a bigger bite with the jig.
The lake is basically swamp, some deep areas but not a lot of structure..sharp breaks into creek channels, etc. Absolutely no rock as it is on the eastern coastal plain, all sand and mud.
Points are looong..and slow tapering not what you see in bigger impoundments.
I have used them on brush on deep drop banks, cypress bases, laydowns and docks (which are few on this lake.)
One thing i have not tried is red. I don't see many red crayfish around here. I mostly stay with black/blue or pumpkin/pb&J.
None of you have had a body of water that they would not hit a jig in? That is shocking.
Here is a link for info. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies/display.asp?id=36
Something to try -
Go to spot where you've caught fish (highlighted in red above)
Anchor your boat right where the fish were caught. Not where your boat was when you caught them, actually anchor right on those fish.
Then turn around and cast your jig out into the open water.
Let it go to the bottom and work it back S L O W L Y - up what ever drop there is.
In fact, fan cast that whole area.
I bet if you do this in enough of the "Spots" where you've taken fish before, eventually you'll make contact with the size fish you're looking for, as you'll be fishing the water they frequent.
Doesn't work every where or every time but it does work.
Good Luck
A-Jay
TriCityBassin' reply :
A jay, i have never done that with any bait on that lake. novel idea. I have done it on larger reserviors with more abundant pelagic baitfish.
I am gonna try that this summer!
I also like the clarification about hard bottom. Explained that way, I was looking at it totally different. That too is an interesting take on it.
A-Jay reply :
On 1/31/2013 at 12:50 PM, TriCityBassin said:A jay, i have never done that with any bait on that lake. novel idea. I have done it on larger reserviors with more abundant pelagic baitfish.
I am gonna try that this summer!
I also like the clarification about hard bottom. Explained that way, I was looking at it totally different. That too is an interesting take on it.
OK - well what ever you do - do not fish the same technique I described using a hollow belly swim bait on a 1/2 or 3/4 oz jighead - it simply doesn't work . . . . . .
A-Jay
roadwarrior reply :
On 1/31/2013 at 6:04 AM, A-Jay said:Something to try -Go to spot where you've caught fish (highlighted in red above)
Anchor your boat right where the fish were caught. Not where your boat was when you caught them, actually anchor right on those fish.
Then turn around and cast your jig out into the open water.
Let it go to the bottom and work it back S L O W L Y - up what ever drop there is.
In fact, fan cast that whole area.
I bet if you do this in enough of the "Spots" where you've taken fish before, eventually you'll make contact with the size fish you're looking for, as you'll be fishing the water they frequent.
Doesn't work every where or every time but it does work.
Good Luck
A-Jay
What you really need is a number of these spots marked. Spend 30 minutes and move to the next spot if you don't
get a bite. Fish will stack up in these spots nearly everyday, but not necessarily at the time you are there. Rotate
around and come back. Last summer two boats and four fishermen struggled without a single bite for 5 hours. When
we finally found 'em we caught 45 bass in an hour and a half!
WRB reply :
Check out the thread "how bass bite jigs".On 1/31/2013 at 4:00 AM, TriCityBassin said:no, just deep by the bridges. Lol.......12-15' deep! hahaha, like i said swampy.Why the correlation with hard bottom and jig?
Would it not matter more the type of cover and depth associated with the area and not bottom composition? If we were talking smallies, i would be on board.
Again, jigs work in lillypads, grass, etc. and these areas are soft bottom. Crayfish live in soft bottom areas (they burrow into the banks) and so do bluegills.
Just trying to learn the correlation as I have never considered it.
Now, i am not talking soft like you step and sink up to your knees.
Bass normally avoid soft mucky bottom areas unless they have no other choices. The reason is the muck is made up of decayed debris and some soil that depletes dissolved oxygen. The bass tend to stay under green weeds or wood suspend off the bottom where they are more comfortable, when bottoms are muck.
A jig is fairly heavy and sinks into the muck and T-rigged worm, unless the weight is pegged to the hook, the worm guides suspended off the muck, giving the bass a better opportunity to engulf into it's mouth without sucking in the muck. If the bass doesn't strike the jig on the fall, the jig hits bottom.
You are using lighter weight jigs that falls a little slower, that is good. But you are fishing in a few feet of water, the time is short for the bass to strike.
You can use a Brrush Hog for a trailer to slow the fall for example. Take a look at Zero Gravity jigs that fall 1/3 rd the rate of traditional jigs. For colors stay with PBJ jig skirts and soft plastics similar to the worms that work.
Tea colored water tends to defuse light and I have found the copper flakes and purple or blue neon highlights work good. If it's overcast black/ chartreuse skirts with black trailers can work at times.
Tom
JT Bagwell reply :
I actually have a lake that I catch a lot of big Bass at but almost never catch anything there on a jig (and jigs are my go-to bait).
Over the years I have caught a handful there on jigs but not very many. I actually catch a much higher number of fish there on Senkos than I do at any other lake too. It is definately what I would call a Senko lake, any size, any color.
It's funny how that stuff works.
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