What Size Swim Jig Should I Use? 2024
ZachSnod reply :
I haven't fished with jigs much, but I don't fish in deep water maybe only 1 to 10 feet depending on where I fish? What size swim jig should I buy, what colors work best, and what trailer should I use with it?
ogbfishing reply :
3/8 ounce is what I use for that depth, color depends on water clarity, and trailer would be a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw. There is a topic pinned somewhere about this. Google it and it should be the first thing to pop up.
georgeyew reply :
I agree with the post above. A 3/8 oz swim jig with a trailer will be around 5/8 or 3/4 oz. That will be plenty heavy to cover the depths that you are fishing. I tend to like a black or blue jig with the same color trailer (or green pumpkin).
buzzed bait reply :
3/8 is a good all around jig size for me and a keitech swing impact is a nice swim jig trailer
roadwarrior reply :
3/8 oz
Trailers: Rage Tail Structure Bug & Menace
monkeyman3dee reply :
Just received my new siebert swim Jig in bloody shad colour, gonna try pairing it with a 4 inch GYCB swim senko. Really subtle swim action.
Had a nice bite on a dirty jigs cali swim jig in white coulour as well, using a zoom super swimmin fluke. Both jigs are 3/8 oz.
Just cast and reel at first, then try experimenting with retrieves. Sometimes I get bit within the first second of reeling, other times after I get sick of swimming it slow, I start to reel fast, and thats when I get bit.
-Joshua
Montanaro reply :
I bought a 1/4 revenge swimjig. Not much smaller than 3/8. Matches size of shad better and with a trailer it adds weight to toss it further.
iabass8 reply :
1/4oz
MickD reply :
Depends on the fish, what fall rate they like that particular day. Sometimes they like a fast fall (1/2) and sometimes a slow fall (1/4). But many are favoring a 3/8, so maybe that will do it all. I like the Berkeley chigger craw, sometimes I cut off an inch of head to make it shorter. Whatever color the fish like, but mostly some shade of green with blue and chartreuse in it, or blue/black.
bowhunter63 reply :
3/8 I use a Rage Menace or a smaller swim bait like a caffine shad
kickerfish1 reply :
Anywhere in the 14 to 38 oz range. I am partial to the northern style or bullet heads for more of a finnesse approach and the California style heads for deeper water or more of beefed up approach with a thicker trailer.
ww2farmer reply :
3/8's is the best "all around" size, and if you only have one, that's the size I would pick. I use three sizes....1/4oz for super shallow work,from the bank out to 3'-5' FOW, 3/8's oz. for mid-depth (4'-8' FOW), and 1/2 oz for deeper weed line stuff in 8'-12' FOW. I K.I.S.S. for colors....bluegill for clear water, black/blue for dirty water, and white for when white is what they want. I also K.I.S.S. for trailers. I have tried many, but I always come back to one, and this one type is by far the most productive in every condition I use it in............the old, plain jane, nothing exciting to see here......... 4" single tail grub. Green pumpkin (sometimes with the tail dyed charteruse) on the bluegill, black on the black and blue, and white on the white. Rig the grub with the tail "curled" down if you want a little "lift" on the jig, or with the tail curled "up" if you want to keep it running low. I don't do anything fancy on the retrieve. Cast it out, let it hit the bottom, and start cranking at a moderate pace. Sometimes I will kill it and let it sink next to juicy spot if I have already ran it through there without a bite to see if that triggers a fish that may be lurking, but not chasing.
Montanaro reply :
I'd second the KISS in regards to colors.
There are a lot of skirt options out there to get you spun out. Bluegill colors are fine and I have some, but green pumpkin is also a very accurate representation sometimes more so than the skirts with large strands of orange and blue.
I also use white which can be used in dirty water.
I also have versions of both with chartreuse strands to make them stand out (and smallmouth love chartreuse).
I use boottails almost exclusively for trailers.
GoCougs14 reply :
Anybody tried Siebert Outdoors swim jig? I know it's a very popular site for high quality jigs but I haven't heard much about his swim jigs
ChrisD46 reply :
On 10/17/2015 at 9:11 AM, ww2farmer said:3/8's is the best "all around" size, and if you only have one, that's the size I would pick. I use three sizes....1/4oz for super shallow work,from the bank out to 3'-5' FOW, 3/8's oz. for mid-depth (4'-8' FOW), and 1/2 oz for deeper weed line stuff in 8'-12' FOW. I K.I.S.S. for colors....bluegill for clear water, black/blue for dirty water, and white for when white is what they want. I also K.I.S.S. for trailers. I have tried many, but I always come back to one, and this one type is by far the most productive in every condition I use it in............the old, plain jane, nothing exciting to see here......... 4" single tail grub. Green pumpkin (sometimes with the tail dyed charteruse) on the bluegill, black on the black and blue, and white on the white. Rig the grub with the tail "curled" down if you want a little "lift" on the jig, or with the tail curled "up" if you want to keep it running low. I don't do anything fancy on the retrieve. Cast it out, let it hit the bottom, and start cranking at a moderate pace. Sometimes I will kill it and let it sink next to juicy spot if I have already ran it through there without a bite to see if that triggers a fish that may be lurking, but not chasing.
^^This^^ ... In my clearer Southern Reservours with less vegitation I'm fine with a lighter hook "Northern Style" swim jig in 1/4th ~ 3/8th oz. sizes ... In the Fall , besides white - a shad color and small swim baits such as a Big Bite 4" Cane Thumper or a Swimming Super Fluke 4" Jr. can work well as a swim jig trailer .
ColdSVT reply :
I love a kietech swing impact or RI skinny dipper as a trailer...or a rage menace
I like 3/8 or 1/2 oz sizes. White or a shad pattern usually works best for my but i like a bluegill pattern as well. And ofcourse the tried and true black and blue
Fin Stalker reply :
As with all tackle get what you can build confidence in. Personally I like 3/8 or 1/2oz. in simple colors bluegill, black and white. I use several different brands of trailers but they are all some sort of boot tail design and I match the color of the trailer to the color of the jig. I fish them like a spinnerbait or I grind them across the bottom like you would a bigger swimbait. Swim jigs can produce some good fish and have become a go to bait for me.
WRB reply :
Define a swim jig.
Scrounger head jig is a swim jig.
Chatter bait jig is a swim jig
Dart head jig is a swim jig
Grass head jig is a swim jig
Fish head jig is a swim jig
Bullet head jig is a swim jig
Sled head jig is a swim jig
Ball head is a swim jig.
In fact you can swim any jig design.
The jig head weight and shape should be selected by with size, shape design of the trailer and the cover or structure you plan to use the jig in.
The OP plans on casting and retreiving a jig called a swim jig. Using Siebert's swim jig listed, poison tail fish head with eyes, weed guard and skirt. You can use this jig design as a general use casting jig with a wide variety of soft plastic trailers of your choice. The weight doesn't depend on water depth if you are casting and retreiving horizontal through the water column. Weight affects how far you can cast the jig and how fast, light weight casts less distance and retrieved slower. Using trailers 3" to 4" a jig 3/16-3/8, trailers 4" to 6" a 3/8-1/2 oz would be appropriate with Siebert's swim jig.
Tom
Molay1292 reply :
On 10/19/2015 at 6:16 AM, WRB said:Define a swim jig.
Scrounger head jig is a swim jig.
Chatter bait jig is a swim jig
Dart head jig is a swim jig
Grass head jig is a swim jig
Fish head jig is a swim jig
Bullet head jig is a swim jig
Sled head jig is a swim jig
Ball head is a swim jig.
In fact you can swim any jig design.
IMO, Tom Monsoor and Dan Brovarney have clearly defined what a swim jig is. You are correct you can swim any jig out there but it does not make them a swim jig. Swimming a jig is a technique, a true swim jig is it's own entity just like a football jig, or an arkie jig, or a ball head jig.
WRB reply :
A hollow or solid body soft plastic on a fish head jig is where the term swim jig came from, with no skirt.
The skirted swim jig was made popular by Matt Allen and Califotnia jigs with a swimbait trailer, called a swim jig.These swim jigs have 5/0 hooks , 1/2-1 oz to be compatible with the swimbait trailer.
Today the term has been used for any jig that is retrieved through the middle water column.
If you apply today's definition then I have been fishing swim jigs for over 50 years by swimming the jig within 6" to 12" off the bottom.
Tom
Siebert Outdoors reply :
3/8 is by far the best seller for me. Then I would say 1/4 and 1/2.
zeth reply :
A million answers here but I vote for 1/4 to 3/8oz Keitech Model III or whatever brand looks good to you and a keitech Fat Swing Impact, or Zoom Super Fluke. Many trailer options so use whatever fits the situation best.
Best colors:
White, Green Pumpkin, Watermelon, Black
CWB reply :
I like the Std. KVD model from Strike King in 5/16 oz. Nice tweener size. Couple a bluegill color with a Big Bite Tilapia double tail grub or blue craw Menace and hang on.
iabass8 reply :
On 10/19/2015 at 8:21 AM, WRB said:The skirted swim jig was made popular by Matt Allen and Califotnia jigs with a swimbait trailer, called a swim jig.
The "Skirted Swim Jig" was popularized and heavily used by Mississippi River fisherman before Matt Allen was likely walking.
WRB reply :
As I said in the beginning of this thread....define swim jig!On 10/20/2015 at 3:30 AM, iabass8 said:The "Skirted Swim Jig" was popularized and heavily used by Mississippi River fisherman before Matt Allen was likely walking.
Tom
iabass8 reply :
On 10/20/2015 at 7:31 AM, WRB said:As I said in the beginning of this thread....define swim jig!
Tom
I literally quoted your own post where you have alreadydefined what a "skirted swim jig" is ...hence the quotation around your "skirted swim jig"....
If that wasn't clear enough, a lead bullet nosed jig head /w a 30 degree (this can vary a degree or 2 based on a few factors) hook, vertical line tie, and skirting material tied below the head/above hook keeper is what is traditionally called, again, a "skirted swim jig." It's often times has a boot tail, craw, or single tail grub. This wasn't popularized by Matt Allen. It was popular and widely used prior to his ability to walk.
Molay1292 reply :
This is a little long, but very informative if you have the time to read it.
Swim Jig Basics - By: Dan Brovarney
The secret is out. Swimming a jig is no longer the secret technique of the hot shot Bass fishermen of the upper Mississippi river system surrounded by Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The technique of fishing a swim jig has been around since about the time that Pitching became popular. The more observant fishermen like the Tisher Brothers, Dave Snyder and Tom Monsoor realized that their jigs were getting annihilated as they quickly reeled them back to the boat for the next Pitch. The technique of swimming a jig evolved from those elbow jarring strikes. They took home everybody’s entrance fees and when asked they truthfully responded they were fishing a jig and just left out the swimming part and details of the special design of the jig.
The next generation of Bass maniacs like Jim Johnson, Jeff Ritter and Jim Jones took the technique to the next level and started winning boats and qualifying for the Bass Masters Classic using a swim jig. All the while they making sure their rods were safely stowed in the rod locker away from prying eyes when they returned to the ramp at the end of the day.
Swim jigs stayed a secret until the media started to climb in the boats with the competitors and recording their every move on film. Watching the tape it was clear that they were doing something different than “just fishing a jig”. With wins on the BASS and EVERSTART circuits chalked up to swimming a jig the print media started searching for details on the technique. Hopefully the following will reveal enough of those details to get you started.
Simply put, swimming a jig is a technique that combines specific fishing tools together in a combination that allows the fishermen to quickly cover shallow water in search of aggressive fish, solidly hook the fish and then get them out of heavy cover.
The most important tool is the one for which the technique is named. A swim jig has a number of characteristics that make it a superior tool for fishing the shallow cover laden water where this method excels. The bullet shaped head design and 30 degree eye placement work to supply a hangup resistant profile that slides up and over cover without catching and flopping around. The aerodynamics of the jig body allows the jig to come through the water tracking both flat and straight.
One of the reasons that the swim jig did not go mainstream early on was that there were not any quality standard hooks available that would fit in the bullet head. Most of the early swim jigs were garage shop specials that fit the needs of the method. If the hook weighed to much it made the jig top heavy and caused it either to swim sideways or slowed down the time it took for the jig to return to upright after deflecting off cover. Either scenario resulted in a jig that fouled up much too easily. Fine wire bronze hooks were not the answer because they wouldn’t take the beating from the heavy cover. There were 28 degree wide bite hooks but they caused the jigs to deflect off cover weird and were slow returning to upright.
There wasn’t really a good hook available. Most of the hooks used in Swim Jigs ended up being custom made. This meant that if you wanted a suitable hook you were either hand bending an existing hook, using a hook adaptor or spending a bundle on a custom run of hooks. What you want is a Swim Jig with a small diameter, round bend, needle point, nickel steel hook that has an eye that comes out of the front of the jig cleanly and with minimal catch points.
Standard jigs have big bulky shirts with 60 to 80 strands that provide a big profile and helps a jig stay upright when it sitting on the bottom. These are not characteristics that you want in a Swim Jig skirt. Swim Jigs have 30 to 50 strands which allow the individual strands to move and flex more. These sparser skirts and usually hand tied which accomplishes a number of goals. By removing the rubber band that holds standard skirts on the jig you allow the Swim Jig to glide over cover without catching on the rubber band maintaining the Swim Jigs aerodynamics. There is no rubber band to break and the skirt can’t be pulled down the hook.
Swim Jig skirts are made up of some combination of Silicon, Living Rubber and Tinsel. Silicon has far and away the greatest selection of colors and is the material of choice for creating skirts that range from subtle and realistic to loud and gaudy. There are hundreds of colors with flakes, patterns and two tone variations available. Silicon has a good reaction time, fluffs or puffs well and is durable.
Living Rubber is limited to about eight solid colors. Living Rubber has a faster reaction time and is a little heavier so it puffs and pulses more as it comes through the water. For a number of years Living Rubber was in short supply because of a bankruptcy by the only manufacture. Some of the better fishermen bought up all the could find to get themselves through the shortage. There are now new sources for Living Rubber so it is now, once again, readily available.
Tinsel is all about flash. The thinly sliced colored mylar does not have the pronounced spring and puff of Silicon and Living Rubber. Where it shines…., is in providing flashes of color. Tinsel is typically used as a highlight or flash point in either a Silicon or Living Rubber Skirt.
The Swim Jig head can be painted one color or multiple colors with or without glitter. The better swim jigs will share a couple of characteristics. They will have an eye. Typically there are yellow with a black dot for baitfish colored jigs and red with a black dot for crayfish colored jigs. They will have a durable paint job. Jigheads painted with powder paint that is then baked on will outlast all other methods. Last but not least the jigheads eye should not be completely filled with paint.
A Swim Jig will have a weedguard. The weedguard is also not typical in that it is thinner, sparser and limper than you would find on a flipping or pitching jig. A flipping or pitching jig needs the weedguard to prevent hang-ups while penetrating heavy cover and needs to be stiffer. The weedguard on a Swim Jig needs to be compress easily to assure hookups while having enough bulk to deflect off cover. The weedgaurd also serves as a keel to help the Swim Jig run straight and upright. The weedguard on a swim jig is typically half the size of those found on standard jigs.
The trailer you use on a Swim Jig will really dictate it’s performance. The trailer most commonly used is a single tailed 3-6” grub. The grub will help keep the Swim Jig up in the water column. The larger the grub and the bigger the tail the higher the Swim Jig will stay in the water column. The grub needs to be made of a stronger plastic than most of the grubs on the market. Action Plastics makes a series of grubs that is on that fine line between durability and flexibility. Zoom’s Fat Albert is also an option when a smaller grub is used. The most important thing about the grub is that it be rigged straight with the tail pointed down. The tail pointing down will lift the back end of the jig as it is retrieved while greatly adds to the jigs ability to run straight and come through cover.
Swim jigs are available in sizes from 1/8oz. to 7/8oz.. All of those sizes have their uses at one time or another. I would suggest trying them all after you have mastered the 1/4oz. size Swim Jig. A full 80% of the Swim Jigs that Brovarney Baits sells are 1/4oz in size.
You do not need an extra heavy rod like you would use for flipping and pitching to throw a swim jig. A 7’-0” medium heavy graphite casting rod with a quick tip is ideal. You want to be able to load up the rod for casting distance when you need to reach out and touch someone when they start busting shad back in a pocket. The stiffer back bone will allow you to get them out after you hook them.
My reel of choice is the, now out of production, Curado 200 series. I don’t know what I’m going to replace it with when the stockpile of them in my basement is gone. You want a fast reel, 6.2:1 or similar which will allow you to really get it going. You can always slow you hand down if you need to go slow.
Braid is the line of choice for tossing swim jigs. With this rod and reel combination you can cast a country mile using 30lb or 50lb Power Pro braid. Power Pro is round and limper than most of the other braids. There are a couple of things that will make using it easier and more productive. Put some backing on the reel before you tie on the braid. Braid is slick and will spin on the spool if there is no backing. Remember that it is fishing line and you using it around nasty stuff. If you don’t retie with regularity you will loose fish. You need sharp scissors to cut it. Don’t even think about using your teeth. The most important thing is how to prevent backlashes. When the line starts to feel soft and mushy under you thumb a backlash will happen. When the line feels like that make a long cast, strip of a little line and squeeze the line between your thumb and finger to create tension while you reel it in. This will tighten the line up on the spool. Repeat as necessary.
Combining all of these key elements will provide you with a quick responding, straight running bait that will start to work as soon as it hits the water. A rule of thumb is to try and use it anywhere you would think about using a spinner bait, weedless frog or shallow running crank bait. You will be surprised at the junk this bait will come through or across with a nice constant retrieve. Throw it out, start it coming back at a constant speed as soon as it hits the water. Use the rod tip to guide it by as many ambush points as possible on the way back. Coming over cover is easier if you speed up rather than slow down. Speeding up makes the bait hop over the cover and bottom first. Slowing down or stopping allows the bait to roll on it’s side and that’s when bad things happen.
WRB reply :
What you ( and I) have discribed as a swim jig wasn't called a swim jig 5 years ago, it was called a grass jig or a bullet head or a snooty head etc, etc. my point is the term swim jig is popular today because swim baits were added to the grass jig. Boot/paddle tail 5" to 6" swimbaits started with Basstrix hollow body and that lure isn't 10 years old. We have been fishing swim jigs for over 40 years for ocean calico bass, the Shassy Shad was one of the first soft plastics for fresh water that had a boot/paddle tail, also fished on a grass jig.On 10/20/2015 at 8:04 AM, iabass8 said:I literally quoted your own post where you have alreadydefined what a "skirted swim jig" is ...hence the quotation around your "skirted swim jig"....
If that wasn't clear enough, a lead bullet nosed jig head /w a 30 degree (this can vary a degree or 2 based on a few factors) hook, vertical line tie, and skirting material tied below the head/above hook keeper is what is traditionally called, again, a "skirted swim jig." It's often times has a boot tail, craw, or single tail grub. This wasn't popularized by Matt Allen. It was popular and widely used prior to his ability to walk.
My point is the swim jig has been around a very long time with a new market name. 30 degree jig hooks are also fairly new, maybe 15 years, they were 60 degree for Arkie heads that date back into the 60's.
Matt Allen started using the term swim jig about 5 years ago using California jigs (brand name) and it's talk about by tournament pro's, now several brands are available as swim jigs.
To me the ideal swim jig is a Scrounger that dates back into the early 70's.
Tom
iabass8 reply :
Tom, you have a wealth of fishing knowledge. You need to do a hair more research on this matter. There are articles about swim jigs (what you and i described and calling them swim jigs) 10+ years old via google. They have been called swim jigs (specifically "swim jig") for over 30 years in the midwest/north. 30 degree is the popular hook now for them. Prior to them, hooks were altered individually for their mold to get the correct head/hook balance.On 10/20/2015 at 8:31 AM, WRB said:What you ( and I) have discribed as a swim jig wasn't called a swim jig 5 years ago, it was called a grass jig or a bullet head or a snooty head etc, etc.
Tom
WRB reply :
FYI, what I write is from memory and personal experience, no research and I am getting old.On 10/20/2015 at 8:48 AM, iabass8 said:Tom, you have a wealth of fishing knowledge. You need to do a hair more research on this matter. There are articles about swim jigs (what you and i described and calling them swim jigs) 10+ years old via google. They have been called swim jigs (specifically "swim jig") for over 30 years in the midwest/north. 30 degree is the popular hook now for them. Prior to them, hooks were altered individually for their mold to get the correct head/hook balance.
Good article, you posted it while I was working on my reply.
Consensus: Siebert's 3/8 oz swim jig answers the OP's ?
Tom
WIGuide reply :
I fish a lot of the same depth water as you, and I use mostly 1/4 oz and 3/8 oz. The trailer varies, but the majority of the time I'll throw a Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper, but other times I'll use a grub for a trailer. Color depends on conditions and water color, but since I live up north I throw a lot of pb&j and black & blue with some purple in it.
1099gl reply :
Swim jigs are my go to lure more and more I used to use 1/4 oz for everything but now I use 1/4 oz for 1' of water or less. I use 3/8 for anything deeper than that or if im trying to cast further.
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