Jig Bite...question 2024
Red reply :
This morning I was dragging a jig around a rocky point. I had about 4 or 5 good solid strikes. There was no mistake, it was 100% a fish. However not one hook up. I felt the tap, reeled the slack and slammed it home only to find nothing on the other end. I tried two different color jigs and a few different trailers. I read somewhere that sometimes a bass might "hit" a craw just to kill it, then come back and eat it. In my experience though, when a bass hits my jigs, it is eating it and I almost always get the hook up. Has anyone experienced this sort of thing? Ever had a "just to kill it strike?" What would you do in this situation to get the fish to commit to your offering? Also, the strikes we in my opinion good quality fish, just the viciousness of the "thump" and how it felt. There was no "nibbles", just one good solid "thump"
Thoughts?
Thanks
Cliff
BrianinMD reply :
Was either the bump to kill the craw, or something grabbing the trailer.
WRB reply :
You will miss about 90% of the strikes on a jig if you react to a strike as you did.
Largemouth bass strike a jig that acts like a crawdad by engulfing it, quickly opening it's mouth and vacumning in onto the back of it's mouth where there is a set of crunchers.
If the jig doesn't feel right the bass rejects it quickly.
The tap you felt was the jig hitting the crunchers and you had about a heart beat to set the hook. When you lowered the rod the jig was spit out. Unlike a soft plastic worm that feels right to a bass, the hard jig doesn't and bigger the bass is the faster it will reject a jig.
Learn to watch your line where the enters enters the water; line movement indicates what the jig is doing.
Smallmouth and spotted bass will sometimes peck at a jig to remove the claws before engulfing it, so with these bass you can sometimes hesitate until you feel slight pressure before hook setting. Takes practice to develop the right timing.
Try setting the hook setting a jig by cranking the line tight before sweeping the rod back, it's faster and moves more line.
Tom
Buckeye Bassin reply :
Cliff,
I know I can't tell you anything, but whenever I'm jig fishing (and as you know, I do a lot of it in the Spring) and feel a hit, I collect the slack then wait for the line to tighten, this tells me that the Bass has taken it in and is moving with it. Then I'll (as you say) slam it home. This seems to work for me. But you know more than I do. And remember, they may be swimming towards the boat, so if you have a lot of extra slack, reel it up and get 'er done! 
Jeff
Jigfishn10 reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 3:37 AM, Buckeye Bassin said:Cliff,
I know I can't tell you anything, but whenever I'm jig fishing (and as you know, I do a lot of it in the Spring) and feel a hit, I collect the slack then wait for the line to tighten, this tells me that the Bass has taken it in and is moving with it. Then I'll (as you say) slam it home. This seems to work for me. But you know more than I do. And remember, they may be swimming towards the boat, so if you have a lot of extra slack, reel it up and get 'er done!
Jeff
LOL...why would you open your post up like that? You made a great post, why would you feel that the OP wouldn't take your advice?
Buckeye Bassin reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 3:46 AM, Jigfishn10 said:LOL...why would you open your post up like that? You made a great post, why would you feel that the OP wouldn't take your advice?
LOL. Cliff is my brother, and he's taught me what I know. I just thought it would be funny that I give him advice. 
Jigfishn10 reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 3:53 AM, Buckeye Bassin said:LOL. Cliff is my brother, and he's taught me what I know. I just thought it would be funny that I give him advice.
LMAO...I had no idea...I can understand your frustrations now...LOL
Buckeye Bassin reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 3:58 AM, Jigfishn10 said:LMAO...I had no idea...I can understand your frustrations now...LOL
So, was my advice good or not?
Jigfishn10 reply :
It's much better than what he would give you, right?...J/K
To be honest, I use your technique more often than not, especially for strikes that happen that way. The first strike I would do exactly what Cliff did, and then I wait for the line to tighten up on any subsequent strikes...Fool me once and you won't get a chance to fool me again, type of thing. May not work for some folks, but it works for me.
You're not gonna get em all the time, but your technique atleast, IMO, increases the odds in your favor.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I have one thought to offer, something that happens a lot around here. Does your lake have drum or sheepshead in it? They will crush a jig but only hit it quickly one time and rarely carry the jig off like a bass will. Some of our local lakes are loaded with drum and you have to deal with them doing that all day. They also love rocky points, another reason why they came to mind. I'm assuming your equipment is the right stuff because you've caught fish fishing like you are before. Watching your line and getting a faster hookset might help a little, but it sounds like you set pretty quickly after getting bit so you should have at least been feeling something on the hookset. Maybe try some kind of scent to get that extra second or two to set the hook.
ww2farmer reply :
Where is Catt when you need him ? DO NOT DROP THE ROD TIP AND GIVE A BASS ANY SLACK LINE WITH A JIG!!!! You ain't fising a weightless senko. Fish a jig on tight line. The only time slack should be in your line jig fishing is when your letting it fall straight down , and even then if your semi-skilled with a rod, you can fallow the jig down with the rod tip to make it fall straight down in 10'-12' fow with out giving it much slack. The instant you feel that thump, you thump back. Trying to "feel" out a jig bite like a soft plastic bite will cause you many missed fish.
Jigfishn10 reply :
ww2farmer, we're not giving slack line, what Buckeye, meant was reeling down on the line to feel resistance.
I respectfully disagree with a hookset on every occasion because there are too many variables. Sometimes that "thump" is a snag and if you set the hook with noone home, you risk the rest of your presentation. Should you be able to subtlely get thru that snag in my experience, you can get another fish. if you swing away, that opportunity is gone.
Jig Man reply :
If you truly know what the strike feels like and you know that fish don't have hands SET THE HOOK when you feel the bite 'cause there is only one place the bait can be. Your reaction time is 3/4 of 1 second while a bass' reaction time is 1/25th of a second. You are already way disadvantaged in that game without waiting.
ww2farmer reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 7:31 AM, Jigfishn10 said:ww2farmer, we're not giving slack line, what Buckeye, meant was reeling down on the line to feel resistance.
I respectfully disagree with a hookset on every occasion because there are too many variables. Sometimes that "thump" is a snag and if you set the hook with noone home, you risk the rest of your presentation. Should you be able to subtlely get thru that snag in my experience, you can get another fish. if you swing away, that opportunity is gone.
Setting the hook on a snag and having the jig pop free is a great way to trigger a bite. Is it possable to tell a bass from a branch, a weed, a dock crossmember, a rock, etc........ 100% of the time, no, but fish a jig enough and you'll know whats what, you'll also lose a few jigs....just part of the game. I don't buy them to fill empty compartments in my boat with. BTW I have pitched into a tree 15 times at differenty angles and such without a bite, on my last pitch snag and broke off, but not before making a bunch of commotion, tied another jig on and the first pitch back to the same tree yanked a big fish out of there. "Respectfully disagree" with me all you want. But at least know what your talking about first.
Red reply :
Basically the bites came while I was at the extent of my dragging, so my rod was up or more likely back to the side and I felt the tap, so I reeled down so my rod was pointing back at the fish then I set. I did not wait to feel resistance. Hope that is an understandable explanation. Like Buckeye said about waiting to feel the fish, I do that on some occasions. But with a thump like these there was no mistake, so I got the rod down quick and set. Happened again this evening. I felt the solid tap and set hard, this time I actually felt the fish for a second or two and then it was gone.
There is Drum (Gasper goo?) in this lake, so you could be right on the money in that regard.
I also am using scent, Megastrike to be exact.
Thanks for the input y'all.
Cliff
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 8:26 AM, Red said:Basically the bites came while I was at the extent of my dragging, so my rod was up or more likely back to the side and I felt the tap, so I reeled down so my rod was pointing back at the fish then I set. I did not wait to feel resistance. Hope that is an understandable explanation. Like Buckeye said about waiting to feel the fish, I do that on some occasions. But with a thump like these there was no mistake, so I got the rod down quick and set. Happened again this evening. I felt the solid tap and set hard, this time I actually felt the fish for a second or two and then it was gone.
There is Drum (Gasper goo?) in this lake, so you could be right on the money in that regard.
I also am using scent, Megastrike to be exact.
Thanks for the input y'all.
Cliff
That sounds a lot like a 'goo or drum. Their bite is very fast but very unmistakeable on a jig. If you're fast you'll hook on once in awhile but because of their small, rubbery lips they do come off pretty often. They pick up finesse jigs and swim sometimes but full size jigs seem to be too much for all but the biggest drum. If you're using a strong scent like megastrike there is also the possibility that you're getting hit by small catfish. They'll often nip and pull on a bait to try to tear off chunks since their mouth is very small when they are young.
Jigfishn10 reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 8:17 AM, ww2farmer said:Setting the hook on a snag and having the jig pop free is a great way to trigger a bite. Is it possable to tell a bass from a branch, a weed, a dock crossmember, a rock, etc........ 100% of the time, no, but fish a jig enough and you'll know whats what, you'll also lose a few jigs....just part of the game. I don't buy them to fill empty compartments in my boat with. BTW I have pitched into a tree 15 times at differenty angles and such without a bite, on my last pitch snag and broke off, but not before making a bunch of commotion, tied another jig on and the first pitch back to the same tree yanked a big fish out of there. "Respectfully disagree" with me all you want. But at least know what your talking about first.
Will do, ww2farmer. Thank you.
Buckeye Bassin reply :
Wow that was interesting. I guess I got a lot to learn. But that's why I'm here, and I am learning. I got a lot of fish this past spring on the jig, and hope to catch even more next spring with what I'm learning here. Practice, practice, practice. Thanks for all the input. Bottomline, don't let the bass play with the jig, Hook her when you feel her. 
Jeff
ww2farmer reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 8:54 AM, Jigfishn10 said:Will do, ww2farmer. Thank you.
Well shoot..............I didn't mean it to sound like " I know more about jig fishing than you" rant. I guess I should have left that last line out, but my usual smart a.$.$ attitude wouldn't let me.
Red reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 10:44 AM, ww2farmer said:Well shoot..............I didn't mean it to sound like " I know more about jig fishing than you" rant. I guess I should have left that last line out, but my usual smart a.$.$ attitude wouldn't let me.
Its ok, it was probably a gasper goo anyway, seems how I didn't catch one single fish on a jig today! Crankbait was the stuff today.
FishinDaddy reply :
The blue gill are gettting large in the lake I fish the most. They have been tearing up the tails of my uvibe worms and my trailers. I actually caught 1 last time out on a texas rig. Could be something grabbing your trailer.
bwell reply :
I was having the same problems you are having, and its bluegills/warmouth... I was fishing a tourney this year and kept on getting hits but couldn't hook anything. The next thump I got I set the hook hard and had the lips of a bluegill/warmouth on the jig.
Red reply :
On 10/31/2011 at 1:28 AM, bwell said:I was having the same problems you are having, and its bluegills/warmouth... I was fishing a tourney this year and kept on getting hits but couldn't hook anything. The next thump I got I set the hook hard and had the lips of a bluegill/warmouth on the jig.
I believe it could be another species of fish besides a bass, however if a gill can produce a thump like the ones I was getting I reckon I would be afraid to catch that fish!!
bwell reply :
You would be surprised lol
BassThumb reply :
Unless the strike is very obvious, I will quickly reel up any slack and while watching the line, I will very gently try to feel for any weight or movement before I set the hook. A bass will hold onto a well scented jig for a couple seconds, so there's no need for extreme urgency. A bump could be some nice cover or structure, or it could just be from panfish. If I were to set the hook on every little bump on a jig or T-rig, I wouldn't be able to probe the bottom of the lake as well, which is one of the main advantages of these baits. Usually, panfish will just give you a rapid-fire nibble, but sometimes they can really whack a jig or soft plastic bait.
Ima Bass Ninja reply :
This video will tell ya alot. When a bass grabs a crawfish it first grabs it , Then spits it out in order to position itself to grab it from the rear so that the pinchers can't do any harm. notice at .15 when he gets it away from the other bass . I always felt a tap, set the hook and reeled in empty line until i seen this video.
heres another with a smallmouth same thing, spits it out the eats it.
WRB reply :
Double tap jig bite; tap 1 the bass spitting out the jig, tap 2 your partner tapping you on the shoulder and telling you to swing.
Tom
Bankbeater reply :
After the first thump did you take up the slack and wait to see if the fish would come back? Around here, especially in the spring, they will hit the jig once and come back for it a few seconds later. The tight line lets you see when they start to carry it off.
gobig reply :
I agree with Tom (WRB). One thing about fishing in ultra clear water is.. if you pay attention you will see alot. Bass, especially big bass will inhale a jig and spit it out in a split second. For this reason I do not waste any time setting the hook with a jig. I think the difference between a good jig fisherman and a great one is the ability to detect the strike and react to it. If I had to guess, I would say that a fairly high percentage of bites are never even detected by the average fisherman using a jig. The video IMA Bass Ninja posted really shows alot. Look at the initial strike. The craw was inhaled and spit with in about one second. Now this is a real crawdad. Imagine it was a jig. Does the fish come back after spitting it like it did for the crawdad? or would the jig feel wrong causing the fish to abandon pursuit leaving the window of opportunity to one second? I think there are times bass will hold a jig for a long time and there are times when they don't. I just want to be prepared for the latter.
crankbait reply :
Cliff,
I just have some questions to help give you a more concise answer...here they are?
How deep were you fishing...? What type of jig were you throwing...style---weight---colors...? What type of cover was on the point...rocky--grass---sand---pea gravel---...? What gear were you using...line, rod, reel...?
These answers can help with results on hooking these fish.
Red reply :
On 11/2/2011 at 9:11 AM, crankbait said:Cliff,
I just have some questions to help give you a more concise answer...here they are?
How deep were you fishing...? What type of jig were you throwing...style---weight---colors...? What type of cover was on the point...rocky--grass---sand---pea gravel---...? What gear were you using...line, rod, reel...?
These answers can help with results on hooking these fish.
10-12 feet. 3/8 seibert outdoors brush jig/rage craw, greens and browns. Chunk rock, probably nothing bigger than a basketball. 7'11' flippin stick, revo S, 20lb Invizx.
crankbait reply :
On 11/2/2011 at 9:19 AM, Red said:10-12 feet. 3/8 seibert outdoors brush jig/rage craw, greens and browns. Chunk rock, probably nothing bigger than a basketball. 7'11' flippin stick, revo S, 20lb Invizx.
So I think I found what the problem might have been...a brush jig is designed to have a thick weed guard to protect it from hanging up in the brush...The weed guard might have caused the jig to twist side ways in the fishes mouth and not causing the hook to lock into the upper part of the fishes mouth when you set the hook...to fix this you can spread the jigs weed guard and not affect its weedless qualities but increase the chances of the jig not deflecting side ways which is causing the jig to slide straight through the fishes mouth and out its lips without hooking the fish...this is a common cause of not hooking fish on jigs and is well known...
After spreading out the weed guard you should see the hook set in the sides and in the upper part of the roof of the mouth where the jig will remain hooked up best.
Another choice is to fish a football style head which is harder for the jig to spin or deflect in the fishes mouth. Remember you are fishing deeper and have less power from rod to jig to strike the fish also...which can cause a problem and can be fixed by waiting to see if the line moves off when you detect a strike and then reeling up slack with the high speed reel you are using and hammering home the jig on a hook set to the opposite direction the fish is moving...best of luck and hope this helps.
Red reply :
On 11/2/2011 at 9:59 AM, crankbait said:So I think I found what the problem might have been...a brush jig is designed to have a thick weed guard to protect it from hanging up in the brush...The weed guard might have caused the jig to twist side ways in the fishes mouth and not causing the hook to lock into the upper part of the fishes mouth when you set the hook...to fix this you can spread the jigs weed guard and not affect its weedless qualities but increase the chances of the jig not deflecting side ways which is causing the jig to slide straight through the fishes mouth and out its lips without hooking the fish...this is a common cause of not hooking fish on jigs and is well known...
After spreading out the weed guard you should see the hook set in the sides and in the upper part of the roof of the mouth where the jig will remain hooked up best.
Another choice is to fish a football style head which is harder for the jig to spin or deflect in the fishes mouth. Remember you are fishing deeper and have less power from rod to jig to strike the fish also...which can cause a problem and can be fixed by waiting to see if the line moves off when you detect a strike and then reeling up slack with the high speed reel you are using and hammering home the jig on a hook set to the opposite direction the fish is moving...best of luck and hope this helps.
Thanks for the info. I always spread the weed guard so I got that covered. I know I should be using a football jig in this situation but I don't have any. They are certainly on my wish list.
Cliff
Fat-G reply :
On 11/2/2011 at 10:18 AM, Red said:Thanks for the info. I always spread the weed guard so I got that covered. I know I should be using a football jig in this situation but I don't have any. They are certainly on my wish list.
Cliff
Cliff, I have a couple. I'll send you a PM in a little bit.
WRB reply :
On 10/30/2011 at 3:36 AM, WRB said:You will miss about 90% of the strikes on a jig if you react to a strike as you did.
Largemouth bass strike a jig that acts like a crawdad by engulfing it, quickly opening it's mouth and vacumning in onto the back of it's mouth where there is a set of crunchers.
If the jig doesn't feel right the bass rejects it quickly.
The tap you felt was the jig hitting the crunchers and you had about a heart beat to set the hook. When you lowered the rod the jig was spit out. Unlike a soft plastic worm that feels right to a bass, the hard jig doesn't and bigger the bass is the faster it will reject a jig.
Learn to watch your line where the enters enters the water; line movement indicates what the jig is doing.
Smallmouth and spotted bass will sometimes peck at a jig to remove the claws before engulfing it, so with these bass you can sometimes hesitate until you feel slight pressure before hook setting. Takes practice to develop the right timing.
Try setting the hook setting a jig by cranking the line tight before sweeping the rod back, it's faster and moves more line.
Tom
Now that we know (I should have asked in the first place) you dragging a "brush" jig using basically a pitching rod and 3/8 oz jig, what I initially posted is still good advice.
Brush jigs; arkie style jig head with weed guard is a compact jig designed to be fished vertically or falling down through the water column. The hook point is close to the lead head because the head is molded back of the hook eye to accommodate the weed guard. When a bass strike this jig hook setting can be done by lifting rod upwards, the hook is driven upwards.
when you cast a jig away from you horizontally or drag it along the bottom a distance away from the boat, the arkie style compact jig becomes very difficult to get a good hook set, due to it's compact shape and head deign.
A football jig by design puts the lead head under the hook eye, the hook point is set back about 1/2". Football heads snag in brush because the hook is back further. However, this is a big advantage when casting or dragging along the bottom. The hook point being further back in the basses mouth helps to set the hook.
Take a look at Yamamoto's football jig heads, both the wire type weedless and standard without weed guards for fishing chunk rock. A bag of 5 plain football heads with Gamakatsu hook are about $4. Paint thead and add whatever trailer you prefer.
Tom
PS; your 7 1/2' jig rod is longer and heavier than need for casting a 3/8- 3/4oz jigs. 7', 4 to 5 power or heavy worm/jig rod would be lot easier to fish with if you have one.
Red reply :
Thanks. I am going to switch rods....I have a 7'3" 5 power I will be using while casting a jig from now on. I know I should be using a football jig but don't currently have any. Will be getting some soon as this type of jig fishing will be a more frequent thing for me now. Thanks again for all the help.
JIGFISHERMAN. reply :
On 11/4/2011 at 8:18 AM, Red said:Thanks. I am going to switch rods....I have a 7'3" 5 power I will be using while casting a jig from now on. I know I should be using a football jig but don't currently have any. Will be getting some soon as this type of jig fishing will be a more frequent thing for me now. Thanks again for all the help.
IMO your OK staying with a long rod. As long as the package is light enough to get a quick hook set. I use one rod for all my jig fishing. A 7'6 MH, XF, in a light sensitive rod is perfect for all my jig fishing.
More important than length though, is that a sensitive rod is going to help you detect bites better, and that means more fish on those days when it seems like they are spitting it right out.
For jigs, instead of forking out big bucks make your own. I've been using unpainted heads from Poor Boy's, and painting them myself, and hand tie-ing the skirts using braid in place of a rubber collar. I won't go back to pre-built jigs.
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