I have caught some of my biggest fish on jigs, and they have put me in some really good positions while competing. Some anglers have never fished a jig in their life and feel the work that goes into fishing jigs can waste a lot of time. Well, I don’t agree with that. The success of fishing jigs comes down to key factors such as equipment, location and retrieve. Let’s dive right in and make jigs more enjoyable to fish starting with football jigs.
The football jig has a football-shaped lead head with a heavy-duty hook with or without a weed guard and a skirt that can come in a variety of colors. What makes the jig so effective is the versatility.
A good universal set-up is a 7-foot heavy action rod with a pretty stiff backbone. Then finish with a 14-pound line and a 3/8-ounce football head jig in my favorite color, green pumpkin brown. This set-up is my go-to in many situations.
This time of year, as we head into deep summer, I like to find migration routes that lead to and from shallow water out to deeper water. Bass tend to stack up near these locations before they completely retreat to their offshore summer haunts.
Ledges are a prime location to target with football jigs. I increase the size of my jig from 3/8 to 1/2 ounce, and sometimes to 3/4 ounce, to make the jig fall at a faster on the ledges. I can make contact with the bottom faster and start my retrieve. When fishing a jig in deep water, be sure to let the jig hit the bottom. Once you hit bottom, lightly raise the rod tip to about a 10 o’clock position to tighten the line. Keep a light pulling pressure on the rod tip to move the jig. This action mimics a crawfish moving across the bottom and triggers strikes. Jig fishing around deep submerged structure like rocks, deep wood or brushpiles will pick up some quality fish in deep water.
Football Jigs and Retrieval
Retrieval is a key component to being successful with jigs. Try targeting ledges, migration routes, channels or ditches. I like ledges because fish bunch up right off them in summer, where they can move up and down easily to feed throughout the day.
Cast a football head jig on the ledge and pull it until you feel it start to fall off the edge. Allow the line to remain limp on the fall. If the line twitches or tightens even a little bit, set the hook. You have to be a line watcher, especially when ledges are 20 to 30 feet deep.
Take the time to learn how to fish a football jig. Sticking with it will ultimately lead to opportunities at big bass.
Follow tournament angler Jay Striker on Facebook, Instagram and at jaystriker.com. Look out for Striker Nation Live, which will be a 30-minute weekly live show to discuss bass fishing.