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BBB HONOR ROLL |
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We're Talkin' Jigs!
Jeff Snyder - 7/11/2000 9:00:31 AM
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"The Jig'n Pig is without a doubt the greatest
fishing invention ever created!"
Does the thought of huge largemouth bass dancing on the surface get your heart pounding? If not, check your pulse, because few things in fishing are as exciting as a lunker largemouth performing unbelievable aerial acrobatics as he rips line off your spool!
Bass are without question the most popular gamefish across North America. Books, videos, magazines, television shows, mega-tournaments and a host of other events are slated specifically for the "King of Freshwater". In fact, fishing industry experts believe that upwards of 75% of all tackle designed and manufactured are with largemouth in mind. Yet with all this attention, many anglers still have a hard time finding and catching true trophy size bass. E-Bait delves headlong into this subject with the help of a few of America's premiere bass anglers readily relaying some of their best-kept secrets in solving the big bass riddle.
"One of the problems I see with the majority of anglers who are eager to catch trophy size bass lies in the fact they have never really learned much about how the fish lives," said 1998 Bassmaster Classic Champion Denny Brauer. "It's like wanting to bag a trophy deer and then sitting in your front yard hoping one walks by. The odds are definitely stacked against you," Brauer laughed. "But learning what bass eat, how they live and how they relate to their environment will help you become more successful."
Brauer believes anglers should study how bass relate to cover and food and then concentrate on productive patterns to catch them. "Bass will fall prey to just about any lure system on the market," he said. "But to catch bass day in and day out or when they really don't want to bite, nothing beats the jig."
Jigs are without a doubt the greatest fishing invention ever created! Their success as a bass catcher comes from several unique characteristics. To begin with, modern jigs closely mimic the bass' dominant food sources -- crawfish and minnows. They can enter and be retrieved from the thickest of cover, are extremely weed or snag resistant and they hook and hold bass better than any other lure class. When the final tally is counted, jigs always boast the best numbers!
However, just running to the tackle store, buying a jig and throwing into a brush pile will not guarantee success. The angler must first be aware that simply plopping a jig in the water is not enough to entice a nice game of "tug-o-war". One must pay close attention to the slightest of details in order to bag more and bigger fish. This attention to the little things is what separates professional anglers from "guys and gals who like to fish"!
"I think we are all guilty of not fully analyzing a fish when we finally do catch one," said Brauer. "You know, did he hit it on the drop? Was he on the sunny side or the shady of the stump -- the up current side, the down current side? Exactly what was I doing to that bait when the fish hit? What was the bottom make-up like near that stump? Was there wind? Which way was it blowing? Where is the stump located? Was it on a point or in a pocket?" Brauer advises, "If you really sit and analyze everything about the strike, you're going to learn a lot more about bass fishing than -- 'Gosh there's another stump down there, let's go fish it!' Thinking in that manner may allow you to miss everything the fish is telling you and cause you to overlook the key to unraveling the whole (bass fishing) secret. That's what you have to do to catch more bass, be aware of what your lure is doing -- concentrating on it -- analyzing each and every cast and strike. Anyone can reach this next level of awareness and success!"
Color is often the stumbling block of many bass anglers. "Which are the right ones to buy and do I have enough choices to cover each and every possible situation?" Questions like these have troubled bass fishermen for years! "I read in a magazine that green pumpkin works on Lake Lanier in Georgia, but will it work for me on Lake Winnebago as well?" and "I just started jig fishing. How do I pick the right one for my lake?" Brauer cuts through this confusing subject by utilizing this simple rule of color selection. "The company I fish for, Strike King, makes over 24 colors in their jig line. But, if you look at my tackle box, I doubt if you find more than eight that I rely on."
Brauer uses water color to base his lure selection. "In stained water, I'll use black'n blue unless the lake or river receives a lot of pressure than I deviate a little to brown'n blue or some other similar shade. In clearer waters, I like to stick with the more natural crawfish or baitfish shades and in dirty waters, the black'n chartreuse selections work best for me." But more important, Brauer has the utmost confidence in his lure selection. "I look at the water color and say, 'This is what I'm going to tie on'! That's as complicated as I make it!" The end result is a color chosen from experience, confidence and a base knowledge that the lure selected will be visible to the bass.
All jigs need something added to them as an enticement to the bass. These temptations or trailers complete the jig as viable bassin' tool. Trailers come in a myriad of sizes and styles, but just like anything else, there are times when certain shapes work better than others.
Bassmaster & FLW Touring Champion Tommy Biffle believes choosing the right trailer style is as important as choosing the right jig. "The trailer can be plastic or pork and can be made in a wide variety of body styles." Biffle recommends anglers pay attention to the season when choosing trailers. "Spring time means a bigger or fuller trailer, usually in a crawfish or the classic frog patterns. These bulkier designs add profile, slow the jig's fall rate and move a tremendous amount to water," he said. "But as the year progresses, I start slimming down the profile and change it to more of an eel, leech or baitfish look. This helps me fish faster in warmer waters and offer a more natural look to the jig."
Another factor to consider is whether to utilize a rattling jig or not. Rattles have always been known as fish attractors, but in the mid-80's they really came into their own as standard equipment on jigs. "Rattles enable bass to home in on the jig in muddy water or in extreme cover," Biffle said. "Raising and lowering your rod tip activates the rattles and the bass come, eager to investigate." Rattling jigs come in a wide variety of sizes and styles. From the "Ohio River Finesse" sizes to the "Texas Magnum" styles -- rattling jigs boast tournament win after win across the nation.
"When we decided to enter the competitive jig market," said Innovative Sport Group (ISG) Product Development Manager Bill Schutts, "we understood that our main-stream jig had to feature a rattling head." ISG, based in Wisconsin, is truly an innovative company. Instead of making a standard "look-alike jig" that so many companies have on the market these days, they opted to begin at ground zero and engineered their product from the bottom up. The end result -- the "Scorpion Jig" line.
"The Scorpion isn't just another jig," said Schutts. "It's the culmination of years of study dedicated to the drawbacks of jigs that were and are currently available. Our Scorpion line is extremely snag resistant, yet offers superior hook and hold power. This comes from specially designed head, weed-guard and hook." Schutts continues. "We didn't stop there. The head design purposely stands at attention on any bottom environment. This 'on-guard' crawfish look also offers a unique rocking action that won't fall on its side. Add our super loud rattle and we feel we have developed the best bass jig ever. It will do everything a jig fisherman could possibly want. Whether you're fishing hydrilla beds in East Texas, flipping milfoil in Minnesota or dragging it down rock ledges on the St. Clair River in Michigan, this jig will work for you."
Once you have decided on a color, stick with it! Brauer believes too many anglers switch lures or lure colors based upon -- "I haven't had a bite in a while so I guess I'll try this." Brauer said if there's a reason to change do so, but usually anglers change lures because they are not around fish or they're not working the bait properly.
Fish location is another piece of the jig-fishing puzzle. I have a friend that often brags -- "You put me on bass and I'll catch them!" I hate to tell him this, but so can my 7-year old son! Finding bass is where most anglers have problems. They often forget they are hunting for a creature that moves through a rather large territory, hunting in it's own right. This means the angler must be aware that areas that consistently hold bass must offer a prime ambush spot from which the bass can attack their prey. These ambush spots must feature escape routes to deep water, be positioned near a food source and enable the bass to remain hidden from their prey and their predators. Once the locational pattern is developed, the angler can turn his or her attention to the task of catching bass.
The secret to unlocking jig bass can be best described as knowledge. The knowledge of what the lure is capable of doing. The knowledge of how to choose the most visible color for your particular waters. The knowledge of where the bass will be located and how to present the bait. Understanding these concepts will make anyone a much better bass angler!
Copyright © 2000 by Jeff Snyder. All rights reserved.
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