Jig Pickin’
The Ins and Outs of Selecting the Right Jig
Recently, I had a customer ask me how I figure out which jig to use and where. I kept my response rather basic but there is a lot of thought that goes into jig selection. A jig is pretty simple, just a hunk of lead wrapped around a sharp hook right? But you will think differently after opening the Bass Pro Shops catalog with page after page of jigs and every company out there has its own line of “secret” jigs. How do you decide which one to tie on?
Parts Bin
Before getting into seasonal patterns or cover types, maybe one should start at the base of a jig. A jig consists of a hook, head, weed guard, skirt and sometimes rattles. All play a specific role in the function of a jig. The foundation of a jig starts with a hook. There are a few parts of the hook that matter to you. The eye, gap, bend and wire diameter.
There has been a trend lately towards a cross-eyed jig hook instead of the traditional in-line eye. The thought is the cross-eyed hook imparts a better hook setting angle, especially in smaller jigs on light line. All Eiron Breaker jigs have a cross-eyed style Mustad hook but there is a place for an in-line eye. When fishing around grass, an in-line hook will not allow grass to catch on the eye or knot as easily as the cross-eyed hook. This is especially true if the eye is at the tip of a bullet shaped head. This is the best style of jig to sneak through grass or punch through matted vegetation. I’ll go into depth with head style shortly.
Two options exist for hook gap, a round bend or an extra wide gap (EWG). I have a preference for a round bend hook on all of my jigs. I have found the EWG to cause me to miss some fish and I believe it has to do with the angle of the hook point in relation to the eye. I’m unsure if it is the way I set the hook or what. The point of a round bend hook is higher than the eye while they are generally in line on a EWG hook. I know that I hook a lot of jig fish in the roof of the mouth with a round bend while the EWG hook will usually grab a lip. I’m not sure if the weed guard has something to do with that but a lot goes on when a bass sucks in a jig. Depending on the angle of the fish in relation to the jig during the strike, it could be placed in many different directions in the mouth prior to the hook set. In the end, none of this matters except does the hook grab or not. If the first place the hook grabs is inside the mouth, you have a second opportunity to hook them if by chance the hook tears loose. It may not happen very often but that one fish may make all the difference in your tournament finish. I’d rather give myself every chance possible with a round bend hook.
Three 4/0 Mustad Ultra Point jig hooks. The bottom hook is a standard wire, the middle a heavy wire and the top a EWG. Note the gap and eye-to-hook-point angle differences.
The wire diameter is important for hook penetration. When fishing deep, using light line or a small jig, a light wire hook is best. A super sharp, fine wire hook will find purchase when a bite comes at the end of a long cast in deep water. Also, lighter line has more stretch and you usually fish it on a softer rod. There is little chance of ripping a smaller hook out with a lighter set up. A heavy wire hook is not the right choice because of the extra power needed to get the hook into the fish at a distance on lighter rods or line.
The time comes for a heavy wire hook when flipping heavy cover with big line and a stiff rod at close range. Most heavy wire hooks have a bigger bend to really grab a lot of meat on the hook set but it requires more force to get it there. A light wire hook isn’t the best choice in this instance because you can overpower the hook by going “gorilla” after the bite. This will either rip the hook out of the fish or straighten the bend out. Anglers sometimes complain about straightening a hook and blame the “junk” hook on the lost fish. It was likely the angler didn’t match his set up with the jig. Quality hooks like Mustad or Gamakatsu rarely fail. Taking the time to think about how you are going to fish and matching the hook type to it will result in better jig hookups and more fish in the boat.
Before going into head styles, let’s look at the other parts of the jig. The weed guard is necessary to keep you out of trouble. This allows the jig to sneak through cover without hanging up. What you need to do is trim the guard back when you first take the jig out of the package. I like to trim it back at an angle until it is a little longer than the point of the hook when bent downward. You don’t need all of it to keep from hanging up but that extra length will keep you from setting the hook on all fish. Sometimes the hook set isn’t textbook, your rod might be out of position and a pull/reel set is all you get. Trimming the guard down will increase the odds of slipping the hook in. Giving the weed guard a little flare from side to side also reduces hang-ups in heavy wood cover.
A properly trimmed weed guard. Notice the guard length on the untrimmed Mini Ball Jig in the background.
The skirt is important for the overall look of the jig. It also gives the jig body. Color selection is more of a preference thing. Browns, greens, purples and black/blue are staple colors in a mixture of your choice. Eiron Breaker jigs have a flare style skirt without the skirting running down the middle along the hook. I don’t feel this part of the skirt is needed as a trailer takes up this area of the jig. The skirt would simply lie on the trailer adding extra bulk. The flare style skirt breaths with every twitch and hop lending to a live appearance. Wire wrapping the skirt onto the jig eliminates broken bands and skirts pulled down by the fish. I didn’t think about of the importance of balance played by the skirt until recently. When it is wrapped, the jig falls the same every time. When the skirt gets mangled, the jig can roll as it falls and not many crawfish tip over as they glide down. Spider style skirts are very popular and add to a finesse appearance on small jigs.
Rattles are always a hotly debated topic. The more I fish, the more confused I am about rattles. In the past, I only fished a Hammer jig with two big rattles. Currently, I’m able to catch a good number of fish with an Eiron Breaker Round Head jig. Are rattles important? I’ve fished side by side with anglers who were throwing jigs without rattles and in clear water I haven’t seen much of a difference. In stained to dirty water I have at times. This makes sense since bass are visual feeders in clear water and “feel” feeders in dirty water. Your presentation also makes a difference when choosing rattles. If the fish are biting on the drop before the bait makes contact with anything, a rattle isn’t needed. If you are walking the bait on the bottom or shaking a jig in heavy cover, the rattle may help the fish home in for the kill. To activate the rattles, the jig has to bang into something. In stained to dirty water, any advantage to trigger a strike can only help. A time that I wouldn’t use them is after a major front, even in dirty water. I feel most fish are usually in a neutral to negative mood and loud rattles may not elicit strikes. I prefer to go to a small, compact jig that isn’t intrusive during these conditions.
Head Games
The selection of a head style is sometimes ambiguous and rather dependant on personal preference or confidence. About any type of head shape will work but some head styles are better at certain jobs. There are numerous head shapes and variations on the market but they generally fall into a few categories: round head, football, bullet and Arkie.
Round head, football, bullet and Arkie head styles.
The football jig is just that, the head looks like someone stuck a hook through the side of a football. Most of the weight is in the head and the design is shaped to work its way through large broken rock. The width of the head keeps the jig from wedging into cracks and crevasses when working rock. These jigs are generally heavier and shine when fishing deep points without much cover other than rock. They will work through the occasional brush pile but are designed more for rock. Most football jigs have a light wire hook since the jig is typically fished deep on a long cast.
A bullet shaped head is ideal for fishing around vegetation. The bullet shape divides the grass and doesn’t catch on the jig, allowing you to work in a swimming or hopping presentation with ease. These jigs won’t bog down by catching the grass stems. A heavy bullet jig can punch through matted vegetation and reach fish that don’t normally see a lure. A bullet head also will snake through laydowns, bushes and flooded timber. Hook wire diameter can be either light or heavy, depending on the cover type you intend to fish.
The round head jig was likely the very first jig poured and probably the first jig you tied on your line as a youngster chasing crappie. This simple jig has gone through many adjustments with weed guards and trailer keepers but the basic design has remained the same. The explosion of the Jewel Bait Company Eakins Jig designed and refined by Jim Eakins in the Ozarks has spread across all fishing communities. This jig style has accounted for tons of fish and big dollars at the end of tournaments. The round head jig is really the Jack-of-All-Trades as it can be fished in most any situation and season. One thing that it doesn’t work so well with is grass but it wasn’t intended for that application as little vegetation is present in the Ozarks. It can be made small and compact with a light wire hook, working perfectly in a finesse presentation when fish are reluctant to bite. It can also be beefed up with a heavy hook when a kicker fish is needed.
The final category is the Arkie jig. This group encompasses a number of head shapes that are very similar such as the Arkie, banana, sparkie, bass flippin, Poison Tail, etc, etc. They all are similar in shape with slight variations. This group is a hybrid of sorts, most are generally tapered at the nose but have shoulders of some type along the sides. This is a good combination of shapes to slip through cover and not roll the hook point into wood but the shoulders keep the jig from wedging into rock cracks as well. Nearly every bass angler purchased an Arkie-style jig as their first flipping jig for heavy cover. The Eiron Breaker Hammer and Anvil jigs are a spin-offs from the Arkie jig. This group can be either a casting jig with a light wire hook or a “tooth pullin” jig with a heavy gauge hook.
Seasonal Selection
A jig can be fished year round. Anglers such as Denny Brauer and Tommy Biffle have made a living off of jigs. Some anglers in the Ozarks would be hard pressed not to have a jig tied on to at least one rod every day of the year. Jigs can catch numbers of bass but generally they entice fewer but better quality bass. A tournament limit is all you need and if they all are on a three pound average, you’ll make a lot of money on five bites. That’s what a jig can do for you. Can you pick one jig and make it work all the time under every condition? Somewhat but there are certain jigs which will do a better job under specific conditions. Here’s an outline of my jig selection method.
Late Fall/Early Winter
This time period is from fall turn over (mid-60 degree water temp) until the water temperature gets as cold is it is going to get. Bass feed heavily during this period and will feed until the water temperature stabilizes in late December. Then the bite really slows down. The fish are moving from fall feeding flats to winter channel drops. You can intercept them on rock transitions coming off gravel flats and follow bass out to the deepest/steepest drop as the water cools. I’ve caught fish in areas that were at the edge of the ice sheet in creek arms in December. Start at the upper ends of major creek arms in early Fall and work your way down lake as the water cools.
I start with an Eiron Breaker 3/8 oz brown round head with a green pumpkin trailer on clear days or a 3/8 oz black/blue Hammer jig with a matching Zoom Super chuck Jr. trailer on cloudy days. Wind and fish mood will tell you what to do next. When the water is warmer, I tend to increase the weight to 7/16 or 1/2 oz and as the water gets cold, drop down in weight to 5/16, 1/4 or even 3/16 oz in the coldest water. I want to cover as much water as possible so the heaviest jig I can get bites on matters most. You also need to stay in contact with the bottom and windy days make you go to a heavier jig. Fortunately, more wind usually means a better bite in the fall. The water levels are typically low this time of year so I am casting to large, broken rock and a light wire hook is a must.
On calm, post-front days or in the coldest water, you may have to down-size to a light jig on light line. I like to trim the skirt to the back edge of the hook and clip the craw trailer as short as possible. This is when a spinning rod and 8 lb line comes in handy. Typically, I use a 6’10” Hammer Finesse Jig rod with 12 lb BPS fluorocarbon line but you have to match the equipment to the lure.
Winter
This time of year can be hit or miss. I will fish a jerkbait some through the winter but I prefer to find a jig bite. The water temperature has bottomed out and bass only feed sporadically. Sometimes it is a waiting game until the fish decide to bite late in the day. I look for sunny, steep banks and the biggest rock possible. Smaller jigs are required, a 5/16 oz round head is a starting place or dropping down to a 3/16 oz Eiron Breaker Mini Ball may be required. I also downsize my craw trailer to a trimmed 3" model. If all else fails and I can’t get bit on a jig, I turn to a Finesse or Screwball jig head down to 1/8 oz with a Zoom finesse worm. Many times I’ve seen this setup work magic on winter banks you would have thought were devoid of bass. Keep an eye out for a string of warm days and you may just load up on fat jig bass from cold water.
Cold water strikes can be enticed with a 1/4 oz Mini Ball jig or a worm matched with a 3/16 oz Finesse Jig Head.
Late Winter/Early Spring
This is my favorite time of year and the fish are hungry! As soon as the water temperature makes the turn in February, the fish will start to move. Not every day will be a bonanza but it just might be. The first targets will be mid-lake points and pockets close to deep water. A brown 5/16 oz round head jig is still a staple, the water isn’t very warm yet and the fish still relate to broken rock that collects heat quicker.
When fish move shallow in the spring, give them more bulk with a 3/8 or 1/2 oz Hammer Jig tipped with a big trailer. Stay with the smaller profile 5/16 oz Round Head Jig when the water has just started to warm up.
What I pray for is an early warm rain. If a warm front comes rumbling through and dumps a few inches of warm water, the lakes will rise and the bass will follow the baitfish into this new water. This has happened in early February before and a 3/8 oz black/blue Hammer jig gets put on 20 lb line and a flippin’ stick. These fish have one thing on their mind and they will be aggressive. The Hammer jig is designed to come through a wide range of cover that will be newly flooded. The bigger profile with a chunk trailer is easier for bass to find around cover in stained water.
Spring/Spawn/Early Summer
You have to think about the transition routes from winter banks to gravel spawning pockets. It may be a long distance or maybe it will be just 100 yards. In spring, just about any jig will catch fish. Tie on your confidence jig and go to work. You have to keep a close eye on the weather and water temperature to determine where the fish will be holding on the transition route. This determines how deep you need to fish and what speed of presentation is most effective. Early, they will be on the deeper, steep areas and when the water approaches 60 degrees you will find them at the edge of gravel flats waiting to move in and makes nests. Select a round head or a Hammer jig based on water color, depth, cover and mood of the fish. When the spawn is on, a jig may not be the best numbers bait but is can get that kicker from flooded bushes.
Swim a Hammer Jig through flooded bushes for post-spawn bites or locate near-by structure with a football jig.
Right after the spawn, swimming a jig through flooded cover can be effective. Males are guarding fry and the females will start to look to rebuild on shad and baitfish. Shad patterns like white, bleeding shad and shimmy shad on a bullet style jig will come through most anything.
As the water warms and the shallow bite dies, the majority of the fish have moved to deep flat points near spawning areas. This is the time to dig out the football jigs. A 5/8 oz football jig in PB&J or brown/purple flash will be productive. Post-spawn fish will be hungry and eat shad and crawfish patterns. A football jig as a follow-up to a deep diving crankbait is a great combination. When fishing deeper with a football jig, I'll go with 12 lb flourocarbon on a 7' Hammer rod. This rod is a little stiffer and longer to allow for better hooksets on a long cast.
Summer/Early Fall
The water has topped out in temperature and as in the dead of winter, sometimes the bite will be sporadic. Occasionally a deep structure bite with a football jig will work and sometimes you can go as shallow as you can drag the boat up the river to flip your favorite jig. The thickest cover near deep water is a great place to prod in a river with a jig. Plastics are usually more productive at this time of year but then again, you may get that kicker bite when you need it most. Each lake will be different and have its own characteristics. Table Rock is known to have a strong football jig bite just before the thermocline breaks up in early fall. You have to apply jig tactics to how your lake fishes.
After the thermocline has been established, football jigs are great structure probing tools in the heat of summer.
Jigs are undoubtedly one class of lures that everyone must master. Something about a jig attracts big bass and it has for many, many years. Understanding the basics of how a jig is put together and the importance of different jig characteristics will allow you to select the right jig for your specific conditions and fishing style. We could get hung up on color variations or weed guard angle but in the end, a jig is still just a hunk of lead wrapped around a hook. The variation that you pick based on seasonal patterns and cover information can turn a simple lure into a boat load of fun.
To view the full line of Eiron Breaker Lure Company products, go to www.eironjig.com.
