Dwayne Mills
gunny@hook1.com
hook1.com
"GUNNY'S TACKLE BOX"
Fishing Reports And Articles On Lower Alabama Rivers
Jig-N-Pig
The prime months for fishing a jig have come upon us for another fishing season. A Jig-N-Pig can be fished year-round and in all water conditions and depths, but the optimum months are January and February.
A few of the reasons the Jig-N-Pig is so productive during these months are: it emulates a crawfish, it has a large profile and it can be fished very slow and methodically.
During late January and through February the water temperatures are starting to rise into the 50's and 60's and the crawfish are hatching. With the hatch of crawfish and the bass starting to feed on them make for a perfect time to pitch a jig. Also the passing of cold fronts make the water temperature go up and down. The change of water temperature has the bass moving up and down the water column. This change in water temperature make the bass slow and lethargic which makes the jig a very deadly bait.
In the bass fishing world, the jig is known as the big fish bait. As it is true most fish that are caught on a jig are bigger in comparison to any other bait; normally the bigger bass will bite during the winter months and into the spring. In these months the bigger females will eat a jig quick, fast and in a hurry.
The winter months are the best times to use pork instead of plastic trailers. The water is cold and the pork has more movement than plastics. Pork will have more fluid movement in all conditions. Using a pork frog with a lot of bulk will cause the jig to fall slowly. Pork can be used year round, but in the summer months when it is extremely hot, or the sun is out, pork has a tendency to dry out and become hard. Once it has dried out you might as well cut it off and throw it away. This is why pork is primarily used during the winter. Remember to keep the pork wet at all times.
There are many ways to present a jig, but I have found that emulating a crawfish works best for me. Knowing that a crawfish will usually do one of three things: sit still on the bottom, walk in a forward motion, or flex its tail to avoid danger or a predator. The presentation of the jig can be accomplished by having the bait do a couple of different things, or a combination of these. Having the bait lie motionless on the bottom initially is always a good start. After this initial start, a few different maneuvers may be used. I prefer to pitch the jig into or near cover, let it go to the bottom and sit, then lift it off the bottom two or three times and again let it sit for a few seconds, then hop it a couple of times. Sometimes the bass want the jig hopped, which resembles a crawfish trying to swim away. Try different presentations until you find out what the fish want. The fish will let you know what type of retrieve they will respond to the best.
I like to pitch a jig in 5 to 15 foot of water. Any isolated cover on the outside edges of feeder creeks that go back into major coves are high probability areas. It is very important to saturate a brush pile or any piece of heavy cover with multiple casts from different angles, because the bass are very finicky this time of year. There can also be more than one bass on a brush pile, so if you catch one, don't just put her in the live well and move on, give that same piece of cover a few more casts. Make sure to work outside in. Some of the strikes will be very subtle and sometimes they will try to jerk the rod out of your hand. Ensure to watch your line very closely because a bass might pick your jig up on the fall while you are peeling line off and swim off with your line.
The way that I gained confidence in the jig was to continually fish it. A fellow fisherman took me out jig fishing and jig fishing is what we did all day. We pitched and flipped our baits at every piece of cover we could find. I didn't bring any other rods with me so I was forced to use the jig all day. Throughout the course of the day I gained the confidence in the bait that I needed. I am very thankful for what he has shown me and will always have a jig tied on. A Jig-N-Pig can be a very productive bait and very good tool to have in your arsenal, so tie one on and give it a try.
Good Luck and good fishing.
