Choosing the Right Line for Jigging (3 of 3) | custom hair jigs

Now that I've covered the basics, here's a couple that most people don't think of.

Shaky Head Jigs - 8-10lb fluorocarbon. I prefer fluorocarbon for it's sensitivity and near invisibility.

Hair Jigs - 6-10lb fluorocarbon. Custom hair jigs are one of my favorite cold water lures. Since they're fished when fish are lethargic (winter and early spring), you need a line that's not going to spook the fish, and fluorocarbon is the ticket.
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Choosing the Right Line for Jigging (2 of 3) | custom flipping jig

Here's a couple more of my line recommendations for jigging:

Flipping Jigs - 15-20lb fluorocarbon or 30-65lb braid. In most conditions, braid is my choice of line, but if the water is extremely clear and the cover isn't thick, I'll go to fluorocarbon. Remember this the next time you tie on your favorite custom flipping jig!

Swim Jigs - 12-20lb fluorocarbon. Choose your strength of line by the thickness of the cover you'll be swimming jigs in. 15lb test is a good all around choice.

Choosing the Right Line for Jigging (1 of 3) | custom football jigs

A lot of people wonder what's the best kind of line to use for fishing with jigs. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to that question because of all the different kinds of jigs. In this and upcoming blogs, I'll share my line recommendations for different types of jigs.

Football Jigs - 12-15lb Fluorocarbon. An FC line is my personal choice for custom football jigs because of its sensitivity and abraision resistance. I also like it because it is nearly invisible to fish, which helps since football jigs are fished in open water most of the time. The abraision resistance helps since football jigs are fished around rocks often too.

Jigs and Hooks | mustad ultra point hooks

When it comes to hooks, I tend to use three different brands.

For all my soft plastics rigging and things, I use Gamakatsu or Owner, depending on what I'm doing since I think each brand has hooks better suited to different applications.

But for my jigs, I always use Mustad ultra point hooks. Mustad's jig hooks are great because they are a heavy wire hook, yet they are still razor sharp!

Flipping and Pitching (3 of 3) | flipping and pitching

Pitching can cover more water than flipping, but it is still a short range technique.

Here's how. Let enough line out so that your bait is about at your reel when you hold you rod up. Grab it in your non-casting hand. point you rod down, and as you swing it up, let go of the jig so it swings out. You can let the jig take line out as it travels forward. If you're using a baitcasting reel, be sure do keep your thumb on the spool so is doesn't overrun. Just like flipping, practice until you can get you bait to enter the water where you want it, and without making a splash.

Flipping and pitching are great short range techinuqes that can help you place your bait stealthily and accurately where the fish are.

Flipping and Pitching (2 of 3) | weedless jig

For those of you who don't know how to flip, lets go over it. Flipping is an accurate way to place your bait, but unfortunaly, its distance is very limited.

First, tie on your weedless jig or t-rigged soft plastic. Let out a rod length, or a rod and a half worth of line. Grab your line between the reel and the first guide. Pull up the line with your non-casting arm. Swing your bait underhand to gain momentum and as the lure travels out, bring the line in your hand closer to the rod. You should end with the line back in its original position.

Practice this until you can place the lure where you want it without making a splash.

Flipping and Pitching (1 of 3) | flipping jigs

Fishing in the weeds can be difficult and downright frustrating, which is why many anglers choose to fish somewhere else, but it can also produce good numbers of largemouth bass (and big ones!). While fishing in heavy weed cover you can eliminate some lures choices.

I've found the best way to fish weeds is flipping and pitching. Two of my favorites baits for this are t-rigged soft plastic craws or creature baits with heavy bullet weights (3/8-1 oz) pegged in front of them and flipping jigs. Flipping jigs are great for fishing weedy cover since they feature a streamline head shape and a weedguard to keep the jig from hanging up in the weeds.

Fishing Jigs on Ledges | football jigs

While they may not be great for heavy cover, football jigs, shine when it comes to fishing ledges. Their wide head shape gives stability while reducing the chance of getting hung up on rocks. With a craw trailer, these make the perfect baits for fishing ledges.

So if your lake has lots of ledges, give football jigs a try.

Jigs, Great for Catching Summer Bass | custom bass jigs

If you're looking to catch some bass this summer, consider fishing with a jig. While there numerous types of jigs, colors, trailers, etc. you only need a couple to catch fish.

A standard flipping jig will cover a lot of your jig fishing situations. I recommend having at least a 3/8oz and a 1/2oz jig in a couple colors including Black & Blue, Green Pumpkin, and Craw patterns.

Using custom bass jigs is a great way to land yourself a huge bass this season!