http://susquehannafishing.com/
By Bryan Wilhelm
Pursuing bass with rod and reel is my favorite pastime. Over the years I have had many opportunities to fish for these water-born athletes… and when I’m fishing a river, I always try some kind of a jig. A jig is a hook with a heavy cast metal head, usually lead, most often painted and assembled with some form of dressing.
When I was a young man, my dad would make most of our family’s tackle needs at home. It was a craft at which dad excelled. He did this not only for enjoyment, but because he was able to make many lures that were not available any other way at that time. I have followed in his shadow. But for me… jigs have become an obsession. Today, there are many sources and many choices both in materials and molds for jig making.
The attributes of great river bass jigs are, they:
• Have features that trigger fish to strike
• Are inexpensive and made with available materials
• Look great and are ready to fish
• Are confidence, go to lures
• Can be fished productively with few hang-ups
When you make your own jigs, you can pick the components that work for your river and fishing conditions. Making jigs is well worth the expense and effort, as you can produce some awesome fish-catching jigs.
In this and future articles I will describe some good and bad features of many jig styles. I will highlight how to select head shapes… and match them to body designs and materials for optimum performance. I will include details of how to fish jigs. Plus, I will provide information to help you select the right jigs for different fishing situations.
The round head jig is the most widely sold jig for fresh water. It has universal acceptance for that reason, but it often hangs up on the bottom. It’s good for tackle sales, but frustrating to the angler. The round head jig can be improved by selecting a body or live bait that will help overcome its shortfall.
Fig. 1: 1/8 oz. undressed ball head jig…
best fished with a minnow.
The wooly bugger jig (below) has a marabou tailing for movement and a soft hackle collar full length to stabilize the jig on the bottom while emulating aquatic insects for enhanced attraction. This would be a good color choice in clear water conditions.
Fig. 2: 1/8 oz. Wooly bugger jig …
a good body design choice for the ball jig head. It can be fished as is or with live bait (like: minnows, leaches or half a crawler).
Another great live bait jig is the Walleye Jig. It has an oval head shape that makes it a disaster to fish alone…but the Walleye jig excels when fished with a minnow.
Here’s its secret…
As soon as the walleye jig lure hits bottom…it wants to roll over on its side. The attached minnow works continually to stay upright. The minnow’s continuous movement attracts fish and triggers bites.
Fig. 3: ¼ oz. Walleye jig of muted colors of deer & black bear hair with later line for flash... Good choice for clear water.
Fig. 4: ¼ oz. Walleye jig with bright color deer hair and flash… An appropriate color & flash choice for stained water.
To make life simple…clear water is when I can see my lure at a foot or greater depth. Stained water is anything less.
Adding an L arm spinner (like a beetle spin) to any jig will add vibrations that attract fish when water clarity is poor.
I fish jigs on 5-6’ fast action, light power, graphite, spinning rods with a 2500 series reel spooled with 10-15 pound test bright yellow, super braid line with 6 feet of 6 or 8 pound fluorocarbon leaders attached with back to back uni-knots.
Fishing close ensures fewer snags.
So, that all for now. In later articles I will cover material selection, jig design, building techniques and more.
Tight lines... Bryan Wilhelm
Bryan Wilhelm is a multi-species light tackle angler with many years experience both as a professional and a sportsman on the lower Susquehanna River. His zeal for fishing grows each passing year. We look forward to him sharing his experiences.
