swim jigs 2

Ok guys all i hear on here is swim jigs, swim jigs, swim jigs. But what exactly are they. How do you fish them. I check some of the sites and to a novice bass fisherman they look like bass jigs to me. So what gives.

I agree Jason I’d love to know also so you are not the only one that was wondering—– i’d guess a jig that you retreive slowly verses hopping and jiging back, but that is just a guess…. Be interesting to find out?

Jason, a swim jig is different from a “regular” jig in that head is shaped a little more aerodynamic.

For sake of example, it would be like a spinnerbait, only w/o the spinner, and a grub tail thrown on the back.

Where can you throw them? ANYWHERE!!! They are the most versatile lure on the market. Wood, Weeds, Slop, Trees , Rocks, it doesn’t matter, they work in almost every scenario.

Thanks slop. think i will have to give the technique a try. Seems to work awefully well for those of you throwing them.

Slop,

Is the head shape and tie point different on a swim jig to make it more weedless, or does it have soemthing to do with the way it moves through the water? Is the skirt different on a swim jig? How big of a deal is color? To my untrained eye they look a lot like a regular bass jig. I’ve tried swimming the jigs I have around cover instead of pitching or flipping them and haven’t had much luck with it.
Time to learn something new!

Thanks

Rootski

A good swim jig has a few attributes that separate it from a typical jig. Most good swim jigs have bullet shaped heads that utilize a hook which has a 30° bend in the head. For instance a football shaped head will not work well as a swim jig.

Weed guards are another aspect. Heavy weed guards impede a good hook set. The amount of fibers in a weed guard have to be taken into consideration also. IMHO most jig companies put way too many fibers in a jig.

I know I have a good swim jig when I can pull it along side the boat in slow forward motion and it won’t roll. There are jigs where the weed guards and overall design cause the bait to roll. That ain’t good.

As for skirts, some people I know swear by living rubber while others a satisfied with silicone skirts. I tie my own with living rubber & silicone skirt material and various colors of mylar and Flashabou.

I will say this, I recently ordered some of the Team Supreme Pro Swim jigs and can’t wait to try them. The head shape, weedguards, and hook look to be spot on. I’ll be posting my findings on these jig soon for sure! Hopefully with some pics of sumo Bass caught on them.

Here is my 2 cents worth.

Start with a bullet shaped head. The hook attachment needs to come out of the front on the point at 27-33 degrees.

If you go more than 33 degrees the jig tends to come thru the water with the bottom of the jig leading the way which when you hit something causes the jig rolls on its side and takes longer to right itself. This leaves the hook lying sideways which leads to more snags and spoiled casts.

Less that 27 degrees and the jig will come thru the water like a cork screw.

A jig with the right angle will pop over or off cover and then right itself.

The hook that goes into that jig head will greatly affect it’s running. The Extra wide bend hooks don’t come thru cover very well and have a tendency to roll over on their side and stay that way longer. Most Swim jigs use as hook that has been modified in some way. These hooks all are almost all of the thin or standard wire variety. Mustad has introduced a standard hook with a 28 degree bend but it is heavier than all of the hooks that are typically used. I had hopes for it but all the guys on the brovarney Baits pro staff that I should it to veto’d it. A hook that is to heavy will have the problem of staying on it’s side to long. And last but not least look for a hook with a needle point instead of a cutting edge.

The paint is a personal taste thing. I prefer to have it stay on the head no mater what I do to the jig so I only use baked powder paint. Powder paint also allows some interesting paint options. All jigs should have eyes to give you a target point.

Weedguards are as much for the keeling effect that they give as they are for deflection of weeds and snags. If the jig runs true and rights itself quickly there is no need for a heavy weedguard. All of the quality jigs (1/4 oz.)have light weedguards like the do-it 5/64th. With larger jigs it is advisable to use a longer weedguard but pull out 6 or 7 fibers before attaching.

For color my general guideline is dark early in the season, light after the shad feed starts and un-natural colors any time. If you have colors you like match them.

Skirt materials dictate color choices and action. Rubber has less colors but is springier making a livelier jig. Silicon has more colors. All of the quality jigs have skirts that are hand tied. Hand tying gives greater action and durability but unfortunately adds cost. I believe that tying the skirt with all of the strands laid out towards the front of the jig make the jig puff out more when the jig deflects and causes more reaction strikes. Some people want the flash that tinsel adds and some hate it. Color and flash are personal taste things.

Trailers are tricky in that the stiffness of the plastic and the thickness of the tail dictates action and the necessity of changing trailers. Some popular trailer have a lot of action but have to be replaced after every hit. Some have a tail that sticks together and interrupts the cast. I use an action Plastic trailer because I believe that I spend less time fiddling with the grub and more time fishing.

I am a firm believer in POWER PRO. I just believe that I will get a better hook set and will get that baby to the boat. DO NOT use pliers to tighten down the drag. POWER PRO has no stretch. Make friends with a well set drag.

As to how to use them you really need to experiment. Typically you want to keep them up in the water column. In sight is always good. Sometimes they are great search baits tossed far and retrieved fast to find fish. Other times when you know how the fish are holding to cover you can really shorten up the length and target shoot ambush points. If you have a pattern of small cranks on shoreline rocks you can use a swim jig instead. You can throw any of the better swim jigs on top of the weed mats and drop it off the edge and it will right itself and start swimming. I have seen some guys toss them up on sand and drag them into the water when the fish are spooky. Weed edges, sand patches and points all hold fish and can be effectively fished with a swim jig.

The best way that I know to figure out how to fish one is to replace whatever you are catching fish on with a swim jig and figure out what you need to do to get the fish that you already know are there (cause you were catching them). It is so much easier to stick with a new bait when you know there are fish around.

Try it, play with it and enjoy it. It’s better than Cialis.

Dude, you are so wrong…. If you are having trouble in this area, Cialis is like the fountain of youth…(so I am told)
Now thats funny, if you don’t think that funny then ya’all….

Brovarney and Fleck, that is some excellent information. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to explain things.

Many Thanks!

Rootski

One thing that I have figured out on this site is that JC will only talk about things that he has experience with

Thanks for the great info, guys! I, like Jason had heard about swimming a jig before, but had never experienced it. My boater at the BFL Prairie event was wearing me out, yelling for the net. I finally got a look at what he was throwing, and did the best I could to rig up something similar.

I only caught one fish all day, but it was while swimming a black/blue finesse jig with a 4″ white grub trailer. It felt good to yell for the net and see a 3lb smallie come out of the water. The jig was literally inhaled, and took a lot of TLC to remove it safely.

I’ll be investing in some actual “swim jigs” before we head to Wabasha!

I think everyone should hold off on buying/receiving swim jigs until AFTER wabasha…lol..jk

See you up there

LMAO…….. Look me up and introduce yourself, Slop. You can’t miss me. There are only two of us there with long hair, and the other guy’s is a lot thicker and dark. Mine is very thin and blonde!

Zombywuff- I’ll be there too. If you can find me at the meeting I’ll have a pocket full of Brovarney Baits jigs in the “right” colors if you need some .

thanks alot guys. that was some great info. I will be ordering some for sure. dont know if i will have a chance to use them til next spring with fall hunting coming up and fall walleye fishing but definately will look forwardt to giving them a try when I get out bassin again.

Oh by the way, the walleye fishin really has nothing to do with why I wont be bassin my uncle who i bass with had shouler surgery and is out of commission right now.

If you are learning the above comments are excellent, I would go to http://www.brovarneybaits.com/ and click on the informative links section- there are tons of tidbits to read on swim jigs from good sources (champman, monsoor, “other” tour pros).

Thanks d-nort! Hold up a sign or something…….. I’m the one who looks out of place there, everyone else looks like a normal fisherman! I’m more of the “old fishing hippie” type! I’ve probably seen you guys before, but have no clue who anyone is if I haven’t fished with them.

I’ll be wearing a blue Yamaha hat at the meeting on Friday. Like I said before, “I’ll have jigs”. Look me up!

I ordered some last night, but as you know…….. I’ll need more! I’ll try and track you down, d-nort. Thanks again!

Hey, boys,

Skip’em under docks. Guys down here see that I have one tied on. They don’t ask; I don’t tell.

Thanks,

OTW