swimming jigs

I have worked on swimming jigs the last couple of years. My success so far is up and down. What areas have been working for people that swim jigs? What types of jigs do you have the most confidence in when swimming them? Any favorite brands? I decided to really explore this technic this year.

Here is a good article on swiming jigs.
http://www.insideline.net/articles/swim-jigs.html
I don’t know of a tackle company that makes a “swiming jig” some make mifoil/grass jigs that many swim, but I haven’t seen or heard of a swiming jig. Alot of the guys on the BFL pour their own. RC Tackle is hopefully going to be coming out with a swiming jig this year, so I will keep you posted on that. I do know that some of the best trailers for swiming jigs are avaible through B-Fish-N Tackle http://efishingnetwork.com/store/details.asp?prodid=kgrubs&cat=240&path=101,239,240. The 5 inch Kalin grub makes an excellent trailer for swiming jigs, spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits. Good Luck.

BB, thanks for the article. It is a very good read and I suggest it to anyone that fishes for bass.

I throw a swimming jig alot and do real well on it. I do make my own though. I don’t pour the heads. I buy them from Keystone Precision Lures. Here is what they look like.
http://www.picassooutdoors.com/pswgu42.html
I like the way the eye of the hook is embeddded into the head.

Weeds rarely get hooked on the bait and it swims like a dream. One thing I will recommend to anyone trying swimming jigs is SUPER GLUE YOUR TRAILER TO THE JIG! It is a complete nightmare trying to fish a jig when the trailer keeps sliding down the hook. A trailer sliding down the hook will result in a poor swimming jig and will in most instances twist your line and cause severe frustration, headaches and fewer fish.

BB is also correct when he said the 5″ kalin make an excellent trailer. I use them exclusively. If anyone has any ?s on using a swimming jig please feel free to PM me w/ your ?s.

We’re one day closer to summer.
BF

Swimming jigs..hmm..Didn’t think many people really believe you could swim a jig. A couple of guys that got me started fishing in tournaments told me that if I could fish a jig…you can swim a jig. Even though I can’t swim one as good as they can it’s unbeleiveable were you can throw a jig. Any of you swim a jig over slop? How about through a pad field. I’m sure most have tried it. It works. I love swimming a jig through slop. What I have found that works best for a jig is any jig that has the eye or eyelet out front of the jig and somewhat the shape of a bullet head. But I have found you can swim just about any jig. I find one of my favorites its ti swim a chomper with a light wire jig head. And use it over a slop field…..From what I hear Tom Monsoor is the king of swimming jigs…along with my buddy Marty Clauson from Montello…..alittle plug for my buddy…Hey in most tourneys that all he will do and catches limits after limits….He love the King Cole jig….a little plug for you Steve and partners………Is the ice off the river yet??????????

You know Marty? Last time I saw him was last year’s Frigid Open…

He’s not fished the BFL for a few years now… What’s up with that?

Thanks

I would like to debate this “Technique” however I do not wish to disrupt your matrix.
jc

Jeremy, Go ahead and debate. That’s what this forum is for, letting people express their views and offer expertise, advise and educated opinions. I appreciate the answers to my questions. I do feel that this is a valid way to catch fish (of course there are more ways to catch fish then any one person could ever master). Thanks guys. Basspack

I like to swim a jig with a Zoom Super Chunk as the trailer. It has great action if you jig it on the retrieve. Blue and watermelon seed are my favs.

Jeremy–Whats to debate…it’s a way to fish..good, bad, or ugly..

Jeremy, yes, give your opinion… I’m looking forward to it.

Thanks,

OnTheWater

I like a jig with a line tie in line with the hook point and a wedge shaped head to reduce weed buildup and the ability to part weeds. My favorite is the King Cole “Fang” jig in the plastic locker version. This jig incorporates a wire clip that is used to secure the grub or other plastic trailer in line with the hook point and the plastic grub acts as the weedguard. This version of the jig does not have the standard bristle weed guard, although King Cole does make one with a bristle weed guard, and because of the design it reduces the effective size of the jig which makes it go through weeds and structure better. These jigs also have two rattle chambers on short rubber leads for more noise than the ones attached to the hook shank. I also like the fact that these jigs stand up on the bottom unlike the ones Monsoor uses so you can drop them into holes without snagging up and you don’t have to change up when encountering wood or other structure. You can get these jigs at some bait shops around Madison and at http://www.predatortacklestore.com. My 2 cents

Jeremy now that I’ve have found the swimming jig you won’t have to teach me slop frogs anymore. sigh……you know I’ll really miss the those frogs. What’s a Matrix LOL

Well this is coming off the cuff so bear with me a bit.
I will also preface that you are not all alike and I can not lump you all into one group. That being said I am targeting the tournament fishermen and the other that think anything to do with Tom’s swimming jig will miraculously make them a better fisherman. In the tourney circles you hear little groups of friends talking about how they got a glimpse of the “Swimming jig” and the pattern he uses etc, etc, etc. they guard this info as if it were their own child and share this information amongst there peers to embark in a chest beating ceremony dates back to the early agrarian period and possibly the Roman Empire.
There was an article a many years back in the In-Fisherman talking about night crawlers gathered during an ancient Indian right of passage that was said to correspond with a specific lunar phase in doing so brought astounding results when these crawlers were used in fishing. This worm when collected in the proper format and then compared side by side with normal off the shelf crawlers out produced the regular one 10 to 1. The story was so elaborate and added so many facts, testimonial info, scientific data etc that I had bit hook line and sinker. It seems I was like the masses that was to looking for that special technique, secret bait, special sauce that I was so absolutely blinded by what others were doing that I lost my creativity, passion for exploration, ability to listen to my environment, LEARN, and in reading this little article I elevated my abilities in not only fishing but in everything I do. It’s not the guy whom can copy a technique and copy what others have done in the past to catch fish that will be at the top of his game. It’s the guy in a Johnboat that just does it because he loves being on the water and doesn’t really care what others think of him. This person will be able to unlock all that mother nature has to offer him. I wish I were that guy.

Now onto this swimming jig and the Mysteries surrounding it. Plain and simple it’s a JIG nothing more nothing less. Why is Tom so effective with it… News flash! Tom is a good fisherman. Its that simple. He can just plain out catch fish. He has more experience than most, has spent years commercial fishing, years of dedicated learning. If any single one of you pay your proverbial dues you will to have success amongst your peers. If the lime light is what you seek you are looking for it in the wrong place. A wise friend of mine once said. You MUST come into this sport a MAN, because fishing will not make you one.

Now onto Jig Fishing.
Who is the number 1 money winner of all time… Denny Brower. He is a jig fisherman. Is it the jig? My money is on the presentation. I’ll give you all some hints that will make you a little better this summer.
1. When fishing a jig pressured fish will not eat a slow moving bait. You are after a reaction bite. Go heavier and yo-yo or go lighter and SWIM A JIG.
2. Most people downsize.. When fishing seems tough you are told to downsize. This only works if the fish are feeding. If the fish are not feeding then downsizing does not work period. Go heavier or SWIMM A JIG. Reaction bite.
3. You are flipping jigs into cover you drag. Why because fish are feeding and are in ambush position.
4. Fishing a Weed line….You swim the bait down the edge or go heavier and punch into cover. Have you ever seen a shut down bass on a weed line… Next time you are in clear water you just take a close look. Sometimes you will see the tail out in the water and their head buried in the outside weed line.

I know I often sound like the angry stepfather always squashing exaggerated ideals so I will try to play nicely….

Once more to clarify.
YES, swimming a jig will catch fish. I outlined its prime times and why it works. Will a spinnerbait work in this situation (you betch-ya) but the jig is more natural and in my opinion the correct tool. For ya’ll innovators you have my respect. The people just adding this to there Bag O Tricks then I hope my insight into its use comes in handy. For the people looking for that secret bait you have my pitty…
Jc

Jeremy, I’m not sure where you’re getting that we or some of us are trying to emulate stardom to raise ourselves to that level by using Monsoor’s secret. I re-read the posts and they seem to show info from people that have had success using jigs and are sharing some of their experiences.

I for one am very impressed with what Tom does on the water. I also know that he spends more time on the water in a year than I probably have in my life. I am in my late 30’s and am a single parent with four kids. I love to fish and am competitive within myself to get better at the things that interest me. I fish a few tournaments as a co-angler each year and want to do better every time out. I feel as though one way that I can get better is to try new technics and to try to use things that the fish don’t always see or that are different from what my boater is doing. If he is hammering fish on bait X I am not going to use bait Y just to be different, but if he is trying bait A and I can compliment his presentation with bait B than I would like to have confidence in bait B. Without the opportunity to go south I enjoy sharing info on this forum during the winter and doing a little dreaming.

Would I like to be as good as Monsoor or other guys that consistantly win tournaments? Yes, and I would think you would enjoy that as well. I fish the BFL because it is handy, not overly expensive and fun. I like to fish with different people, learn different technics, and compete with others on a fairly even level. Just a few years ago I had never even tried to flip or pitch a lure. I strictly threw spinner baits and fished plastic worms. By practicing, reading and doing I have become pretty decent at flipping and have confidence in doing it. Jeff Ritter is a friend of mine and lives just up the road from me. His drive and desire to get better has paid off in the last few years. Why?, because he spends time on the water, practices studies, and understands the river and the fish. I know some of his favorite baits, but I know that they won’t put a fish on the end of line automatically.

As a co-angler who’s job does not allow for time off in the fall I know that I will probably never have the chance to go to the All-American even if I qualify. I get as much satifaction going out on the water mid-week and hammering fish or out catching my brother-in-law or even doing better than I did last week. I force myself to learn new lures or baits and to try new spots. It’s all part of getting better, not trying to find that secret fish-will-jump-in-the-boat-bait.

As far as using jigs goes I have used them and had success with them in flipping and pitching situations. In my mind swimming them is a good idea in some situations because they are more natural and less dinnerbellish than throwing a spinnerbait or a crankbait. It goes to reason that if a fish hits a spinnerbait or sees them a hundred times in a season then throwing a spinnerbait may have the effect of shutting that fish down. However a swimming jig with a more natural look, sound and vibration may not have the same negative effect.

I would contend that most fish that are caught are caught by a reaction bite. If I am hungry and see food I react to it by eating it, if I am not hungry and someone puts food that I like by me I am very likely to react to it by eating it also. Isn’t a fish likely to react in the same way? The example of swimming a jig along the weed edge seems to show that fish will react to the natural presentation which reminds them of something they like to eat even if they are hungry.

Thank you for your pointers. I think with them and the other ideas I will have more success and confidence in swimming jigs. I’m not in the least bit offended by the scolding and hope you are not offended by my retun comments. Basspack

Basspack,
You sir crack me up. I did not intent to scold and from what you rebutted I see we are on the same page. Unfortunately there are about 500 other readers that were in this “Secret Bait” group as I refer to it. I have met many people in my travels and last year when the bfl was up on pool 4 I had at least a dozen calls from acquaintances inquiring about this Swimming Jig and Tom Monsoors techniques. I have much respect for his abilities on the water but like I said before. He is just a damn good hook, Its not a secret bait . Trying to use this secret technique will not help you out. I have been swimming jigs but NOT doing the “Swimming Jig”-grin- for years. I hope Tom is reading this because I think he would get a good chuckle. The more we talk about this and fuel the fire the better his odds for getting quality sponsors and for that I will continue the urban legend.

As for being a family man I can very much respect that. It’s hard to balance the 2… Trust me I know, however I am fortunate enough to have married a saint. –grin- Why she sticks around I’ll never know but just don’t tell her that.
My best to you and yours.
Jc

Its not the technique that bothers me. It’s the fishermen that I am forced to call my peers.
There are so many people that have been for years trying to figure this out. The secret is that there is not secret. The Yamamoto article is hysterical. I am sure Jimmy is laughing. The pattern is correct. The presentation is correct some if the time, and the lure choice is correct. The problem is that there are guys so inept that they have 5 of these tied on there line and that’s all they fish and they fancy themselves as good fishermen… I feel another barometric pressure rant coming on so I better relax a little.
Later.
Jc

On the water,
You know you are not supposed to poke a bear with a stick.
Lmao
Jc

If any of you have seen Tom’s boat on some practice days you realize that he has about 30 poles littering the bottom of the boat with just about every bass bait known to modern man. I saw the boat loaded that way again last year at Kwik Trip one morning . I’m sure he doesn’t have them all for looks. I had the pleasure yesterday of congratulating him on the 15th place finish and teasing him about forgeting the back-up trolling motor at the second one, just as he was leaving for the Carolina tourney. (we were both at a boat shop for repairs). I know he is amused by my naive picture of him and of bass fishing. Before any of you think I am a staulker or groupy. I have made the following statement more than once, “There is no bass or walleye tourney competitor that I fear”, always followed by “But there are a tons of them who’s skills I respect”. Tom is solidly in the second group. By the way I have the same respect for hundreds of guys I have fished around that will never chose too, or fish a tourney in their lifetime.

The statements above are ones of confidence not ego. The big “C” is a huge,huge, part of past and future success for anyone serious about fishing tourney or not. So why does the swimming jig or the new bait of the day gain so much interest . Someone elses success breeds confidence in others and that confidence alone can make a lure or presentation work for others, when used properly. Then there are those of you that with a heck of a lot more patience than me make your own custom versions ,(like some mentioned above from scratch), that have even more warranted confidence.

If you talk to top pros and I’ve had the pleasure as many of you have also, they often say that Competetive fishing is just like golf a game played in the mind with confidence being the key . Here is their definition of confidence.. Spending the last seven days, 18 hours a day prefishing until they prove to themselves they have ground to be confident in the first place. More than one has winked and said but my secret bait plays a big part in it. Even if it is a generic jig and worm.

So keep using things that work for you and give you confidence no matter where you found them or heard about them. The ultimate proof to me was the father of a guide customer last year ,over on Petenwell flowage, that used an Erie Deerie in two and a half feet of water casting about 10 feet from the boat. (the ED is a large weight forward, and in this case quite heavy rig, used usually on large deep water to get down fast. Ace in Lacrosse has some and I know some local folks use them on the river, but in two feet of water , in the middle of a stump field , casted 10 feet from the boat was the very last place I would have used it in my life. His reason,”Every big walleye I have ever caught was on this rig.” Less than 25 minutes later he boated a 10lb. 3oz, female that won him 3rd place last year at Nekosa’s month long “Walleye Days” tourney.

Well said, Mountain Man Basspack

Hey guys, I’m alittle confused now by this discussion. I thought Basspack was just looking for information how our favorite kinds of jigs that (whomever) swims a jig prefers. Now it seemed like it was a big thing on a “secrect” technique. Whether you agree with this way of fishing or not is up to each of us. Same goes for us if we think Tom Monsoor is the guy to beat. Hey, myself, I wish I could have half the success he does. But that doesn’t mean I want to be him. I, personally, hope to take all the information exchange of the website and apply it to what I know about fishing. Whether its the color of jig you guys swim, how deep you like to fish, of what color of boat you have. What works for one may not work for another…I can attest to that….lol..And maybe sometime the information or the “way we convey” our information gets misunderstood. But it kinda of seems like this thread got off track alittle. From looking for information to dishin Tom M’s way of fishing. I personally have never talk to him. But know his results. And I don’t consider myself in class of successful fisherman (yet)…But I do respect his success and all our you guys also. But like Mt Man says I don’t fear him either. Any tourney I fish I go up against the fish…I can’t tackle him and make him lose a fish…fumble…So I’d like to hear more from you guys again on what jigs or colors you do like to swim…One of you said King Cole jigs…I like them also..And know one of the guys that help develope them. He said himself they work great around wood. I like to use a new Flippin Bitsy Bug. I can control it better. But looking forward to hear what kinds you all throw. Hey only my opinion and I have the worst case of fishing fever right now…so I need some of the info on here to sooth my soul……..You’d be surprised how many notes I have from you all…….Thanks for my 2 cents………..Doug

I’m not sure if I am a “peer” of Jeremy’s, but I can add some fuel to the urban legend fire. Last June I finished 15th at the Everstart in Red Wing and my dad finished 5th and both of us were swimming jigs. My personal preference is the bitsy flippin jig with a twin-tail trailer. It’s light enough to swim and has a strong hook, however, the northland jungle jig works better in the heavy weed cover. Caught both largemouth and smallmouth on weed edges on this technique exclusively, including that nice bigmouth beauty you see in my profile picture. I rarely use a spinnerbait (only in dirty water situations) since I started swimming jigs a couple of years ago.

For those of you that use this in the thicker pads and slop. How much of your time is spent cleaning it off or

cutting through stems and how much time actually is productive fishing? The weed edges make perfect sense to me as do pockets and duck weed, but I am trying to imagine it being any more constant than frogs or rats in the heavy pads. I would love to hear it is , because I am already swimming nearly every kind of jig I throw from time to time and the technique probably would come pretty quickly.

Mt Man==your right,you can get a jig full of slp at time. I personally will only “drag” a jig across maybe the las 5 to 10 ft of the slop I’m fishing. And yep there is no substitue for me for the frogs…But I have had plenty of fish on the outter weed edges, or a few feet inside. It all depends on the fish and weeds. For example, fishing last year at Prairie, I would be fishing a frog and have several fish blow up on it the last few feet. Or they would just follow it. You could see the duckweed moving. My buddy was flipping just a jig and the edges. Well next thing he did was watch a fish follow my frog and flip right behing the frog and catch the fish. So I then grabbed my jig and started up the pad field like that. Flip about 10 ft in the slop and swim it over when I could but when I get to the edge of the slop I would just kill it or let it sink. Caught alot more that way. Works sometimes for me anyways.. but yep if you land the jig to hard that it goes under….a mess…Anyways that what I do and have fun with it….Sports Anchor..what color of bitsy buy you use?? I use the green pumpkinseed..And the hook is plenty tough.

I agree with the ideal of letting jig size and weight dictate the model I use for various situations. No one jig style has all the characteristics that make it a useful tool is all types of structure. Some jigs are better for vegetation while others work better in rock or riprap situations. Bottom line for me the versatility of the jig in being able to fish many types of structure while going down a bank and not have to pick up a different rod rigged with a different type of jig every 10 feet. If I am going to fish down (actually upstream) a stretch of riprap bank I like to use a roundhead type of jig like the Eakins jigs but if I am going down an island or shoreline bank with weeds and wood I prefer a King Cole Fang for this application as it excels in weeds and is very good in wood. This way I can have two rods with different styles of jig ready for any applcation I encounter. I also will have 8 or 10 other rods with other types of lures on them to be able fish the water more effectively than using a jig in a paricular situation. Don’t be constraining your fishing efforts to one presentation as it will invariably cause you much frustration over the long haul. Be versatile and use the right tool for the job.
P.S. While I still use frogs in certain slop situations, I have been getting more use and benefit out of using KC jigs with twin tail plastic trailers over slop and dropping it off the edge and into holes along the way. And the hooks are better on a KC jig than any frog.
P.P.S. You can swim or SCHWIM any jig style you want but some work better than others even in open water!

When I first saw this post, I thought it would bring out a few opinions… I’m glad it did.

Yeah, everyone once in a while I like kick the bear! Lol!

Every jig I’ve attempted to swim has worked worked well …

Thanks,

OnTheWater

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face” (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Assurance even more strongly stresses confidence and can suggest arrogance: How can you explain an abstruse theory with such assurance?. “It is native personality, and that alone, that endows a man to stand before presidents or generals… with aplomb” (Walt Whitman).

I guess what I am saying is that I am trying to figure out where the trebble hooks go.
jc

Could you repeat that?

dhnitro – I mainly stick to the tradition black blue for stained water and green pumpkin or pumpkin for clear water.

Some of you guys have way toooooo much time on your hands. Geeez. Lets leave Big Tom out of these post. I had no idea he liked to swim jigs and I really don’t care. Swimin a jig in very cold water can catch some really nice fish. I figured this out by accident a few years back. I was ready to call it a day after crawling my jig along a strech of rip rap . I had givin up and was reeling in and caught a nice fish . That was the way the bass wanted it and I was able to put a few more bass in the boat before dark . They were there soaking up the warmer water but needed a faster presentaion to make them bite. Some times in the spring slower is not always better.

you said a mouthful !!!!!