swimming jigs

I put a 5 in. K-Grub behind and RC Tackle swimming jig and that worked well for me last summer.

Hi all. New to the site though I have been looking in from the outside for quite some time. Thought I would also add my $0.02 on the swimming jig phenomenon. I am a big fan of the 1/4 oz Northland Jungle Jig in red/ black or white. Zoom big chunk for pads or slop and Yamamoto twin tail for open water and docks. Something about that goofy skirt really seems to get those fish riled up.

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I have been using K-gubs in 5″ the past few days and have caught a lot of fish.

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On the Miss? Green ones or Brown ones? No kidding?

I’m also new here, but have used the swimming technique for many years. My preference is for jigs tied with hair, especially those with rabbit strip tails, but I’ll also use rubber or silicone skirted jigs with plastic trailers & grubs at times, mostly in tidal waters around pads & wood. A heavily skirted jig with 6″ lizard works great sometimes swimming it fast thru the pads & over grasses in the tidal rivers I fish.

I use hair jigs year round, I feel the action is better, but they do seem to work better in colder waters for most people. Hair jigs don’t push a lot of water, so I feel it’s just a matter of water clarity, since many waters clear up when they get cold & algaes & such die off. Bass, as well as other species can see them better in cold, clear waters. As water clarity drops I switch to other baits that push a lot of water, & create a lot of commotion.

I also use a wide assortment of colors & combinations, but use 3 more than all others, black, white & chartreuse. These are my starting colors most of the time for just about any type lure I decide to use, then I adapt from there. Again I feel it’s because the fish see these better, under the majority of “normal” water conditions in my area.

As far as colors like pink go, I also have used pink with good success, but am not sure why it works. Black & pink, olive & pink, brown & pink, or purple & pink combinations have worked for me. I believe it has something to do with contrast of the colors against each other & against the surroundings. Again the fish can see it better. It may also resemble some natural prey, as I’ve seen soft shell craws that looked pink to me.

I use 1/8 oz jigs most of the time in rivers & streams, but will go up to as large as 1 or 2 oz for heavy grasses or pads in the tidal rivers, although lighter weights of 3/8 to 3/4 oz usually work fine.

Here’s a link to some of the hair jigs & colors I use.

http://www.chesapeakefly.com/hairjig.htm

Bigjim, welcome to the site!

I see you are from Maryland Wow! How did you find this place?

Thanks much for the info, it’s always nice to hear from people out of the area.

Blue Fleck, thanks for the welcome! I found this site by doing a search for fishing forums! This looks like a great place with lots of participation & knowledge!

I agree with you about hearing from outside! I like to hear what folks in other places are doing to catch fish! I think sometimes fishing ideas get a little stale when everyone is doing the same thing in a particular area. I’m always looking for something different & new ideas, although I still rely on what’s worked for me in the past!

I’ve recently become interested in Walleyes, but we don’t have a lot of them here. I’ve not yet caught any so am trying to do some homework to improve my chances.

I also fish for bass & Stripers, as well as panfish & catfish and it looks like there’s a lot of good info here about all of them. (Smallmouths & Stripers are my two favorites!) I mainly fish rivers like the Potomac & Susquehanna, and the Chesapeake Bay & tidal tributaries.

I make a lot of my own tackle & tie flies, and have been doing so for about 37 years. I hope I can contribute something in return for the info I receive.

Thanks again for the warm welcome! Tight lines!

Bigjim,

Do you see that flashing envelope at the top of the page?(upper left by the entrance link) Click on it. That is our Private Message(PM) system. I’ve got a question or two for you.

OK, thanks for the navigation lesson!
I sent you a reply, & hope it helps!

BigJim,

I went to your webpage and like the looks of you hair jigs and feathered treble hooks When you have time you’ll have to give us some pointer on fishing tidal rivers.

All green fish but all in small waters,but not for long . Pickin up new boat tommorrow.

Riverfan, sure, I would be glad to.

Bassbaron,I learned this tech. on the river with an Everstart angler. I thought he kidding and he made me swim the jig and he pitch the brush it was a very effective team effert,and with all the talk about color I only will throw color combos with red fleck for this tech.

Ive been testing this swimming technique out in my pond- i seem to miss a lot of fish or they bite the grub in half. They are mostly smaller (12-14″) fish but am i setting too early or too hard??? Thanks for all the input- it seems to be a good substitute for spinnerbaits in shallow water and comes through and over weeds better.

Here is another article on Tom Monsoor. http://www.insideline.net/articles/monsoor2.htm. Once again it is pretty infomative. When I have swam jigs it has been mostly around heavy cover up in the water column and the fish have hammered it. I have mostly just swept the rod and cranked steadily and have not missed very many if I was paying attention, which isn’t always the case . Why is it they seem to know when I’m resetting the speed on the trolling motor or helping net a fish?

Basspack, I get a document not found error on that link.

MossBoss, so did I.

Try this one.

That’s pretty awesome!!

Bass baron brings up a good point. When I swim jigs in open water I will often use a 6’6″ or 7′ spinnerbait rod. I’ve noticed that I miss far fewer fish with the softer tip/ slower action rod compared to a standard jig or flippin’ rod. I do still use the pool cue for swimming jigs over slop though

Thanks Bluefleck,T.M. is one of the greatest in the mid west and will be known as one of the best of all in the future

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Single-tail grub (big one) retrieved *very* quickly above grass, pads, or shallow flats… new to my techniques in 2004… seemed effective to search fish out and when the reation bite was hot, otherwise, slower techniques served me better. Sure is exciting fishing, though…

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Isn’t that what spinnerbaits are for??????

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Good Call BassBaron

I might hafta try one of dem thingys……just how do u go about fishing one of dem jiggy things

a swimming jig can be a great tool at times. just like everything else. sometimes it out fishes spinnerbaits other times not. i use it on sandbars also. Bob’s Baitshop in LX has a good slection of swimming jigs. i like the ones made by Dave’s Tournament Tackle. there is no magic bait out there. this is just another way to catch fish at certain times….
doug

Personal I prefer the jig in weeds and pads because you eliminate the need to clean out a blade and eliminate fish being turn off by a bait that sundenly stops working in front of their face. Every lure has a use, and a place in my boat.Brovarney baits has a nice selection of swim jigs on the web. We also have an informative links section that is updated constently with any information we find about swim jigs on the web from tournament results to articles on Tom M. and Jim J. and what they do with their jigs.

Casey Hewes