Are you wondering how to fish a swim jig?
Swim jigs are a subtle approach to bass fishing, but don’t let that fool you. They will catch fish! Big ones too!
Many fishermen nowadays love fishing with swim jigs and there are many good qualities that make them standout and a must in your bass fishing arsenal. Briefly, let’s discuss 3 reasons why everyone needs to fish a swim jig.
First, the trailer. The trailer can completely change the look of your presentation. Take for example a few of the many different trailers on the market: swimbaits, craws, chunks, split tails and so many more. Not to mention the many, many different colors.
Next, swim jigs are a lure that you can fish year round. They work great during the spawning season and they are just as effective in cold weather fishing.
Lastly, swim jigs tend to catch bigger fish. This is because they can get to areas that other baits can’t. If you are after more quality fish, I would suggest fishing a swim jig as often as possible.
For those reasons, I love fishing swim jigs and think you will too, but now the question is how do you fish a swim jig to catch big bass? We hope to answer that question in this post, but before we can answer that question, let’s answer a question many people have: What is a swim jig anyway?
What Is A Swim Jig?
There are so many jigs on the market today, so what makes the swim jig any different? It is all about the jig head. As you can see from the picture above, a swim jig has a pointed head. This is specifically designed so that it can come through cover easily. In fact, there are a number of different swim jigs heads on the market as well. You have smaller heads that are more designed for finesse swim jig fishing and you have big heavy swim jig heads designed to be brought through heavy cover.
One of my favorites is the BOOYAH Boo Jig (pictured above). The vertical tie, pointed head and heavy weed guard makes going through weeds like a butter knife cuts through butter. That exactly where I want to be. Remember the big ones are always hiding in the weeds.
How To Fish A Swim Jig
Cast, Reel, Repeat. A swim jig is a lot like a spinnerbait without the blades. So one of the best ways to fish it, is just to cast it out there and bring it back to the boat. This can especially be effectively when fishing with a swimbait trailer such as the: Z-Man Slim SwimZ Bait. By doing a simple cast and reel retrieve you are allowing the trailer to do the work for you and hopefully catch you some fish.
Twitch it, Pop it, Jerk it. Another way to fish a swim jig is with a chunk like trailer such as the Zoom Super Chunk. Unlike the previous technique, this trailer doesn’t have any action to it. So you, as the fisherman, have to give it action. This can be done by throwing it out there and on the retrieve you can twitch it, pop it, jerk it or whatever else you have to do to give it action.
Short quick twitches. When fishing clear water, bass have more of an opportunity to get a closer look at your presentation. This can either work to your advantage or disadvantage. One way to make it work for your advantage is to give the jig quick short jerks. This is most effective when you know the bass are feeding on bluegills and you have a black and blue jig, these quick twitches can make the skirt flair and generate a bite.
Make some noise. One of the greatest things about swim jigs is the subtle approach. Sometimes it is because of this approach they can prove to more effective than other lures such as buzzbaits or crankbaits. However, sometimes, you need something that makes a little noise to draw the fish out. One such way is to get a swim jig that has rattles attached such as the BOOYAH Swim n Jig. This has two loud rattles that can make your presentation different from the rest.
Fish Shallow Waters. As we mentioned earlier, these jigs have been specifically designed to be brought through heavy cover. This means it can go places that other lures such as a spinnerbaits or crankbaits can not. Take advantage of these feature. Throw the swim jig in shallow waters. Throw them in heavy cover. You’d be surprised where this lure can go and you just might be even more surprised at what you catch.
Don’t forget the skirt. The skirt is an important piece to the jig. Not only does it to help to keep the lure weedless, but it can completely change the profile. For example, if you have a trailer that has a lot of action you might think about trimming the skirt. This will allow the action to be more visible to the fish. On the other hand, if you are fishing murky water you may want to keep the longer skirt to give it a bigger profile.
It’s all about the trailer. Over the years the swim jig head hasn’t changed much. Sure there are a few different looks that have come on the market, but overall the design is basically the same. One thing that has changed is the many different trailers. There are so many trailers available on the market today. This is what makes jigs so effective because with the change of a trailer you can totally change your presentation. So don’t focus so much on the jig head, focus on the trailers. Get yourself a handful of different trailers and see what works for you.
Change directions. Bass love it when a lure suddenly changes directions. While this may come more easily with a lure such as a squarebill crankbait, it might be a little difficult to reproduce the same with a swim jig. This doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Suddenly changing directions with a swim jig can prove deadly. This can be done in a number of different ways.
For example, if you are just casting out the jig and retrieving it you can lower or raise the rod to make it change directions. Another way is to deflect it off cover, such as laydowns or docks. The head isn’t exactly built to be deflected, but if done so correctly it can get results.
Match the hatch. Always try to match the hatch when choosing the color. If you see bass feeding on shad, try to find something that is going to match that. If you see them feeding on blue gill make sure you have a blue and black trailer. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to change things up and give the bass something new to look at. You never know what might work until you try it.
There you have it, our 9 tips on how to fish a swim jig? Now let’s turn it over to you, what do you do to catch bass on swim jigs? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section below.
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