How to Fish Swim Jigs for Bass | When, Where, How, Gear Tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ส.ค. 2021
- Swim jigs are among the most versatile bass baits for covering water and establishing productive patterns. Texas native Jeff Sprague instructs on where, when, and how to fish swim jigs to find and catch bass relating to shallow cover. He also discusses his favorite rod setup and a few tackle tweaks and lure selection criteria to take your swim jig game to the next level.
TACKLE USED
• SWIM JIG - Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover Swim Jig, color - Blue Gill: wired2.fish/StrikeKingSwimJig
• TRAILER - Strike King Twin Tail Menace Grub, color - Moon Juice: wired2.fish/StrikeKingMenaceGrub
• ROD - Lew's Speed Stick Casting Rod, 7'4" Heavy: wired2.fish/LewsSpeedStickCas...
• REEL - Team Lew's Pro-Ti SLP Speed Spool Casting Reel, 7.5:1: wired2.fish/Lews-Pro-Ti-SLP-S...
• LINE - Strike King Tour Grade Braid, 50-pound: wired2.fish/SK-TourGradeBraid
As a tournament angler, Sprague is all about efficiency. He often starts his day with a swim jig so he can cover water quickly in search of active bass. Finding a few fish is the vital first step in establishing a pattern. While bladed jigs and spinnerbaits are excellent options, they're not as versatile or weedless as a swim jig. Swim jigs can be "high-sticked" and "wormed" through dense, shallow cover and fished deeper out from the bank, all on the same cast. They're also less aggressive, so they tend to trigger bites from tentative bass better.
Sprague details his preferred rod setup, opting for a longer heavy power rod mated with a fast reel and braid. Details like soft plastic trailer style and color can make a big difference too. He recommends matching your jig color to the predominant forage. Green pumpkin and variations of it are excellent bluegill imitators. At the same time, whites are often more productive on shad fisheries.
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Most versatile bait out there pop it swim it sit it literally can do what ever with a jig and you'll catch the bigger fish in the schools 9 times outa 10 12 months of the year!
Just started fishing the swim jig about 1 year ago and it's definitely one of my favs now.
Like the subtle trim on the skirt and guard, can't wait to try that obvious GREAT detail!!!
Glad you found this useful and interesting Isaac.
Just a couple of hours ago I caught one of my best bass of the year with a Strike King swim jig! Truthfully I’ve never fished any of the other brands, but I’ve had so much success with the SK swim jig I don’t need to hunt out another brand!
Check out a kureiji jigs! Owner hooks with custom hand tie skirts. Home the mississippi swim jig. SK are great as well. Lot of local jig companies just miss that great hook setlike SK and kureiji jigs have
Congrats on the personal best Keith! SK makes a solid swim jig -- always nice when you establish a high degree of confidence around a tactic using a specific baits.
@@natehoodoo6246 thanks I’m going to check them out I always like buying from small businesses
Try the 6th sense Devin swim. It's really nice.
Awesome video with a lot of information thanks a million. All the way from Namibia
If it wasn’t for looking at this video, I wouldn’t have caught my first three pounder on a swim jig. I love the way you set it up. Thanks for all the help
I just moved to Florida, and broke out my strike king sexy shad swimjig,man I got bit good at the pond when that bite was on! I got 3 good fish, and many more bites, and jumped off a few as well! I paired it with a 3.5 in paddle tail swimbait,and it was the deal! I've gone out deep water off points and cracked a few bigguns on these too!. When I feel I've exhausted the area . I change colors, and weights to show the fish a different profile. The other jigs I use are gambler with a full starflash skirt. I like it for the bulk,and extra flash as I pump and pulse it. Both jigs work well, and have a place in my tackle box.
Great video! Very informative.
Appreciate it Keith, glad you found the info useful.
Damn that thing looks so good in the water.
Thank you for the very informative and well produced video. How did you shoot the lures as they were reeled in?
Great info. I have a few jigs that I haven't given a good try yet. Wasn't sure the best technique to land fish with them, or the best trailer bait. Are you using straight braid or a floro leader?
Need this one
Dude I've watched a lot of fishing videos and you really impressed me it seems you're left handed but I noticed at the end of the video you made two really nice cast with the right hand that something you don't see every day
Not being that guy, but alot of righties throw casters rod in their left hand and reel with with their right.. Don't get me wrong he's a beast, but it's more common than not.
I have 0 problems with the weed guard on the strike king swim jig. It's pretty flexible compared to some of my other jigs. No need to trim.
Good video. You said, you like medium heavy rod for swim jig, but the rod in the video was heavy fast 🤔. Which one do you really like? Thanks!
I’ve really started to like the axel swim jig with 6th sense. No weed guard and it has a screw lock to connect your trailer and then Texas rig the trailer to make it completely weedless. I like jigs but I just don’t like the weed guards.
Great tips
Glad it was helpful!
Perfect video perfect timing!! I need as many tips and tricks as I can get…
Glad to hear it!
How long will you throw a bait before you switch colors or lures?
What size swim jig was the angler in this video? It doesn’t say in video description
Nice video and I respect how fast he throws the fish back! 👍
There is definitely too many guys on TH-cam that keep the fish out for longer than needed..
@@codyprice1987 definitely brother
Here in Iowa, our ponds are filled with bluegill. We certainly have lake with gizzard shad too.
my hook ups seem to have increased dramatically since I started cutting the weed guard back. Highly recommended.
Thanks for adding this Gayle!
Whats the best set up for 3/16 to 5/16 oz jig or swim jigs.
I love using those swimjigs with a 360gt swimbait body on it the bass here in New York love that combo 🤘🏻🤘🏻
That's a great call and one we haven't heard of guys doing. We've done well on the 360GT with the pre-rigged head -- there's just something about the bait's body roll. Probably $$ on the back of a swim jig 👍.
@Wired2Fish ya the fish absolutely love it that's one of my main go-tos for sure 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Awesome video buddy. I also love fishing with swim jigs. You'll always catch them. I also use a jerkbait
Straight braid? No liter? I usually throw 15 to 20 pound floro incase they bury in the vegetation.
This might of just gained my confidence
He makes it look so easy and second nature. Kinda is -- good luck out there Brandon.
Nice presentation. I like jigs to. Remember that was the lure provided to our service men and women in their survival kit
I trim my weed guard at a angle. Just enough to not get hung up. Yes, I trim the skirt too. Use a Yum craw trailer. Shawn.
Frog season! I have to put the swim jig down! Other then that the swim jig catches everything in Northern California.
I love throwing my swimjigs and have not yet been bit on them
I just caught my first ever swim jig fish .
Any insight on why he is targeting the upper part of the water column
Congrats on breaking the ice with an awesome tactic. This video was filmed in Texas and the bass were in real shallow water. Keeping the bait higher up in the water column helped keep it clear from hanging in weeds and brush but most importantly, opened up the strike zone for bass feeding up toward the surface.
You tie the braid directly or use a leader?
Quick question, why would you throw braid instead of fluro
Curious, if your trying for a bluegill shape what would happen if you put a rage menace sideways on the back. That way the flappers are vertical, not horizontal.
You can certainly do that but keeping the menace horizontal gives the jig lift. Which is ideal for shallow cover.
@@Wired2Fish Got ya, you guys are awesome keep up the great work.
Do a video for finesse gear please
3:31 yeah i saw that too man
Fall shad snacks! Looks like a good area for a swim jig.
What ounce jig do u suggest to use when casting in thick vegetation
If your swimming above it and ticking it then a 1/4 if grass is in deeper water 3/8 or 1/2
3/8 is the best for all situations
What color lure use for a clear lake that you can seen 15 feet deep?
Green Pumpkin anything Natural looking
We have so much vegetation in the lakes that a swim jig is almost the only thing I throw anymore.
Love the huge blow up off to his right at 01:40 !
Insanely good eyes Jim!
Would you use a leader in clear water?
Hi Philip, for sure. A lot of bass anglers have switched to using a fluorocarbon leader with their braided bass casting setups. Just gotta make sure to nail your line-to-line know with either and FG (th-cam.com/video/8YolQw-COow/w-d-xo.html) or Modified Albright (th-cam.com/video/-Se7hJPeNrY/w-d-xo.html).
Thanks bud! I fish out here in the desert ( lake havasu) super clear , lots of pressure. Have a great fourth !
Obvious question here, but Can you drag a swim jig like a T rig
yes
@@billyjin2062 thank you
For sure Rene, while a swim jig head isn't specifically make for dragging, it certainly works if that's what the fish prefer.
Which rage trailer was he using
Rage Menace
Anybody see that fish jump at 1:39!?
Feel like swigjigs are for down south have not had much success up north with a swim jig.
Sorry I just dont get this new swim jig thing
No worries Nathan. Unless a person fishes non-stop, it can be tough to get into each tactic to the extent that it shines over others. Swim jigging has been around for a while, but just like anything, there's always an evolution of technique and tackle.
It's just a small swimbait that is cheaper.
Why so aggressive on the hook set?
A lot of swim jigs come with a heavy gauge hook that requires some force to penetrate. Hook set style also often boils down to angler preference. Some guys like jacking 'em, so go easier.
That jig in the thumbnail is dirty. Quickly turned into one of my favorites of not my favorite
That looks much more like spinnerbait water with a colorado gold blade to me than swimjig, more vibration pull in those fish
I run willow in clear and Colorado in murky more murky water means more thump so it gives them time too locate it the willow just helps with speeding it up without the Colorado spinning in circles
How much
Swim jig versus a spinner bait??… Always my dilemma..
Not much of a swim jig guy. Honestly I swim alot of Texas rigs. Worms. Brush hogs. Craws. I'll swim a hybrid jig. But I don't have many swim jigs in my boat. Idk.ha
Same just lost a kvd one a week ago got about 10 bites no hook ups thought they were too small but one bite I got I switched to a senko tossed it in where I had the bite and pulled out a 2.5lber not sure what too think about them
"I love trimming my skirt and weed guard and letting it all fall into the water".
50lb braid for a swim jig? That's actually surprising.
Can get by with 30 or 40-pound too depending on the cover, size of bass, and actual braid diameter. Some newer performance braids run small on diameter for the pound test so 50 can be ideal.
@@Wired2Fish no liter? Swim jig tied on straight braid?
@@Bk-qz3yk Absolutely!
At the very least, cut it over a trash bin or nah. Don’t need the waters to be more nasty than it is
No bait is ever weedless. Can't stand it when people say that. Any and every bait at some time will snag or pick up grass/muck. Just a matter of how much.
You're confusing weedless with weed proof.
@@sburk6180 same idea as water proof proof water resistant. Just when they say weedless they mention that word I. the same sentence referencing to being able to get a bait completely grass free
I mean every lure has a hook on it. By your definition even a frog isn’t weedless
@@jcfishingwrld It isn't. I've had blowups and grass gets stuck inbetween the hook and body of the frog and even setting the hook to soon I've caught grass mats.