Scott Petersen |
The last
time we got to talk we covered some of the basics for swim
jig fishing but now that we have had more time to use this
bait we have learned a few things along the way. Let’s
take a few minutes to talk about what we have learned about
swim jigs this past year and how these tactics can help
you put a few more bass in the boat this summer.
Some of the Basics
To make sure we are all starting on the same page lets lay
down some Outkast Swim Jigs facts. For the majority of my
swim jig fishing I use a 7ft medium to medium-heavy action
baitcaster, teamed with a matching reel and spooled with
12lb mono or fluorocarbon. When it comes to line choice
I will let you make the call; I have used both fluorocarbon
and mono and have not found any stellar things that make
one standout over the other.
I have
said it before and will say it again anywhere where you
can fish a spinnerbait you can fish a swim jig and in some
cases even better if the conditions are right. Where I have
seen a swim jigs excel is in heavy weed conditions where
you cannot get a spinnerbait through clean, you can many
times get a swim jig through these areas without getting
the bait fouled. I also like the fact that you can
swim the jig through the pads and when you come to an area
where you can stop; let the jig drop into key bass holding
pockets.
One of
the biggest mistakes that fishermen do when fishing a swim
jig is how they try to fish it. When you fish the swim jig
keep it simple, just cast the jig out lower the tip and
start to reel. Many fishermen try to dance the jig as it’s
coming back to the boat; this is actually taking away some
of the catching power of the swim jig. The best way to fish
a swim jig is to make your cast, let the jig sink down a few
feet; I generally give it a 1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000. This will
get a 3/8oz swim jig down about 2ft - 3ft in the water once
at this depth start to reel at a slow speed. If you see some
key cover along the way back I will make a few casts past
the target and see if bass will come out of cover to grab
the jig as it swims by. If I do not get a reaction from the
cover I will let the jig drop into the cover to see if I can
get a bite that way. This was a big factor that almost helped
Jamie Farlick win this year’s Bassmaster Classic. When
he would see a key piece of structure he would swim his jig
up to the structure, stop the jig and let it fall, triggering
strikes from bass.
What We Have Learned
In the last year few years in fishing Outkast Swim Jigs there
have been a few things that have stood out in how to fish
a swim jig; the first comes with how I trailer my swim jig.
Over the last year I took on the task of playing with different
trailers and see how they affect the way that the swim jig
acts and fishes. Most of the time I tipped my Outkast 3/8oz
Swim Jig with a Fat Tail Grub also from Outkast, staying
in the Outkast house the first trailer I tried was the chuck trailer.
I have fished this chunk trailer many times before as the
trailer that I put onto my Pro Staff or RT Jig.
One of the keys that I found I was able to slow the jig down
with the chuck compared to the grub. The tail action that
I got out of the chuck was pretty good. I also figured out
how I rigged the chuck on to the hook made a big difference
in how the jig acted. If I left the chuck on the hook like
I would if I was using it for a trailer; I had good action
from the craws as the jig swam along and the jig fell head
first when I would stop my retrieve. The fall was ok but if
I threaded the chunk onto the hook I got a slower fall rate
out of the swim jig that seemed to trigger more strikes out
of bass sitting next to cover or when fishing during cold
front conditions. I also felt by threading the chunk onto
the hook it changed how the swim jig swam, it made the whole
jig move a little more like a natural swimming action of a
minnow swimming through the water.
I also
tried the Outkast Spider Grub with great success. I tried
the grub with the skirt on and off; I feel I got the most
bites when I had the skirt pinched off. With the double
grub I got allot of action out of the tail section which
I feel would also help bass find the swim jig in dirty water
conditions.
The biggest finding this last year had to do with the speed
at which I would fish the swim jig. I had found on lake conditions
that the bass wanted the jig moving at a slower speed. If
you moved the swim jig too fast it would catch their attention
but they would not strike the jig. But if I kept the jig moving
at a slow to medium speed the bass would chase it down and
eat the jig. This may go back to how a few of the pros figured
out the swim jig craze. We have all done it made a bad cast
and reeled the jig back to the boat fast to quick make another
cast. This would get the bass attention and they would follow
the jig but stop short of biting the jig. This is the same
thing I saw when I fished the jig to fast. Many times a few
more casts in the area with a slower retrieve turned followers
into hooked bass.
The river is turning out to be a different story I have been
told by a few different fishermen that on a river system you
cannot fish a swim jig fast enough at times. In fact I had
one fishermen tell me high speed retrieve reel and turning
the reel handle as fast as you can the bass will still chase
down and catch the swim jig. So when you are on a river system,
use a faster retrieve on your swim jig to trigger more strikes.
All in all it has been a pretty interesting year catching
a ton of bass along the way on my Outkast Swim Jig. Try some
of these new tactics and see if your swim jig numbers go up
this year. For the best swim jig and trailers on the market
please log onto www.outkasttackle.com
Create some memories please practice CPR (Catch, Photo and
Release). The future of fishing is in your hands.
Create
some memories please remember to practice CPR (Catch, Photo
and Release). The future of fishing is in your hands. For
more timely bass tips and tactics please log onto www.fishinginsider.com
If you would
like to read more from Scott Petersen, visit his web site Fishing
Insider
