remember hearing about swimming a jig around 2000 , and that ’ s when I started experimenting with it . I grew up flipping and pitching heavy jigs in grass , so I always thought of jig fishing as being a slow , bottombumping or dragging technique .
When I began experimenting with swimming a jig , I was just using lighter versions of the jigs I flipped and pitched with . I learned pretty quickly that the hooks on those jigs were too heavy for the line I was using – monofilament and some fluorocarbon – and that the line tie on a swim jig needed to be parallel to the hook rather than perpendicular to it , like on my favorite flipping and pitching jigs . One of the first things I really liked about swimming a jig was that I could practice for tournaments with it . I could cover a lot of shallow water with a swim jig and have a more finesse look than if I was using a spinnerbait , like a lot of other anglers would use . In 2004 , I had a top-five finish at a tournament on Smith Lake in Alabama , and I caught most of my bass swimming a jig around boat docks . That really
“ A swim jig catches bass just about year-round and all across the country . It ’ s one of the most versatile lures in my boat .” boosted my confidence . Then , in 2012 , I won a big tournament on the Mississippi River out of Wisconsin , and I found most of those fish while practicing with a swim jig .
Since those events , the swim jig has been a staple for me . I always have one rigged up and ready to go , and I keep a swim jig combo on the deck of my boat about 75 percent of the time I ’ m on the water .
when and where swim jigs are most effective
If the water temperature is between 50 and 90 degrees , the swim jig is a serious option . My preferred temperature range is about 55 to 80 degrees . To make it work , you may need to speed it up or slow it down , figure out the best places to throw it and get dialed in on the right size and color , but a swim jig catches bass just about year-round and all across the country . It ’ s one of the most versatile lures in my boat .
I don ’ t think a swim jig is at its best in the dog days of July and August , but from pre-spawn to early summer , it ’ s hard to beat – and during a shad spawn , it ’ s absolutely great .
KEEP IT SIMPLE
MLF pro Todd Faircloth gets it done with only three colors for his swim jig trailers : black / blue , green pumpkin and pearl .
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