Simple Jig Modifications

We custom paint crankbaits, change blades on spinnerbaits, pour our own worms, why on earth don’t more people customize their jigs? Sure they work out of the package but so do most of the other baits we modify. Does that make any sense at all? Jigs, like most other baits, seem to work their best once they’ve been chewed on a few times. Since I’m not willing to spend the day pre-chewing my own jigs the next best bet is to make it look like I did.
There is definitely something special about a jig that has the “it” factor. One of these days I’ll get around to fully explaining this factor but for now its the magical “something” that makes one bait work better than all of it’s identical counterparts. Here is a shining example of a jig with “it”. This is a 3/4 oz Dirty Jigs No-Jack jig in the color “molting craw”.
Its been responsible for 4 fish over 9 lbs and a handful of others over the 7 lb mark. (Yes, all of those scratches are from bass teeth) Why does this one work so well? I don’t know! The important part to understand is simply that it does. I know the day will come when I lose this jig. Instead of waiting for another one to get beat up enough to start developing “it” I’m going to skip a major part of the curve. If you follow these simple steps to modify your jigs and give them more of a mottled look they will be much more appealing to big bass.
If your goal is to catch any little fish that will bite its not all that hard to do and any old jig will do. In fact, don’t bother modifying your baits at all. On the other hand, if your goal is to catch a GIANT, whatever that may be to you, then do everything you can to put the odds in your favor. Don’t go down the bank throwing the same jig as everyone else. Make your bait look more real than any other jig that big bass has ever seen and then cross your fingers that today is her day.

Do you modify your jigs? Do you have a different approach? Leave a comment and share it with the rest of us.

How to Skip a Jig

I recently had the pleasure of spending a day on Lake Lewisville with Tim Cline. As the day progressed I realized that I was completely outmatched when it came to pitching and skipping in heavy cover. Tim was gracious enough to let me turn the camera on so the rest of you could see how he does it. Watch closely and take notes, this guy is good!

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Wakebaits and Jigs

“Junk Fishing” is a term often used to describe a day spent on the water in which the fish were caught on a wide variety of lures or techniques with little rhyme or reason to seasonal or daily patterns. Junk fishing allows an angler to adapt to the surroundings instead of trying to force the fish to eat a certain lure. While I go into every trip with some sort of game plan the majority of my outings turn into a junk fishing day.

The exception to this rule is the night bite. I have confidence in a few key techniques and tend to use them exclusively to find fish in the dark. This night, however, was much different. We arrived at the lake with the intention of throwing wakebaits from sundown to sunrise. After a few hours and only one wakebait bite we began using other techniques. By the end of the evening our 5 best fish were caught on five completely different baits! It just goes to show you, even at night, the best policy is to adapt until you find the fish. Our five biggest bites came on 1) MS Slammer Wakebait, 2) Homemade Swimbait, 3) Zoom Brush hog w/ 3/8 oz weight , 4) Dirty Jigs 1/2 oz Flippin’ Jig and Uncle Josh pork Chunk, and 5) 6″ Yamamoto Senko.

Don’t be afraid to change it up! You just never know what you might catch.

Smallmouth Fishing

As some of you may already know I have a secret love for Brown Bass. In the early spring when the water first starts to warm I begin to forget about largemouth and focus my attention solely on smallmouth. There is something about the way they fight. It could be the huge jumps, or the powerful runs at the last second, but whatever it is, I’m hooked!

I hope you enjoy this video from earlier this year. I had the pleasure of spending a day on the water with my dad. It turned out to be a day to remember as he ended a fun-filled day with a smallmouth that tipped the scales past the 5 pound barrier

Are you a smallmouth junkie? I’d love to hear about it! Some of you are blessed to live in parts of the country where brown bass are the primary game fish and I’m sure you have stories to tell.