Jig Fishing: Rattle Vs. No Rattle

Coast to coast anglers agree that jigs catch giant bass. Whether you're dragging ledges, pitching docks, or flipping vegetation, its tough to find a more consistent presentation to produce big bites. One aspect of jig fishing that anglers can't seem to agree on is the use of rattles.

Some guys swear that rattles help them catch more fish. Other guys insist that the natural presentation without rattles is the key to getting the big bites. This Week Tim breaks down the benefits of both methods and explains when you should and shouldn't use a jig rattle.

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Most jigs come with a way to attach rattles but some do not. If you happen to use a style that does not, check out these simple rattle holders.

We hope these quick tips help you this Spring as you break out the jig rod in pursuit of a kicker!

Jig Trailers for Every Situation

This is a video about colors,  glitters, and actions, its not about brand preferences. If you've wondered what all these different trailers are for and whether or not you really need them, this is the video you've been waiting for.

As fishermen, especially jig fishermen, we all have very strong opinions of which jigs are best. At times we can't even agree on weight or color, let alone brand. The guy on the front deck will swear a 3/4 ounce is working best, the guy in the back can only get bit on 3/8 ounce. Ever been down this road? It happens to us all the time! Today we're putting that all behind us and focusing specifically on the jig trailers.

Gaining an understanding of why a grub works better than a chunk one day, but doesn't work near as well as a creature bait the next day will absolutely make you a better angler. The next time your jig bite disappears overnight we hope you'll have the knowledge to adapt and begin catching those fish again.

Our most common jig trailers are as follows:

Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver: This bait has very little action but provides a great "profile" in combination with the jig.

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Net Bait Paca Chunk: This trailers has a great floundering action that is deadly in a variety of conditions, often getting bonus bites swimming back to the boat.

Yamamoto Double Tail Grub: Tried and true, this bait gets bit year round, even in ice cold water.

Strike King Rage Tail Chunk: This trailer has a TON of action and is great at drawing reaction strikes on a fast-falling jig.

Zoom Super Chunk: When rigged properly this bait actually has some action (little known fact). But its generally considered a "dead action" bait focused specifically on profile. For whatever reason, it catches a lot of fish!

Winter Fishing: Top 5 Baits for Cold Water Bass

With winter fast approaching most lakes have turned over and the bass have headed for warmer deep water haunts. "Deep" is a relative term that varies lake to lake but when bass head for the depths a lot of anglers lose confidence.

In this week's video we break down our favorite baits for seeking out those deep water bass. This list may be missing some baits you expect but when the going gets tough, these 5 options are consistent producers.

1) A Football Jig: Tim and I vary a little on our specific choices. I lean toward a 1/2 oz or heavier Dirty Jigs Finesse Football (Give "Go To" or "Super Matt Brown" those colors are deadly). Tim takes it a step further and will occasionally go as light as 3/8 oz with his Dirty Jigs HP Football Jig. Why go with a light weight in deep water, you ask? With the lighter weight comes a smaller hook, allowing you to drop to lighter line and even throw the jig on a spinning rod if conditions require.

2) A Drop Shot: Tried and true, this bait is deadly in deep water! Tim likes to downsize, often using a size 2 Owner Mosquito hook with a small tungsten weight. He insists that the light hook allows his bait to have maximum action in deep water. As for baits, he uses a wide range of options but a 6" Roboworm Margarita Mutilator is a proven winter time color.

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3) Ball Head: The ball head is such a simplistic way to fish and consistently catches quality fish in the cold water months. Much like a darthead, you should thread the worm on so the point of the hook is left exposed. The difference between a ball head and virtually every other head design is that it has almost no action of its own. This is a drawback most of the year but when the water is cold that "dead action" drives the fish crazy. Tim and I both agree, a 5" senko is your best option with this presentation. Day in and day out, it gets a significantly larger bite than smaller worms.

4) A Jigging Spoon: The spoon is a deadly bait throughout the fall but don't lose faith as cooler temps take over and the bass become lethargic. Using a very subtle flip-flop approach, keeping the jig on bottom at all times, is a phenomenal way to get a big bite in winter. Matt prefers the Blade Runner DUH spoon for its ideal weight, size, and color schemes.

5) The Small Swimbait: I prefer the 6" Basstrix or the 4.8 Keitech coupled with 1/2 oz Matt Allen Signature Swimbait Head. With an exposed lead head its very easy to maintain bottom contact. From rock to gravel, sand to mud, you'll feel every change in contour and the bite will be unmistakable. For this method I maintain constant bottom contact and swim the bait as slowly as I can stand. It presents a sizable but slow moving meal to the bass that is hard to resist.

This Winter, consider not getting your boat winterized. Instead, head for the lake! The bass are still there and they still need to feed. You may be surprised to find that some of your biggest bites of the year come when the water temperature is below 50 degrees.

Swim Jig Season

The swim jig is a great bait throughout the year but it really shines in the spring! As the bass are moving off the beds  and beginning to feed again the swim jig stands alone as a bait that can be thrown into virtually any cover. Aside from the way it comes through vegetation, the secondary action is what sets the bait apart.

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We've been on an awesome swim jig bite the last few weeks using a two-pronged approach. First, we're using the California Swim Jig around spawning beds. The defensive fish can't resist a bluegill color! The second pattern is to target the post-spawn fish that have begun shifting into their summer patterns. As the fish pull out into the grass beds to recover from the spawn We've been able to draw the fish up out of the grass with shad colored offerings.

Instead of filming a whole new video about throwing the swim jig we decided to replay this video on the California Swim Jig. This bait revolutionized swim jig fishing, catching giant bass from coast to coast after this video hit youtube. Understanding why the bait works works, how it works, and when to throw it, will have a huge impact on how you target bass during the post-spawn season. Good luck out there!