Denny & Chad Brauer - Professional Bass Fishermen

Article 26...

Picking Jig Size
By Denny Brauer

Much is said about picking the right color for a situation, but with jig fishing choosing the correct weight can be every bit as important. The weight of the jig has an effect on how fast the jig falls, as well as how deep you can effectively fish it. The Strike King Pro Model jig I designed comes in four sizes: Ľ, 3/8, ˝, and 1 ounce. The following is a summarization of how I like to use them.

The 3/8 ounce jig is probably my most popular choice and ˝ ounce my second most popular weight. Basically I use the 3/8 ounce when I’m flipping and pitching in water from 0 to 5 foot deep, and the ˝ ounce when fishing deeper than 5 feet. A high percentage of anglers that flip and pitch choose the ˝ ounce as their first choice. I use a bit lighter bait than some because I think a little slower fall appeals to the great big fish, especially in colder water. If I’m casting the jig where I’m strictly fishing the bottom, I go to the ˝ ounce. When I get into fishing boat docks where I need to get down to a depth of 10 or 15 feet, or in the summertime when the water warms up and the fish are more active, then I lean toward the ˝ ounce jig. I also go to the ˝ ounce jig when I have to bust the bait down through matted sawdust or down through vegetation such as milfoil or hydrilla. I use the 1 ounce jig on the heavy mats, busting down through the log jams, busting down through matted hydrilla, and real heavy vegetation where you have to get down through the surface clutter to get to the fish. That’s the way I put it down where it struts its stuff.

A Ľ ounce jig is probably my favorite for fishing rivers with a lot of silt on the bottom, which most rivers have. You don’t want the jig to bury up in the silt, and the Ľ ounce has a little slower fall. I’ll also go to the Ľ ounce if I’m on a fishery that doesn’t have many big fish.

Different weights are also used with different water temperatures and different cover conditions. If you’re using a jig and trying to make it fall down in bass hiding places, it is very important for it to fall at the correct speed. Keep in mind if you’re using a lure that’s retrieved horizontally, the colder the water the slower the retrieve you normally want to make. In cold water that speed is often slower than slow, and that’s when you need to go to the lighter baits.

In warmer water the bass’ metabolism is a little faster, as well as the metabolism of everything they feed on, so a jig is going to look a little more natural if it is darting around a little more getting some of those reflex strikes to speak. That’s when I lean more toward the ˝ ounce bait.

I don’t really like to give specific water temperatures; I think it is an experimental thing. But, if you’re looking at 70 degree and colder water temperatures you probably need to lean a little more toward the 3/8 ounce jig. If you’re looking at water temperatures 70 degrees and above maybe that’s the time to look more toward the ˝ ounce model.