Article 9...

Swimming Jigs in the Fall
By Denny  Brauer

Jigs are often thought of as primarily bottom-bouncing baits, yet I have had great success in the fall period by swimming a jig. It seems to be especially effective in water bodies that have lots of baitfish. Not only will swimming a jig give the fish a different look from what they are used to, it will also allow you to cover lots of water with a quicker retrieve than the traditional jig retrieve.

Generally in the fall, schools of baitfish will get up near the surface and move up on the flats. A good bunch of bass will follow them to feed. In that situation, the bass will often suspend on cover waiting to ambush prey as it swims by. They will suspend on anything from a wood stick up to a dock. If you work a jig on the bottom, you probably will not appeal to many of these fish. But if you swim it along in a pumping motion at the depth the fish are suspended, you will generate more strikes.

I use the same rod and reel combination for swimming a jig that I do for flipping and pitching with a traditional retrieve. I use my Team Daiwa 7 1/2 foot Flipping & Pitching Rod with a Daiwa TD-X Reel. I also use the same lines as I do for flipping and pitching, which is usually 20 or 25 lb. Stren line depending on the clarity of the water. As a general rule, lighter jigs swim easier than heavier ones. I predominantly use a 1/4 or 3/8 oz. Strike King Pro Model Jig with a Bo Hawg Sr. pork frog behind it. The larger cut of pork adds buoyancy to the bait. As you might guess, in clearer waters I try to match my jig color to the baitfish with either White or Smoke/Red Flake. I have done well though in stained water with darker colors such as Black and Blue and Texas craw. Red has also worked well