Jig Fishing Under A Float.....Things to Consider and Other Recommendations

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Here's just a couple jigs I like to fish. Some micro and some regular sizes.

Just one of my Panfish Boxes.....Various jigs, floats and weights.

I've had several inquiries in recent weeks about fishing jigs under a float so I thought I would post a discussion with my suggestions and then others could add their questions and/or suggestions as they feel necessary.

I've been fishing jigs under a FIXED float for many years and it has become one of my favorite techniques to pursue Gills. Just like any and all fishing it takes calculated decisions to generate strikes and optimize the strikes that you get. The three most important factors in my decisions regarding jig fishing are as follows:

1. Water TEMPERATURE: This will dictate the size of the jig I select along with the float and weight. The colder the water gets the smaller I go. The natural tendency of the fish in these conditions will be to softly approach a bait, this would often remain undetected by larger gear. In ideal water temperatures above 62 degrees I go all the way to a 1/32 ounce jig with up to a 2" soft plastic. This approach is proven and in no way is to large for Bluegill fishing. Each angler will have his/her favorite and they should follow their instincts. But for my time and money, bigger gills will take the larger presentations more readily and hopefully cutting down your battles with the "tird" tappers......I just want folks to leave this discussion ready to try some things that they may not have before or may not have considered......

2. Water DEPTH: If the fish are shallow, how can I get my bait to them with the least amount of disruption from the bait entering the water. Smaller gear would create less disturbance entering the water but perhaps you can throw past the strike zone and retrieve your bait to the zone. Perhaps a telescopic pole would be better to just lower the bait into the zone without the accompanied splash and commotion. Again, deeper fish will be impacted less than fish in three feet of water or less. This is a very important consideration that is often overlooked. My belief is that in areas holding catchable fish, an angler can improve quality and numbers with this approach.

3. Water CLARITY: I for one use heavier line with zero negative impact because my waters are dark with very limited visibility. Many anglers will prefer smaller line and I totally understand and would follow the same advice given similar environments. Fish you can see are often easier to spook from surrounding movement. The dark waters provide me an advantage but I still fail very conservative.....If the winds are low, can I remove or down size my weight or float and still catch fish. All things to consider when heading out for gills with your favorite jig.

I will go into more detail in the weeks ahead but feel free to ask any questions you may have. I will discuss weight placement and tipping recommendations in the next couple posts. Good luck and please ask if you have any questions, whether general or specific....Maybe all it will be for you is a subtle change to increase your quality or numbers. I'm not the only successful jig angler on Bigbluegill and I know collectively, we probably have the answer to just about any question you may have......

 

[Kelly Peterson]

Ok, new here and have never fished a jig below a float but will be giving it a try in about 9 days. Do you just let it sit there and the waves do the work or do you twitch it?

Up till I joined BBG last week have only used worms,, European nightcrawlers, Canadian nightcrawlers and leeches on plain Aberdeen hooks and floats for bluegills. Am wanting to try other things because I am having to kill to may gills that become hooked too deep with the above methods.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Thanks for the interest in this article Kelly.....Wave action will help at times but movement is a key trigger for the fish strike in my opinion so I teach people to twitch their jig lightly or simply move it a few feet and just the return to the set depth is often enough to generate a strike from otherwise lazy fish,,,,,,,Yesterday for example we had a falling wind tide so we let the water drift our jigs right to the waiting bites.......lot of fun!

Good luck and love to hear from you when you get a chance to try some jig fishing.......

[Allen Morgan]

Kelly, welcome aboard!

As Jeffrey has stated, "movement" is the key!  I, along with several other people on this board, custom-tie jigs and/or flies for panfish.  Movement most definitely helps to trigger the bite.  Almost every one off us incorporates something in the design of our baits that will give it lots of built-in, large-scale and small-scale movement.  And, as Jeffrey is fond of doing, tipping said lure with a small, delectable tidbit of protein seals the deal.  Jeff has stated that he's fished plain jigs, plain bait, and bait-tipped jigs numerous times, and says a bait-tipped jig will outfish either a plain jig or plain bait all the time.  I am beginning to believe him!

I'm sure that if you want to try some of our custom stuff, just give a holler, and some of us get a few to you.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

WOW.......Over 8,000 views to date......hope the information has helped a few folks catch a few fish!

[Steve Wilson]

    I,m new here and have enjoyed the board and it's people immensley. 

 A big thank you to all.

 Jeffrey aroused my curiosity on the grass shrimp and I found the following article to share.

 Hope you enjoy.

http://www.in-fisherman.com/panfish/fishing-for-panfish/

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Great article Steve.....thanks for sharing the link......lots of good "technique for presentation" information as well......Nothing out fishes grass shrimp in the waters they thrive in like the tidal waters here in coastal North Carolina and Virginia......

[ronald smith]

Thanks for the interesting article. I like fishing jigs but the wife likes live bait.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

It's almost time to consider sizing down your baits as waters begin to cool.......I will transition from 1/32nd ounce down to 1/64th ounce and even smaller later in the Fall, down to 1/80th in some cases.......don't rule out tossing your favorite jig fixed under a float......maybe a drifting presentation in moving water or perhaps bouncing in rippled water......great way to make contact with fish that become less aggressive as the calendar advances........

[Reggie]

How about some pictures of these smaller jigs, their size next to the jig, and where to buy them.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

I'll get some of my favorites up over the weekend Reggie......thanks for asking.....

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

I haven't forgotten about this Reggie.....getting it organized!

[dick tabbert]

Jeffrey I see your gonna downsize as the water temp go down. Just a quick question, when you downsize are you still using live bait and if so what. If you downsize much see's like you bait would be larger than your jig so there for are you really downsizing if you still have a large cricket or are you finding smaller crickets somewhere. You got my interest up. Thanks and as always GOOD FISHIN....