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......

 

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Jig fishing under a float continues to be a top producer in the brackish waters of coastal N.C. Hot colors right now are chartreuse, pink, firetiger and olive.....I have shifted to a 1/32 ounce jig and the fish size responded as I have suggested in previous posts.....35 of 47 sunfish Sunday afternoon were over 9" including 5 Coppernose and 2 redears over 10"......We continue to do well on the Berkley Gulp Alive 1" minnows as a soft plastic substitute in Pumpkinseed and Chartreuse Shad colors.....Many don't tip for their own reasons but I encourage the brackish/tidal water anglers to consider tipping as this can increase your production in a healthy ecosystem in which plenty of prey items are available........The combination rules specifically during these challenging back and forth weather patterns...regional fly fishing anglers have seen below average catches but the fish are just not making contact with the surface yet....chilly/cold weather reduces insect activity which are a big food source for gills, but if the new grass shrimp are there and the insects aren't, the fish will adjust so the anglers have to as well.. In a separate note I saw a decline in hook setting ability of a battered jig head this past weekend so I encourage you to consider changing your jig more frequently to increase your hook setting power....just as a knife gets dull from cleaning the gills you catch, the hook gets banged up after passing through the cartlidge of lots of fish....Good luck fishing your jigs and please feel free to share your results with us...we would love to hear how it's going on other waters..... 

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Jigs under a float continue to be a proven technique that catches quality gills and great numbers.....700 of my more than 800 gills for the month of May have come to a jig under a float....most in the 1/32 ounce variety tipped with either live crickets or grass shrimp......Tooty's bugs account for the other fish I've caught and I fish them the same way they are just smaller.....Threading on 1" berkley gulp alive minnows in chartreuse shad or pumkinseed colors has provided a real boost in the bite in my opinion. So the next time you're struggling a bit cut that plain hook off and tie on your favorite jig and give it a try.......

[Tinknocker1]

sweet box of gill goodies

[Sean Penix]

So if you were to fish somewhere with generally greener waters what colors would you use right about now? Daytime temps are hitting about 90 degrees(not sure about water temps). I have never tried this technique before so I am rather intrigued. Also where can I get the finesse floats online for cheaper? im positive my local wally world doesn't carry them and most bait shops around here cater to the legendary Ohio River Catfish. Just some questions, I don't really have a lot of input as I said I have never tried this before.

[Sean Penix]

I know for bass generally green pumpkin and watermelon seed work really well here. but I don't have the slightest inkling where to begin for BG

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Hey Sean....in greener waters I would start with a dark bodies jig from either red, purple or all the way to black and then you can use trial and error with a soft plastic or gulp alive...etc.....I experiment with as many color combinations as possible hoping to hit on something that will attract striking fish.....often these darker jigs will cast a shadow which gets the attention of active fish........As far as the floats...I wouldn't be worried about finesse floats this time of year.....I recommend the smallest float that will support a 1/32 ounce or 1/64 ounce jig....you can add split shot for tuning and better accuracy casting........

[Sean Penix]

hey thanks for the info. I really appreciate it. To often you find guys that are unwilling to share some slight info. Will be seeing what I can get into Saturday evening and will be sure to post pics if we catch anything

 

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

No worries......my motto is "if it helps one person catch more fish, it's worth sharing".......good luck and let us know......I've made about 100 jig fisherman over the years....it truly works....

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

The production from jigs under a float has still been staggering.....yesterday I went scouting for the final time before my dad's arrival and the jigs helped me discover several heavy populated areas of big gills in a short time....covered a lot of water quickly as this is a must when you have hundreds of miles of shoreline as we do here in coastal Carolina....Very excited to start vacation later this week but we will not wait until then if Mother Nature allows us to splash some jigs in the afternoons...storms are promised almost every afternoon this week but we'll keep close tabs and rest assured we'll be casting a jig shallow if we get a chance....

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Give it a try in your neck of the woods guys......jigs under a float have been a killer this season......

[Sean Penix]

That's all I have been fishing lately. I AM A BELIEVER! I have caught more bluegill this year than I have any year before. I hooked into a huge bass and a large catfish in a private pond this way. I fought the cat to 25 mins before h broke my 4 lb test. So glad I joins this site.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

That's great news Sean......we're glad to have you and remember there is hundreds of great ideas/options buried in the discussions and blogs on this site.........BBG rocks.....almost 4,000 members!