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]

Great call especially once the surface temperatures get hot…

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Today I was facing high winds behind a cold front in very stained water but with surface temperatures slowly rising I had to get out there….the moral of this story…..trust your instincts…..could be size or color change……whatever the situation presents you……Our water is dirty less than ten percent of the year and my confidence goes down ….but  I found a paddle tail shad in my two favorite colors…pink and chartreuse, but it also had a tiny belly spinner…..out of nine poles ready to go, I only tied it on one of them and caught 26 total fish in difficult conditions…..

trust your instincts……

[John Sheehan]

Great work Jeffrey!

[Bruce Tomaselli]

Nice pile of fish!

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Thanks Bruce……we are blessed with great weather so I’m getting dizzy trying to decide which of my favorite spots I should go to tomorrow……love the spring time change……extra time on the water..

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Appreciate it John…..just taking advantage of a lot of great notes and experience on my local rivers…..I’m like a kid dropped off at the candy store….

[Frank M]

Good discussion Jeffrey! 

Since I read your float fishing post, I've only tried your method a few times but with little success. I'll be fishing with a friend of mine this weekend and watch him catch fish using a float. 

BTW, how did you do with the lures I sent years ago?