There’s nothing worse than going out fishing with a wrong equipment. You make a cast, set the hook on a fish, and start pulling back. Then you realize that you’re not getting close because your lure has dissapears off in some weeds or it’s barely moving fast enough to interest a bass.
That sucks for a lot of us. And it’s never about your lack of casting ability. More times then not, it stems from the weight of your jig head.
There’s an old adage among most angler. Lighter is slow and heavier sinks fast. In a vacuum that makes sense, but we all know this isn’t a vacuum.
We’re fishing in a world of wary fish, structure, and current. Not only do you have to get down to the proper depth, you have to present the lure naturaly. So what weight means the lure gets down to the target zone before the fish loses interest?
Presentation is everything. When learning to fish soft plastic bait, the key starts with matching the jig head to the depth. Seems straight forward enough.
But there are details as to what size head will provide best action, least amount of drag, and allow us to feel the bite best. More fish caught. We loses fewer fish if we get it right.
Choosing The Right Jig Head Weight
The Importance of Jig Head Weight
Here’s how to dial in the right weight based off the actualy conditions you’ll be fishing. Use skill instead of force in shallow water.” A big head will knock your brains out on the bottom when you’re fishing it around shallow ledges and in shallow cover such as a grass mat in knee deep water. It’s too loud and spooks bass.
Shallow Water Jigging Techniques
Go with a one eighth to a three-eighths-ounce head. Lighter is better because this lets the bait flutter back to the bottom. Often, the bass just sees that slow falling bait and gets it going.
Fishing Mid-Depth Currents
The fight with current begins in the mid-depth range. It’s what we run into most of the time when we’re fishing lakes. You’re going to throw on points, or down on a drop-off and it’s typically running harder and deeper.
If you bumped up from a one-quarter ounce to a half-ounce or even a three quarter ounce, they’ll gets down there fast and they won’t bog down on the bottom, digging around in the muck. They will come through the current better and give the fish something steady which they realy like.
Deep Water Jig Strategies
For deep water you need some serious heft that can stays in the strike zone. You’re not going to work a steep channel wall or seventy-foot bluff with a light jig; it’ll float off structure where those fish hold. Go big with one-ounce to two-ounce heads. They sinks quickly and keep their nose down, feeling each pebble and bump along the way through the line.
That’s how you set the hook. It is essential to feel that contact when a bass bumps your bait from underneath.
Adjusting for Wind and Current
Current and wind are unseen weights. A big current will rip a light jig out of position while a hard blow may cause heavy jig to stay up too long. First match your jig head to the depth, then base your weight on what’s around. If there is a heavy current, add weight to stay in position.
If there is high wind, subtract weight to get it down quicker. Keep bottom contact at all times.
Mastering Bait Control
So, in conclusion, how much weight goes on a jig head comes down to control. You need to control where you want that bait to live in the water column. Lighter starts with shallow finesse. Heavy up for current and depth.
And then dial it in according to the conditions. If you’re wrong, the fish will tell you. Listen to the bottom.
It would of been better let the weight do the work.
