Jig Head
How do you fish a football jig head and when?
l have best results with (weedless) football head jigs in the winter. fished very slow.
l use 1/2 and 3/4 ounce jigs, usually painted brown, with a skirt in colors to resemble a crayfish. l prefer one with rattles. then l add a soft plastic or pork trailer that has “claws” to complete the resemblance. a chigger craw by berkley of the appropriate size is great. the built-in scent is very good (to a bass) but a bit(?) offensive to human noses.
stick with shades of red, orange, green and brown to resemble them craws.
besides working for flipping, pitching and as a punch bait (other jig styles are actually better for those but football heads WILL work), they are one of the best baits for winter bass. any of them.
simple to fish. cast, take out your slack, let sit for a bit then just move it in slowly by lifting your rod tip. the colder the water, the slower you fish it. as water warms in the spring through the summer, work it faster, with short hops and jumps between pauses. just like a fleeing crayfish.
watch your line when you cast as it sinks. fish will hit these many times as it sinks to the bottom. a bushy skirt and large trailer will slow it’s sink rate giving fish a better chance to see and hit it as it sinks.
IMHO, brand makes little difference. l buy packs of 3 bare jigs, packs of skirts and rattles from bass pro shop and put mine together in color combos l want at better prices than completed models.
one more tip…
many of the 99C stores sell bundles of small zip ties. the smallest size makes a great replacement for the rubber band usually holding on the skirt. they rot and the skirt falls apart. just put one of these ties right over or next to the original band. tighten it and clip close.
there ya go.
Jiri Klima Gold Jig Head Hares Ear Caddis