Bumping this one up given it tis the season...
A few revisions here after more experience with Jigging....
- At least for my taste, 1 to 2 ounce jigs are about the limit, anything more then that and I use a rig... The heavier jigs just don't have the same feel/sensitivity as the lighter ones at least for my style of fishing...
- After you cast out and let line out to get to the bottom, make sure to remove any excess scope in the line. What happens is you think your line is tight to the jig but it's not... The jig drops down to the bottom but the current peels more line off your reel then needed and you have a big bow in your line. One you see the line stop peeling off the reel, reel in the slack and lift your pole tip up and drop it back down until you'll feel the thump of the jig hit the bottom... Now you're fishing with no scope and can feel strikes better.
- Another reason to keep jigs on the lighter side is so you can feel if you still have bait or not after a strike. With a lighter jig you can lift your rod and feel the extra weight of the bait and when you do just drop it back down. With heavier jigs you can't which forces you to bring your jig up and check it and you're out of the game.
- Seems to me the best time to jig is when the fish aren't committing to baits and you have that really soft scratchy bite..Jigging allows for a much more sensitive feel in these situations and you'll catch more fish..
- Time and time again, the biggest fish almost every day we're out comes on the rig, not the jig... If the conditions allows for the jig or the rig and you're fishing for a trophy, you're better off with the rig. Yes you may get more bites and fish on the jig but when you're fishing for the Pig, you need to be patient and wait for the right bite... Having 8 or 10 ounces of sinker on the bottom you'll know when you have the right bite but on the jig you'll want to swing on everything.
PS - Don't tell Dustin this ^^ because pictured below, he caught the biggest Tog I've ever seen in NJ on a jig, not a rig
