Everything You Need to Know About Swim Jigs!

Bass fishing with Swim jigs has increased in popularity the last few years. This video is full of tips and tricks to make you more effective at fishing a swim jig. Matt breaks down everything you need to know from jighead design, jig colors, jig trailers, swimbaits, etc. 

Most bass fishermen fish a swim jig around shallow grass and cover but there are a lot of other great options. Don't be afraid to bottom crawl the bait in the rocks like a big trout swimbait. Its also an awesome option for night fishing in Summer and Fall!
 
The swim jig can be thrown as a replacement for a spinnerbait, chatterbait, underspin, or squarebill crankbait. You get all the action and fish attracting features of the above baits but with the realism and secondary action that only a swim jig can provide. 

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Finesse swim jigs are great for spotted bass, smallmouth bass, or for largemouth in reservoirs. The standard swim jig is an awesome all around option with a pointed head for coming through grass, tullies, reeds, and wood. 

The California Swim Jig is designed for giant bass. Whether you're in California, Texas, or Florida, if you're targeting big bass this is the swim jig for you! Its designed with the heaviest hook on the market so that no freshwater fish can bend it. 

We hope this video helps you understand the difference between different styles of jigs and when to use each one. There isn't a perfect jig for every situation so stock up on a few different models and you'll be prepared when the swim jig bite turns on.

Products explained in this video:

Jig Styles...

-Finesse Swim Jig
-Skirted Swim Jig
-California Swim Jig
-No Jack Swim Jig

Trailer Options for Baitfish Imitators...

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Keitech Fat Swing Impact Swimbait*
Roboworm EZ Shad
RI Little Dipper
Netbait Spanky Swimbait

*Keitech Fat should be throw in 3.3, 3.8, 4.3, and 4.8 sizes

Trailer Options for Crawdad Imitators...

Strike King Rage Bug
Netbait Paca Chunk

Jig Color Recommendations...

Shad Imitators: Crappie, Tactical Shad
Bluegill Imitators: Alabama Bream, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed Bream
Baitfish Imitators: Light Hitch, Pearl Ghost Shiner, Golden Shiner

Swim Jig Rods...

Finesse Swim Jig Setup:
-Rod- Zodias 7'2" Medium
-Reel- Curado 70
-Line- Maxcuatro 30 lb
-Leader- 12-15 lb Maxima

Standard Swimjig Setup:
-Rod- Champ Extreme 7'8" 4 power
-Reel- Curado 200
-Line- MaxCuatro 50 lb
-Leader-15-20 lb Maxima

California Swim Jig Setup:
-Rod- Zodias 7'5" Heavy
-Reel- Curado 200
-Line- MaxCuatro 65 lb braid
-Leader- 20-25 lb Maxima

Best Baits to Target Bluegill Eaters

We focus a lot on trout and shad imitators out West but we all know that bass love to eat bluegill. When the water begins to warm the bluegill becomes a major forage base for bass and you shouldn't overlook them. This week Matt breaks down his Top 5 Baits to best imitate a bluegill so you can begin to catch those big summer bass. 

The key to successfully imitating bluegill is to find baits that not only get bites but are also slim enough to have a high hookup ratio. There's nothing worse than getting giant bites and not hooking the bass! Below you'll find a breakdown of Matt's favorite bluegill imitating baits and the reasons he chooses them. 

The first category is the Squarebill crankbait. Bluegill eaters spend most of their time shallow and around heavy cover so the squarebill is a great option to coax a bite. Matt's favorite all around bluegill imitating squarebill is the River2Sea biggie. You might remember our squarebill debate from THIS VIDEO. 

The second category is the swim jig. When imitating a bluegill I love to use a keitech fat swing impact as a trailer on my California Swim Jig. This combination creates a wide thumping action that imitates a bluegill's tail really well. Quick tip: a chartreuse/blue keitech paired with a very natural looking jig adds a little chartreuse flash and really looks nice in the water! ...see picture below.

The third category is the soft swimbait. The two most widely available baits that best fit this category are the Mattlures Bluegill and the All American Sunfish. Both baits have a very natural profile and are great around cover. Quick Tip: The All American Sunfish needs to be rigged on a swimbait hook of some kind. My preferred hook for this bait is the 5/0 trokar. 

The fourth category is topwater. My favorite large bluegill topwater is the MS Slammer. Its not perfect, but its good enough to get those monster bites and that's what counts! Another great option is the Jackall Gantarel. If smaller baits are your preference, you can't beat the popper. Personally, I'd throw the yellow magic though there are many other great options out on the market. 

The fifth and final category is the Senko. I hate to say it but the senko works incredibly well on bluegill eaters! They're ambush predators and the slow fall of the senko , especially when wacky rigged, really lures them out. Color comes down to personal preference but something with a bit of a chartreuse tail should get the job done. 

I hope you find these tips helpful! As always, we love hearing from you so feel free to leave a comment with your own experiences or even a topic idea for a video you'd like to see us do. Thank you for your continued support of tacticalbassin!

Swim Jig Modifications

As a follow up to our recent post Swim Jig Season, we decided to revisit how to modify a swim jig. While many jigs are effective right out of the package there are some simple changes you can make to the skirt and weedguard that will immediately increase your success rate.

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Some swim jig/swimbait combinations (The California Swim Jig coupled with a Roboworm EZ Shad for example) have excellent action out of the package but other need the skirt to be thinned or shortened to gain the proper action. Follow the simple steps outlined in this video to get increased action out of any swim jig, especially when combining it with a swimbait trailer that has either wide action or low vibration.

The post spawn is the perfect time to lure bass out of the grass beds with the swim jig so put these tips to work right away and catch some of your biggest bass of the year!