I mentioned in my cold water bass fishing tips post that one of the baits that I like to use at this time of year is a jig. Nothing new there but I do have a little bit different take on the whole jig thing. I have tried a lot of different jig styles over the years and now use one more than any other, the swim jig. The Dirty Jigs Finesse Swim Jig is my favorite incarnation of this style of bait.
I like swim jigs because they are a bit more versatile than most of the other styles of jigs and give you more options when you’re fishing without having to change lures. Because it is built with the ability to stay up and relatively horizontal in the water column as opposed to dropping straight down to the bottom, you can change the speed easier, keep it moving through structure better, use a yo-yo style retrieve and still drag it if you chose to. I like lures that can accommodate more than one style of retrieve so you can adjust to what the fish are wanting.
Colors And Design
The Dirty Jigs Finesse jig comes in a bunch of colors and uses a 50 strand half-cut skirt that makes for a more slender profile in the water that matches small baitfish well. The skirt is at first glance somewhat sparse compared to some of the baits in this class but to me, that just makes putting on a trailer that much easier. The hook is a Mustad Ultra Point 1X strong jig hook and it is sharp! I have yet to lose a fish on this jig due to the hook not penetrating.
At this time of year, I will use a smaller profile trailer just to stay consistent with the jig and use the lighter version of the Dirty Jigs almost exclusively. This jig comes in three weights, 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8. I use the 3/8 ounce during the spring and summer when I am reeling this pretty fast through cover looking for the reaction bite but when the water is cold and the bass are somewhat lethargic, just slowly hopping or dragging this little jig along the bottom can catch you some big fish!
No Need To Customize
I know a lot of folks like to customize their jigs by trimming the weed guard and the skirt material and I am certainly among them. However, the first time that I fished the Dirty Jigs, I was in a big hurry to get the lure on my line and into the water so I didn’t go through my usual routine of trimming everything on the jig. I just tied it on, put my trailer on and threw it out to my target. Lo and behold, the first cast I got thumped pretty good, set the hook and got a solid three pounder. Since then I haven’t bothered trimming anything at all on these jigs before I use them.
If you have had problems with fishing with jigs or you just haven’t given them a try, pick up a couple of these Dirty Jigs Finesse Swim Jigs and give them a run through. You might just be surprised how easy they are to fish slow or fast and the retrieve options they give you because of their design.
See ya on the water…
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