By: Tyler Uteg

Jig fishing: It’s an old standby technique that bass anglers sometimes fail to utilize. It’s also a technique some anglers are intimidated to try. Until last season, I was unsure of how to fish with jigs.  I’ve been fishing for most of my life, and there has always been an unknown, mysterious force about jigs that has prevented me from being willing to use them.  To this day I still haven’t figured out what that unwillingness was. All I know is that last season, I depended on jigs to catch bass. 

Two years ago I began participating in bass tournaments. It seemed as if every time someone won, majority of their fish were caught with jigs. I constantly saw them hoisting up their winning fish, and when asked what they got them on, the answer was almost always a jig.

Towards the end of my 2011 season (my first official bass tournament season), I forced myself to fish jigs more often. I really had no idea what I was doing, and only had some rough information from some of the other anglers I talked to. What I really wanted to learn about was the multitude of ways to fish jigs: Dragging, hopping, swimming, skipping, flipping, pitching, slow and fast. Unfortunately for me, I had no idea where to even begin, and no idea about when or where to apply these varieties of methods. To complicate things further, jigs come in an even wider variety of weights and shapes, each of which is made to accompany a specific technique.

I started off fishing a jig type which I thought was the easiest; dragging. I began catching some nice bass on my first few trips. This was in October, which is a month that I typically start to lose my ability to catch fish consistently.  I used a 3/8oz. football jig with a Yum Money Craw trailer. It seemed to be effective, therefore I stuck with it.

When Spring 2012 came, I then began experimenting with lighter jigs and smaller trailers. I quickly learned that jig trailers are important, and you always use what works.  I recommend using a craw chunk in colder water, a Rage Craw for a more subtle presentation, or a Stankx Bait Company Hero for that big bite.  Early in the season, I began to pick some fish up off beds, and caught a few in the 4lb. range, which immediately improved my confidence.

As the season progressed, I continued to study the art of jig fishing. I read articles and watched any video I could find in order to learn everything I could about different jig fishing techniques. Eventually, I came across a video that immediately changed my jig fishing. It was a video about how to tie your own jigs. After watching the video, and talking to a few other guys about it, I decided to tie jigs for myself. It was one of the best fishing decisions I’ve ever made in my life.

Not only did this video give me the ability to tie any colors I wanted, but it greatly increased my confidence simply because I began to get a better understanding of how different colors, jig types and techniques all work together to catch fish throughout the year.

To date, I’ve created some jigs that I’m really proud of. Many of them have caught bass consistently throughout the year, and some of them have helped me win or place in several tournaments.

As an angler, it’s a critical concept to evolve. Learning new techniques can be difficult, but if you follow through I guarantee it will pay off. Each fish you catch will build your confidence, and you will learn to depend on a new technique like it has always been a part of your arsenal…… Remember, at one point in our lives we all had to learn how to bait a hook with a worm, too.

Once Spring comes around again, make a promise to yourself to learn one or two new techniques in 2013. Really learn them and educate yourselves on them. These self-taught lessons will undoubtedly make you a better angler, and you’ll enjoy the thrill of catching fish after struggling for a little while.

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About Tyler Uteg

Tyler Uteg, 28, a media producer from Chicago Illinois, has been fishing for about 25 years and loves everything about bass fishing, and being out on the water. A member of CAST CREW, his favorite waters are centered in the northern portions of Illinois where he chases largemouth and smallmouth bass. Tyler is a bass tackle aficionado and enjoys supporting and endorsing small, independent tackle manufacturers that specialize in hand-crafted and customized products.