Ontario Angler

Feel the Bass Bite with the Right Jig Rod
By Lawrence Euteneier
Captain – Blind Fishing Boat .Com

As a fisher without sight I have caught my biggest Bass on Jigs, and while like everyone I’ve missed hooking up my fair share, I catch them using solely my sense of touch. Advances in rod and line sensitivity and lighter and more balanced rods and reels have opened up new opportunities to further refine the ways we fish jigs. Understanding how to capitalize on the increased tactile information being generated by these recent innovations will land you more and bigger Bass. With sportsman and fishing shows around the corner, the following suggestions may also help with your next jig rod purchase.

Prior to laser sharp hooks and non-stretch lines, fishers preferred heavy to extra heavy jig fishing rods with slow tapers to assist with the execution of bone-jarring hook sets. Good backbone in rods is still a must-have since fishing jigs depends on wrestling big Bass away from structure. Just as importantly though, the softer upper tip section (extra-fast taper) now routinely found on jig fishing rods serves as a tactile indicator for detecting bites if used properly. A note of caution though, using a rod with a tip that is too soft for the weight of your jig and trailer will make for sloppy hook sets and absorb tactile feedback being transmitted up the line resulting in a muddied or deadened sensation in the hand.

Select your jig rod with a specific weight class of jig in mind. Basically, the weight of the jig and trailer in water should cause little to no bend in the rod’s extra-fast tip to ensure tactile information generated by your jig bumping into and climbing over structure is past down the full length of the rod’s blank to the hand. At the same time, the extra-fast tip should flex sufficiently to avoid sending a tug sensation down the line when you lift the tip to detect Bass mouthing your jig. Builders of higher quality rods understand this trade-off and include a specific or narrow range of jig weights in their rod specifications.

Well balanced rod/reel combos are important for more than just reducing arm fatigue. The centre of gravity should be where the reel and rod meet. This is also the point on the rod where your hand should be positioned. In essence, the hand becomes the pivot point.

Consider the different areas of your rod hand as distinct sensors for use in monitoring rod movement. Establish light contact between these sensing zones and different points on the rod’s handle and reel, and you’ll begin to register the rod torquing left and right and tipping up and down without the rod blank itself having to flex and transmit resistance to Bass at the end of your line. Don’t worry, as long as you’re paying attention, on those times when a fish strikes aggressively you’ll have no trouble clamping down in plenty of time to save your rod and set the hook.

Checking for direct contact with a Bass prior to setting the hook by carefully lifting the rod’s tip to determine if there’s resistance only takes a second. If performed without imparting a tug sensation to the Bass, the pressure that you and the Bass both feel will result in the Bass clamping down harder on your jig out of concern their pray is attempting to flee, compressing the weed guard and plastic trailer resulting in more exposed hook and a better hook set.

When you have detected a Bass mouthing your jig, maintain even pressure and execute a sweeping hook set. Try not to reef back on the rod in the direction of your own head or that of your buddies to avoid jigs flying out of the water and causing injury.

Once you have the Bass pinned, reel down while maintaining pressure and execute two sharp tugs to drive the barb home. Think of it as the difference between using a hammer to push in a nail versus a couple quick sharp taps.

The above information will hopefully help you to select your next Bass jig fishing outfit and to catch more trophies. Hopefully, it will also tempt you to give night fishing for Bass a try.

Anchors up.

Lawrence Euteneier has a Masters in environmental studies and is the founder of the Blind Fishing Boat initiative. www.blindfishingboat.com