On August 12, I had the pleasure of getting to tag along with Joey Deans of Spit N Fire Jigs for a "Tips and Tricks" on Jig Fishing, on Lake Lavon. Brandon Putnam was also with us and added some great insight into Swim Jigs and Jig fishing in general.

It's always fun to get into the boat with a angler or anglers who can really bring to life a technic, and be able to show the TFF "Tips and Tricks" on that in such a way to make us all better anglers.

Now we all know that each of us have our own little tricks to certain baits and situations, and Joey will be the first to admit he's not the best Jig Fisherman. He will also be the first to tell you he doesn't know everything about Jigs there is to know and is constantly learning new things whether from Brandon, Friends, or even fellow competitors.

So with out any more delay, here's one anglers insight and perspective into the world of Bass Fishing....with "Tips and Tricks"....Jig Style.

When is the best time to use a football head over other common jigs?

What is the best jig to throw on rip rap? What different techniques does he use on the retrieve of a football jig? What is the most common bite he gets i.e. thump, tap, line moving etc.? Thanks Joey!

Joey is a very knowledgeable jig fisherman and a great guy. You should get some indepth answers from him.


What jig do you prefer to use around lily pads? What retrieve do you use around rocks to keep lure loss to a minimum?

Ask him when hes finally going to catch a double digit. JK Joey... good luck!

When and where do you fish finesse jigs? Talk a little about swimming jigs.

If a wood chuck, could chuck, what would a wood chuck, chuck to catch bass in the wood.

On a serious note, ask him how much color selection matters?

Ouch, anyone wanna pour some salt in this wound.... hahahah I can guarantee it ain't for lack of tryin. Honestly, I think the main reason is too many tournaments, and not enough trophy hunting.

Thanks for the questions, and thanks to Casey

I'll answer your question with a question, How much is a Brazilian?

*note you do get double points for including a member of the rodentia family in your question.

braid, mono, fluro or copolymer????

how does he like to fish jigs in hydrilla, not punching matted grass, just good ol sweet stinky hydrilla

How does he keep from backlashing his hippie hair?

Line sizes and rod preference please?

gear ratio on the real also

2nd the request on info on swimming jigs.

WHAT ? You better not "tell" on my favorite color !

Joey you better start PMing some of your contacts for answers to these questions. I dont know if you have enough time to study between now and then.

Detour time -

Q: How much is a Brazilian?

A: It depends on what she charges.

Now if you are talking Brazilian Rodentia then we speak highly of the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), the largest living rodent in the world. They are neither hairless (in specific areas) like you would be after a brazilian {similar to a bikini wax} nor do they cost a bazillion which is a big pile of money even more than a nickel.

Now back to our scheduled programing.

Genius!!

And watch yourself, I'm married to a Brazilian. Unfortunately, she's not a brazillionaire.

What is the best time to jig fish on Lavon?

I'm assuming its not the middle of August
Target depths on Lavon, do they stay the same throught the year.

Curtis, I'm looking for your number...... hehehe

I've been trying to get in touch with Denny Brauer, but his people won't return my calls....




I learned it from watching you ok!



Robert Genius!

Tommy, careful or I'll start giving out Craw Tube tips to the highest bidders....

Looking forward to it guys

What is it like to blank on Lavon?

how do you set the hook with braid when using jigs. i can never get good hook sets since it always wraps around my eyelet when i drop my rod tip to cross their eyes.

If you only have one color, type and weight of a jig what would it be and why?

Black/Blue or Greens for color, How do you determine color

What is the best jig to throw and the style to retrieve while bank fishing? The lake has cliffs and trees under water in places.

When fishing docks what kind of retrieve do you use? Hop and stop or slow/fast then stop. Hop all the way back? etc.

Tommy, careful or I'll start giving out Craw Tube tips to the highest bidders....

Oh the Humanity!

different jigs for pitching to stumps and deepwater jigging, and which trailer to use in each situation. Porka, Craws, Brush hogs etc.


Rob

I echo getting Joey to discuss colors but please add to the discussion something on jig and trailer matching. Is he a fan of complimenting the jig color or contrasting and when should you do one versus the other.

Hey Joey, congrats on big bass at Media at Fork on Sunday! Jig fish?

No sir, I don't fish a jig much in tourneys there anymore. Too many heartbreaker slot fish. I'm not saying a finesse jig won't work, but personally too many 21 to 23 inch fish to count on a jig. Of course it was a 1 ounce jig, lol.

1/8 ounce buzzbait caught her

Thanks

Most effective way to work jigs through gnarly wood like we have in our south Texas reservoirs without getting hung up so much.
Thanks!

Back in the day, he use to hand drill and place an oversized weed gaurd in jigs specially sold for this mesquite and cedar junk we have in these lakes. Ahhh the good ol times when dark junebug was a secret.

Lol... sorry Joey I will keep quite.

you will keep quite.....?? I think quiet was the word you were seeking....Ya junebug is a big secret, none of those florida guys throw that...haha...Just messin' with ya, but Joey makes as good of a jig as anybody..And he special makes a jig that is responsible for many hefty bass for me and my partner this year!

If you catch a share a lunker and weigh it in early can you still cull it?

Hahahaha, that was greatness! Jimmy didn't think I'd do it.



I've still got scars to prove that. I ain't the most handy guy and something tells me I should have got a table clamp...... Drillbits and fingers don't mix well, even with gloves on. It's all good in the end though, that mold has been modified to hold those big weedguards so no more drilling.

Well guys, any results........

I don't know how much they are, but they sure are nice. LOL

Great job Casey, as usual. Joey and Brandon are great guys and anglers.

Well done, but I didnt know Joe Dirt got a new boat .

DAAANNNNNGGGG!

Hahaha, I was thinking more like Boomhauer, but Jose Dirte' will work, lol.

Thanks Joey, Brandon and Casey for a great set of videos. This is exactly what makes the TFF great. People who give of their time and knowledge to help other people learn and get better. I've been in the boat with Brandon on Lavon and watched him put on a clinic fishing that hybrid jig in shallow cover. I'm still not very successful with it, but I'm gaining more confidence in the jig and fishing it more. Things like these videos will accelerate that. Thanks again!

Excellent job guys!

Casey, you just keep getting better and better at this.

great job guys!

Gettin' Jiggy wid it!

That is some very good information gentleman.

Casey is alot of fun, it was a cool opportunity. We had a limited time and tried to get alot in. Lot's more to cover, and I know we missed some questions. I sent quite a few PM's to answer some in more detail. I tried to gear it a little towards 'new' jig fisherman and people who don't fish it alot. We answered a few advanced questions, but mainly kept it basic. Jigs are so versatile it's hard to cover even 1/2 of it, but it's a good start. Thanks again Casey and thanks Brandon (007) for helping out!


/off to shave, hehe.

Thanks Casey and Joe for the write up

Awesome stuff guys thanks very much

Excellent work Joey, Brandon and Casey. Thanks for the PM Joey.

Good guy, good jigs. Way to go Joey.

Joey, in the video it sounded like you use braid all the time, even when not fishing around cover. Any particular reason why you do this?

Great video with lots of good info. Thanks.

awesome video, there was alot of great information in there that i know i will put to use. thanks for doing these videos, i learn quite a bit from them. keep it up!

Great job Joey & Casey, the topic was outstanding...........

Great videos guys! Do you ever go straight braid? What's the advantage of fishing such a long flouro leader in dirty water? Is the reason for the leader a visual thing or more for the feel?

I use braid on everything except for my crankbaits. Occasionally, I'll use mono for topwater, but even then usually braid.

Mainly personal preference, I like the way braid feels and I like the sensitivity. I like the Fireline braids, it's not as limp as most others which prevents it from wrapping in the eyelets etc.. But consistency across all rods/reels and applications helps. Not to mention the fact that I'm a little on the lazy side when it comes to preparing for a day of fishing. This fits into what 'I' do, because I don't have to respool but maybe 2 times a year, sometimes once.

Everyone has different preferences on line types and sizes, and this just fits what I like. It's not for everyone, but if it ends up working for you, it will save alot of time.

Good observation, yes the leader can be used as a visual depth indicator Good catch. Secondly though, it certainly doesn't hurt to use it. From my own personal expierience I just catch more fish with a leader as opposed to straight braid. That water is gonna have to be chocolate milk before I go straight braid.

I do go straight braid on occasion. Two that come to mind off the top of my head. Thick and/or matted hydrilla also alligator grasses (anything that matts and has stems) It allows me to horse the fish out and I don't have to worry about a 'weak' link. As much confidence as I have in leaders, there is no denying it's a weak link. Whenever you put two lines together one is stronger than the other. The other situation would be heavy cover with stained water where I know there are big fish. Falcon, there are lots of situations you better be using straight braid!

Overall, in those two situations the braid blends well with it's surroundings. It blends with the small limbs in the bushes and trees, and it blends with the hydrilla/alligator stalks in the grass. Plus the lower light conditions with the shadows help mask the line.

It makes a poor choice in open water because it's an opaque (solid) line.

Thanks

kick [censored] videos and great info Joey, nice cameo 007!!

Little dissapointed there were no rodents caught on film, but otherwise great stuff!

What an Awesome Post !!

Great job guys! I cant wait for "Round 2: In Depth Jig Fishing!"

Thanks Casey, Joey and Brandon!

JR

For those interested, here are the results of Jamie's round 2 with me on Lavon last night. We caught several up to 3 1/2 lbs on finesse jigs. He wanted to learn a little more about Football jigs. I told him, well I'll show you a little about it, but we might not catch any fish here it's more for demonstration. If we do catch one though it will probably be a good one. On my 5th or 6th cast, I got a bite and set the hook. Oooooh this is a good one Jamie!



We kept fishing that spot for a little longer while I explain some of the subtleties of the Football Jig.

I think Jamie is well on his way to figuring it out



We had alot of fun last night, I thought it would be a little tougher fishing than it was. There was no wind at all it was dead calm. As soon as the breeze picked up I headed for the windblown banks and they were feeding a bit. The football jig fish were caught off a ridge out in the mainlake.


P.S. Ranger boats, notice the hat......I also got a pic of the emblem on the boat........I want's my royalty monies.........

Thanks for the jig lesson Joey! A few fish like that gets you real excited about fishing a jig!

Thanks again,
Jamie

Football Jig bite is still on, I'd advise going out to Lavon soon if you've struggled in the past learning this technique. They are ON it. Find you some ridges, humps, points etc... with access to deep water. It doesn't have to be deep on Lavon, just have deep water nearby.

Here are the best 4 from Labor Day. The big one was 6-11 on handhelds.





I've experienced these good fish/big fish streaks on Lavon before, but never on Football jigs. So if it's something you've been meaning to practice/learn now is the time to get out on Lavon. Who knows how much longer it will last?

Joey, it was good meeting up with you guys on Lavon Monday morning. Agreed about the big or what one could call a big bite for Lavon. Thomas and I stuck some decent fish that day as well and with the big fish I caught at the first of the weekend, I would think that things are just going to get better over the next several weeks with the temps coming down. Should turn out to be an excellant fall bite.

Awesome fish gents!

Great fish Joey and Brandon. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks guys, I just want everyone to have confidence that the fish are there and catch able. I'm not doing anything special, I just have confidence it will work. Trust me, you will know when they hit the football jig right now. Over the next couple weeks it will only get better.

Keeb and Thomas it was good fishing with you guys out there

Joey,

PM sent about the Football Jig.

Hey, its always nice to get out on the lake with friends. Next time we wont be so easy on you guys.

Just ordered a dozen Jigs I figure ill give em a whirl