Have had jigs for years and just this year getting into making it a part of my arsenal. In the past, I have always thrown a jig when I can't get a bite just as an attempt to try something new. I even caught a handful over the years on sight fishing beds with a jig. But last week, something changed. We were on a great bite fishing texas rigged soft plastics and instead of sticking with it I switched to a jig. I had three bites on the jig within an hour but only caught 1. Having said that it was a 5 lber. It was also offshore on a rockpile which is another uncommon thing for me. It definitely had me excited and confident I can add a new dimension to my fishing.

One question I do have is... What is the deal with football jigs? It seems like people just love them and I can not throw one without getting hung up constantly. I have never even caught a fish on one. Always heard that a football jig is good around rock and doesn't get hung up as easily. I have found the opposite to be true for me. Even with a casting or flipping jig, I get hung up so much easier than a normal T-rig.

Yep, a jig will tend to get wedged in rocks more than a tx rig. I don't get hung up as much when I don't make as strong of pulls/hops...same speed just don't make hard fast yanks with the rod, that way if it goes to a place that would snag it it's less likely to get jammed in and instead will hit and fall down and can come back up.

If you feel the tension of a snag immediately give it slack, many times it will drop back down into the hole in the rocks and will come out a different way when you do that. You can also move the boat to different positions to try to free it.

Always check your line and knot after you're snagged!!! I've thrown off a bunch of jigs the next 1 or 2 casts after getting it back from a snag.

In the end yes you will lose jigs which do cost more than a weight and hook...... jigs are bulkier than bullet weights so it's going to happen at times.

Eric

Are you making any modifications to the jig or tying it on straight out of the packaging? I usually do a few things (mostly depending on the conditions that I'm fishing) such as flaring out the weed guard to better protect the hook from hang-ups. When you're fishing a jig in the rocks, you should never have a slack line. That slack will allow the jig to dig into the rocks and get wedged.

All that said, you will still lose a few.

I have been trimming the skirt a bit and if need be I flare out the weedguard. My main issue isn't the hook getting buried in the rocks or limbs but that the jig head wedges itself in the rocks so easily. Typically I can get it out if I move the boat over top of it or past where it got hung but I don't like moving the boat over a fishy looking area because I got hung up.

I believe the reason people say that has to do with the type of rock. Football jigs work good in pebbly rock or scattered rock, but not very good in heavy rock like riprap.

That makes much more sense! The only lake that I fish with that type of rock is Amistad and I only go there about once or twice a year. Good to know.

This is exactly right

When I fish riprap I use a light weight jig which is the difference in staying hung-up or actually fishing. Certain jig trailers can help as well. A wide body jig trailer won't let the jig fall into cracks as bad, but nevertheless you are still going to lose some.

I too never used to throw a jig except around timber. Started dragging a 3/4oz football jig around main lake points and creek bends and man... you can really catch some big fish that way.