Fished this afternoon and committed to jig only. Of 10 or so takes, I landed 2 fish. Is there a good instructional video or article on jig hook sets? I don't have this problem at all with T- rigged creature baits.

Probably some short strike fish.

Thanks and definitely could be! I have some doubts though because the first fish fought me for a couple of seconds after I "set" the hook. If short strikes, I would think the jig would have come out on the hook set. That did not occur this afternoon. It was more like the fish that came off had the jig even after I set the hook but shook off after fighting me for a few moments. A few fish seemed like they were hooked but not well, and were able to throw the hook by shaking.

What is your setup

A jig does give the fish some weight to leverage when shaking. Some of us tend to flip fairly heavy jigs, so this makes this effect worse still. The comparison assumes your Texas rig has a chance of sliding the weight away from the hook, even if just a little bit - any line between hook eye and weight becomes a 3 axis "swivel" that reduces leverage when a the fish is trying to shake free. You might try a rod with a softer tip. A flipping stick built like a boom handle can let line slack get into the equation, and that can result in "fish on" for a very brief period of time before the inevitable shake-off. I know a pro who still uses 25# Big Game for flipping, with it's elasticity being one of the characteristics that helps him keep fish pinned.

Stiff rod, braid and a hefty hookset. If the hook isn’t thick, you’ll often just bend it over; but you said it was a flipping jig. Shouldn’t be an issue with one of those. You’re getting them in the roof of the mouth often and it’s pretty hard up there and you also have the weed guard that you’re pulling against.

I am assuming you are casting the jig and not flipping it.

Try a different brand of jig.

I get the same effect if I run across a DULL Hook.

Check to make sure the hook is Ultra Sharp, and maybe trim back the weed guard some so that there isn't much between the hook point and the fish.

Which direction are you swinging? Straight up or sideways?

based on my experience,if you are flipping/pitching with a flipping jig,you are not setting the hook hard enough...a flipping jig typically has a heavy hook and you need to set the hook hard to get any penetration...
if you are casting a flipping jig and using anything less than 20 lb test line,you are probably not getting any hook penetration due to line stretch....find some casting jigs with a thin wire hook...and as mentioned,be sure your hooks are sharp...

If its an odd numbered day of the month and a full moon I lije to maintain 11.6lbs of foot pressure on the jig to maintain a linear vortex. If its an even numbered dayI l prefer 9.5lbs of pressure as you wabt to reduce the sway of that linear vortex just a bit to compensate for relative humidity.



In all seriousness for me jig fishing was a technique that took me a bit to really feel confidant with. I think there are differences from throwing a Texas rig that take a little longer to learn. Bite perception is one for sure. You finally just figure out something is "different" and set the hook since not all bites are thump type or obvious.

For me, a good 7-7 1/2' mag MH or H rod with a fast tip in most light to moderately heavy cover situatikns has been best. Throw in a good 15-20lb flouro line and a jig with a good hook and your catch ratio will improve. I maje my own jigs as I am very particular about them. Sometimes just fanning out, trimming or cutting the weedguard at a slight angle can help too.

Don't be afraid to lay it to them on the hookset and then grind them in. Keep tightness in the line when reeling them in to avoid the fish being able to use the weight of the jighead to throw the hook. I prefer low stretch line. In some situations I use braid but for me personally fluoro just feels right for most of my jig fishing.

Hang in there, its wirth the time to get better at fishing a jig. Once you do it will be hard to put diwn. You will get it figured out though.

another thing I learned the hard way is that when you are casting a jig with 15 lb or less mono/fluoro and hook a big bass,don't horse the fish in because when you are fighting a big fish,the line whip sawing across the fishes mouth can fray and drastically weaken the line....don't put any more pressure on the fish than you have to and be careful of that last surge they make when you get them near the boat....and...be sure to check your line for nicks/fraying after you land a fish.....next big fish you catch,run your finger across the upper and lower lip and you will probably wonder why we don't have more fish break off than we do...

The rods power and action is very important in hooking fish and getting them in the boat on a jig. I like a heavy with extra fast tip. 20# Flouro

When I pitch a jig which is most of the time when I am fishing a jig, anything under 2 pounds usually can be seen in under 2 seconds after I set the hook. Under 14" fish tend to fly.
Remember you are trying to make a hook attached to a somewhat heavy jighead penetrate the fishes mouth. Most jigs also have weedguards on them.

Something you may already do is, have a rod with a lighter tip if you fish braid and back off the drag slightly. You want the line to move quickly but since you normally have 20 feet or less of line out you don't want to break the line or rod.

14 inchers in under 6' of water tend to fly over the boat if you're setting the hook right.