I have been fishing jigs in alot of different situations, trying to learn to fish them everywhere...The 2 areas that give me problems are grass and wood...Is there certain types of jigs that come through the grass better than others...I have trouble fishing them slow in grass, it seems like they wont slide through at all. Also jigs in thick laydowns and cover like that are tough...It seems like they wedge up in the crooks of limbs or something....

I would appreciate hearing from ya'll on the styles and techniques you use while fishing a jig in each of these areas...Also I know jigs come in many different styles for different applications but if there is a certain brand that works better than the rest or that ya'll prefer I would be interested to kinow what it is...

Thanks alot,
Eric Nykamp

here is another idea also...On the water learning is often the best so if any of the experts out there would be interested in going fishing sometime and actually coaching me and showing me tricks and techniques that would be great also....

I run a guide service that is aimed at offering the coaching you are talking about. It's called Bass Tutor. If you want more information you can visit my site: http://www.stephenpineau.com/Stephen_Pineau/Guide_Service.html

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

I hope to talk to you soon!

merely my amateur opinion here, but in thick grass, I go wiht a HEAVY jig.. at least 1oz. sometimes I can get away with 3/4. If I feel it get hung up before punching thru, sometimes I can shake the rod a bit, and the jig shimmys its way down to the bottom. Ive also enjoyed some success using swimming jigs along the top of, and down the edges of the grass.

in thick wood, I think getting caught up in nooks and crannys in said wood, can offer some VISCIOUS strikes, upon freeing the jig by shaking.. or whatever other method will free the jig from the grasp of the cover. I have thrown all kinds in heavy wood cover, from footballs,eakins, finesse with some success.

again, im merely an amateur.. and am starting to hone my skills with a jig.

Interested in seeing some more replies to this

I agree with Ride,if your fishing grass your going to want a heavier jig,and using braid is a must for me in grass.Most of your presentations in grass will be vertical presentations(flippin & pitchin).There are jigs designed spefically for this.Lance Vick designed a grass jig made by Black Angel Jigs.It has a recessed line tie that when paired up with braid will come through the grass like nothing.Colors,I stick to watermelon most of the time in grass(not just with jigs)

As far as wood goes,the biggest tip I can give you is when your jig gets snagged in a limb(which WILL happen),instead of pulling on it or blowin up the spot bangin your trollin motor into limbs and branches,set the butt of your rod on the deck,grab your line between your rod and the lure with one hand,then hold your line and rod in the same hand,and with your other hand,pull the line at a 45 degree angle back and to your side,and let let it "pop" as you release it.i get my jig back probably 85 percent of the time doing this.Hope this helps and if u need anything else feel free to PM me.

Mike Soriano

You've posed an excellent question! It is very important to understand that there are a lot of great jig head designs out there made for very specific applications. There simply is not one design that meets every need.
To address the question of fishing a jig in grass I believe there is one design that is far superior to any other. I'm attaching a photo of this design (Don't mind the teeth marks... this particular jig did its job on 6 fish over 8 lbs)
This particular head is what is called a "No-Jack Grass Jig". The reason the design is so important is that as you can see, the eyelet is perfectly in line with the line and contour of the head. As grass collects on the line (which naturally happens as you pull it through cover) it will slide down toward the jig. Most all head designs will then collect the grass and create a problem.
This design however leaves nothing for the grass to collect on. As it slides down the line it simply passes by the head and falls away from the jig. This is KEY when fishing in grass and other thick vegetation.



When I fish wood or other solid structure objects like rip rap, or concrete (lots of that on my local waters) I switch head designs. Its not to say that the No-Jack Grass Jig won't work, but again, I want to maximize my fishing time. For this application I switch to the "Pitchin' Jig". This jigs offers a larger, more bulbous head design with an eyelet that lays perpendicular to the hook point. This design is awesome under these conditions! The shape does not allow it to easily embed in cover. Instead it will gently hang on the tip of the head... a gentle shake of the rod tip will allow the jig to "climb" over and through heavy cover.

By choosing the right head design for the job you will maximize your fishing time. You combine that with a top-notch hook, a truly life-like skirt coloration, and you will be putting more fish in the boat without all the frustration that constantly hanging up can provide.

Punching grass with a heavy jig is a good technique if the grass is matted and you need that heavy jig to get through it. If the grass is less dense, fish the edges of it and any little pockets you find in it. If you see a stump or a lay down that is surrounded by grass fish it well because usually it will be holding fish.
As mentioned earlier the jig head design you choose do so by choosing the one for the cover you are going to fish. Some designs are hybrids and work well around grass and timber.

A good grass jig will also excel in wood if it's designed correctly. After all, here in the South we typically have grassbeds growing over woody cover so we need a jig that will fish both. Weights for punching grass are typically 1oz to 1-1/4oz. What to look for in a good grass jig:


1) A streamlined head shape that's balanced to fall nose-down, glide throught the water column beneath mats without spiraling, and land in an upright position. A well balanced jig will not roll to the side, which reduces snags in woody cover.

2) A big 6/0 heavy wire flipping hook with a vertical line tie. Heavy tackle is required when punching grass, and it takes a hefty hook to do the job. A vertical line tie is critical when flipping/pitching in any heavy cover.

3) Heavy weedguard placed at the perfect angle to both prevent snags and shed grass.

4) Wire or thread wrapped skirts so you can pitch right back to missed bites without messing around with fixing the skirt.

5) A design that allows adding rattles, typically a band that accepts rattles.

6) Sturdy trailer keeper.

Find the right jig and you'll be rewarded with success! This is Brian Gardy from Ontario, Canada who uses our 1oz grass jig to punch through milfoil mats for giant smallies.

I appreciate everybodys replies on this subject so far...

Supermat I can look at those jigs and see how the little differences in design could make such a huge difference in how they fish in their own given place...It seems the goal when fishing grass is to break through to the bottom where it thins out...That is one of the mistakes I know I make is using too light of a jig...I'm always trying to fish the grass but its so hard to bring a jig through the thick canopy at the top that it ends up more like using a rattletrap..Snatch it loose, retrive it till hangs up again then rinse and repeat. This creates some bites but I knew I was missing out on something...

For fishing trees and stumps I almost always flip at close range. Try to visualize how you think fish might be sitting in relationship to the structure. If you can guess on the direction of the current, throw past your target and let the jig drop with the current and into the stump � often you�ll get hit on the drop. Braid is very helpful because you want to stick the fish hard and swing it in the boat so it can�t wrap around anything.

As far as grass, I�ve been trying something different that has been working for me. Fishing on a very preasured lake I wasn�t getting bit on the outside edges of grass that much. I started throwing way back towards the shore and started getting bit much better. My problem was I was losing most of the fish trying to yank them through 20 or 30 yards of grass. So what I did was instead of trying to horse them in as soon as I set the hook, I give them a few seconds to make their initial dive into the grass. When I feel them in it pretty deep I start reeling. What usually happens is the fish gets so much salad on them they can hardly fight. Once they�re incapacitated, I drag them in on top of the mat. This may sound crazy, but try it, it works. Of course you need heavy braid and a stout rod.

Lake Fork Guide Lance Vick designed our grass jig. "The Bomb" This jig features a 25 degree standup head, 6/0 Gamakatsu Tuna Hook, stainless trailer keeper, and a handtied skirt. Lance designed this jig for heavy matted grass but a lot of guys have been using it on trees as well. Like Andi said you need to have very heavy gear for this setup, and with the hook we use you will never have to worry about the hook bending or flexing. After all it was designed to catch 200lb Tuna.....LOL!

I'm no expert but I fish both the Talon grass jig Andi posted pictures of and Black Angel jigs at Lake Fork with good success. I usually keep the heavier grass jig and a 1/2 oz. tied on two of my rods most of the time and fish braid on both. In fact I fish heavy fluoro for cranks and "power" dropshotting and mono for topwater- other than that I think braid is a must in the grass and wood both.

Wow, that thing is a bomb! Do you make that with a football head?

we do make a 3/4 and 1 oz football jig ( not with the tuna hook though) we use a 5/0 mustad heavy wire in those two sizes of football jigs.

How about this scenario....Braid in wood seems like it can cinch up and cut into branches vs. mono which would slide off.....

how does everybody feel about this??