So I have been trying to teach myself to fish offshore structure the last two times I was at the lake. I found (with fishfinder) some structure (trees and rocks) that were holding fish and dropped a football head jig down to the bottom and used the trolling motor to slowly drag the jig through the structure. BOTH times, it was just a minute or two and the jig got hung up, and the result was breaking the jig off and donating it to the tree/rocks. Both jigs did have the weed guards fully in tact, and I was using 30# Berkley Fireline.

First-is my method correct? Locating the structure that is holding fish and dropping a jig down to the structure and dragging it through?

Second-is it normal to break off jigs often like this? Both times I was using a Rockcrawler Jig--$5 a piece. After the second time, I think I would have felt better about tying on a trebble hook with a $5 bill on it and breaking it off on a tree that I could actually see.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Well that my friend is just part of it. You will go through a lot of them sometimes until you find the right angle to bring it through to get bit and to not get hung up every cast. If it were me I wouldn't use the trolling motor to move the bait. Use it to keep you're boat positioned to make the right cast and use you're rod and reel to move the bait. Structure fishing is frustrating sometimes when learning but it can pay big dividends at certain times

Don't use the trolling motor to move your bait. You really need to be feeling the bottom with your jig. Being able to feel the structure you will be able to work the jig through the trees, rocks, etc. Moving the jig yourself will allow you to feel when you are coming through a tree. When you hit a limb and it won't come over let your rod down a little bit and try and hop it over the limb. In time you will be able to feel the structure and be able to tell where your bites are coming from, brush, grass, chunk rock, gravel. Paying attention to these little details will help you in the long run. Hope this helps.

I don't think using the trolling motor to drag the jig around, is the best way to do that. If it was rock and trees just fish the jig like you would if you were flipping into a brush pile you can see. You still need to work the jig through the cover. Try JigX by Tour Edge Lures the line runs through the head and which protects the knot and changes the angle in which you are pulling the jig.

dont let the bait fish you... YOU fish the bait. the rod becomes your "feeler" as you slowly crawl the jig along the bottom structure.
there are more affordable jigs out there for the beginner. I saw some football jigs made by ARKIE on clearance at walmart last night. until you learn how to fish them, buy the cheapest because you are gonna lose quite a few. then you can adjust your likes and dislikes to what YOU want in a football jig, and do your research on many different companies to find the one style of jig that suits you.

For fishing wood i dont use the football as much. Also cast and use slow sweep pulls when you do use footballs.When you first feel it pulling up to a limb or hanging slightly then you want to raise your rod tip as high as you can and give it some jiggles and short light pops and most of the time it will pop on over just be ready to get smacked when it is falling back on the other side. I usually have a Sixth sense football jig on one rod and same color odhams on the other. If the cover seems to thick to get my football through then i use the odhams. If even the odhams hangs up i use a slip jig from VM same color. If you pop the football and it doesn't come out and you can troll over to it(which sometimes will turn off fish on tops) then troll past the bait and try a short pop from the direction the bait was drug into the cover. If that doesn't work then go further past and try a straight pull. In a lot of good tops you WILL lose alot of jigs. Buy bulk if you can. BTW one other note a crankbait plug knocker will get a jig back a good bit of the time so if you are on that tight of a budget it will save you alot of money i recommend finding one easy to real and use.

I use a guy in Cali. that make my jigs. He does an AMAZING job, makes any color you want or could imagine, describes in detail what he can do with it. He makes a some for some FLW guys. $3 a jig any collar pattern you want & any type (flip, swim, etc). Usually has them to you no lates than 2 weeks, usually sooner, unless he has a lot of orders, and he will usually let you know. Great guy, communication with him is great.

i think the guy is looking for moreso the technique, as opposed to brand selection at this point.

I use a marker buoy. I'll throw it out the back of the boat when I come across something worth fishing. Then I'll have a visual target to throw past and drag the jig thru. You can work your way around the buoy 360� and never loose the brushpile or rockpile your trying to fish.

side note: i just want to clarify i do not consider myself a "master" of anything fishing related lol

Football head jigs are terrible for fishing trees. Avoid doing it when you can.

There will be lots on here who disagree because of how a lot of manufacturers build them and market them. But it is a poor choice for timber, they were not designed to do it.

Get you some good arkie jigs for fishing in timber, you can find some heavy enough.

If you absolutely have to fish a football head jig in timber leave the brushguard long and really fan it out the opposite way of the hook real good. It will help some

If I were you I would try one thing at a time. Either get comfortable fishing offshore or jig fishing -- don't try to do both together.

Those spots you've found will probably fish just as well with a t or c rig, drop shot, crank bait, or whatever your confident with. Then once you get a few deep structure fish under your belt, try practicing with a jig.

Jigs are one of the easiest baits to fish and i think we make way too big a deal out of fishing them. Once you get some confidence with them I think you'll agree with me.

Only time i ever heard that claim i think.

i agree jpost. so much that jigs are the only bait that fills 4 up tackle boxes in the boat.