I always thought jigs were for vertical presentations, but someone assured me they could be used in shallow ponds. So, I tried one this morning, casting out and working it back in by hopping it across the bottom and all I got was a huge amount of vegetation covering the lure after a few feet of retrieval. How do you fish jigs in a shallow pond?

"Jig" it, drag it, hop it, etc. It is definitely not the most weedless type of lure to throw.

If fishing ponds with a weedy bottom, I downsize on the jig.

When retrieving, I make it hop LIGHTLY as soon as I start to feel it hit the bottom.

Okay, what's "downsize" to you?

1/4 oz or smaller. I usually swim them in shallow water--just like a spinnerbait, but no blades. Use a swimbait or grub trailer. I prefer a bream pattern of some sort. Cast it. Reel it. Jerk it a few times.

If it is the gorilla snot algae that is in a lot of our ponds right now then it is hard to work any bottom/tight line baits without them getting covered. Likely best to wait on the jig until later in the year. You can try swimming a jig to keep it out of the mess but that is a different deal. As far as sizes, I usually fish a 1/8oz to 5/16oz jig in my local ponds.

For grins and giggles...I have caught more 3-5 pound bass along with more bream than I can count on crappie jigs (squirmin' squirts, hair jigs, etc.) than I can count. And sometimes, I hook into a giant cat of some kind that really gives me a rush. Give up on the heavy stuff, go finesse fishing and challenge yourself.

Swimming a 3/8oz or 1/2oz jig with a paca chunk trailer is killer in a small pond. It's more subtle than a spinnerbait, and more lifelike. Use natural green and brown colors. Since you keep it off the bottom by swimming it, you don't have to worry about the snot moss on the bottom.

Fish the same jig on the bottom during the winter and spring when the cold water kills all the slop off the bottom.

Good suggestions, thanks!

Swim it. Even with my 1/2 oz FB jigs, I swim it. The ponds I fish don't really have so much vegetation on the bottom, but more near the shoreline. In these cases, I reel quickly and yank it out of the water before it reaches the vegetation. Since in your case vegetation is on the bottom of the pond, again my suggestion is to swim it through the water column.