I was wondering how you guys used a jig at night. Do yal still jig it and let it fall? Or just crawl it real slow to slow the presentation? Also is a jig a pretty decent night bait?

The jig is one of the best night baits. Sometimes you may want to fish it a little slower than during the day but that's not always the case. Try different retrieve rates and see what works that night.

Use a little heavier jig so you are able to feel whats going on better. Its really hard to watch your line at night, so the extra weight helps you maintain contact.


Start packing a sling in your boat if you're going to fish a jig much!

This is an older post that I wrote here on the forum that should answer a lot of your night time jig questions. In my opinion, a jig is one of the two best baits you can throw for big bass in the dark! Give this post a read and if you have questions feel free to PM me or ask here.

Matt

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...g_L#Post3114509

Supermat,
You say jigs are one of the two best night lures. In your opinion, what is the other "best night lure?" Also, for jigs, what colors of jig and trailers do you find the best at night? Do you use the Phantom Craw pork trailer and the 3:16 minnow interchangeably, or in differing conditions? What size 3:16?
Thanks for your writeup. I would like to try out some of your findings.
Lance Krueger

Lance,
The other bait I throw is a sinking swimbait. However, the jig is much more versatile. When it comes to throwing jigs at night, I try to keep my colors as simple as possible. Generally, I stick to Molting Craw. (also a color I throw a lot during the day) Black is another standby night color. There is no reason to go out and fill a plano box with 15 different colors of jigs for night fishing. As for the trailers I use, they each have a purpose. When the fish want that slow, methodic approach I slow way down and use the big, bulky trailers like the Phantom Craw. When they seem to be reacting to the bait I will switch to the swim jig and fish faster. The swim jig can be swam quickly through shallow water OR allowed to work its way down through verticle structure (like boulders, retaining walls, trees, etc. Also, in that particular write up I was fishing DEEP water. I'll adjust the weight of the jig to the depth I'm fishing and to the speed I want the jig to fall at.

That article is crazy...Fishing in 30ft of water in the middle of winter at night.

Its just a scenerio I would never have thought myself as being in, but id be out there in a heartbeat to catch those monsters you were getting into.