Swim Jig for Bass Fishing – It’s about the Allure

Swim Jig

Swim Jigs, including casting jigs and skipping jigs, are cover contact lures known for their natural pulsing swimming motion lure action and their versatility for fishing most cover especially grass cover.

Anatomy: Swim Jig lures [Figure 1, 4] are skirted body lure with a pointy nose, bullet shaped, jig head allowing it to most easily get through most cover, especially grass cover, with a vertical line tie with the hook which maximizes a straight retrieve. Generally, with a medium sized hook and with a strong weedguard.

Variants & Other Names:

Casting Jig: [Figure 2] Generally, a more arkie style jig head with slightly higher line tie and slightly wider than a swim jig head, possibly with a heavier wire hook and is commonly presented and rigged the same as a swim jig. It is also considered more versatile than a swim jig as some consider it better for contacting rock cover and wood cover.
Skipping Jig: [Figure 3] Generally, a flatter jig head, and is commonly presented and rigged the same as a swim jig.
Finesse Swim Jig: [Figure 5] Not to be mixed up with a Finesse Jig, a finesse swim jig is a small light swim jig.
Underblade Swim Jig: [Figure 8] Blade located under the swim jig head.

Lure Action. Natural pulsing swimming motion

Search Bait: Common.

Pros’ Choice: Common.

When to Fish a Swim Jig

Swim Jig lures are cover contact lures typically selected when:

Targeted Depth:
- Shallow: Common to hit shallow targeted cover to create noise and deflection of the lure to trigger reaction bites.
- Deep(Offshore): Not common but possible with a heavy jig head to increase fall rate as well as keeping the lure deep during the retrieve.
Fishing Speed:
- Fast: Common, but generally slower than many horizontal lures.
- Slow: Less common, as a versatile lure, it can be fished at most any speed, but fast is most common. Light weight jig head helps keep the lure shallow during a slow retrieve.
Lure Visibility is:
- High Lure Visibility: Common as it is considered a subtle natural looking lure.
- Low Lure Visibility: Less common albeit there is some vibration provided when using a soft plastic trailer.
Targeting Cover: Some suggest all lures are good near cover where swim jig lures are good when contacting:
- Grass: Common, including heavy cover such as clumps and floating/matted grass.
  - Weedless: Most have a thick weedguards.
- Rock: Common, particularly targeting specific shallow isolated rock and grass/rock mixes or fan casting to cover scattered rock planes or rip rap.
- Wood: Common, all types.
- Dock: Common, as it can be skipped, often with a flat soft plastic trailer as it provides more surface area.
- Off Cover: Less common.

Specific Swim Jig Decisions

Selecting the Swim Jig Lure Type, as a skirted lure body type, there are the following key decisions:

Jig Head:
- Weight: As a skirted lure the fall rate can be estimated and the weight of the jig head if applicable.
  - Light: 3/16 to 1/4 oz – Ultra calm and fishing very shallow.
  - Common: 3/8 to 1/2 oz
  - Heavy: 3/4 to 1 oz for deeper water or in heavy wind.
Soft Plastic Trailer: Common, with the trailer being the same color as the skirt. The trailer is also the source of the lure action and vibrations made by the lure.
- Common Soft Plastics: Common to use flatter soft baits to remain higher in the water column and round or skinny soft baits for deeper in the water column:
  - Craw: The two legs provide action and vibration while looking natural.
  - Creature: Provide bulk which could enhance a slower retrieve.
  - Grub: Some suggest a double tail.
  - Swimbait Soft Plastic: Not to be confused with a soft swimbait lure, but using the same soft plastic. Provide a variety of actions depending on the choice including a paddle tail.
- Less Common Soft Plastics: For trailers:
  - Beaver Style: For wider soft plastic.
  - Jerkbait Soft Plastic: Not to be confused with a soft jerkbait lure, but using the same soft plastic, also called a Fluke, thinner soft plastic and thus deeper presentation.
- Size: Ultimately the size of the soft plastic trailer is the amount exposed beyond the skirt. Some suggest not too long to avoid short strikes. Some cut the soft plastic to the ideal length depending on where they cut the skirt length:
  - Small: 2 inch
  - Common: 3 inch
  - Large: 4 inch plus

Lure Color: As lure color selection is mostly tied to the lure visibility download the Acute Lure Color Breakdown™ Infographic.
- Forage: FSome suggest it mimics a blue gill, shad or any bait fish.

Rigging Decisions

Main Line: Common for fluorocarbon some suggest due to the smaller wire hook and depending on the cover. If heavy cover some suggest braid.
- Light: 15lb – 17lb test
- Common: 20lb to 30lb test
- Heavy: 50lb lb test if heavy cover typically grass.
Leader: Not common, some suggest fluorocarbon leader when braid is used in high lure visibility scenarios. Some suggest a leader isn’t necessary.
Rod:
- Baitcaster Rod: Common with Power = Medium Heavy and Action(Taper) = Fast.
  - Reel: Some consider
- Spinning Rod: Not common except for light swim jigs more commonly referred to as Finesse Jig Lure Type [Figure 5] .

Swim Jig Presentations

Presentations for swim jig are commonly considered a horizontal presentation and a tight line presentation with the following considerations:

Cast Techniques:
- Common:
  - Overhand: Overhand cast to maximize distance for example when targeting large planes of submerged grass or rock planes.
  - Roll Cast: Roll cast just beyond the targeted cover to ensure minimum lure entry noise.
- Less Common:
  - Skipping Cast: Skipping when targeting under docks.
  - Pitching: Pitching to cover allows to make a lot more casts. Pitching also increases accuracy.
Initial Lure Action: Common for it to pendulum down to the desired strike zone depth or to count it down.
Retrieve Techniques:
- Common:
  - Straight Retrieve: with some stopping the lure occasionally especially around specific cover or when coming into contact with cover.
- Less Common:
  - Straight Retrieve:
    - Burn: Less common.
    - Slow-Roll: Less common.
    - Pop: Less common.
    - Wake: Less common.
  - Twitch Retrieve: Twitch retrieve to provide more action to the lure especially with a high action trailer.
  - Hop Retrieve: Not common.
    - Yo Yo: Not common.
Secondary Action: Pop, Wake: and Twitch Retrieve.
Identifying Fish On: There are line movement or feeling a sharp tug. As a shallow lure you may identify fish on visually. If the line goes soft a fish has picked up the lure and is swimming towards the boat.
Hook Set: Typically, pull/sweep hook set after identifying fish on followed by landing the bass. Some suggest a stronger hook set may be required if not using braid or using a large wire hook.
Repetition at Spots: [needs a think] Less common.

Additional Considerations

Add-On Weight: Not common.
Add-on Blade: Swim jigs can be purchased with a blade to provide more flash and vibration for example to be used in low lure visibility scenarios.
Trailer Hook: Not common.
Seasons: Some suggest summer mimicking shallow baitfish with a slower swim lure action in the fall as the water temperature decreases.
Sight Fishing:Less common.
- Spawning: Not common.
Suspended Bass: Common, as control the depth of the retrieve.
Follow Up Bait: Not common but some will use it to follow up on a fish that follows a faster moving bait by pausing the swim bait to trigger a bite.
Trimming Weedguard and Skirt: Some like to trim the weedguard, some on an angle, to help with hook sets. Some like to trim the skirt to reduce the swim jig’s profile or to maximize the action of the soft plastic trailer.

MLF Videos and Articles by Experts

Major League Fishing (MLF) produces videos and articles including:

Mark Davis Dives Into the Diversity of the Swim Jig MLF Article
1 BAIT/5 REASONS: Gary Klein’s Favorite New Swim Jigs are Loaded with Fish-Catching Features MLF Video
MERCURY KNOW-HOW: Jeff Sprague on the Versatility of a Swim Jig MLF Article
Howell, Hackney on the Swim Jig: “I Fish It 365 Days a Year” MLF Article
How to Choose a Swim Jig for Bushes MLF Article
How Stefan Dials in with Swim Jigs MLF Article

Videos by Experts

How to Fish Swim Jigs for Bass | When, Where, How, Gear Tips Wired2Fish
How to Fish a Swim Jig – Bass Fishing Flukemaster
Greg Hackney’s Swim Jig Fishing Tips Sportsmantv
Best Swim Jig Setups | Shop Chat with GMAN Wire2Fish
3 Swim Jig TIPS You NEED To KNOW BassFishingHQ
Swim Jig Basics for Bass Fishing John Crews
Football Jig Vs. Casting Jig Matt Stefan Fishing

Articles by Experts

Swim Jig Fishing 101: How To Fish A Swim Jig Karl’s
HOW TO FISH A SWIM JIG FOR BASS Lucky Tackle Box
Swim Jig Patterns And Tips Bass Resource
How to Fish a Swim Jig | The Basics Wired2Fish
3 Swim Jig Scenarios MLF