The last time we got to talk we covered some of the basics for swim jig fishing but now that we have had more time to use this bait we have learned a few things along the way. Let’s take a few minutes to talk about what we have learned about swim jigs this past year and how these tactics can help you put a few more bass in the boat this summer.

Some of the Basics
To make sure we are all starting on the same page lets lay down some Outkast Swim Jigs facts. For the majority of my swim jig fishing I use a 7ft medium to medium-heavy action baitcaster, teamed with a matching reel and spooled with 12lb mono or fluorocarbon. When it comes to line choice I will let you make the call; I have used both fluorocarbon and mono and have not found any stellar things that make one standout over the other.

I have said it before and will say it again anywhere where you can fish a spinnerbait you can fish a swim jig and in some cases even better if the conditions are right. Where I have seen a swim jigs excel is in heavy weed conditions where you cannot get a spinnerbait through clean, you can many times get a swim jig through these areas without getting the bait fouled.  I also like the fact that you can swim the jig through the pads and when you come to an area where you can stop; let the jig drop into key bass holding pockets.

One of the biggest mistakes that fishermen do when fishing a swim jig is how they try to fish it. When you fish the swim jig keep it simple, just cast the jig out lower the tip and start to reel. Many fishermen try to dance the jig as it’s coming back to the boat; this is actually taking away some of the catching power of the swim jig. The best way to fish a swim jig is to make your cast, let the jig sink down a few feet; I generally give it a 1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000. This will get a 3/8oz swim jig down about 2ft - 3ft in the water once at this depth start to reel at a slow speed. If you see some key cover along the way back I will make a few casts past the target and see if bass will come out of cover to grab the jig as it swims by. If I do not get a reaction from the cover I will let the jig drop into the cover to see if I can get a bite that way. This was a big factor that almost helped Jamie Farlick win this year’s Bassmaster Classic. When he would see a key piece of structure he would swim his jig up to the structure, stop the jig and let it fall, triggering strikes from bass.  

What We Have Learned
In the last year few years in fishing Outkast Swim Jigs there have been a few things that have stood out in how to fish a swim jig; the first comes with how I trailer my swim jig. Over the last year I took on the task of playing with different trailers and see how they affect the way that the swim jig acts and fishes. Most of the time I tipped my Outkast 3/8oz Swim Jig with a Fat Tail Grub also from Outkast, staying in the Outkast house the first trailer I tried was the chuck   trailer. I have fished this chunk trailer many times before as the trailer that I put onto my Pro Staff or RT Jig.

One of the keys that I found I was able to slow the jig down with the chuck compared to the grub. The tail action that I got out of the chuck was pretty good. I also figured out how I rigged the chuck on to the hook made a big difference in how the jig acted. If I left the chuck on the hook like I would if I was using it for a trailer; I had good action from the craws as the jig swam along and the jig fell head first when I would stop my retrieve. The fall was ok but if I threaded the chunk onto the hook I got a slower fall rate out of the swim jig that seemed to trigger more strikes out of bass sitting next to cover or when fishing during cold front conditions. I also felt by threading the chunk onto the hook it changed how the swim jig swam, it made the whole jig move a little more like a natural swimming action of a minnow swimming through the water.

I also tried the Outkast Spider Grub with great success. I tried the grub with the skirt on and off; I feel I got the most bites when I had the skirt pinched off. With the double grub I got allot of action out of the tail section which I feel would also help bass find the swim jig in dirty water conditions.    

The biggest finding this last year had to do with the speed at which I would fish the swim jig. I had found on lake conditions that the bass wanted the jig moving at a slower speed. If you moved the swim jig too fast it would catch their attention but they would not strike the jig. But if I kept the jig moving at a slow to medium speed the bass would chase it down and eat the jig. This may go back to how a few of the pros figured out the swim jig craze. We have all done it made a bad cast and reeled the jig back to the boat fast to quick make another cast. This would get the bass attention and they would follow the jig but stop short of biting the jig. This is the same thing I saw when I fished the jig to fast. Many times a few more casts in the area with a slower retrieve turned followers into hooked bass.

The river is turning out to be a different story I have been told by a few different fishermen that on a river system you cannot fish a swim jig fast enough at times. In fact I had one fishermen tell me high speed retrieve reel and turning the reel handle as fast as you can the bass will still chase down and catch the swim jig. So when you are on a river system, use a faster retrieve on your swim jig to trigger more strikes.

All in all it has been a pretty interesting year catching a ton of bass along the way on my Outkast Swim Jig. Try some of these new tactics and see if your swim jig numbers go up this year. For the best swim jig and trailers on the market please log onto www.outkasttackle.com