Knapp: Knowing when and how to use skirted jigs to land your next bass
The morning’s action had been steady, a multi-species assortment that included largemouth bass, a modest sized musky, and an oversized bullhead.
When my partner Sid Brown’s casting rod bent into a strong curve the unspoken command was issued, one of “get the net.”
After a few short but powerful runs, and some frantic boatside dives, said net scooped up what proved to be a 5-pound plus largemouth bass.
Sid’s big bass, like the variety of fish taken earlier during, was fooled by a skirted jig, more specifically a swim jig.
The term skirted jig is not an official term, but rather one I use to describe leadhead jigs that incorporate some sort of skirt, typically made up of living rubber or silicone. Within this loose category are flippin’ jigs, swim jigs and football head jigs.
The main difference between them is the size, shape and design of the head, making one style more appropriate than another for a particular bass fishing situation. It’s common to add some type of trailer to a skirted jig, which can add bulk, action and more profile.
Here’s what to know about each type of jig:
When I first started fishing skirted jigs more than three decades ago, pretty much all such offerings were of the flippin’ variety. Popular brands included Arkie and Stanley.
Today, there is a multitude of skirted jigs to which the flippin’ label can be applied. Generally, flippin’ jigs are meant for fishing in heavier cover from close range, via either a pithing or flipping cast. While head shapes can differ, flippin’ jigs sport heavier gauge hooks and tend to be heavier in weight, commonly anywhere from ½ to 1 ounce. The heavier weight is necessary to punch through heavy weeds. The heavier hook sustains the stress of pulling a big bass out of heavy cover, and the strain put on it by the stout rod and line necessary to do so.
Though there’s no set-in-stone rule that applies here, flippin’ jigs are often combined with crawfish-like trailers that flutter during the jig’s descent. Reaction bites are common when fishing flippin’ jigs around submerged and floating weeds, predatory strikes as the lure plummets in front of the bass’s nose.
As the name implies, swim jigs are designed more for horizontal swimming presentations than the flippin’ jig, which excels when fished more vertically. Swimming jigs often have lighter hooks and are offered in lighter weights such as ¼ and ⅜ ounces. Bullet-shaped heads and a line tie located on the jig’s nose aid in its swimming retrieve. It’s common to add a boot-tailed soft swimbait to a skirted swimming jig as a trailer. Swim jigs work in situations where one might throw a spinnerbait, such as bounced off woody cover like laydowns and stumps. Or worked in and around submerged weeds.
Know, too, there is a lot of overlap regarding flippin’ jigs and swim jigs. In many instances you can catch bass by swimming a flippin’ jig and by working a swim jig vertically, particularly in thinner cover.
Some skirted jigs come with football-shaped heads. These work well when fishing offshore areas devoid of weeds, places where one might also use a deep diving crankbait or Carolina-rigged soft plastic. The football head, also referred to at times as a roller head, “rolls” over irregular, rocky bottoms and does a great job of mimicking crawfish found in these spots.
With so many options out there it’s easy to be intimidated when choosing a skirted jig. But by carrying a few jigs of each style one will be well-equipped to catch bass in a variety of situations.
Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle
