The topwater bite has slowed down but the movement in the grass won’t allow me to leave for deeper water. I know they are still there but cast after cast goes unanswered with buzzbaits, hollow frogs, horny toads and everything else I have slung at them. I can’t decide which is worse, the heat of the sun beating down on me or the lockjaw that seems to have overtaken my prey.
I take a short break and dig through my tackle trying to see if something jumps out at me and I’m not disappointed. There it is as plain as the nose in front of my face, a white swim jig with a little touch of blue just for good measure. I add a white Zoom swimming chunk and make a test cast. All I can think about is how sick this looks in the water. About three casts later a small bass lets me know that he likes it too. The heat is forgotten and I am back in business.
I have always enjoyed fishing grass beds in the early morning. There is nothing more exciting than a blow up on whatever topwater offering you sling back in the slop but it never fails that the action dies down when the sun gets over the tree line and it is time to go do something else. Swimming a jig might be the way to extend that grass bite for a while, or in this case all day. The technique is really simple. I cast to the back of the grass and then work the jig through with a steady retrieve. The bite can come back in the thick stuff but they will usually bust it just as it hits the weedline and makes a break for open water. Try to parallel the grassline and work it in pockets back in the thick stuff as well as fan casting it in some of the more sparse grass. Give it a little action with a few twitches and jerks while maintaining a constant speed with your reel. Drag it through the grass and kill it right when it hits the edge…There is no wrong way and if you will experiment, the fish will tell you what they want.
I use 17# fluorocarbon for most of my grass fishing but braided line might be in order for some of the thicker stuff. A good stiff rod is also a must to get that pig out in a hurry when it kills your jig. I like a 7′ medium heavy action rod with a fast or extra fast tip and good quality baitcaster with a 6.3:1 gear ratio. Most people automatically think “white” when they think about a swim jig and I believe lighter colors imitate shad better than darker colors but there is a full spectrum of colors available and paired with the right trailer you should be able to find the effect you are looking for.
Next time you find yourself in a grassy area give some thought to swimming a jig through it. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised with the results and it will soon become a regular part of your arsenal.
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