Jigs in spring

[BNL]

I am big into jig fishing and wanted to know if anyone had any insight into fishing jigs in spring time. Pre-spawn, spawn, post-spawn? Any particular colors? Techniques? And what about jig size? Any one swim a jig this time of year?

Any thoughts or comments on jig fishing in the springtime would be great.

[motocross269]

In Michigan this time of year the Crayfish start spawning and the Smallmouth gorge themselves on them...Just try to "match the hatch" as closely as you can to the Crayfish....Bitsy bug jigs with small yum trailers work pretty well...

I just started swimming jigs some last year..I had decent success with it and I believe that jig swimming techniques are only limited  by your imagination....I used it on LM water last year but I can see how it could be effective on LSC and other smallie water...

[Fishmael]

Jigs work great in the pre-spawn.  Just find a spawning bank and move out to the first drop.  Find an inside turn/bend in the dropoff or maybe a point in the weedline/dropoff and hang on.  I really do well with browns this time of year.  Try it, you'll like it!

[markgoetsch]

I'm all about swimming a jig they catch bass at all times of the year but pre and post spawn is some of the best.  As for types brovarny makes the best swim jigs on the market and for most lakes try to match the bluegill population and for the great lakes I go with a shad color.

[TCook]

In Michigan this time of year the Crayfish start spawning and the Smallmouth gorge themselves on them...Just try to "match the hatch" as closely as you can to the Crayfish....Bitsy bug jigs with small yum trailers work pretty well...

I just started swimming jigs some last year..I had decent success with it and I believe that jig swimming techniques are only limited  by your imagination....I used it on LM water last year but I can see how it could be effective on LSC and other smallie water...

Crayfish spawn this time of year? My understanding was they spawn when mid depth ranges hit around 70 degrees during a full moon. Have I been misinformed? Is this a northern thing?

[Hooksetter]

I watched Shaw Grigsby's show a couple of months ago and he was swimming a jig for smallmouths in a bay on Lake Ontario. He was hammerin the smallies by swimming the jig so it would occasionally bump the bottom structure. He caught some absolute pigs. I don't recall the water temps or the exact depths, but i think he was targeting 4-8 feet and it was spring. I think it was pre-spawn.

Willie

[McCarter]

He caught some absolute pigs.

are you sure he wasnt "catching big ol pigs"?

[dashaver63]

I'm all about swimming a jig they catch bass at all times of the year but pre and post spawn is some of the best.  As for types brovarny makes the best swim jigs on the market and for most lakes try to match the bluegill population and for the great lakes I go with a shad color.

I didn't think anyone else in this area knew about Brovarney swim jigs. I cashed a check at the BFL regional on the Mississippi swimming a Brovarney jig through the weeds. Awesome baits.

[markgoetsch]

I'm from wisconsin and they are a must have on the mississippi and the lake erie and st. clair smallies seem to like them alot as well.

[BNL]

I get the "match the hatch" thing and have caught many crawfish to try to figure out what color jigs and trailers I should be buying if my goal is to match the hatch.  What colors and combos do you think most accurately match the crawfish in our area?  I assume it varies sligthly from lake to lake and even through the season, but what colors do you go with most?

I like the swimjig discussion.  I have picked up some Black Angel swimjigs and some jigs from Dirty Jigs to be used as swimjigs this season. Ever tried either of these companies?  I am all about the swimjig right now.  The brovarney website has tons of great info.  Thanks for sharing it.  Do you all typically use briad or flouro/mono for swiming a jig?

[BNL]

Just saw the MI crawfish thread on the main page of the forum.  Good info there.  Still curious about my other questions.

[markgoetsch]

a lot of people use braid for swimming jigs but I like 17 lb flouro.  the little bit of stretch seems to help keep them hooked up better.  The other brands of swimjigs are ok but the custom hook brovarney has is what sets them apart. 

[djkimmel]

LOVE swimming jigs. For largemouth and smallmouth bass. I use braid when I can. Fluorocarbon when I can't. As heavy as I think will work. Usually 20 pounds test. Sometimes 12 if I think the bass will be finicky though when I think they are that finicky, I don't usually swim a jig.

I usually swim either some type of white jig and white trailer, or a black and blue jig with black and blue trailer. Sometimes, I get bored and try something else like green pumpkins. I use streamlined jigs designed for swimming in open water and moderate cover. Around heavy cover, docks, wood, heavy weeds, especially in the summer and fall, I like to use regular bigger jigs with a trailer like a Zoom super chunk for swimming.

In the spring for casting, flipping and pitching (I mostly pitch), I like bigger jigs with longer skirts unless I'm in real clear water fishing shallow around finicky bass. Then I don't often use jigs anyway. Years ago in northern Indiana, I had a hot streak in the spring on Lake James with a black and blue jig with a long, bulky skirt. It was just working great. Better than other nice looking jigs. So I don't mind bigger jigs in the spring. Especially in dirtier, darker or deeper water.

I do fish smaller, nicer jigs too. There are just times when something that moves more water works better and catches bigger bass.

I have a combination of homemade jigs, a few store bought and a bunch of really nice looking Nemesis jigs I'm going to use this year. Very nice looking jigs with models for pitching, swimming and fishing deep.

[Hooksetter]

He caught some absolute pigs.

are you sure he wasnt "catching big ol pigs"?

I'm not sure how ol they were but they were pigs!

Willie

[mikesmiph]

Threw out one of my new Nemesis swim jigs a couple weeks ago. Sure looks great in the water. Fantastic action. Cant wait for Sat to try them on legal bass.

[fiker]

Check out the swim jigs from Nemesis.  Awesome.  Everything you might want in a swim jig, and more.

[motocross269]

In Michigan this time of year the Crayfish start spawning and the Smallmouth gorge themselves on them...Just try to "match the hatch" as closely as you can to the Crayfish....Bitsy bug jigs with small yum trailers work pretty well...

I just started swimming jigs some last year..I had decent success with it and I believe that jig swimming techniques are only limited  by your imagination....I used it on LM water last year but I can see how it could be effective on LSC and other smallie water...

Crayfish spawn this time of year? My understanding was they spawn when mid depth ranges hit around 70 degrees during a full moon. Have I been misinformed? Is this a northern thing?

I have seen tons of Craws moving up on Burt and Mullet, Grand and Long and other Northern lakes in early June...The talk was that they were up spawning and the Smallies were gorging themselves on them...Maybe they were just in shallow because of the warmer water....

I did a little google research and everything I found said that they spawn in the spring...There was some talk about late buroring(sp) crayfish spawning later...This is from a breeding website..I found some Biology articles also but they rambled on...

Northern Crayfish

Common name: Northern crayfish
Scientific name: Orconectes virilis

Production potential: Easy

Marketing potential:
Potential: Moderate
Size: Jumbo, 15/lb or less
Large, 16-20 count
Medium, 21-25 count
Peeler, 26 or more
Field Run, Random count
Market: Bait, food

Temperature requirements:
Growing: 75-85°F
Spawning: 60-70°F
Lethal: Above 95°F

Feed requirements:
Protein: 30%
Fat: 4-6%

Spawning requirements: Northern crayfish spawn from March to May. Females lay from 200-500 eggs, which hatch in 3 to 10 days.

Most common production systems: Ponds are stocked with 60 lb. of broodfish per acre in the spring. Reproduction occurs during the spring and the new crop of crayfish are large enough to harvest in the fall.