Cold Water Jig Fishing

When the water temp gets to 52 degrees what is the first lure you have in mind to throw?  For me it’s a jig and not just any jig, I think, football head jig.  My favorite spot to fish it is a river near my house.  There is a long stretch of river that has a very steep sloping bank, near shore it is a foot deep but by the time you get out 12 feet from shore your boat is in 13 to 14 feet of water.  I want to share with you my trick for getting bass in the boat, in those cold water situations.

            When I am looking for a place to fish with water temps in the low 50’s, I look for big fallen trees and deeper water (deep being 10-15 feet).  I want downed trees with a lot of branches and big trunks. In Michigan, during this time of year, the leaves are falling off the trees along the river, so I also look for places where the leaves have piled up on top of the water.  The fish will hole up in this type of coverage looking for baitfish.

            Knowing the area to fish is important and now we will discuss jig choice.  My jig of choice is an Atomic Tackle Company ½ ounce football head jig in PB&J, especially when I fish the fallen trees.  However, when I am fishing the matted leaves on the surface I change to a 1 ounce Atomic Tackle Company flipping jig in PB&J.  I like to add a Strike King Rage Tail Craw in green pumpkin or watermelon red as a trailer.  I cut off the last little bit of the Rage Tail Craw before putting it on the jig.  Here’s a tip: just a dab of super glue on the end of the plastic near the skirt will help keep your trailer from sliding.  To finish my jig presentation and help get rid of any smell given off by the super glue, I dip the jig in JJ’s Magic Sauce in the clear version unless I want a little chartreuse on the end of my trailer. 

            Then I rig the football head jig on a 7 foot medium heavy Quantum rod and 7:01 Quantum Code reel.  I use 12 pound Vicious® fluorocarbon.  I know what you’re thinking, “Why fluorocarbon?”,you can use braid if you want but I believe I have better sensitivity with the fluorocarbon which allows me to feel more bites.  As for the flipping Jig I use a 7 foot medium heavy Quantum rod and 7:01 Quantum Code reel, spooled with 50 pound Vicious® braid. 

            So, we have the place, the jig, and the rod and line choice, now let’s discuss position of the boat. When using the football jig I position my boat just outside the tree and cast into it as close to shore as I can get.  Once the jig hits the water I let out a bit of extra line and let it sink to the bottom on a slacked line.  Despite what most people may tell you, I do it this way in case a bass hits it on the way down?  I feel the slack line allows the bass to grab the jig but not feel the pressure from my reel.  If a fish has not inhaled the jig by the time it hits bottom, I slowly drag the jig back to the boat.  Bring it back slowly, because with water in the low 50’s nothing is moving fast and you want to mimic the live bait in the area.  A slow moving jig when you are fishing around fallen trees will also reduce the risk of snagging a limb.  As you work the bait  back to the boat you should feel the bait as it climbs over limbs, and it will slow down even more, and then most of the time as the jig falls back down to the bottom from the limb it will get hit by a bass. 

            When I move to fishing the leaves piled on the top of the water, I fish the flipping jig just as I would if I was punching grass mats.  I look for what is keeping the leaves from flowing down river and flip my jig on top of the leaves next to it.  Most of the time the jig will sit on top of the leaves for a moment and then sink beneath the surface, until it reaches the bottom.  Once it hits bottom without a hit, I quickly bring it back to the boat to flip again. While fishing the flipping jig I still have a semi slack line but not much, I want to be able to set the hook as soon as I feel the pressure of the fish. Most often the bass will hit the bait as it sinks downward and I want to hook it quick. 

            I hope this helps you catch those bass in cold water, when everyone else is having problems putting bass in the boat. You can develop this technique and be the envy of your buddies who have had no luck and are considering putting their boats away for winter.

By Chris McDonald

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