Jig-N-Pig By Keith Hatch
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This lure is one of my go to baits. It is what I like to call a contact bait, or "bottom bouncer". Although,.. you can swim it, and in some cases, use it on top (over thick matted weeds),... The general projection with a J&P is imitating a crayfish. Which I believe is one of the bass's favorite forage bases. It is often referred to as a "big fish bait". And I agree with that to some degree, because it catches bass of all size. There are several "tricks" to prepping this lure, and I will touch on them a bit. But first, let me describe the techniques that I employ using one. I flip, pitch, skip, cast, stitch, and wing jigs and pigs. In all these techniques, I always use line twelve pd test or over, and a stiff action rod (with mono line). For tricks? I hand-tie ALL the skirts on my jigs. I do this for a few reasons, one is that I "ALWAYS" use a craw scent on my J&P, and the scent will lube up a skirt to the point that it will slip down the hook, on even the lightest of hook sets. Another reason is to keep the skirt on when I'm "slapping" weeds off the lure, another is to keep the skirt from riding down the hook when "skipping". (If you fish a J&P in T's, tie on your skirts, you'll thank yourself later). Another trick is to insure that the paint on the jig isn't hindering the weed guard, if it is, clean it out of the bristles. Another is to add a "body" to the jig. A body is a piece of grub or worm that you put on the hooks shank before the pig. This will keep the pig from riding down the hook, spinning around, and blocking the hooks point, it also will add some buoyancy, and a flash of color (depending on the color of plastic you choose), and in some cases you can add a insert rattle in the plastic. If the eye of the jig is full of paint you need to clean it out in a manner that won't mar, or damage, the eye. I "squash" the paint with my needle nose pliers, then, use a hard piece of plastic or something softer than the eye to clean the crumbs out. You don't want any metal burrs on the eye to nick your line.,.. There are two major things you must, I repeat, "MUST", consider when fishing these lures. You must be able to see your line, above the water (to detect strikes) or "line watch",.. and you must be able to "feel" your lure while fishing it. If you cant feel the jig, either tie a heavier one on, or use lighter gear. Now, for fishing one. Basically, I work a jig, just like I'd work a worm, slowly, with a methodical jigging. BUT, If it hits some structure? I'll quickly jig the lure away from it, like a fleeing crayfish. This can generate a "reaction" strike. (I believe that, for the most part, J&P's generate a feeding response from bass, with the exception of flippin' and pitchin') Styles of jigs vary greatly, I use football jigs for around rocks, a standard jig head for most cover, and a thin headed design for around weeds. This will make a big difference in your success. If your using the wrong type jig, your going to get frustrated, loose lots of jigs, and possibly decide to scratch J&P's from your tackle box. Which would be a big mistake. These lures have put more fish over eight pounds in my boat, than any other lure I use. And I won't go bass fishing without some. I use a light jig for skipping, and on top of weeds, a heavy one for stitching. And in other techniques? I let the situation dictate my choice. You want to feel the lure, but "usually" you want to use the lightest one that you can get away with. Now for the pig,,... pork, or plastic? I use pork most of the time, because of its salty taste and its ability to "slow" the fall of the jig But, if I want a quicker fall, I will use plastic. Basically the bigger the pork, the slower the fall. And you can use that to your advantage. If your fishing a heavy jig, (that falls quick for say,... flipping) then, you want to go and fish a flat with a slower falling jig, you can change to a bigger pork, as opposed to retying another jig on. If you are new to fishing a J&P I would like to add that these lures are very productive, and require your utmost attention while fishing them. BE CAREFUL, be aware of what your doing, be courteous to the docks your fishing (use proper etiquette) and most of all keep your safety in mind. It's easy to get so intent on what your lure is doing, and watching your line, that you forget your surroundings. I try to be aware of where I am, and what Im doing, and keep a peripheral vision. LINE WATCHING "can" be dangerous depending on where you are.
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