Bass Jig Setup Explained (Detailed Guide)

PUBLISHED 12 MARCH 2022

by Robert Ceran

Jig fishing for bass is non only one of the most fun ways to take hold of largemouth bass, but as well one of the well-nigh constructive methods for catching large numbers of bass in the warm season.

Merely the master challenge with bass jig angling is that it covers a wide assortment of different tactics, ranging from line-fishing at close quarters in dumbo cover, to targeting offshore bass on rocky lesser at l foot water depth.

Because of this diversity in jig fishing tactics, it's not practical to use a single bass jig setup for all types of bass jig fishing. Instead you lot should use at least two or 3 dissimilar setups to comprehend all your bases.

In this commodity we'll guide you lot through the basic bass jig setup for the iii near important types of jig fishing for bass:

  • Football game jig setup
  • Flipping jig setup
  • Finesse jig setup

Each of these jig fishing setups tin be adapted to several other types of bass jigs, which means you tin encompass pretty much all bass jig fishing tactics with these three setups.

See likewise: what are the best bass jig rods?

Bass jig setup

Let's dive into the details and look at the three almost important bass fishing jig setups yous demand to know.

Bass jig setup for flipping jigs

  • Rod: 7'2" to vii'six" heavy ability, fast action casting rod
  • Reel: 200 size baitcasting reel with fast retrieve speed (seven.1:ane to 8.1:i gear ratio)
  • Line: xl to 65 lb braid

Flipping and pitching is one of the most popular ways to take hold of bass with jigs, and involves casting jigs over brusque distances shut to heavy cover in shallow h2o, such equally laydowns, lily pads, or grass beds. During the summer months, this can be one of the near exciting means to take hold of bays bass in water that'south just a few feet deep.

See also: What size jig should you utilize for bass?

However, since you need to be able to pin downward big fish, and forcefulness them away from cover before they tin dive in and get snagged, it's essential to apply sufficiently heavy gear for this. The ideal rod should have a heavy ability backbone, with a fast action tip that makes it relatively stiff and unyielding.

The rod should too be longer than 7'2", since that will give you sufficient leverage to keep big bass from diving into nearby embrace.

The baitcasting reel should be relatively large, and have a gear ratio of 7.1:1 or college, which is fast plenty to take in the slack line as fast equally possible when you lot fight a fish. That will too help to avoid losing fish in thick comprehend.

Encounter likewise: Best size spinnerbait to throw for bass

The best line to apply when angling in heavy comprehend is xl to 65 lb test braided line. This may sound like overkill when you consider that bass rarely abound bigger than 10 pounds, but many bass anglers have experienced losing fish on weaker lines after hooking a trophy fish close to cover. Complect is as well slap-up for fishing in grass beds, since it can cutting through the grass blades.

On the other hand, if y'all're angling in relatively open water with less comprehend to worry about, you can downsize the line to 17 to 20 lb examination fluorocarbon.

See also: Best time to use a frog for bass fishing

Jigging rod and reel setup for football jigs

  • Rod: 7'five" to 8' medium heavy power, moderate fast action casting rod
  • Reel: 150 size baitcasting reel with medium to fast retrieve speed (6.1:ane to 7.ane:1 gear ratio)
  • Line: 15 to 17 lb fluorocarbon

Football jigs are designed for a completely different style of fishing, and perform best when fished on rocky lesser in offshore areas that are 10 foot deep or deeper. Since you don't have to worry about encompass, y'all can use medium powered gear for this blazon of jig fishing.

Run into besides: Is chatterbait good for bass fishing?

The platonic rod should have a medium to medium heavy power courage with a moderate fast action tip. Overall, a rod with these specifications is a lot softer than a flipping rod, and has a parabolic bend when y'all claw a fish. This is exactly what you need when trying to hook fish at a distance, since a rod with a stiff backbone will tend to rip the lure out of the mouth of the fish.

The rod for this setup should as well be extra long (between 7'5" to eight'), since this gives y'all additional leverage when hooking fish at a distance of xx or 30 feet abroad.

See also: The best colour frog to grab bass

The reel should be a medium speed baitcaster with a gear ratio of six.ane:ane to 7.1:1, and the all-time line to use is a 15 to 17 lb test fluorocarbon line. Fluorocarbon is the ideal choice for fishing football jigs since it sinks in the h2o, and equally a result you'll exist able to keep a straight line between your rod tip and the football game jig on the lesser, which gives yous maximum sensitivity to experience when a bass bites your lure.

Bass jig setup for finesse jigs

  • Rod: 7' medium power, fast action
  • Reel: seventy to 100 size baitcasting reel with medium to fast retrieve speed (half-dozen.1:ane to vii.ane:1 gear ratio)
  • Line: 12 lb fluorocarbon

Finesse jigs are the become-to option when the bass bite is boring. This can be caused by a number of different factors, simply a common reason is a contempo atmospheric condition change. Under these conditions, bass tend to stop feeding actively, and information technology'south much harder to go them to commit to biting your jigs.

When bass are finicky, or not in the mood to feed, using smaller finesse jigs with a lightweight fluorocarbon line can effect in a lot more bites. Merely in order to use these lightweight jigs, you lot need to change your gear to a lightweight setup.

See likewise: How good are spinning rods for bass?

The platonic rod for angling finesse jigs is a 7 foot medium power, fast activity casting rod. This is the lightest of the three setups in this article, and is too relatively short, which helps when casting lightweight jigs.

The reel for this setup should be an actress small baitcaster (seventy or 100 size) with a medium to fast speed gear ratio. Spool the reel with 12 lb test fluorocarbon, which has very low visibility underwater, and helps to become choosy fish to bite, particularly when fishing in clear water.

Encounter too: How to set a spinning rod for bass line-fishing

Keep in mind that this lightweight jig setup for bass comes with a certain level of run a risk, particularly when fishing close to comprehend. You lot won't be able to exert equally much force as with the flipping jig setup, so you need to be extra conscientious to avert fish breaking your line off, or getting information technology snagged in embrace.

Additional resources:

  • How to ready a frog rod for bass
  • Where is best to throw a chatterbait?
  • When should you lot use a drop shot rig for bass?