How to fish a hair jig for winter smallmouth

One of the great things about hair jigs is you can fish them like any other jig. If hes focused on deeper flats in the 15- to 25-foot range VanDam leans on a deeper diving Strike King 5XD or 6XD.

I fish 18 oz.

How to fish a hair jig for winter smallmouth. If hes targeting a flat in 5 to 7 feet of water thats usually a Strike King KVD 15 Squarebill. If hes focused on deeper flats in the 15- to 25-foot range VanDam leans on a deeper diving Strike King 5XD or 6XD. One of the benefits of not needing to hit the bottom.

The hair jig is an off-bottom technique for clear-water fishing. You dont want it in the top 2 feet of the water column but you dont want it dragging on bottom either. When you fish it you kind of glide it through the water column two-thirds of the way to the bottom.

Hair Jigs For Smallmouth Bass Andy Vallombroso says he basically utilizes two presentations. Slowly dragging or swimming the hair jig along the bottom incorporating pauses 6-8 seconds long and then impart 3-4 very short hops. I fish rocky rivers for smallmouth bass so I am constantly losing them and it can get expensive if you are buying them.

The best way to go is to tie your own. Pick up some supplies and get to it. As Jeff Little shows in this in depth video series making your own hair jigs is the way to go.

The bass came on a combination of jig-and-pigs and deep-diving crankbaits two of Hashs go-to winter baits. Since winter bass tend to hug the bottom it is important to get the bait down to them says Acord who frequently throws drop-shot rigs hair jigs and tubes. Fishing for winter smallmouth can be a trying time unless you have become good at understanding winter smallies.

Winter smallmouth fishing is a blast because it is rare to get a dink. To feel the subtle mush mouth or slight tick of the winter bite and set tthe hook is awesome. When fishing these hair jigs rock is the first thing to look for.

They work around all cover and anywhere any other jig will work but rocks and smallmouth go hand in hand. One of the great things about hair jigs is you can fish them like any other jig. The difference lies in how the jig looks and how well it works in colder water temperatures.

Feider swims his marabou jig slow and steady like a small swimbait leaving out the hops and twitches that are the mainstays of fishing most hair jigs. He aims his casts so his retrieves track across rock-sand transitions. The only time he alters his retrieve is when it crosses a key piece of cover such as a boulder or log.

How to fish the Hair Jig with Buddy Gross - YouTube. For deer hair I use mostly a swimming retrieve due to the lack of built in action that garhtr described. Theres a bunch of good YouTube videos that a group of guys from Pa.

Posted about hair jigs for smallmouths. They fish the Susquehanna river and appear to do very well. They show you step by step how to tie several different patterns.

In some reservoirs one might have to fish deeper than I do in streams so a heavier hair jig may be in order. I fish 18 oz. Weedless wire custom pours with a dandy 20 Gammy hook.

Preferred color is brown and I use deer fox and maribou somewhat sparsely tied with a Zoom Skinny Chunk trailer in green pumpkin which is the perfect match for this jig. Tackle for Fishing with Hair Jigs in the Fall. The best tackle to use when smallmouth bass fishing with hair jigs during the fall in Pennsylvania is a 6-12- to 7-12-foot spinning rod with a sturdy small spinning reel.

Spool your reel with 10- to 20-lb braid matched with a 4- to 6-foot fluorocarbon leader. The braided fishing line gives you. Bassmaster Elite Series Angler Seth Feider discusses the ultimate finesse bait for smallmouth fishing hair jigs.

If you have clear water smallmouth and fish 15 of water or less this seminar is for you. In this video Seth discusses. Selecting size and color of marabou jig.

Fishing line rod reel tackle setup for optimal casting distance. When fishing the jig or soft plastic baits Smith makes a long cast at a 45-degree angle and lets the lure swing around in the current until it hits the bottom. His retrieve consists of popping the lure to lift it off the bottom and then letting it sink to the river floor again.

The key to working a bucktail in this situation is to make a short cast right next to the bank. Even in the fall smallmouth bass will often get in extremely shallow water particularly when they are feeding. Fish in this position will inhale the jig on its initial fall.

The Marabou Hair Jigs are the perfect all around style for catching bass in the cold. How to Fish a Hair Jig. Fishing a hair jig isnt any different than fishing other types of jigs.

Bomb your hair jig out there and let it fall down to the bottom. Then slowly hop or crawl the jig along the bottom. Drill two angled holes in the jighead just outside of the line tie with 050 drill bit.

Easy to find in a good hobby shop Hold the drill and bit so it would be on the same plane as you would like the weeguard to lay. Drill about halfway into the lead. You shuld have two symmetrically place holes in the jig.

You could do a lot worse than an 18 oz Zig Jig. Its a maribou jig not a hair jig but it is a great coolcold water jig for smallies. Ive used Brownorange.

Theyve worked for me in the BUffalo and WHite Rivers. Every Saint has a.