Fishing Football Jigs in Winter

Fishing with a football jig in the winter can be a very effective way to target bass It's always important to understand bass behavior and to use the right tackle, techniques, as well as fishing the right types of structure. 

With a bit of experimentation and persistence, football jigs can help increase your chances of not only hooking a number of bass but also into a bonus big winter bass; possibly one of your biggest for the season.

Here are seven tips for finding bass and fishing football jigs effectively during the cold, winter months:

1) Football jigs, are named for their football-shaped head used when fishing in rock-laden cover to minimize snags. They are designed to mimic the appearance and movement of crayfish, a common forage for bass in the colder months especially around rocky cover.

2) To fish a football jig effectively in winter, it's important to understand the behavior of bass during the cold water months. As the water temperature drops, bass often move into deeper water in close proximity to shallow feeding areas where they can conserve energy. 

3) Dragging or hopping a football jig on a slow retrieve close to the bottom can be very effective. When the bass are nipping at or quickly dropping the jig after biting, stopping the retrieve and letting the jig sit for several seconds (dead-sticking) can help trigger finicky bass into eating the jig.

4) Use of the correct casting angle can be crucial at times when fishing football jigs in winter. Always experiment by casting from shallow to deep, deep to shallow, and parallel to bank to see if bass prefer a specific casting angle during that outing or even a different time of day.

5) One of the keys to success when fishing a football jig in the winter is to use the right size and color jig. A 1/2 ounce jig in a natural crawfish color (brown, green pumpkin or red crawfish) is a good starting point. Remember, experimenting with different sizes and colors can help you find the specific jig size and color bass are biting that particular day.

6) Another important factor to consider when winter fishing with a football jig is the type of structure/cover you're fishing. Rocks, ledges, and steep drop-offs can all be productive areas to target with a football jig since they provide cover forage as well as ambush points for bass.

7) To increase your chances of hooking into winter bass when using a football jig, it's a good idea to add a trailer such as a soft plastic craw, chunk, or a pork frog. This can give the jig a more lifelike appearance and entice more bass into striking. Adding some of your favorite scent to your jig/trailer combo will help "spice-up" your bait often getting bass to hold on to the bait longer and help you detect subtle winter jig strikes.

Do you need to add some football jig fishing gear to your collection?

Check out the great assortment of football jig gear available at Omnia Fishing by clicking on the following image: