Stroking a Football Jig for Bass

A football jig is a versatile and effective bass fishing lure, especially for deep water and hard bottoms. It can be fished in a variety of ways, but one of the most productive is to "stroke it." 

Stroking a football jig involves imparting short, sharp hops to lift the jig vertically as you work it across structure. This erratic action imitates a fleeing crawfish or baitfish, which triggers aggressive strikes from bass.

To stroke a football jig, follow these steps:

1. Cast the jig out and let it sink to the bottom.
2. Reel up but leave a semi-slack line as the jig rests on the bottom.
3. Give the rod a sharp upward snap to hop the jig off the bottom.
4. Reel up leaving a semi-slack line again and repeat steps 3 and 4 until the jig reaches the boat or contact with the structure is lost.

The key to stroking a football jig is to keep it lifting and falling vertically to the bottom. If you reel up too much line, the jig will lose its action and become less attractive to bass. You also want to vary the speed and intensity of your strokes. Sometimes, a slow, deliberate stroke is best, while other times a faster, more aggressive stroke is needed. Experiment with different cadences until you find what's working best on that particular day.

Here are a few additional tips for stroking a football jig:

• Use a medium-heavy to heavy action baitcasting rod with 12-20 pound fluorocarbon line. This will give you the power to lift the jig off the bottom and the sensitivity to feel the slightest bite.
• Experiment with different trailer sizes and colors. A popular choice is a pork rind frog, but you can also use swimbaits, crawfish imitations, and other soft plastic trailers.
• Fish football jigs in areas where bass are likely to be feeding, such as rock piles, ledges, and drop-offs.
• Be patient. Stroking a football jig can be a slow process, but it's often worth it when you hook into a big bass.

Take a few minutes and watch as bass pro Matt Arey describes his approach to stroking jigs when fishing pressured bass on deep water structures…

Using Football Jigs for Spring Bass

Spring is a fantastic time to fish for bass, and football jigs can be a great bait for catching them. Football jigs imitate crawfish and can be fished in a variety of ways to entice bass into striking. 

Here are seven tips for using football jigs to catch more bass this spring:

Match the jig to the conditions: Choose the weight and color of your jig based on the depth and clarity of the water, and the type of cover you're fishing. When fishing shallow, clearer water or areas with dense cover, start with a lighter (1/4-oz or 3/8-oz) jig and use heavier jigs when fishing deeper water (early prespawn or late post spawn).

Match the color to the water conditions: The color of your football jig should match the color of the water you are fishing in. If the water is murky or stained, go for a darker color like black or brown. If the water is clear, use a lighter color like green or brown.

Use a trailer: Adding a trailer to your football jig can make it look more lifelike and increase your chances of getting a strike. A crawfish or creature bait trailer can work well in the spring.

Use fluorocarbon line: Fluorocarbon line is abrasion resistant and less visible in the water than other types of line, making it a great choice for fishing with jigs.

Fish it slow: Football jigs are best fished slowly, so drag the jig along the bottom and let it bounce off any rocks or other structure and if the bite is slow, try dead-sticking the jig for several seconds during the retrieve. Restarting the retrieve after dead-sticking can often trigger finicky followers into striking. Even though slow retrieves usually work best, don't be afraid to experiment with different retrieves to see what works for the conditions you're fishing.

Pay attention to bass movement: Changes in the spring weather can affect how bass behave and where they're located. During the prespawn and part of the post spawn, many bass will be moving either from or back to deeper water. During these times focus some of your attention on the deep to shallow transition areas for migrating bass. Use upslope retrieves during the prespawn and down-slope retrieves during the post spawn to intercept transitioning bass.

Focus on cover: Football jigs are great for fishing around cover like rocks, logs, and weed beds. Look for areas where bass are likely to be hiding and fish the jig slowly around and through those spots.

By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to catching more bass this spring with football jigs. Remember to stay focused and keep experimenting until you find what works best for you and the conditions you're fishing in.

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.

How to Select a Football Jig

Football jigs are a popular choice among anglers for catching bass, especially in deeper waters or areas with rocky bottoms, especially where crawfish is a prevalent forage. 

Here are some tips on how to choose the right football jig for your next bass fishing trip:

Weight: Choose a football jig that is heavy enough to get to the bottom quickly, but not so heavy that it gets snagged easily. Typically, a 1/2 to 3/4-ounce jig is a good starting point for deep water applications whereas 1/8 to 3/8-ounce jigs are great in the shallows .

Color: The color of the jig should mimic the color of the baitfish in the area you are fishing. Darker colors like black and brown work well in muddy waters, while lighter colors like green pumpkin and watermelon work well in clearer waters.

Skirt: The skirt of the jig should be made of silicone or living rubber, which provides a more natural movement in the water than synthetic materials. You can also choose a skirt with contrasting colors to make the jig stand out more in the water.

Trailer: Choose a soft plastic trailer that matches the color and size of the baitfish in the area. Crawfish, worms, and grubs are popular trailer options for football jigs.

Hook: Make sure the hook on your football jig is sharp and strong enough to handle the size of the bass in the area. Selecting a jig with a wide gap hook will also help improve your hook-up ratio.

Take a moment and watch as Pete from Omnia Fishing discusses his thoughts on things to consider when purchasing football jigs:

Fishing Football Jigs for Summer Bass

Well the song may state that “Summertime and the livin’ is easy” but that’s not necessarily the case for bassin’ during the summer…

Once the post spawn has ended and summer swings into full gear, many bass recede from the shallows and take up residence around deeper water cover and structure…

One of the more effective baits and presentations (dragging & stroking) to reach those deep summer bass…

Working a football jig through or around deep cover as described by Elite Series Pro, Matt Lee in this informative video…

Definitely a few great points to think about 😎

How to Fish Football Jigs

Football Jigs… Swim Jigs… Finesse Jigs… Flipping Jigs… Timber Jigs… Arkie Jigs…

Arghhhhh!

Did you ever wonder why there are so many different types of jigs?

Believe it or not there really are legitimate reasons for having different types of jigs; one of which is the unique action some jigs have…

These unique actions mean some jigs are designed for specific presentations and the football jig is definitely one falling into that category!

Take a moment and listen to Bass Pro Shaw Grigsby explains how to fish football jigs…

Given the design of this type of jig, I personally limit the color patterns those resembling crayfish…

How about you?