As an affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases made on our website.
Using a jig is one of the best ways to catch bass but there is a countless number of combos to pick from. In this post, I’m going to be talking about the three main types of bass jigs and how to choose the right jig trailer to go with it.
Some combos will be better in the summer while others will be better in colder weather. It’s not an exact science and I’ve been able to catch bass on all of these throughout the year, but they do seem to work better in different conditions. I’ll pretty much always use the same 3 jigs with the same 3 trailers. I know there are others out there and a bunch of different colors to pick from (and I’m sure they work) but why mess around with what’s working. Keep things simple and as natural as possible.
I’m not saying this will be the best possible setup for you but it’s what I’ve had pretty good results with. Continue reading or watch the video below for the full details on the three main types of jigs and the trailers you’re going to want to throw on them.
The 3 Types Of Jigs
The first type of jig is going to be a casting jig. The head design was made for them to easily come through cover (grass, branches, rocks, etc) and they can also be fished on the bottom and not get hung up. The profile on this jig is fairly large and it’s going to be best suited for dirtier water. If I know bigger fish are in the area then I’ll use this.
The next is going to be a finesse jig. The profile on this jig is thinner than the casting jig and it’s going to be a lot better in clearer water. You’ll want to use it around areas of cover where bass might be feeding on smaller fish or crawfish. I’ll try to use this as much as I can because it’s a bit more compact and seems to catch more (but smaller) fish.
The final option is going to be a football jig. The head of this jig is in the shape of a football and it’s designed to sit flat on the bottom. They’re great in deeper water where you want the bait to stand up and then you can easily drag it along the bottom. If I’m fishing from a boat then this is normally what I’ll use.
Just to sum things up, if I’m fishing in dirtier water and I know there are big fish around, I’ll normally start with a casting jig. If I’m in clearer water or the fish just aren’t biting then I’ll switch over to a finesse jig. If I’m fishing deeper sections of a lake then I’ll toss on a football jig.
The 3 Types Of Jig Trailers
Like I was saying before, there are a bunch of different jig trailers out there and I’m sure they all work. I like to keep things as simple as possible and that’s why I mainly stick to the same 3 trailers on all of the jigs. It’ll just depend on what time of the year I’m fishing and a few other factors.
Let’s start off in colder water. Bass don’t move around as much in the colder weather and neither will the baitfish. You’ll want something that doesn’t move around as much and is slow. The one I normally go with is a chunk style which you can see on Amazon here. I like anything that’s a green color. They’ll have pinchers on them and glide through the water which will slow down the action. This will work on any of the 3 jigs and will all depend on what type of water you’re in (clear, dirty, deep).
When the water starts to warm up a little bit, I like to toss on a grub style of bait with pinchers. They’re going to create a little bit more movement as the fish start to get more active. If there’s a lot of crawfish in the area then this will work beautifully. You can see an example on Amazon. Again, I like using something that has a greenish color. You can use them on any of the jigs but you’ll want to be sure your trailer isn’t going to overpower the jig. It doesn’t need to be huge and I like making it as small as it needs to be.
My favorite trailer to use throughout the year (especially in the fall) is a grub style with flippers. This is normally the trailer I start with and it normally works great. It’s a little bit more compact which I like and I prefer the way they sit on the bottom compared to the others. See our favorites here. Just like the others, I prefer one that’s green but feel free to give different colors a try.
There you have it. Those are the main ways I’ll use a jig and trailer to catch bass. I’ve been able to catch fish all year round with all three of these so I think they’ll work for you. Always experiment with different things as well because what works for me might not work for you.
Until next time, happy fishing. If you want to catch more fish, use more hooks.
Let me know your thoughts and any questions you have. Like this article? Feel free to give it a share!
Want to enter into our fishing gear giveaway? We’ll be doing giveaways on our YouTube channel and all you have to do to enter is click here to subscribe to our channel, like a video, and comment giveaway. More comments = more chances to win.