Learning How to Fish a Football Jig
Even after nearly 20 years of fishing there’s a ton I still need to learn, including a lot of basics. When should I use certain lures? How do electronics work? Why this? What that? So many questions!
Learning from your (occasionally impatient) husband is difficult. Learning from someone else’s husband is much easier.
On our annual Bass Fishing Hall of Fame trip we always tack on a few days to spend with our extended fishing family, Debbie and Chad Morgenthaler. Chad has been a professional angler for 19 years, qualified for seven Bassmaster Classics and six Toyota Texas Bass Classics. He earned two B.A.S.S. wins. Now that he has “retired” from the Elite Series, his next venture, FutureCast Academy, aims to teach others. Whether you’re a weekend angler, new to the sport, a veteran who craves more knowledge, or a future pro, you can use his services to get better in a hurry.
On the way to the lake, Chad mentioned we were going to be jig fishing. The look on my face must have been one of, “Well, that sucks,” because Chad said, “What’s wrong sis? You never thrown a jig before?” I’ve caught some fish on them, but it’s never been one of my confidence baits. He assured me that he’d walk me through the process and guaranteed me I would catch not some jig fish that day.
When we fish on our home waters of the Potomac River, we’re usually in super-shallow heavy grass, so a football jig isn’t the right tool. In Mexico, I occasionally use one, but I have more confidence in a big worm or a swimbait. It was time for me to learn the steps of how to catch a bass on a football jig. It’s actually not that hard when you break it down into steps:
Make a long cast and let your jig hit the bottom.
Pull up slowly, little bounce or drag the jig and reel up the slack and let the jig fall back to the bottom and let it settle.
Continue to pull up, bounce or drag slowly, as the bait hits structure and rock it makes noise and kicks up dirt (to imitate a crawfish).
Make sure you reel down to keep your line taut so when you feel a bite you can easily make a hook set.
Something magical happened out there. As a result of the patient instruction from an experienced professional, I was quickly rewarded. Check out the video evidence, below:
Tackle Used
Lew’s Custom Pro Ledge 7’4.5” medium heavy
