How to tell a bite?

pitchnboy · 07-28-2006, 01:13 PM

i havent tried flipn and pithcn heavy cover like pads with a heavy 5/8-3/4 oz jig. how can you tell if you have a BITE since it is so HEAVY or just hitting bottom? what im saying is i havent fliped and pitched a jig into pads before. i have fliped and pitched with other things into different cover.

pitch

Nunez · 07-28-2006, 01:30 PM

I dont know how long you have fished but mainly feeling the bite is just plain ole' expierience..but also just as any other plastic or senko it will sink and you will know when it is a bite...you will see your line swimming or actually feel the rough bite...I caught my biggest 8.2 on a jig 'n' pig and the difference with the heavy jigs is the bite feels more like a sudden stop or a sudden stop such as a hung up.

cimfl · 07-28-2006, 02:20 PM

Hey, Pitch.......you might try drop-shotting, setting up with a fairly heavy chunk of lead on the bottom with the jig or lure tied around 12-18 inches from the bottom. I, like you, don't have a lot of experience, and have found that this method helps me feel the subtle takes better than say a carolina rig, or a Texas rig worm or a jig. Of course there is always the "if it don't feel right, set it" method. Better to have set it than to have let her swim away!

fishnfun · 07-28-2006, 02:42 PM

watch for a twitch in the line. Also if it feels like the jig stops short, set the hook.

Knot in leader · 07-28-2006, 05:21 PM

Pitch it

Shake it

If it feels heavy

Or you feel a thump

set the hook

Super Fluke · 07-28-2006, 05:22 PM

Pitch you'll know if it a fish, PAY ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tnj8222 · 07-29-2006, 05:58 AM

yeah any line twitch to the side is almost always a fish. but your line could be sliding on a small log or stick. can you picture that? the big guys you dont usually feel at all. mostly a twitch in the line..(from the inhale, then they spit right away. gotta be quick on the hookset) i find with a jig i usually get a good pick up and since my line is usually tight it will get a little slack (but not much at all!) i you think you feel something make sure you have no slack in your line and set it... with a jig you should be able to really feel the jig.. i can pick the jig up move it and feel when it hits bottom! if you cant you might want to upgrade to a better pole and reel! i just recently upgraded and it is amzing how much more you can feel!! sorry for the rambling i could go on alot more lol....

FishinTechnician · 07-29-2006, 07:14 AM

Line twitch is a good visual indicator of when a fish has taken your soft plastic bait, or jig. Watch where the line enters the water.

The best indicator of a take is the telltale "thunk, or "tap" when the fish sucks the bait into it's mouth. I have never heard an explanation as to what actually causes the "tap" but I would expect it is either the action of the fish's tongue crushing the bait against the roof of it's mouth, or the bait hitting the roof of the mouth when it is sucked in. Both probably happen nearly simultaeneously anyway. This will almost always happen when the bait is falling, or dropping after the intial cast, or after the bait is moved, or lifted by the fisherman. Personally, I have caught very few bass on a retrieved, or swimming jig, worm, or lizard. 99% of the time they pick it when it's falling.

pitchnboy · 07-29-2006, 08:31 AM

hey guys, THANKS ALOT!!!! i have caught fish on a jig but i was swimming it. i no it sounded stupid but i think i missed alot of fish not knowing. heres something you guys might not of known. The fish dont feel a plastic or jig until all the water they sucked in is circulated throught there gills. then it is just the bait ib there Large Mouth he he. so you do have sometime to feel it!!!

pitch

tnj8222 · 07-29-2006, 08:34 AM

yeah i would say the tap is from the bass closing its mouth on the bait!! if you watch a video of it as soon as its inhaled. he slams his mouth shut. then usually trys to spit it out!!

T Dot · 07-30-2006, 01:44 AM

Quote:

i havent tried flipn and pithcn heavy cover like pads with a heavy 5/8-3/4 oz jig. how can you tell if you have a BITE since it is so HEAVY or just hitting bottom? what im saying is i havent fliped and pitched a jig into pads before. i have fliped and pitched with other things into different cover.

pitch

here is a good rule of thumb

when in doubt, set the hook. you will find out quick enough if it was a fish or not.

there have been many times where i was unsure. played with the line, done this, or that...yada yada yada... sure enough it was a fish, and by the time i realized, it already let go of the bait.

so i cant stress how many times ive been told, when you arent sure... SET THE HOOK.

:smile:

pitchnboy · 07-30-2006, 02:04 PM

yea ive heard that, i just want to make sure i dont lose any fish when i try doing this, bcause i have never done it with jigs...

pitch

rob allen · 07-30-2006, 09:01 PM

"when in doubt, set the hook. you will find out quick enough if it was a fish or not" yup thats the only way... that and watch your line...

WetBait · 07-31-2006, 07:27 AM

Rob has a point. If you don't want to set the hook when in doubt, raise your rod tip until you can feel it's a fish on the other end, then set the hook.

After awhile, if you find that lifting your rod tip is the ONLY way you can detect a bite (with a snug line), then it's likely your rod is too flexible for what you are fishing. A heavier, faster action rod will transmit vibration better than a lighter slower action rod but the fish will feel the resistance better as well.

One of my jig rod setups is so sensitive that I can feel the jig head rubbing across rough rocks, pulling through snot, peeling leaves off of vegitation and bouncing over silt ripples on the bottom. Most of the time I can feel the fish inhale the jig. That rod will do well up to about a 1 oz jig.

Another rod I use for jigging is only good to about a 3/8 oz jig. It gets too mushy in the tip with 1/2 oz jigs or better. When the tip gets too mushy, you can't tell the difference between being hung up, the weight of the jig, and a fish pulling down on the jig until it's too late.

Too soft of a rod for jigging also makes it difficult to get your jig out when it gets hung up. The rod just flexes.

- Ray

tnj8222 · 07-31-2006, 07:36 AM

yeah webait my pole is the same way i feel the lift rocks or mud whatever it is i lift i set it down i feel the inhale everything... if i have any confusion i just reel in any slack i have (usually there is none) and i lift for a feel.. i used to always set hook but it seems like im scaring the fish away (probably not) usually if im in doubt and just set hook to check its nothing at all. but like i said before if you cant feel everything get a new pole and new line cause it is well worth it and you will miss very few fish!!

BassinFever · 07-31-2006, 08:42 AM

A little off subject, but you need to trim the weedguard on most jigs. Trim the fiber at an angle just above the hook, straigh in line with the point. It makes a huge difference and you won`t miss as many fish.

tnj8222 · 07-31-2006, 09:18 AM

bassinfever that sounds awesome i have never thought of this, not to undermind your opinion but does anybody else agree with this? i just dont want to ruin my jig!

fishlipper · 07-31-2006, 10:08 AM

I thought it was a pretty standard practice. I do that to all of my jigs. It only helps them.

tnj8222 · 07-31-2006, 10:28 AM

sweet

ScottD · 07-31-2006, 08:32 PM

Good tip, BassinFever. Another thing I do to some of my jigs is to clip off some of the fibres to thin them out a little bit. That, combined with trimming them off at an angle parallel with the hook, really helps.

Basscaster · 08-01-2006, 09:14 AM

When you see your coffee can swim off, set the hook!