Fish a Football Head Jig BETTER for Big Bass

Long Dragging

I like to drag a football head jig when I fish deep humps and flats. Arguably one of the best ways to get bit, it is also an extremely easy method of fishing the bait. I position my boat downwind and bomb my cast over the flat or hump. I let the bait fall all the way to the floor, and then reel up just enough to eliminate slack. With my rod tip low, I find sweeping the rod in 1 to 2 foot sections (maintaining the feeling of contact with the lakebed) to be most effective. I will drag the jig across the area in different angles and speeds. This effectively covers the area well.

Swimming a Jig

It is often hard to beat the effectiveness of slowly swimming a jig as it bumps along the bottom. I like a slightly heavier jig for this, because it makes maintaining contact with bottom a little easier. It is important to retrieve your jig with a low rod tip to make sure the football head doesn’t hop or make its way up into the upper column. Keep the bait low, and add a trailer that swims with various levels of action to make this simple technique,  deadly one!

Stroking the Jig

Think aggressive hopping. You’ll want to use a slightly heavier jig for this technique, and you will really need to emphasize the motions as well as the pauses. Bomb your cast out, and let the bait hit bottom. Pause for 1 to 2 seconds, then rip the bait off the bottom causing it to jolt up into the water column. Let the bait fall, and then give it a 1 second pause. Repeat the process all the way to the boat. You will trigger a violent bite if all goes well, and maybe pick up a few key toads in the process!