3 Jig Fishing For Bass Modifications You Need To Know

Jig fishing for bass is a classic fish-catching method. Heeding the advice of pro anglers, lure manufacturers have designed jigs you can take right out of the package and catch bass. However, some pros still prefer tinkering with jigs to improve the lure’s design and hook-setting capabilities.

Jig Fishing For Bass Tweaks

Quality jigs usually are equipped with strong, dependable hooks, but even those high-priced lures require some alterations. Most modifications to jigs and jig trailers can be made with a pair of scissors and a bottle of some sort of super glue.

Here are some jig fishing for bass alterations you can make to improve the standard rubber-skirted jig.

Weedguard Trimming

A jig’s weedguard is designed to make the lure snag less, but certain alterations can make the guard work even better.

A long weedguard tends to be weaker so shortening the plastic bristles actually will make the weedguard stronger so it will hang up less. Hold the jig’s hook and weedguard between your thumb and forefinger, then clamp down to where the hook point is lying on top of your thumb and forefinger. Cut off the excess weedguard to where it’s level with your fingers. This allows the weedguard to hide the hook, but when mashed down, the guard doesn’t touch the hook point to give you a better hookset.

Spreading the weedguard bristles apart also helps cover the hook point better and leads to less hang-ups.

Skirt Trimming

A jig with a full-length skirt can cause problems when a bass inhales the lure and the bulky skirt gets in the way of the hook point. Trimming a jig’s skirt will make your jig a more compact lure and improve your chances of hooking a fish. You can make the jig more compact by trimming the skirt within 1/2 inch of the hook’s bend. You can also give the jig a more streamlined look by snipping the skirt into a moon shape rather than using a straight cut.

Trailer Holder

Soft plastic trailers have a tendency to slide down the hook shank of a jig and obstruct the hook point, which could lead to missing a fish. You can eliminate this problem by cutting a 1/2- to 3/4-inch piece from the straight section of a plastic worm, sliding it onto the hook and then adding the trailer. The plastic worm piece covers the shank of the hook up to the bend and prevents the trailer from twisting around and catching on the hook point.