Rig is a Jig

Lindy No-Snagg Timb’r Rock Jig

Jigs in Practice

The same sliprigs, float rigs, and other rigging approaches you’ve been using for years might be good ways to approach given situations. But add jigs to your list of possible rigs and you might find them a better match.

Tailraces—A three-way rig baited with a piece of cutbait is a common presentation for plying tailrace areas for cats. The rig consists of a three-way swivel, with the leader (usually 18 to 24 inches) connected to one eye of the swivel, and a 12- to 18-inch breakaway dropper with a sinker tied to the other eye.

“One of the biggest mistakes catmen make in this situation is worrying about the length of leader between the hook and sinker,” Stange says. “This is needless worry because no leader is necessary. Too much leader causes a loss of feel, lack of control, and subsequently snags. A better option is to let the sinker slide right up against the hook. The resulting rig looks, casts, and fishes almost like a leadhead jig, which is exactly what you want.

“Use current to move the jig along the bottom,” he advises. “If your jig’s just heavy enough and you hold your line just tight enough to stay in constant contact with current, your jig moves through prime current spots so you can feel everything down there. Lift the jig over rocks and slide it through sand and gravel pockets. Snags are minimized, presentation maximized.

“But the most important part of this process is the acquired ability to judge more than bottom content. Bottom content is secondary to current in determining where fish are. Current’s the key, and you can use a jig to judge current conditions—specifically, to feel for current tunnels catfish use.”

Vertical jigging—Slipsinker rigs and three-way rigs are often used to catch channel and blue cats from deeper structure in reservoirs. Baits are presented vertically from an anchored boat or while slowly passing over structure with an electric trolling motor.

“Again, jigs are a good option in this situation because you have precise control over your presentation,” Stange says. “A lot of times catfish are on or just off bottom. With a jig you’re in direct contact with the bottom, so it’s easy to adjust depth and stay in a productive zone.

“Get the jig down to bottom. Take up slack so the rod tip’s at the water’s surface: When the rod tip’s lifted to a specific height, you know exactly how far off bottom the jig is. You can’t get that precise with a leader. Drop and lift as you move along, constantly checking for depth as you move up and down the slopes of humps and channel edges. Watch for depth on your electronics. Anticipating depth changes lets you adjust accordingly.”

Vertically jigging a heavy leadhead jig dressed with a shad plastic like a Berkley Power Swim Shad or Lunker City Shaker often entices big flatheads when they won’t respond to a baited sliprig. We’ve had good success with this tactic during fall when flatheads begin concentrating in wintering areas. Move slowly downstream using a trolling motor against the current, and drop the jig to bottom. Pop it off bottom, then follow it down with your rod tip on a semi-tight line. When it touches bottom, pop it again. The jig coupled with braided line gives you great feel for bottom content, cover, and strikes.