PJ’s Lures offers the Lil Jig, a finesse model with a cut collar and a more angular head to probe brush. The Lil Jig is available in 1/8-, 1/4-, and 5/16-ounce sizes, with a 1/0 or 2/0 Mustad Needle Point hook. Alabama bass pro Terry Tucker favors these downsize jigs for most jig applications from the spawn through fall. For heavier duty, PJ’s offers the Super Brush Lil Jig, available in 1/4-, 5/16-, and 7/16-ounce models.

Terminator’s successful jig line has been enhanced with the Finesse Jig, a downsized version weighing just 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 ounce. Its Mustad light-wire hook ensures easy hookups, while Terminator’s Titanium Trailer Keeper holds plastic trailers in place. The ruffled skirt of the Finesse Jig, called AirAlive, adds action at the slightest shake of the bait.

Terminator’s 3/16-ounce Tiny-T Jig also has won acclaim, along with numerous tournaments. Like the Eakins Jig, it has a turned eye, recessed in the head to smoothly pass through brush. Falcon Lures, known for their big grass jigs, also has entered the finesse market with a 3/16- and 5/16-ounce Falcon Finesse Jig. Strike King’s Bitsy Bug is another favorite

Jiggin’ Grass—By late summer, many lakes and reservoirs look like they need a mow—grass to the top, whether northern or Eurasian milfoil, hydrilla, or coontail. You know it holds fish, but the sheer extent of the vegetation and its stringy character make it a challenge to fish efficiently.

Louisiana jig maker Wayne Falcon lends a perspective on fishing dense grass. “To fish hydrilla and other dense weeds, nothing works like a jig,” he says. “The density of a big jig, and we’re talking 3/4 ounce at the minimum, punches through the canopy. Then the tapered nose of a good grass jig allows you to pull it back up through the grass without hanging weeds. Efficiency is the name of the game, and you should be ready immediately to make another short pitch.”

His Falcon Flipping Jig and Rattling Flipping Jig have a slim-profile head and 60-degree eye to penetrate weed stalks without catching. And they’re backed by a big Gamakatsu hook to haul up a big bass.

To understand grass fishing, fish as though there were no grass above the structure. Bass still relate to stumps, ditches, rocks, creek channels, points, and other features. If you’re familiar with the water, you may know where they lie. Otherwise, tune your flasher or LCR to read through the grass. That’s far easier to do with a flasher but can be accomplished with today’s sophisticated graphs after studying the manual.

Milfoil and other grasses rarely ruin a structurally attractive spot, and they may enhance a spot’s appeal to bass. These long-stemmed grasses sport a massive canopy, but provide lots of room for fish to swim and feed below.

For big jigs in dense grass, most experts prefer 61⁄2- to 71⁄2-foot stout baitcasters and braided line. Make short pitches with the jig and allow it to free fall straight down through the canopy. Bites may come on the way down, as the jig settles on bottom, or after you give it a couple hops.