Classic Winner Reveals
Swimming Jigs
Are
you ready for some of the best Bass action of the year? As the
water temperatures as the cool the fall bass fishing has really
got going. Many of the Delta regulars prefer the fall bite in
the Delta to any other time of the year, including the pre spawn
period of the early spring. I can’t say I blame them as
the fall feeding binges does account for some of the best action
of the year and some of the biggest surprises. Each cast could
bring a bass, striper or in some areas even a salmon depending
on the area of the Delta you are fishing. This is especially true
in the fall when the anglers are tossing a lot of Shad pattern
baits.
Courtesy of BASS
Recently,
I had a chance to again speak with Michael Iaconelli Bassmaster
Classic Champion from New York. We had a chance to talk in length
about a technique he used to help him qualify for the Classic.
I had thought Iaconelli’s swimming jig technique would be
great here on the Delta especially in the fall when the shad becomes
an easy target.
Iaconelli started working on this technique on
a local lake in upstate New York and has been using it to fool
fish in a lot of highly pressured water of the east including
leap to the biggest prize in bass fishing Bassmaster Classic Champion.
Swimming jigs is really and under utilized technique. I don’t
want to call it a secret, but I did keep it under my belt for
a number of years. I like to fish with power and swimming jigs
is a great power pattern” said Iaconelli.
Iaconelli has developed a new Stone jig with Manns
Bait Company there are similar jigs built by some of the local
manufactures that really work well. “One thing I look for
in a jig is features that make it plane better. The Stone jigs
flat design makes it swim really nice and allows it to be skipped
into those hard to get to places. We added ribs as a third dimension
for a couple of reasons. The ribs add to the vibration the bait
puts out, drawing more strikes. The Stone jigs are built stout
with 5/0 and 4/0 hooks ready to handle the big bite.
Because this is a swimming technique Iaconelli
likes forage patterned jigs paired with big action trailers, especially
twin tail grubs. Iaconelli said, “There are eight colors
available to choose from. I can target suspended fish outside
weedlines on wood edges or off rock banks”. “Depending
on the area I often use black/blue combinations, but I try to
match the forage. There are two basic colors that I feel are important
to my swimming technique. Of course white combinations I find
work the best when matching the shad. The other is a skirt I don’t
believe is available anywhere else, Mike’s Special. This
is a unique combination of blue, gray and light brown that fills
that Bluegill pattern. I really swim these longer slender jigs,
often working the like a jerk bait or slow rolling blades. This
is really a sleeper pattern, that not many anglers are going too,
but when the pressure is on, it works” added Iaconelli.
While talking with Iaconelli there are other reasons
that the swimming of jigs is worth a try. By working the jigs
horizontally through the water column the bass a seeing a subtle
baits in presentation the covers water much like slow rolling
the spinner bait. Also unlike other jigs the angler is always
in contact with the lure as he swims the bait. There is rarely
any doubt when fishing this technique as it will produce wrist
twisting strikes.
“Most people think that swimming a jig is
a deep water pattern in timber or off deep docks. In river waters
the technique gets even better allowing anglers to cover a lot
of water quickly. It is also a high percentage way to catch fish.”
added Iaconelli.
As far as rods 7-0 medium heavy to heavy action
is Iaconelli’s choice. I am fishing them on 7-foot medium
heavy action Mark Tyler Specials from Kistler Rods with great
success
Iaconelli’s technique works here on the
Delta too jigs swam along these types of cover not only can account
for some nice bass, but stripers too. For many years I have written
about tossing lures for stripers, many anglers are now taking
that technique one step further and flipping and pitching for
the stripers. There's nothing like a 20-pound striper on 15 feet
of line or less! Enjoy!
Dan
Mathisen
FishDelta.com
- All Species, All Delta
The
Ultimate Resource For California Delta Fishing
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