102 Mississippi Sportsman^ | April 2015
field notes
J
igs are regularly tied on by bass fishermen year round,
but they are especially important tools during the
spring. Hopped and crawled along the bottom, they
imitate the movements of a crawfish, a favorite food of
largemouths, smallmouths and spotted bass.
Unless they’re swimming along like a baitfish.
That’s the technique that North Carolina bass pro Hank Cherry
has made famous: swimming a jig above a bass to draw strikes.
“I don’t throw a swim jig — I swim a regular jig,” Cherry said.
“I’ve caught them from right under the surface down to 30 or
40 feet deep.
“You start out retrieving it close to the surface, and from there
you work it down until you figure the depth they want it.”
Cherry, the 2013 B.A.S.S. Rookie of the Year, swims a jig on a
7-foot-3, medium-heavy baitcasting rod with a reel spooled
with 20-pound fluorocarbon.
The reel has to have a high-speed retrieve; Cherry likes 7.9-
to-1, which will bring the line back in a hurry — even though
that’s not necessarily the speed he uses when bringing a jig
back to the boat.
He fishes it around any kind of horizontal cover, including
laydowns, docks and riprapped banks. He casts toward or past
his target, engages the reel, keeps his rod tip down and winds
it just fast enough to swim the jig back toward his boat with an
even rhythm.
He’s not trying to burn it back, but he’s not slow-rolling it, either.
Cherry doesn’t want any herky-jerky motion; he’s trying to
imitate the regular swimming action of a baitfish swimming
parallel to a piece of cover.
“I’ve always used a Zoom salty chunk as a trailer, because I
don’t want anything with a lot of kicking. I just want an undu-
lating motion,” he said.
And swimming a jig can gain you some extra bites when
everyone else is throwing flash baits.
“The most-effective time to fish it is when fish are up shallow
and they’re getting a lot of spinnerbait pressure,” Cherry said.
“That’s when you can really catch them by swimming a jig.” ■Swim a jig
for extra bites
By Dan KiblerBassmaster Elite Series pro uses
regular jig to swim up bass
Jigs are great baits when hopped on
the bottom, but swim them and you
could trigger even more bites.ATV
ATVs and Accessories
ATVs Other
Golf Cart / Utility
BoATs
Airboat
Bass Boat
Bay Boat
Boats Other
Boats Wanted
Canoes
Catamaran
Center Console
Cuddy Cabin
Deck Boat
Dual Console
Duck Boat
Fish & Ski
Flat / Jon Boat
House Boat
Kayaks
Offshore Boats
Pirogues
Pontoon
PWCs
Runabout
Skiffs
Trawler
WalkaroundBoats - Misc
Boat Trailers
Boats Misc Wanted
Boats Misc. Other
Outboard Motors
Propellers
Storage
Trolling Motors
MArine
elecTronics
Antenna
GPS
Lights
Marine Electronics Other
MArine
elecTronics
WAnTed
Radar
Sonar
eMployMenT
Deckhand
Drivers
Employment Other
Employment Wanted
Engineering
Management
Mechanical
OilfieldPipefitters
Welders
Fishing
Coolers
Fishing Line
Fishing Other
Fishing Rods
Fishing Wanted
Live Wells
Lures
Mounts
Nets
Reels
Tackle Boxes
Traps
Trawls
heAVy
equipMenT
Air Compressor
Air Conditioning
Attachment
Broom Sweeper
Bull Dozer
Chipper
Dredge
Equipment Other
Excavator
Front End LoaderGenerator
Pressure Washer
Pumps
Skid Steer
Welding Machine
hunTing
Ammunition
Apparel
Bows
Calls
Cases
Clubs
Deer Stands
Guns
Hunting Dogs
Hunting Other
hunTing
WAnTed
Kennels
Leases
Waterfowl Supplies
reAl esTATe
Camps for Sale
Homes for Sale
Land
Lots for Sale
Mobile Homes
Ranches and FarmsReal Estate
Real Estate Wanted
Rentals
Camps
Lodgings
Marinas
Rentals Other
Rentals Wanted
rVs
Class A
Class B
Class C
Fifth Wheel
Popup
RVs Other
RVs Wanted
Toy Hauler
Travel Trailer
Truck Camper
TrAcTors
Farm Tractor
Lawn Mower
Tractors Other
Tractors Wanted
Work
TrAilers
Flat Bed Trailer
Goose NeckTrailers Other
Trailers Wanted
Truck Body
Utility Trailer
Trucks
Pickup Truck
SUVs
Trucks Other
Trucks WantedFree
online clAssiFieds
Buy, Sell or Trade
post your
online photo
classified
ad for Free.
Simply visit
and click on classifieds.
Andy Crawford