Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Sweetwater-Impoundments-Brackish » Skirted Jig Bass

Skirted Jig Bass

By Dale Lucas

A presentation that only became a confidence lure for me in the last couple of years is the trusty skirted jig. Using these in the warming to hot periods of the year can usually tempt some fish hanging to hard bottom quite easily. I have always found it frustrating when I find fish on the sounder, sitting low and sulking in the hot weather. They still need to eat at some point and giving them something easy to eat was proving difficult on some days.

Looking into the red claw spawn periods and seeing where and how they move in a dam gave me a lightbulb moment. I went into my local tackle store and grabbed some ZMan CrossEyeZ Power Finesse jigs. These jigs are an amazing hybrid between the classic football jig and a swim jig, making them an extremely versatile option. I grabbed some ZMan 2.75’’ BugZ to add as a trailer and I was on my way.

Thinking about how I was going to present this to them was going to be hard for me as I am a search, find and fish kind of person, relying on my sounder to tell me where they are and generally only fishing active schools. This created a dilemma for me, and I needed to slow myself down and take the time to target these fish that until this point I wasn’t catching.

D-Day

Having watched nearly every YouTube video on others using this presentation in structure, I went out to find a new way to catch some Aussie green and gold! I found some promising ground, consisting of sand (yabbie bank) with some standing weed and sticks, with between six and eight metres of water. Side scan on the sounder also proved to me that there were fish travelling through the area and they had to be eating something up there.

I cast my skirted jig in and let it sink to the bottom, before slowly dragging it along the bottom, about six inches at a time, then pausing after each drag for around five seconds under tight line. This seemed like a good starting point and after about fifteen minutes I felt the light tick on the end of my rod. Slowly taking up the slack, I wound down and BANG! I hit the rod as hard as my line would let me and I was on. Target acquired! A beautiful Aussie bass came to the surface with my jig firmly pinned in its mouth. I was over the moon. After all the research and looking over the Internet, I set my sights on a techniques and target species and completed the goal of catching a bass in open water on a skirted jig.

This is now a go-to presentation for me when the weather begins to warm and throughout summer months. It’s simple and slow, allowing the fish to come and sit on the jig, giving them an easy meal without having to chase after a plastic or blade when they are lethargic. Having the super strong 2/0 Mustard UltraPoint hook on the ZMan CrossEyeZ Power Finesse Jigs makes rigging easy, without making the presentation to big. You can rig it with an array of ZMan plastics, changing the action and profile completely. Throw a ZMan 3” Slim SwimZ on and slow roll it along the bottom for a highly snag resistant and heavier presentation. Or do what I did and bounce or drag the jig along the bottom with a crustacean style plastic, such as a ZMan 2.5” TRD CrawZ or 2.75” TRD BugZ, for that powerful hit and screaming first run that bass are known for.

I have since showed a couple of friends this technique, which has seen them share some great results with me and usually sees them rigged on their rods for future sessions.

Gear that I recommend for this style of fishing would include -

Baitcast:

TT Black Mamba Baitcast Rods - BMC701MH 7' 4-8kg
Okuma Hakai Baitcast Reels - HDT100X-A 8.1:1

Spin:

TT Black Mamba Spin Rods – BMS701M 7’ 3-6kg
Okuma Ceymar HD Spin Reels – CHD-2500HA

This style of fishing is easier if you have the gear to suit, however it’s not required by any means. I found it easier to fish a rod with a soft tip and a steady backbone to allow a solid hook set. It was also nice on the baitcast side of things to have a high-speed retrieve reel for when the fish that grab the jig and run straight back toward you. Getting the line back and setting the hook firmly is essential as otherwise bass may spit the jig back out. Check out the ZMan CrossEyeZ Power Finesse Jig and a selection of ZMan plastics to suit. I have used this technique in many of the dams in my local region with great success.

I hope this gets some of you guys pumped for a summer skirted jig session on the dam as much as it does me.

Tight lines
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