Ron's Catch: How to Fish a Vibrating Jig
The Vibrating Jig is also referred to by many as a Chatterbait style jig since Z-man first came out with their popular design. The jig itself consists of a skirted jig with a smaller flat blade in front of the head that causes extreme vibration, action, and attention to this presentation. It is a very versatile bait that can be used to mimic, shad, crawfish and even bluegill.
As with most lures, I try to throw my vibrating jig to match what I feel is the best thing the bass are feeding on at the time. In addition, I always recommend using a soft plastic trailer which can vary from a shad style swimbait to a craw chunk to help add to the profile and action of the lure and to entice more bites.
Vibrating jigs are great for covering water and excel big time in early pre-spawn or post spawn months and again in the fall when bass are chasing shad or baitfish. These months will vary depending on where you live in the country.
Fishing the vibrating jig takes some time to master. Although a straight reeling approach is common, it is important to contact cover or even rip/pump the rod through areas where you find grass. Ticking the tops of weeds or even pausing your retrieve to allow it to fall deeper into pockets or holes in the grass followed by a quick snap of the rod can often trigger bass to bite when a steady retrieve is noneffective.
You will see that the blades in front of the jig range from nickel, gold, black and even clear. Much like a spinnerbait, I try to use blade colors to generate flash when needed or I will tone it down on bright sunny days.
When it comes to fishing line, I experiment and often change my line size depending on the cover and depth I am fishing. For example, the line diameter of 20lb will cause more drag on the lure than 12lb, but it will be the correct line size if fishing shallow cover or grass. Use a smaller size line when fishing deeper or areas where your fishing line will not be taking a beating. I usually use fluorocarbon such as Seaguar Inviz-X most of the time, however, don’t shy away from their Smackdown Braid if your fishing dirty water or around good grass or vegetation as that will not be a factor in most cases.
A good rod setup depends on the manufacturer specs of the rod you are using. Not all rods are created equal. Personally, like a Med Heavy Duckett Micro Magic 7″3 fast action rod as it is a medium-heavy rod due to its unique parabolic bend and it is nowhere as stiff as some of my other medium-heavy rods. I also like to use the Jacob Wheeler 7″2 Med-Heavy Crankin Rod. Both rods are perfect for long casts and allow the fish to load on the lure before you snatch it away which will result in higher percentage of hook-ups and fish catches.
If you need some confidence in one of my favorite springtime and big fish lures, try a Vibrating jig. You can find all the products mentioned here at Shoppers Supply Stores AZ.
