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A Big, Bulky Jig and Pig
As the water temperature cools with the coming of fall, largemouth bass lose their aggressive feeding habits that they exercised in the summer. Small, schooling baitfish, insect larvae, damselflies and dragonflies are not around in the fall, and they cease to form major parts of the diets of bass, so the fish instead begin to search for slower, bulky foods. Jig and pigs are among the very best bass baits during any time of year, although in the fall, they are truly superb.
The baits mimic slow moving creatures that crawl along the bottom (most accurately representing crayfish) and they are relished by bass. Jig and pigs are two-part lures, that consist of large, weighted jig heads, each one of which has an array of rubber legs, and the tail or trailer section, known as the pig (because they were originally made from pig skin, although soft plastic varieties have since taken over). Heavy jigs are best for bass in fall, and both the jig and the trailer should be in dark, natural colors.
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Black, dark brown, and olive colors are best. These lures work in medium-depth and deep waters of rivers, ponds, and lakes, and fortunately, they are easy to use. Jig and pigs should be cast out, allowed to sink, and then retrieved with a series of rod twitches and slow reeling. Once the lure has reached the bottom after being cast, the rod should be gently twitched up, raising the lure up off of the bottom a foot or two, and then the slack line should be slowly reeled as the lure resettles to the bottom. The rod should then be twitched again, and the process should be repeated until the lure is in. Most jigs are also weedless, making them virtually snag-proof, which certainly maximizes the performance of these baits. Casting into deep pockets, or retrieving them along the shoreline around drop-offs are excellent tactics to use when with fishing jig and pigs.There are no better baits for bass in fall in the Southeast than jig and pigs, and as the year progresses, every angler should be sure to keep a few of these baits in the tackle box.
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