Get To Know The Football Jig
Where Did the Football Jig Come From?
Although traditional bass jigs have been a staple in anglers tackle boxes for decades, the football jig is relatively new compared to its counterparts. Jim Moynagh, a former tour angler from Minnesota, is credited as one of the first guys to use a football jig in professional competition which was not until the early 2000's on the FLW Tour (now known as MLF). Due to the all of the different types of rock found in most lakes in Minnesota, anglers needed a jig that was able to crawl over rocks of different sizes and shapes without getting snagged as frequently.
Anglers soon realized that an oval shaped head of a football jig was much less likely to become stuck between rocks as its wider head would block it from sliding into the cracks and allow it to roll on over the rocks and continue the retrieve. Having the ability to fish a jig much more effectively through those rocks while still imitating a crawfish is why football jigs have become so popular for targeting bass of all species.
Football jigs have become most anglers' favorite option when fish are feeding on crawfish and are located around rocky areas in lakes all across the country. Where football jigs excel around most all types of rock, they are not as effective when other cover such as grass or wood. While a football jig may not be the most versatile lure in your box, it can be your best option when you have found some bass in this type of area.
Types of Football Jigs
Today, anglers have several options to pick from when considering football jigs. There your standard football jigs such as the Strike King Tour Grade Football Jig that come in sizes all the way up to 1oz.
Then you have finesse versions such as the Jewel Pee Wee Football jig which comes in smaller sizes for a more finesse approach. These finesse versions give anglers the ability to still effectively fish these rocky areas while downsizing their presentation to get more bites or to coerce highly pressured fish to bite.
Fishing a Football Jig
Regardless of their size, football jigs are typically fished in the same few ways. Anglers will slowly drag football jigs along the bottom while maintaining contact with the rocks and stopping it periodically. Some anglers will deviate from this and hop the football jig up off the bottom and let it fall back onto the rocks. In some cases anglers will even use a heavier weighted football jig than the depth calls for in order to be able to slowly reel it while maintaining constant contact with the bottom.
No matter where you are from or what species of bass you are trying to target, if your body of water has a lot of rock in it, a football jig is one of the most effective lures you can throw. By matching a trailer on to your jig that imitates the forage found in your local lakes, you are sure to get some bites and catch more fish.
