Simply cast the stickbait out and let it do its slow fall. Be sure to keep your line fairly tight as a lot of hits occur while the bait is sinking. You really have to focus on your line as fish will swim up to the bait and inhale it slowly and you won’t see or feel a big strike. When the bait has hit the bottom and is just resting, I always let it sit there for about 2or 3 minutes. I know this sounds a bit boring but this method produces a lot of catches for me. After the stickbait has been sitting for a while, slowly lift your rod tip, then let it down and reel in the slack as the bait starts the falling pattern again. I like to give the stickbait a few jerks now and then on a slack line as it will dance around a bit and encourage nice strikes. One mistake that most anglers make is to set the hook too early when using a stickbait. When you feel or see a hit take place, just relax for a moment and allow the fish to take the bait before you set the hook. I know this can be frustr

Jig Rig

This presentation is used when fish are suspended and you are having problems getting them to hit. With a 3” or 4” stickbait and a 1/8oz jig head you can keep the bait in the “zone” for a longer period of time thus resulting in more strikes. I use 1/16oz to ¼oz jigs depending on the speed of the fall I am trying to accomplish. Depending on the structure you are fishing, the jig stickbait can be jerked, dragged or skipped across the bottom just like you would a bass jig or tube bait. Weed lines and ledges are a great place to run this bait as long as hang-ups are not a big issue. I like to go to this presentation when nothing else is working. It is a finesse presentation that will put fish in the bag for you.

Wacky Rig

This has been a favorite presentation of worm fishermen for a long time and it is just as deadly when wacky rigging the stickbait. You should downsize your hook a bit to a 1/0 or 2/0 size when presenting the wacky rig. I like to cast the stickbait out and let it sink and sit for a few minutes. I then began my retrieve, but instead of slowly raising my rod tip I shake the tip on the way up and then let the bait fall. You must be careful not to get the wacky worm in thick grass or structure, as the hook is not weedless. Holes in structure as well as weedlines that are adjacent to open water areas are great places to try this technique out. Sometimes you will just want to bounce the stickbait across the bottom by jerking it on a stack line, especially in shallow water areas. This will give the bait a swimming action, which will produce violent strikes. Rocks that are slightly under the water's surface are one of my favorite areas to focus on when wacky worming. I cast beyond the rock st

With stickbaits, it doesn’t matter whether you are fishing open water, structure, shallow, deep, under docks, rocks or weeds; this is a bait that will produce a bite in almost any environment. These stickbaits are available at most tackle stores in the area so stop in a grab yourself a bag.

Color is very important, and to some people overly technical, but I tend to simplify if a bit. How many of you have a favorite lure, that you have all 26 colors available in your tackle box? Do you use each and every color? Most anglers have all of the colors and out of all of those colors, they might have 4 or 5 colors they are stuck on that really produce. I simply take the 4 or 5 colors that work on the other lures and add a few other colors and end up with 7 or 8 jig colors. Don’t forget to look around you and “match the hatch” so to speak. I fish black & blue, black & chartreuse, blue & chartreuse, brown (or copper) & orange and watermelon w/black flake jigs most of the time. Some models have rattles and some do not. I love to fish lipless cranks because of the noisy rattle; therefore I choose models with rattles. Once again, it all revolves around what you have the most confidence in. Jigs come in a vast array of sizes as well. I prefer 1/4oz and 1/2oz the most, unless I have t

As far as the presentation goes, it’s pretty simple. Find the spot you want to lay the jig and flip it to the target. This is a technique that takes practice and during the off season I tend to practice in the basement with 5lb coffee cans placed strategically around the floor. Keep in mind that jigs are target-specific lures. Once the lure is flipped out, I usually let it sit for about 30 to 60 seconds. If you choose to just leave the jigs sitting there for a while and then reel it in and repeat the process, this is called deadsticking. You can lift and drop your tip and let the jig fall and then repeat again or you can bounce, hop or swim it across the bottom as well. Do what you want to do with the jig, as there is no right or wrong way to fish it, just theories. During fall, bass tend to become more lethargic as water temperatures drop. My favorite method during this period is to simply drag the jig past each and every piece of cover. Just a slow steady retrieve without any jerks

I think one of the hardest things I had to figure out when jig fishing was when to set the hook. I still know weekend anglers as well as pro anglers who miss about 70% of their strikes on the jig because they set the hook to late. I am a big plastic worm fisherman and have learned to always set the hook on the second tap, especially when you are using a Senko style worm. With a jig, the first tap is generally the bass sucking the jig up and the second tap is the bass spitting it out. I think it would behoove you to set the hook the very second that you feel a tap or when the jig feels different in any way whatsoever. One method that I use whether fishing a plastic worm or a jig is to put my finger under the line and lift up just a bit so I can feel any change that might occur. Remember, don’t try and force the jig on the fish. He will either want the bait or he will not. During early spring fishing, the jig can really irritate bedded bass and cause them to strike uncontrollably.

As you can see, there is nothing difficult about the mechanics of bass fishing with a jig. Keep in mind that confidence plays a major role in everything you do in life. When I am fishing and starting to struggle with the confidence factor, I am often reminded of Takahiro Omori from Japan. Takahiro came to the U.S. in 1992 to become a professional bass angler. When he left Japan, he had it in his mind he would win the Citgo Classic event. Before the 2004 B.A.S.S. Citgo Classic, Takahiro went to Woo Daves house to visit Woo and see the trophy that Woo had won at the Classic several years prior. When Takahiro saw it, he grabbed the trophy and started to yell and scream and shake the trophy over his head as if he had just won the Classic himself. He actually visualized himself winning! He was pretty pumped up when he left Woo’s house that evening. A short time later, Takahiro Omori won the 2004 B.A.S.S. Citgo Classic and was the first non-American too ever win a B.A.S.S. Classic. Bye the

"This is the best day of my life," said Omori, who pounded the stage repeatedly and cried openly before the 13,200 spectators in the Charlotte Coliseum. Until next time, keep a tight line and happy fishin’.

G. Wayne Byrd