Jig fishing is popular and challenging. Why? Because the person fishing is creating the action that attracts, or doesn’t attract, the particular type of fish he or she is trying to catch. Here’s how it works. Cast out and let your jig hook sink to the bottom. Then use your rod tip to raise the bait about a foot off the bottom. Then let it drop back to the bottom. You can jig up and down, side to side or up and down and sideways. Jig rigs come in all sizes, shapes and colors, and can be used with or without live bait.

Step1

Accept the fact that something fluttering up and down stimulates the "strike" option in a game fish's brain more than something fluttering through the water parallel with the bottom. The fish thinks both types of erratic movement is that of wounded or crippled bait, but something fluttering up and down is more crippled and the easiest meal.

Step2

Use a long pole for jigging. If you are in deep water jigging straight up and down, the further you get the lure away from the boat's bottom silhouette, the less wary the fish are. If you are on a stationary pier, it doesn't matter. Make the up and down movement as erratic as possible by using the lightest possible weight, if any, to keep the jig going up and down.

Step3

Select a jig in the fishing section of your favorite store. If you are fishing on the Gulf Coast, you won't be able to jig straight up and down because the bays and surf are shallow. You want a jig that is weighted so that you can cast it a considerable distance. The jigging then becomes a series of "bounces" off the bottom or before the jig hits the bottom. Jigging off the bottom is a lot less work and will catch more flounders. A jig doesn't need to "flutter" as much as a jerk or swimbait, but it doesn't hurt.

Step4

Color is more important on a jig than many other types of lures because when it hits bottom the "thud" often attracts a fish. The fish must be able to differentiate the momentarily still lu