Micro Jigs Needed The Perfect Rod
There is a new finesse technique that bass anglers need to know about. It is called micro jig fishing. Micro Jigs are smaller than finesse jigs. These are no bigger than 2” long and have very small hooks. Don’t let the size fool you. Under the right conditions, they can catch some real big bass!
The set up is crucial. Micro jigs are designed to be fished on a spinning rod and reel set up. After we designed the Ike’s Micro Jig from Missile Jigs, I knew we needed the perfect rod for it. I talked with Paul Benson and Matt Cashion at Cashion Rods. We went to work on the prefect rod. We decided on a 7’1” medium fast action blank. The handle length and guide placement were tweaked in order to keep the action soft on the tip but still plenty of power through the middle of the rod. We nailed it.
The Micro Jig Rod from Cashion Rods is just right for all the ways I fish a micro jig. I add a 3000 size spinning reel to the rod and fill the reel with 12 pound Sunline X-Plasma braid to an 8 pound Sunline FC Sniper leader. I settled on the 8 pound line because it gives your presentation enough flexibility to make long, accurate casts and still provide great strength to set the hook and pull fish out of cover. My leader length is usually 16-20’ long so it allows some stretch in the system on hook sets and big fish fights.
Using the micro jig is applicable anytime you think you might need to finesse any species of bass. The little compact baits with the skirt flair mimics a tiny crawfish, which is preferred prey for all bass. The micro jig kills smallmouth in smaller rivers. It is nasty on post spawn largemouth around docks. That tiny jig is also hard to beat on shallow bars for spotted bass. Those are just a few times the micro jig excels.
About 50% of micro jigs have weed guards and 50% do not. Since most micro jigs weigh less than 1/8 ounce, they don’t drag too much on the bottom and don’t really require one. Once you fish a 3/16 ounce micro jig or heavier, you may want to find one with a weed guard or add one to it. The Ike’s Micro Jig comes with weed guards in the package so you can add them if you want. A drop of super glue on the end before inserting will do the trick.
After getting that crucial bite I have found that when using a weed guard, a little harder hookset is required after reeling up all your slack. Without the weed guard, simply reeling the slack up until the rod is loaded will bury that little razor-sharp hook. The landing rate is surprisingly high with the proper hook set and the proper rod.
Bass fishing is constantly evolving because of new lures, new ways to fish, and new ideas. The micro jig is going to be here to stay so you better start learning the feel of fishing it. I can already tell you that I have caught bass up to 5 pounds on it and that is not even close to biggest bass I know have been caught on a micro jig!