Bruce10892 Loc: Northeast Ohio

This year I am looking to learn more about jig fishing....wacky rug...Texas rig....shake rig...Carolina rig. We all have our favorite go to setups. I have invested in the various jig heads...plastic worms and creature baits...ewg hooks and a 6'6" Johnny Morris platinum combo. Medium -Fast with a 3000 spinning reel. Open to any and all advice. Thank you all in advance...tight lines!

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Bruce, I'm a big fan of fishing heavy cover, mainly wood, with fairly light tackle. My favorite rigs are medium/fast spinning rods with 10lb braid and an 8lb fluoro leader. I like fishing unweighted, Texas rigged stick worms or a craw/creature. Whether blowdowns, standing timber, or brushpiles, there's ALWAYS a Bass or 3 hanging around, and enticing them to come out and play is a blast. I like to pick apart each piece of the wood, starting at the deepest end, then working back to the shoreline. Using weightless rigs prevents most snags. Toss your bait in and let it sink watching for strikes on the drop. Gently retrieve your bait a foot or two and let it drop again. Working your way through the branches slowly, until you feel a bump or weight on the line, then Rip some Lips! Try and work the fish out of the wood ASAP. It's a very exciting and rewarding way to catch Bass, IMHO.

Gordon Loc: Charleston South Carolina

Good luck Bruce. Fred gave you some great advice. 👍

Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa

Bruce I luv wacky rig brother.
Landed many bass on it
Used shaky head also.

I prefer a bit longer rod dm some don't.
Whatever feels good to you.
Watch some u tube videos.
Mostly the short ones 👍

Flytier Loc: Wilmington Delaware

Yes he did. ive fished with him and I'm slowly learning his techniques for catching bass. I'm a salt water transplant, so a lot of this bass fishing stuff is new to me, and I can tell it catches fush.

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

"slow" I can not express this enough. Start by counting to 10 out loud after every time you move the bait, even after just a twitch. When fishing, that is an eternity. It is almost like still fishing. Most bites will come when there is slack in your line when the bait is just sitting or falling. You will see more bites in line movement than you will feel. In time it will become a sense. Many people just can not fish this way as they can not handle the delays. If in doubt. "slow down". I have had a lot of strikes when I set down my rod to do something like taking a drink of coffee.
In this (Washington/Idaho) part of the country, my most successful fishing for bass is to cast a Yamamoto senko right next to the bank in rip rap (the best being a road edge along a steep bank). Let the wacky rig senko free fall until you feel it touch a rock, lift and repeat. When the senco gets into 12 or 15 feet of water or to the edge of the rip rap where snagging is less likely, let the senko sit for the ten count before lifting. Continue until you are vertical jigging. That is when I have been known to leave the jig sitting while I get that strike generated by getting a sip of coffee earlier referred to. If the rocks are large enough, let the senko sit on the bottom between lifts. Note: I do not fish riprap near the bottom from shore. I don't like spending mor time putting on new rigs mora than fishing.
When weed or weed edge fishing, I rig with a weedless hook. I cast to or into the weeds and grass, let the lure sink to the bottom, do the ten count, twitch the bait and again count. It can take as long as 10 minutes to make a retrieve. Good luck
If anyone else has a different method and are willing to be detailed, I to would love to learn different methods of fishing soft plastics. Thanks

Flytier Loc: Wilmington Delaware

Nice description Bapa. You did that well

Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa

Bapa. Wend I first stated bass fishing I heard that it will different.
Not knowing what I was to feel in the first place it took awhile to figure it out

Definitely become a line watcher n don't rush the retrieve.
I've had plenty of hits right at the boat.

Get in a eddy n cast up river.
Let it float down n swing into the calm water.
Bass often hit on the transition of calm n fast.

Let one float over a rock n watch out.
Fishing stick baits is fun.
Do you use tubes also 🤔

Bruce10892 Loc: Northeast Ohio

Thank you Fred outstanding advice

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

You're welcome Bruce. I hope you have some locations that provide many opportunities to try this out. It goes from very relaxing, to very exciting, in 10 seconds flat.