Swim Jig

Wedge-shaped, weedless swimming jig fished on a steady retrieve through and over vegetation and shallow cover.

Also known as: Swim Jig · swimming jig · vegetation jig · grass jig

The big-fish bait: a jig and trailer has won more bass tournaments than any lure ever made.

• Flipping, casting, football, finesse, swim: five heads, five jobs
• The trailer sets the fall — craw for slow, chunk for glide, paddle for swim
• Heavy rod, braid or 17-20 lb fluoro: the hookset has to move a big hook
• Bites come on the fall and the first hop — watch the line

The swim jig trades the flipping jig's punch-and-sit role for constant motion. Its bullet or wedge-shaped head is designed to plane through and over cover on a steady retrieve, and the single hook rides point-up so it slides through milfoil, coontail, and lily pad stems without fouling. Trailers are typically paddle-tail swimbaits or slimmer craw trailers to add thump or subtlety depending on the forage being imitated.

What separates it from the rest of the family is that it is a moving bait, not a cast-and-work bait — it's fished more like a spinnerbait or chatterbait than a flipping or football jig, covering water at a steady pace with occasional deflections off cover generating most bites.

It shines around grass edges, submerged vegetation, spawning flats, and shallow docks, especially when bass are keyed on bluegill or shad and willing to chase. Post-spawn and summer grass lines are prime water. It fails in cold water when fish won't commit to a moving target, and in open clear water without cover to deflect off of — a football jig or finesse presentation will out-produce it there.

Gear is medium-heavy fast-action casting or spinning tackle, 15-20 lb fluorocarbon or 30 lb braid for gnarlier grass, matched to a rod with enough backbone to pull fish out of vegetation but enough tip to work the bait smoothly.