Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2020 - 29

A trout jig drifted below a small float can be productive.

There are a variety of ways to fish small jigs for trout.
Casting upstream and across the current and working the
jig back with short hops can be productive. I try a slow
retrieve at first. If that does not work, I speed the pace
of my hops and retrieve. Jigs do not have much natural
action or movement, so it is up to the angler to impart that
movement with the rod tip. Sometimes, simply drifting
the jig with or without a small float can be effective as well.

The author caught this trio of trout all on jigs.
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One of my largest wild Brown
Trout last season hit a jig drifting
with the current suspended about
14 inches below a small float. Just
like a fly angler fishing a nymph
with a strike indicator, an angler
should watch the float closely for
any odd movements or sudden
stops and set the hook immediately.
Jigs seem to work best in clear to
moderately stained water. Generally
speaking, in clear water, smaller
jigs tend to be more effective than
larger ones. In stained water, larger
and darker colored jigs are usually
more productive. When trout
fishing, stealth is important. Precise
casts made from a distance and
that produce little disturbance to
the water are often critical to jig
fishing success.
Fish jigs around large rocks, near
brush, and the head and tails of long pools. Key in on areas
where the current makes a sharp bend, as trout will often
congregate in these feeding lanes. Also look for undercut
banks and submerged logs as they serve as good ambush
points and often hold fish. Jigs are great baits for pockets of
deeper water in between runs in streams as well.
Jigs that tempt trout are made by a variety of
manufacturers and come in an array of designs and colors.
I like 1/16-ounce all the way down to
1/64-ounce jigs, and I have experienced
success on a variety of styles. Soft plastic
and synthetic jigs can be effective,
but anglers should not overlook small
marabou jigs as well as ones tied with
other natural materials. My "go to" color
is white, but black, brown, chartreuse,
purple, bubble gum, and clear are
also productive. Some jigs have small,
compact bodies resembling aquatic
insect life that is naturally occurring
in a stream. Other jigs are long and
slender and are meant to look like both
earthworms and aquatic worms while
still others resemble small baitfish. It
pays to experiment with the jig design,
color, size and retrieve until you figure
out what presentation is best. The beauty
of fishing jigs is that they may be fished
fast or slow and in shallow or deep water,
depending on the conditions. Often,
when it seems as though trout have
grown accustomed to just about every
type of bait and presentation, these fish
will respond to a jig.
The next time trout are reluctant to
bite, try getting jiggy.
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * March/April 2020

29
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - March/April 2020

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