Jigs work throughout the year on all species of fish, yet, there are some thins a jig fisherman can do to up his odds and catch more fish.

We’ve used them in the Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter through the ice to catch walleyes, Panfish, smallmouth Bass, Catfish and Pike.

They can be fished vertically, cast to the shore line, long lined and numerous other ways.

There’s really no way to fish a jig wrong, except if you leave them in your tackle box and don’t use them.

Many of the jig manufacturers still use a standard hook, which can make it hard to hook the fish, that’s why I go with jigs with a wide gap hook, as this extra width between the lead head and the barb of the hook allows the fish to ingest the bait, bringing the hook in contact with the fish’s mouth.

As with any fishing method, smaller is better, both in the jig weight and line size, allowing you to get your bait, no matter what size down quicker, back into the fish catching zone!

In Nebraska, where until recently I lived, we fished Lewis & Clark Lake and the river below Gavins Point Dam.

In that part of the Missouri River, there are a lot of Sauger and Saugeye, which grab ahold of the tail of the minnow and don’t get the jig in their mouth, once reaching the surface, nearing the boat, will spit the bait out.

Walleyes will also do this, so this is where stinger hooks come in handy, as they’re hooked behind the main hook and snag those short biters.

They’re two main types of stingers, one with a treble hook and another with a single hook.

The treble hook works well when fishing areas with a lot of obstructions, snags.

Single stinger hooks can be places back towards the tail or as I like to do, is to use a small rubber band, wrap it around the minnow, holding the hook in place, which keeps the minnow alive longer.

With the treble hook stinger, insert one of the trebles in along the spine, which allows those short biters to hook them selves

 I have a huge assortment of jigs, some with rubber bodies, marabou tails and those twister type bodies, with the Berkley Gulp working very well when attached to a jig.

Jigs  are the year round bait that can mean a good day fishing and a day where you should have stayed home.