Selecting the Right Jig with Stetson Blaylock: Part 1 – Style

We sat down with pro Stetson Blaylock and asked him how to select the perfect jig when fishing. Here is what he said:  

If I’m using my Garmin GPSMAP 7612xsv offshore and fishing cover that’s not visible from above like deep brush piles, submerged trees and rock piles, I’m going to throw a 3/4 oz. to 1 oz. BOSS football jig 99% of the time. I want to stay in constant contact with the structure at all times. No matter how deep I’m fishing or how shallow the cover is, I want to feel what’s going on below. I usually use a heavier head like a football jig because it’s better for dragging. With the football style jig I want to keep that bait on the bottom. It goes through rocks and standing timber pretty well, so it’s a great style of jig to catch offshore fish.

Football Jigs

If I’m going to use a flipping jig, it’s going to be strictly for thick cover like hydrilla, milfoil, reeds, and any sort of hard wood such as brush piles, stumps or laydowns. The reason I only using a flipping jig in those situations is because they usually have a heavy hook that can penetrate the fish’s mouth in heavy cover. You’re also going to need a heavy line and heavy action rod. My flipping setup consists of a 13 Fishing Envy Black 7’6” Heavy Action Casting rod and a 13 Fishing Concept Reel spooled up with 20lb Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon with a 1/2 to 1 oz. BOSS flipping jig tied on. A lot of the time when you’re fishing those types of cover, a Texas rigged bait is better than a jig.

Flipping Jigs

A finesse jig is my all-around jig. I will use a 5/16 oz. or 3/8 oz. BOSS finesse jig any time I’m fishing shallow cover, whether it be stumps, rock banks, docks, or shallow grass. For me, a finesse jig means that it has a cut-down skirt so the profile of the bait is really small. Sometimes if I’m fishing thick cover and want a smaller profile jig, I’ll trim the skirt on a flipping jig and have the bigger hook. If I’m not fishing heavy cover, I’m going to go with a smaller, lighter finesse style jig with a lighter hook and lighter line on my reel.

Finesse Jigs

Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog where Stetson talks about weight, color, and which trailers he uses.

Want more of the latest news and updates about Garmin fishing and hunting products? Follow us at: @garminfishhunt on Twitter and Instagram, and on Facebook @Garmin Fish & Hunt, and tag us using #FishGarmin or #HuntGarmin. 

The post Selecting the Right Jig with Stetson Blaylock: Part 1 – Style appeared first on Garmin Blog.