Of all the lures that clog our tackle boxes, the most common and abundant is the jig. I would suspect that this is an ancient design which has caught billions of fish down through the millenniums. Those who know how to use them can make jigs catch most sea critters like a fish magnet. But the fact is that the vast legions of jiggers really need to be schooled in the use of these highly productive baits.

One of the first things a novice jig user must disabuse themselves of -- is that the name “jig” can be misleading. Not all jigs are jigged up and down as that name might imply.

The fact of the matter is that virtually all of the most skilled users rarely jig a jig. They might swim it through the water column – slide it across the bottom – and yes, they will occasionally jig and bounce the jig off the bottom.

Instead of attaching the jig tail to a head, many successful anglers will “Texas-Rig” them using a worm hook. This way you can swim it right on the water’s surface.

In the cooler times of year, that worm hook can be weighted, and the jig will then drop down to where the fish are.

Jigs come in a great variety of shapes, sizes and scents. The most popular are the shad and worm shaped tails. Not far behind are the curly and grub tails, plus some unique new shapes that appear to catch fish, like the Skeleton Minnow from Old Bayside.

Of course, with the huge success of the DOA Shrimp, many jig makers have introduced several different types of shrimp shaped tails.

Many these days also come with a great variety of scents built in, from the odiferous Exudes and Berkley Power baits to the more subtlety shrimp scented DOA CAL jigs. The choice is vast, and it is fun to experiment with the many configurations to see which of these jig tails works best for your kind of fishing

Jig tails can also be used as a poor man’s topwater plug. For example, there are light balsa wood floating jig heads, like Capt. Mike’s Flats Candy Minnow. It is fitted with a slightly larger jig tail, which when slurped across the water’s surface, will catch fish as good as most topwaters. Capt. Mike’s Flats Candy Minnow comes with a light floating head – or a floating popper head that can be slurped through the water – ringing the dinner bell for many popular Florida species. One other similar jig setup is sold by Twelve Fathom called the Flats Floater.

There are also several other variations on the use of jigs. Love’s Lures sells a couple of products that by definition are jigs, but they have a unique configuration.

There’s the Love Lures Tandem, which features two small jigs attached to a specially designed rig. It is the signature Love’s Lures product and has been one of the best, easiest to catch fish with jig designs over the last 25 years. And as many will tell you, you cannot work it wrong if you tried. As my late pal Merrill “Canoeman” Chandler used to say, “The Love’s Lures Tandem is idiot proof.” Just cast it out and jig it – twitch it, reel it – the Tandem will always catch something for dinner.

The other unique Love’s Lures product is their Floatin Jig. It utilizes one of the same size small jigs that come with their Tandem Rig, but is attached to a leader and a small cork. One simply has to cast the Floatin Jig out, slurp the cork – then relax your line. At that moment, the attached jig slowly – and enticingly drops down into the fish’s zone of awareness. Again, this is the kind of bait that a rank amateur can use to catch lots of fish.

One variation to the Love’s Lures Floatin Jig that I personally have had a great deal of success with is -- replacing the jig itself with a DOA Shrimp. It is a killer combination, and should produce many fish bites for you.

One final word of advice to any first time jig users – whether adults or children -- If you are unsure about how to work any jig, just cast out – let it drop down a bit – then reel. That’s it pure and simple. You will catch fish every time.