Stroking a football jig
I saw a video on Mike Iaconelli demonstrating how he strokes a football jig. One question I had is after jerking the rod tip up, do you let the jig fall straight back down on a semi slack line or a tight line by reeling the line in as you lower your rod back down before poppin' the rod up again?
That's a great question! For me, every situation is a little different. Mostly I allow the jig to fall on a slackline so it moves quickly through the water column on its fall back down. This can trigger a lot of strikes. If I'm fishing a drop-off, I will feather the line as it falls down the break. Matt Arey is a master at this technique. Listen to this interview I had with him about Stroking a jig.
https://bassu.tv/bass-fishing-video/stroking-jigs-matt-arey
Hi Pete, it's good to hear from the man himself! Thanks for sharing your technique and your interview with Matt. It was very insightful. I have a question in regard to that technique where you're letting the jig fall back on a slack line: Do you actually feel the fish hitting the jig hard most of the time as it falls or are you primarily depending on line watching to see the hit?
You know, it happens in a few different ways. Braid and fluoro line really helps with strike detection on a slack or semi slackline. Most of the time, you'll feel a "pop" as the jig falls. Many times I don't feel the strike and when I go to stroke the jig again, the bass is there and I just roll into a sweeping set and even double set the hook if I feel I didn't get a good hook in the fish.
Thanks Pete! Great tips. It was very insightful.
