Bass Crash Course: How to Fish Swim Jigs for Bass in Heavy Cover

The swim jig is a big-bass lure in a small package, and is a gotta-have lure in your tackle box when fishing shallow heavy cover.

A swim jig casts easily. It gets through heavy cover without constantly getting hung up. It draws strikes from bass like a magnet.

And, perhaps best of all, a swim jig is pretty easy to fish, and Shane Beilue, host of Game & Fish's "Crash Course" videos, says you can learn swim-jig techniques on your next fishing trip.

In the above video, entitled "How to Fish a Swim Jig in Heavy Cover," Beilue says when you face a fishing area with a lot of cover (wood or vegetation), it can be hard to locate bass. That's where a lure like a swim jig can be effective. It excels in both stained and clear water and its low profile helps it slip through cover.

And when the bass hold tight to cover, you can trigger a strike by attacking the cover like a linebacker. "You’re looking for contact [with the cover]," Beilue says.

Beilue favors these set-ups for swim jigs in shallow cover.

• 3/8-ounce jig
• Paddletail or twintail style soft-plastic grub
• Skirt color: White in many cases; flash of chartreuse in off-color water; pumpkin or watermelon when bluegills are in the area

Grab a handful of jigs and give it a try.

See more Crash Course videos here