This technique goes by a number of names such as moping, shaking a minnow, Damiki rig fishing, strolling, and even others. And while there may be some slight differences between the aforementioned techniques, mostly surrounding the presentation, they all fall under the umbrella term… jig and minnow fishing. And in the past couple of years, this technique has exploded in popularity as a result of forward facing sonar.
But the truth is, most anglers don’t have forward facing sonar. Heck, most anglers are just bank fishermen that stick to whatever ponds happen to be near their house. As an avid pond fisherman myself, I wondered whether the massively popular jig and minnow technique would work at all when it’s applied to bank fishing ponds.
And it turns out that the answer to that question is a resounding YES.
What is the Jig and Minnow?
The jig and minnow is a super simplistic and finesse rig. It is just a classic jighead paired up with a minnow or fluke style soft plastic bait. Just thread the minnow bait onto the jighead the same as you would with any other setup, and you’re all set.
Like any other finesse technique, the simple and natural profile of the jig and minnow is what makes it so lethal. It looks just like a small baitfish and because the minnow bait doesn’t have any of its own swimming action, the technique is very subtle and nonintrusive.
With the high level of fishing pressure on just about every pond in America, more subtle and realistic presentations like this are more important than ever to add to your arsenal.
How to Retrieve It
The retrieval technique is very simple, but it will take a bit of practice to get used to it. All you do is position your rod tip at about 45-50 degrees and shake it up and down as you slowly and steadily reel in the bait.
By shaking the rod tip, you are bouncing the jig and minnow on a slack line which causes the bait to roll side to side and bounce up and down a bit. And then the slow turn of the reel handle is just picking back up the slack line. Think of it almost like you are walking the dog with a topwater, but with much smaller and quicker pops of the rod tip to give a much more subtle action.
Like I said it will take a bit of practice to really get the rhythm down. But after 30-45 minutes of fishing it, you should have plenty of confidence and skill with the technique.
Where to Fish the Jig and Minnow
So with FFS (forward facing sonar) this is a very straight forward answer. Just look at your screen and throw the bait exactly where you see the bass. But when you’re pond fishing, you obviously can’t see exactly where the bass are located.
So the best place to fish the jig and minnow in a pond is everywhere. Just like most pond fishing techniques, you want to cover as much water as possible because the bass can be located anywhere. Fan cast the jig and minnow all throughout the pond like you would any search bait.
The more important location is actually where in the water column you are fishing. Just like a jerkbait, the jig and minnow is meant to be fished above the bass and draw them up to eat it. This is quite easy to do with FFS because you can track your bait’s depth in real time. But you don’t have that when casting from the bank…
I have found that it is best to keep the minnow as close to the middle of the water column as possible. Most of the ponds around me are from 3-6 feet deep. So I really just need to begin my shaking retrieve as soon as the bait hits the water, and it will find itself in the middle of the water column for most of the retrieve. If your ponds are deeper than that, you can let the minnow sink for a second or two and let it get down a bit. But most ponds are quite shallow, so as a rule of thumb, just begin shaking the bait right after it hits the water.
When to Fish the Jig and Minnow
I have been doing a ton of pond fishing with this technique over the past year, and to be honest, I haven’t really found a bad time to fish it. Because it is a finesse technique, it will almost always be able to get at least a few bites. But it isn’t as slow and tedious as finesse rigs like a Ned rig or Drop Shot, so you can still cover lots of water when you need to.
The only time I didn’t love pond fishing with this technique was in the middle of the summer when the vegetation, algae, and pond scum took over most of the accessible water. And because it certainly isn’t weedless and sinks fairly quickly, it was difficult to keep it from getting caught in the grass and weeds. But as soon as the vegetation started to die back at the end of the summer, it instantly became a huge player again.
It was also one of my top performers throughout the winter period. I don’t have a ton of patience on the water so I don’t love fishing super slow techniques in cold water. And being able to still cover some water and still catch bass all throughout the winter was very nice. So I think you should have it tied on for at least 10 months of the year,
Now water clarity is a bit different. The jig and minnow is definitely a clear to stained water technique. It is very subtle, so it isn’t going to draw bass in very well if they can’t see it. If your water clarity is very muddy, it probably won’t be the best option. But as long as you have at least about a foot of visibility, it works very well.
Picking the Right Jig Head
There are two styles of jig heads used for this technique. From my personal experience as well as asking around a lot, it seems like it is really up to personal preference which one you choose. I won’t say which one I prefer because I am certainly biased towards that style, but I will outline the differences and benefits of each. But whichever one you choose, the most important thing is that the jighead has a 90 degree line tie. This is crucial to keeping the minnow horizontal in the water as you retrieve it.
Ball Head Jig
Everyone has used the classic ball head jig at some point in their fishing career, so you probably already have one in your tackle box. The advantage of a ball head jig is that it gives the minnow much more rolling action as you shake the bait. Because of the round, ball shaped head, there is no lateral resistance that prevents the bait from rolling on its side in the water. This rolling action is very enticing and is something that bass don’t see in any other lure, making it very effective at triggering bites.
Outkast Tackle Radar Love Jig – $7.99
VMC Redline Tungsten Ball Head – $7.99 – $19.99
Core Tackle Strut Head – $6.79
This new head from Core Tackle has more of a heart shape and requires even less shaking to create that signature roll… definitely worth trying if you’re a complete beginner.
Fish Head Jig
Fish head jigs are much more detailed and realistic. They actually look exactly like a real baitfish in the water and give the whole minnow profile a more natural profile. Because of the flat sides, you won’t get as much roll in the water, but if bass are very picky about what they eat, the more natural fish head look can persuade them to bite better than a ball head jig.
Outkast Tackle Goldeneye Jig Head – $5.99
And a couple minnow options, but feel free to use your favorite… there’s a lot of good ones out there:
Deps Sakamata Shad Soft Jerkbait – $10.99 – $18.00
Colors: Ayu, Silver Shiner, Smoke Pepper Clear
Rapala Crush City Mooch Minnow – $6.49
Colors: Green Pumpkin Disco, Electric Shad, Perch
Tie A Loop Knot
Using a loop knot to tie on your jighead will help give the minnow more action in the water. Similar to how a split ring helps crankbaits move more freely in the water, the loop knot will help the jighead freely swing and roll much better in the water. The loop knot is especially useful if you are using a ball head jig because those are already utilized to help the minnow roll, so the loop knot takes the action to the next level.
Gear Setup
The gear that you fish a jig and minnow of will just be a standard finesse spinning setup. A medium power rod and 8-10 lb fluorocarbon line are going to get the job done. Or a light, 8-15 lb braided mainline with a 8-10 lb fluorocarbon leader. If you really want to optimize the technique, a bit longer, 7’2” spinning rod can help to shake the bait a bit easier and get your casts out further. But to be honest, when it comes to pond fishing this technique, I don’t think any such optimization is required. In fact, a lot of pros are opting for shorter, sub-7 foot rods for their minnow shaking, but they’re all using FFS and fishing from a boat.
Tying This Off
While the jig and minnow technique was made extremely popular by the advancement of forward facing sonar, it is much more versatile that simply a graph fishing setup. Over the past year of experimenting how the jig and minnow performs in ponds, I have found it is still a tremendous technique, even without any technology.
Shaking a minnow has caught me some of the biggest pond bass since I started utilizing it and is also a very reliable way to get a sheer volume of bites. If you are a pond angler and haven’t begun to take advantage of the jig and minnow, make sure you tie one up and start beating the banks as soon as you can.
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