In the mind of Kyle Welcher, you won’t find more misconceptions about a lure presentation than you do for the swim jig. “Everyone thinks it’s a lure you use in very specific situations,” said the Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Alabama. “Most people go down a bank with a spinnerbait, vibrating jig or any of those other baits designed to cover water. A swim jig is my first choice, because it is a good size to mimic shad or bluegill.”
Welcher built his confidence in swim jigs after fishing as a co-angler 13 years ago. He was 16 years old at the time. “The guy I fished with caught them really well with it that day and I wasn’t familiar with it,” he recalled. “I went home, bought some and started playing with them on my home lake. That’s when I really saw the power of the swim jig.” If you don’t have the same confidence in the swim jig, perhaps you are making one of the mistakes that Welcher says many anglers make. Such as:
