I started making bottom jigs for inshore fishing because I love to fish them. I wanted to offer folks the chance to try them out at a reasonable cost with the highest quality materials, made in the USA. Something that is unique and handmade, that you can be excited about using. 

This article is going to dive into how I personally use this fishing tool in my arsenal to land more fish and the type of scenarios I am using them in. Let's get down to how to fish them inshore to maximize your success on the water with this tool. 

How I rig, and fish it: 

• The scenario

• This type of lure is best fished completely vertically over, on, or next to heavy structure. It should be baited according to the type of species you are targeting. It is excellent for catching Black Drum, Red Drum, and Sheepshead. Other fish I have landed on them include flounder, black sea bass, whiting, toadfish, grouper, sting rays. 

• Leader

• These are the setups I currently carry with me:
• Large fish -  I use 20 lb fluorocarbon leader connected to 20lb braid main line. 
• Medium to large fish - 15 lb flourocarbon to 15lb braid main. 
• Small to medium fish - 15lb flourocarbon to 10lb braid main. 
• I make my leader at least 4ft.

• Leader to main line knot

• Always use a line to line knot and not a swivel in place of it. The reason is simple, you can feel more of where your jig is at all times, and you can feel the most subtle bites. I personally use the Crazy Alberto however FG, double uni, are excellent choices. 

• Leader knot to jig 

• I personally use the Pollmar knot, but a lot of my friends are using loop knots on jigs. I keep loop knots for the artificial lures. 

• Bait

• I use shrimp and crabs, I bury that hook when I am fishing heavy structure, you can put the jig right on a pilling and not get snagged. You can run it through a tree, and it will not get hooked up. When the current is flowing toward the structure, I want to land my jig on it or in it. Fresh bait is absolutely essential, for shrimp I will catch them the night before or morning of with my cast net. They can be dead, but you need them to be super fresh. For crabs also never frozen fresh, or live fiddlers for sheepshead. Fish are professional eaters; they know what they are about to eat. The number one way you can increase your fishing success is using great bait and fishing it on good structure.
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• Placement of the lure

• you want the jig to actually be on the structure or as close to it as possible. Remember the fish are at the structure to find food on and around it, and you want to be on it with your offering. This is why I prefer the bottom jig, you have the tactical advantage of precision placement. All of my fish with the jig are either on the structure, or within an inch from it. Yes, you are going to lose tackle fishing this way, but I would rather loose tackle and catch fish than keep tackle and not catch fish. If I am not losing tackle, I am not fishing. 

• The weight of the jig

• should be the lightest that it takes to fish the spot and hold your position on the structure. For example, I fish around 2 hours of slack tide mostly from my Kayak, I am usually using ½ - 1.5oz at 10-40 ft depths. For shallow inshore applications like docs, ¼, ⅜ are suitable. I just bring a range of jigs and use the lightest one I can get away with.

• Leave it sit there for a little

• if you do not get any bites try moving around until you can find fish. Often times when fishing a new bridge or set of structure for example, I will fish up and down the entire area or bridge until I find what depth the fish are holding at that time of year at that location. I may visit 10 positions on the bridge and spend an hour to do so, but it is worth it to quickly locate the fish's preferred depth. The next time I visit the same spot at the same time of year I pick up where I left off with that information. You have to be willing to move around and be flexible to find where they are located with confidence that your bait and gear is good and if they are there and hungry you will catch one. 

• Hooking a fish

• Your main objective is to get that fish off the structure the second it bites so your line does not wrap on something underwater. This is especially true when you are going for larger fish. I always hold my rod in my hand and never use a rod holder because you need to be able to react to the situation quickly. It's not the fish that will usually break your line, it's your line rubbing on a rock or pilling that will. The second you know you have the fish off the structure, enjoy the fight, snap a picture, and repeat! 

Benefits of the jig vs. other methods. 

1. Sensitivity in feeling the exact position of your offering and the most subtle bites.
2. No dangling line from the weight, the weight and the hook are one, when you feel that tap you are ready to go. You also know you are fishing directly on a surface such as the bottom and the bait is not drifting around. 
3. They can be camouflage or attracting and the fish will oftentimes eat the jig as well not realizing what it is or finding that it looks like the meal itself just take it without knowing it's a jig. 
4. Simplicity, no extra weight and swivel to add unnecessary clutter to your offering. 
5. It sits on the bottom upright, so your bait is perfectly presented to the fish, when you pull up on the line it's an immediate hook set. 
6. The hooks used in most commercially available bottom jigs are 2x strong, when you hook a monster, you know with confidence your tackle will not fail you. Yes, cheap hooks will bend during or break during the fight of a good fish. A quality bottom jig will not fail you! 
7. Colors, no other fishing method for presenting bait has such beautiful color that fish are attracted to like the bottom jig method. Match the hatch or go with something bright for murky waters.  

All of the fish in this article were landed by me on bottom jigs, this is one of my favorite ways to fish! Leave a comment on your experience!