Fishing jigs when not verticle jigging?

[Smoltz]

If you guys are fishing jigs. And not fishing verticle how do you guys like to fish them? Say your from the bank or in a boat where you can't get in tight to fish verticle. Do you cast and jig them back to you through the water colum, cast and swim them straight back, or fish under a float?
Like walleye I fish on bottom but with crappie that are a suspending fish you wouldn't be in them if you was bouncing the bottom unless they was on beds of course. So you would almost have to cast n swim the bait or drop it in front of them on a float..

But with a float there no action in tail if using a curl tail. And if you was using baby shad there not much action at all. Unlike when verticle jigging, They have awesome action from that slender soft tail going up and down.

So what's your methods? I know allot of guys are predominately jig fisherman on this site. How do you do it when not fishing verticle??

[brush pile]

I love long lining behind the boat. Cast and retrieve has been working since the beginning of time. Just don't let it sink all the way before starting your reel. And you would be very surprised how much action is on a jig while under a float. Does not take much water movement at all

[genec]

many styles of fishing a jig,jigging ,shooting docks,casting laydown,casting bp,trolling,if fishing bp and fish or brush comes to 10 feet ,I count dowm 9 second and reel slow with a switch of rod tip ever so often,reeling a baby shad slow has NO action and do not need any,that is one of the reason it is so great of bait,crappie are not like bass,bass is and attacker and crappies most of the time are starkers with a slow movement under bait where they are not seen nor feel the viberation of them easing up on its prey,and that is why you must present a natural looking bait,and at the same timemore in open water they like a reaction bait for then they cannot stark as easy

[warmouth]

Cast, count down to depth, and vary retrieve untill something is working. Either a straight steady retrieve, a twitchy retrive or a rise and fall retrieve. Slow and steady with a couple twitches usually works for me.

If fish are shallow 3-4', a bobber is generally best, again with a slow steady retrieve.

[filletfetish]

There is no wrong way to fish a jig, just wrong timing.

[deathb4disco]

Cast out, count down, swim back slowly. It might be a fluke, though. It's only been working for the last forty years.

[Kevin22]

Cast around the structure first, 10-20 feet on each side to pick off the spookier fish (usually bigger too). Then cast towards the structure and get the aggressive ones hiding in it. 1/32 or 1/16 (usually 1/32) jig. I let it sink down to where I think the fish are (usually start 3-4', then try 6' then try down by the bottom). Slow retrieve mixing it up each cast until I get bit. Sometimes no twitches, just a dead bait swimming past works best, sometimes they like it twitching but not jigging, and sometimes you have to jig it aggressively. Its different at each brush pile, each day.

When you hook one, don't yank him to the surface, swim him out without him going around in circles if you can. It will keep the others from spooking.

[BoarBuster]

Well I done went and learned a little more about jigs. I am sure it is going to help me. Thanks a Bunch.

[Smoltz]

Thanks guys.
I think I loose connection sometimes going lighter than 1/16 when swimming a jig.
I need to start using the 1/32 oz more. I think it must be a confidence thing, I just feel like I'm in no mans land fishing blind when just casting and reeling through the water column. I will have to just keep at it.

You guys that use the floats, do you just very slowly reel in? Do you use round floats? Like to keep it from wanting to dive under the water or are you reeling so slow that it's just creeping along? I usually use a oval or waggler style
Floats. Thanks!
Good advice. I appreciate it all.