(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
Given his continuous assault on the top of leaderboards from coast to coast and seeming infallibility, you might be tempted to believe that reigning FLW Cup champion Bryan Thrift has some big-league secrets up his sleeve, developed over 14 years on tour. The truth is that he brought an incredible skill set to the game, and the same technique that jumpstarted his career remains a primary player to this day.
His first tour-level tournament was on Lake Travis in Texas, and he finished 2nd using a technique that he developed near his North Carolina home – skipping a jig under boat docks. That built a reputation. “I’m kind of known as a dock fisherman,” he said.
In order to skip without endless backlashes, you’ll need to dial in your tackle, and Thrift has done just that. He uses 20-pound P-Line Tactical fluorocarbon just about anywhere, and spools it on a 7.3:1 Abu-Garcia Revo STX. “It feels good in your hand,” he said of the lightweight, highly-palmable reel. Where he differs from many jig anglers is that he uses a shorter rod, and that’s because advances in lines and hooks make it easier to bury the point in any fish that bites. “You don’t need that giant rod to be able to drive that hook in a jig fish anymore.” He’s developed a 6’9” signature series rod for Fitzgerald, and said that the sub-7-foot length provides increased accuracy, as enhanced by a soft tip.
He wants his jigs to fall quickly and generate a reaction strike, so he almost always uses a 1/2-ounce model, but to make it even faster he turns the lure upside down and thins out about two-thirds of the skirt material on the underside. He pairs it with a thin-diameter trailer, which also contributes to a faster fall. Is there a magic knot? Hardly. He uses a Palomar for almost everything that he ties on, noting that it’s simple and strong. “Make sure you wet the knot good so it doesn’t burn itself,” he advised.
His goal is to cover water, so he makes two or three key skips to each dock, then moves on. He’ll put the trolling motor on high in between them and continue to swim his jig at a fast speed. This produces an extra few bites each season. “You can’t get bit if your bait is not in the water,” he said. The goal is to put the bait in front of as many fish as possible over the course of the day.
On a well-placed skip, he’ll let his jig fall to the bottom, then pop it up five or six inches to trigger bass that might’ve come over to investigate the falling item. One key is to pretend that a 5-pounder is always looking at your lure, and he finds that when the jig bite is good, most of the bites will be big.
If you want to learn some of the other keys to Thrift’s jig-skipping success, including how and why he targets moored pontoon boats with his bait, along with how to time your casts on windy days, check out his full video, direct from the water, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
