Fall Jig Fishing: 3 Jigs That Catch Big Bass (and How to Rig a Craw Trailer)

Every October the same advice floods the internet: follow the bait, match the shad, burn a lipless crank down the creek arms. It works. But while everyone else is chasing schools of baitfish, some of the biggest bass on your lake or river are sitting on rock and wood eating crawfish, and a jig with a craw trailer is still the best way to put one in the boat.

This post breaks down three jigs you should have tied on this fall (the swim jig, the football jig, and the flipping jig), where each one shines, and how we rig the Luro Ridge Craw as a trailer on all three.

Why Craws Still Matter in the Fall

Crawfish don't disappear when the shad start moving. As water temps drop through the 60s and into the 50s, craws are still active on rocky points, riprap, chunk rock banks, and around wood. They are also big, slow, and easy to catch, which is exactly what a bass trying to fatten up before winter wants.

Here is the part a lot of anglers miss: not every bass on the lake is roaming with the bait. Plenty of fish stay home on their structure all fall, and those fish are eating whatever lives there. That is where a jig earns its keep.

• Bigger meal, bigger fish. A jig and craw is a lot of food in one bite. It tends to weed out the small schoolers and draw strikes from quality fish.
• It covers the whole water column. Swim it high, drag it on bottom, or drop it into the thickest cover you can find.
• Less pressure. When half the boats on the lake are throwing shad baits, a craw profile looks different from everything else those fish have seen.

The Swim Jig: Cover Water Without Giving Up Size

The swim jig is the bridge between a moving bait and a jig. You can fish it fast like a spinnerbait, but it still has the bulk and profile of a jig, so it gets bit by fish that ignore a smaller shad imitation.

Where to throw it: Fading grass lines, the edges of lily pads, laydowns, dock edges, and shallow rocky flats where you can see fish busting but can't get them to commit.

How to fish it: Cast past your target and start a steady retrieve just fast enough to keep the jig a foot or two under the surface. Add a twitch or a pause when you pass cover. A lot of fall bites come right as the jig kills and starts to fall, so stay ready.

Rigging the Ridge Craw: Most guys default to a paddle tail on a swim jig, and that is fine when fish are keyed on baitfish. When you are fishing rock or around crawfish country, slide the 4" Ridge Craw on instead. The beefy claws kick and flutter on the retrieve, and the wider body adds lift so you can swim the jig slower without it digging into the bottom. That slower, bulkier presentation is what pulls a big fish out from under a mat or a laydown.

Setup: A 1/4 to 3/8 oz swim jig, 7' medium heavy rod, and 15 to 20 lb fluorocarbon or 30 to 40 lb braid around grass.

The Football Jig: Grind the Rock for Your Biggest Bite

If you have rock on your lake or river, a football jig belongs on your deck all fall. The wide football head rolls and ticks over chunk rock instead of wedging in it, and every tick looks like a crawfish scooting along the bottom.

Where to throw it: Main lake and secondary points, riprap, rock transitions, ledges, and humps. Pay extra attention to spots where rock meets something else, like gravel turning to chunk rock or a point that drops into the channel.

How to fish it: Make a long cast, let it hit bottom, and drag it with your rod tip at a slow, steady pace. When you feel it hang on a rock, pause, then pop it free. That hop off the rock is when most strikes happen. If fish are aggressive, mix in short hops off the bottom.

Rigging the Ridge Craw: This is where the Ridge Craw really shines. The wider body and bigger claws push more water, so even a dragged jig gives off a strong profile, and the claws stand up and wave when the jig pauses. Thread it straight on the trailer keeper so the claws ride up and it tracks true across the rock.

Setup: A 1/2 to 3/4 oz football jig (go heavier in wind or deeper than 15 feet), 7'3" heavy rod, and 15 to 17 lb fluorocarbon.

The Flipping Jig: Go in After Them

As the water cools and the shallow grass starts to die off, bass pile into whatever cover is left. Laydowns, brush piles, dock posts, and the last healthy mats can hold several fish each, and a flipping jig is how you dig them out.

Where to throw it: The thickest, nastiest cover you can find in the backs of creeks and along shallow banks. Isolated wood and dock posts on the main lake are worth a flip too, especially on sunny, calm days when fish tuck tight to shade.

How to fish it: Flip or pitch it into the cover so it enters quietly, let it fall on a semi slack line, and watch your line. Most bites come on the fall. If nothing happens, shake it in place a few times, pull it up and over the limb, and let it drop again before moving to the next target.

Rigging the Ridge Craw: The Ridge Craw was built for this. Its wider body slows the fall just enough to give fish a longer look, and the bigger claws flare out as it drops. In stained water or heavy cover, that bulkier profile is easier for a bass to find than a skinny trailer.

Setup: A 1/2 to 1 oz flipping jig depending on cover thickness, 7'6" heavy or extra heavy rod, and 20 to 25 lb fluorocarbon (or 50 to 65 lb braid in thick grass).

Which Jig Should You Tie On First?

• Rocky points, riprap, or ledges: start with the football jig.
• Grass edges, pads, or scattered wood: throw the swim jig and cover water.
• Fish packed into the last thick cover in the backs of creeks: pick up the flipping jig.

Rig all three with a Ridge Craw and you have the whole fall crawfish bite covered.

Shop the Luro Ridge Craw

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Fall Jig Fishing FAQ

What color jig trailer works best for fall bass?

Match the crawfish in your water. Green pumpkin and brown shades are hard to beat in clear to lightly stained water, and black and blue stands out better in stained or muddy water and low light.

What weight jig should I use in the fall?

It depends on the jig and the cover. A 1/4 to 3/8 oz swim jig for shallow grass and wood, a 1/2 to 3/4 oz football jig for rock (heavier in wind or past 15 feet), and a 1/2 to 1 oz flipping jig for punching into thick cover.

Should I use a paddle tail or a craw on a swim jig?

Use a paddle tail when fish are keyed on baitfish. Around rock and crawfish country, a craw trailer like the Ridge Craw adds lift and bulk so you can swim the jig slower and draw bigger bites.