The Jighead Minnow rig has become one of the best ways to catch bass. After blasting on the scene a couple of years ago, the jighead minnow has been winning tournament after tournament and catching anglers tons of bass. It is a technique that you need to add to your arsenal, even if you are just a humble pond fisherman. 

What is the Jighead Minnow?

The jighead minnow is a super simple rig that anyone can fish. All you do is take a ball head or fish style jig head and pair it with a minnow profile bait. There are a bunch of great minnow baits, but really any fluke or baitfish style soft plastic with a straight tail will work great. And that is it. Just make sure that the jig head you choose has a 90 degree line tie because this will keep the bait horizontal in the water. 

What Made it So Popular?

Like I mentioned earlier, the jighead minnow technique blasted onto the scene a couple of years ago. This is because of the innovation of Forward Facing Sonar (FFS). Although the jighead minnow technique has been around for decades, it wasn’t until anglers started utilizing it with FFS that it became a mainstream technique. 

If you’ve heard guys talking about moping, strolling, or Damiki fishing, this is the technique that they are referring to. It goes by a bunch of names, but “Jighead Minnow” is the most common now that it has become such a popular technique. 

Why It Works So Well

Well, there are a number of reasons why it is such an effective technique. For one, it is a super realistic and natural baitfish imitation. No other rigs or lures have the same, rolling/shaking action of a jighead minnow, which also gives the bass a different profile than they are used to. 

And when paired with FFS, it is very easy to track your bait, keep it exactly where it needs to be, and target suspended bass with very high precision. The combination of incredible realism and high precision make it an absolute weapon for catching tons of bass. 

Why It Still Excels in Ponds

You’re probably thinking, “Well I don’t have Forward Facing Sonar when I’m bank fishing in ponds”. Trust me, the jighead minnow is not just a FFS technique. I have been bank and kayak fishing my local ponds with it over the past year or so and it has already become one of my absolute favorite baits. 

Pretty much no other bait or rig has out produced the jighead minnow in ponds for me since I started using it. Think of it like this: The jighead minnow works great with FFS because FFS helps you locate bass in a huge lake that you wouldn’t possibly know were there otherwise. But in a small pond, you pretty much already know where all the bass are. 

They are just going to be spread out fairly evenly all throughout the small body of water. As long as you are making casts, you are fishing around the bass. So in ponds, it really comes down to profile and action. And not many baits have a better profile and action than the jighead minnow. And those that come close are pretty much all bottom hopping baits like a Ned rig or Drop Shot. The jighead minnow is a completely unique and enticing bait that drives pond bass crazy.

How to Fish It

The retrieve takes a bit of practice, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly. All you do is let the bait sink down to the desired depth, which in almost every pond will only be a second or less of sinking. And then begin to slowly reel the bait in while you shake your rod tip up and down. 

Try to lightly bounce the jighead with the shaking motion. This will cause the minnow to roll and shake in the water. The action from the natural minnow soft plastic is absolutely incredible. 

Also, this bait works best when it is up above the bass in the water column. And in ponds, most of the bass are just hunkered down near the bottom. So try and keep the minnow in middle of the water column as best you can. 

Like I said, it will take a bit of practice to get the right rhythm and confidence mastered with this retrieve. But after 30-45 minutes of fishing, you should be good to go. 

Contrary to fishing big lakes and utilizing FFS to make exact and precise casts, you really want to cast everywhere. Just fan cast the minnow around the pond like you would most other lures. 

Picking Minnow Colors

As with most techniques, matching the hatch is the best route to go. If there are shad in your pond, then a grey/silver colored minnow will generally work the best. My ponds do have shad in them, so I quite literally never use any colors other than shad colors like grey and silver. 

But if your pond only has bluegill or perch as the main baitfish, that green pumpkin or light brown colors will work great. You can still mix and match different colors to experiment, but generally the classic green pumpkin seems to be the best bluegill imitator for soft plastic baits. 

Using the Right Gear

The gear you use is always very important. The jighead minnow is a spinning gear technique. A medium power spinning rod works perfect, but really whatever spinning combo you have should work great. And then 8-10 lb fluorocarbon line either as straight mainline or as a leader off of a 10-15 lb braided mainline. 

Additionally, this isn’t necessarily part of the gear, but you do want to tie a loop knot to your jig head. The loop knot allows the bait to freely swing which gives it more rolling action as well as keeps it more horizontal in the water. 

Tying this Off

The Jighead Minnow is a deceptively simple yet profoundly effective technique, transcending its origins in high-tech, sonar-driven fishing. While its rise coincided with advancements in Forward Facing Sonar, its inherent realism and unique action make it a potent weapon for any angler, especially those targeting pond bass. 

By mimicking natural baitfish with a captivating roll and shake, this rig entices strikes where other lures fail. Whether you're a seasoned tournament angler or a casual pond fisherman, mastering the Jighead Minnow will undoubtedly catch you some more bass this year.