As water temperatures start cooling across the country, it generally becomes a signal for anglers to slow their presentation. Such a move, however, may or may not be the case for Tommy Biffle when he's fishing the HardHead jig during this cold-water transitional season.
Development of the Gene Larew Biffle HardHead Jighead and Gene Larew Biffle Bug plastic-trailer combination led Biffle to a trailblazing technique that covers water far more effectively than conventional bottom-bumping jig-fishing approaches. The HardHead hook secures to a hookeye-type attachment that allows the hook to swing freely from side to side during the retrieve (hence the generic name "swinghead"). The fast retrieve activates the appendages of the Biffle Bug, giving it a frantic, lifelike scurrying action.
Though many link the technique to fishing for aggressive bass in summer, Biffle says his "wake-up" to the bait combination's true potential came during a cold-weather photo session with an outdoor writer.
"I had one tied on, but I hadn't used it," recalled the Oklahoma pro, who had been reluctant to test what he expected to be a tough winter bite that day. "On the first cast, I caught a 5-pounder, a good picture fish. We shot photos, then I went back to fishing and caught another 5-pounder, then another...before completing a cycle of five fish over 5 pounds in five throws!"
Biffle initially thought the HardHead and Biffle Bug combination pretty much was tailored to a chunk-rock bottom. However, he quickly came to laud its effectiveness over a wide variety of bottom types and went on to win major tournaments fishing it over sand, pea gravel, and larger rock, as well as classic chunk-rock conditions. The swinging jighead also adds a wrinkle to the presentation of other plastics, including worms.
"You can cover a lot of water with it because it's almost like fishing a crankbait," Biffle said. "I cast, let it go to the bottom, and reel it. The faster you reel, the better they like it. The fish think it's getting away, but as long as you keep it in contact with the bottom, you're good."
Biffle confesses that his discovery of the effectivness of a "fast reel" approach to the swinghead technique was accidental. Like most anglers who use the jig for the first time, he first fished it like a football jig, or with a dragging, Carolina-rig approach. Once he started fishing it in shallow water, however, he found himself on the "fast" track, in more ways than one.
Said the veteran pro, "I found that when I fished it slowly in shallower water or over bigger rock, it got hung up. But the faster I reeled it, the less it got hung up...and the better the bass liked it."
Biffle continued working the bait combo at a rapid pace in deeper water, too, and its effectiveness increased there, as well.
Today, Biffle adjusts the weight of his HardHead jig to depth and conditions. If fishing in 5 feet of water or less, for example, he most often will use a 5/16- or 7/16-ounce head. In deeper water, he usually opts for 11/16- or 1-ounce jigheads. In special circumstances, a 3/16-ounce head comes into play.
"I went to a 7.3:1 gear-ratio reel and started reeling it fast," he said. "I tell everybody to reel as fast as they want, as long as you are hitting bottom.
"There's no wrong way to fish it," he continued. "There's just a better way to fish it. A guy will fish it, just hopping it along. But if I'm reeling it, I'll catch 10 fish to that guy's one. Just stay in contact with the bottom, even if you're fishing 30 feet deep. Use the jig-weight size that will keep it on the bottom."
There are times, though, when slowdown becomes essential. Steep-sloping structure is one such circumstance.
"When bass get on 45-degree banks, you need to use a bigger head and wind a bit slower to work the bait down the slope," noted Biffle.
Cold weather and water conditions can dictate a slowdown, too. Biffle recalls that while fishing the Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake, fast-fishing the HardHead/Biffle Bug combo had him anticipating victory during practice rounds. But when the air temperature dropped to 11 degrees on opening day of the tournament, his pattern died.
Switching to a shaky-head worm on a 3/16-ounce HardHead and downshifting to a significantly slower retrieve the following day got him back in the game. He continues to favor that combination in similar conditions yet today, as well as during the September doldrums.
"I can put a YUM Dinger on that jig during the worst month of the season, and it's like flipping a switch," claimed Biffle. "For some reason, they want something long and fished slow in September."
Another favorite cold-water adaptation is switching to a smaller trailer. Biffle's favorite is a 3.5-inch version of the standard 5-inch Biffle Bug.
"If they're not hitting in colder water, I just put that tiny 'junior' bug on," he said. "If you find the fish are not hitting, or you are just getting a bump, change to the 'junior,' and you'll catch 'em."
I found evidence online that purports this bait combo also can be worked successfully when pitching and flipping around cypress trees, laydowns and stumps, but I would suggest that it likely will take some time...and perhaps a major dose of patience...to learn how to avoid hang-ups. Personally speaking, I decided many moons ago that jig fishing wasn't made for me, so you won't ever find any HardHeads in this Hard-Headed Dutchman's tacklebox...need I say more?
And with that, as Paul Harvey also used to say when signing off from each of his radio broadcasts, I wish you a "Good day!"
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