horizontal or vertical jigs? Does it make a difference?

[cbtrtbum]

Do you all prefer horizontal or vertical jigs? I tried some vertical jigs last season and it seemed that i had a hard time getting the hook to stick...Lost a bunch of fish after a little fight.  This was mainly for trout. What about panfish? Some stuff ive read has said horizontal is best, so....your opinion??

[walleye tattoo]

Try a ratfinkey and make sure the knot is on top so it hangs Vertical you will get bit with a waxy or red worm or whatever is local.JMO

[snuffcan]

Horizontal jigs work great for "shaking" techniqes, dead sticking a minnow, or slow lifting. Vert. jigs work great when fish are hitting jigs on the fall, because they will lay on there side an flutter when you let them fall on a slack line. Both have there place.

[SPADED]

Horizontal jigs work great for "shaking" techniqes, dead sticking a minnow, or slow lifting. Vert. jigs work great when fish are hitting jigs on the fall, because they will lay on there side an flutter when you let them fall on a slack line. Both have there place.

i agree, when im finess jigging i like hoizontal, the bite it going good i dont think it matters just get it down asap 

[Swift]

Pretty much horizontal/45* down here all the time. With a quality/thin wire hook on the better ones there is nothing wrong with pinching the barb down and opening the hook gap up a bit, easily doubles the hook-ups on panfish.

[ryno]

i use horizontals 90% of the time.  they work best when rod tapping and jiggling.  just make sure to tie direct with palomar knot and keep knot centered and on top of eye to keep it hanging level.

[Swift]

i use horizontals 90% of the time.  they work best when rod tapping and jiggling.  just make sure to tie direct with palomar knot and keep knot centered and on top of eye to keep it hanging level.

I'll take a surgeons loop and give the jig a chance to do its thing while moving in place

[slipperybob]

Another discussion on topic

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=155319.0

[icemantwo]

I catch more than 75% of my fish on horizontal jigs.  A lot of times the bites I do get on  vertical jigs I miss because they are harder to hook with.  The horizontal jigs get a bunch better action and they also seem to stay out of weeds better and you get more leverage on the hookset. Just make sure you readjust the line tie so the jig sits horizontally after you catch one or you will notice your catch rate slowing down.

[scavengerj]

I like the fish to dictate what is going to work.

[icejunky]

both a successful, over the past few seasons I seem to use more and more horizontal jigs. just a confidence thing

[richstick]

When you need to trigger fish - which is typically most of the day, outside of 'primetime', a horizontal presentation will outfish a vertical presentation almost every time.  This is true in all depths of water - but especially so in shallow water conditions.

[Ryderr]

They say vertical jigs are better for bluegill because of the angle of which they feed. If you noticed, bluegill sit on bottom and come up to your bait from below and for crappie horizontal jigs are best because crappie are known to come in and engulf the bait. Personally I like horizontal jigs and 45 degree angled jigs best easier hook set.

[fishermanna82]

me and every one that i fish with fish vertical and catch allot of fish. i am going to try horizontal jigging this winter.

[slipperybob]

Lookers and sniffers will often refuse vertical and prefers horizontal.

Biters will take vertical more aggressive on the rise, but reposition themselves to take horizontal from the side.  Predators don't spend much time trying to ambush from the side, but they will always go for the kill by attacking from below.

[slipperybob]

There's more freedom and flexibility with vertical jigs.  For example you can add a clevis and blade to give it a flashy behavior.  If using vertical jigging spoons, adding flipper blades or fairy wings will give it a change in appearance.  Vertical jigging spoons also benefit directly with a dropper line set up too.

Sometimes when you sort of combine the two together.  You can do a dropper horizontal jig on a vertical jigging spoon.  That sometime is crucial for weight to get down deep fast and flashy.  Although I admit it's a tad bit harder to watch the jig on the flasher.

[iceman260]

I wouldn"t go out with out some of both, let the fish decide.

[PsychologicalPerch]

 I always seem to catch crappie only on verticals with an artifical and a spike

[SPADED]

i kinda forgot about this post till PERCH revived it..

fishermanna82== did you end up using the horizontals this year like ya said? how did you like them? i the dominate my jig box for crappies.

[marcus]

 I usually have to adjust the hook angle on horizontals I was missing a lot of fish so a little opening of the gap , like someone said, made all the difference. If I am fishing a good bluegill bite I like horizontal jigs ( drop faster in most cases) any other situation I use verticals normally teardrops with 2 spike s or a wax worm  can get those finicky fish to bite. They both have their place in our jig box like someone said  it is about confidence and what the fish tell you.

[JMZ]

I bought some small verticle bgil/crappie type jigs and plan to use them on a dead stick with a minnow. I plan to hook the minnow through the dorsal fin. Do you think it will work?
Or maybe I should hook it through the lip so it will look injured.
Or maybe I should hook it through the tail so it looks downward.
 

[Super-ice-bird]

I hook in the dorsal so the minnow swims in a circle.