The Best Swim Jig Weight

The Swim Jig is one of my absolute favorite bass lures and is probably the technique that I fish more than anything else.

And after years of fishing swim jigs, I feel like I have really dialed in how to fish them and what weight swim jigs to use.

First, you should understand that there isn’t necessarily one “best swim jig weight”. The weight you choose will differ, depending on how and where you are fishing the swim jig.

Best Do Everything Swim Jig Weight

If you are just trying to get one size swim jig that will do everything well, 3/8 oz is the best weight.

3/8 oz is what I fish whenever I am just beating the bank and cover all types of different water depths and structure patterns.

It is just the perfect in-between weight that is versatile enough to do just about everything.

If you need to get the swim jig down deeper, just use a swimbait trailer and give the jig an extra second or two before you start retrieving.

If you need to keep you swim jig up in very shallow water, put on a craw style trailer and give the jig some extra pumps to keep in up off the bottom.

Because the swim jig is a 4×4 type of bait and something guys just like tying on and fishing everywhere with, 3/8 oz is the perfect weight for your do everything swim jig fishing.

Best Shallow Water Swim Jig Weight

If I am swim jig fishing in 1-2 feet of water, I like to go down to a 1/4 oz. The 1/4 oz allows you to very easily keep the swim jig up off the bottom or above submerged grass, brush, and rocks.

And because it is so easy to keep the 1/4 oz jig up in the water column, I can really slow it down and keep it in the strike zone a lot longer.

This definitely gets me more bites when fishing way up shallow because the bass just have more time to eat it.

I also feel like the lighter weight gives the swim jig a more natural, floating action as it just glides through the water.

That might just be me, but I definitely have a lot of confidence in the way a 1/4 oz swim jig moves through water.

If you’re fishing way up in the dirt, a 1/4 oz will be the best swim jig weight.

Best Deep Water Swim Jig Weight

When fishing deeper, 5-8 foot water, I like a 1/2 oz swim jig. Now to be honest, I almost never fish a swim jig in that deep of water, so the 1/2 oz size swim jig is not something I tie of very often.

But there will be times, especially in the summer, when bass get out into deeper, submerged vegetation.

Under those conditions, a 1/2 oz swim jig can quickly get down to the necessary depth and stay down all the way throughout the retrieve.

I will also make sure to pair my 1/2 oz swim jigs with a swimbait trailer to make sure it doesn’t have too much rise as it’s coming through the water.

Does Your Gear Change?

So one question I get a lot is, “Do you fish all swim jig sizes on the same gear?”. And the answer is yes.

I fish all my swim jigs on a 7 ft medium-heavy baitcasting setup with either 15 lb fluorocarbon or 40 lb braid when I am in super thick vegetation.

Now if I fished a 1/2 oz more, I might adjust that a little bit, but I haven’t had any issues fishing all three sizes on that same exact setup.

So don’t worry about needing to get a whole new combo just to fish all sizes of swim jigs.

Swim Jig Size vs Weight

When I am saying “size” or “weight”, I am talking about the same thing. I am talking about how heavy the swim jig is.

But sometimes you will hear guys talking about the “size”, and they might be referring to the profile of the swim jig.

There are standard swim jigs and finesse swim jigs, so sometimes you might gear someone talking about the actual skirt, weed guard, and hook size of the swim jig.

It isn’t too confusing, but I thought it was worth mentioning that swim jigs do come in both different weights and different sizes.

Reeling this In

Choosing the right swim jig weight significantly impacts your bass fishing success. While there’s no single “best” option, the 3/8 oz swim jig is your go-to for all-around versatility, excelling in various depths and structures.

For shallow water (1-2 feet), drop down to a 1/4 oz to keep your lure higher and allow for a slower, more natural presentation.

Conversely, when targeting deeper water (5-8 feet), a 1/2 oz swim jig will get you down quickly and stay in the strike zone.

The good news is, you can fish all these weights effectively with the same 7 ft medium-heavy baitcasting setup, using either 15 lb fluorocarbon or 40 lb braid.

Understanding these weight differences will help you optimize your swim jig technique and land more bass.