Jig question

[Flatbottom Boy]

I did some night fishing last night until about midnight. Slow realing a football jig on the bottom was getting me bit quite frequently. I had a real issue landing a bunch of them though, they kept throwing the hook. I was throwing a mix of BPS enticers, Arkie, and some other random stuff I had. They all had the weed guard and were all tipped with a havic pitboss, a fairly meaty trailer. My hook sets were solid but I would say that over half threw the hook within the first few head shakes. What am I doing wrong? Get rid of the weed guard? Too big of a trailer? Too much hook set? Just not my night? 

[MOsmallies]

If you are reeling the jig along and bumping the bottom... almost like a crankbait... You may want to try a wobble head jig instead. No weedguard but still weedless, and much harder for the fish to throw once hooked

[Flatbottom Boy]

So are you just rigging up a creature bait like a chomper on that? 

[Mitch f]

So many factors here....

how stiff was the rod?

what line size and type?

drag set too light?

hook too small for the plastic?

what kind of hook and was it sharp?

how deep were you fishing?

[Flatbottom Boy]

I fished a heavy x-fast 7 1/2 foot TFO Gary Loomis signature series rod rigged with a pro qualifyer and the drag is cranked as tight as I can get it. 12lb Pline CX and was fishing in 1-10 fow. Im really just getting used to fishing bass jigs as I never had confidence in them. The last few weeks thats all I have brought on the boat just to force myself into using them. Ive never tried the slow retrieve bouncing on the bottom until last night either...just seemed like a high percentage of fish that pulled loose. Thats what makes me winder if its something Im doing...hook set or too much trailer....need to trim the weedgard. Really upset me when I lost a few that had some serious shoulders on them! 

[Mitch f]

Well, it all sounds good to me, except I would be a little careful setting a hook with heavy rod with an extra fast tip on 12 lb test PLine.

 If there was ever a night time fishing guru on this forum, it would be Bo. Bo always uses braid at night. This might help with driving that hook home. 

[Flatbottom Boy]

Ive got some braid spooled up on one Ill give it a shot, thanks Mitch. 

[fishinwrench]

When a bass bites a jig you really have to hammer 'em.   They can clamp down on the mass of a jig n trailer to the point that no matter how hard you jerk the jig doesn't move inside the fishes mouth....it just pulls the fish towards you.  

If you know the depth range that most of your bites are coming from try shortening your cast.  The less line between you and the fish the more likely you'll detect the bite sooner and get them stuck good. If you could be just 5-6 feet closer when he bit you'd probably get them stuck better.  

12# is definitely on the light side for jig fishing though.  I throw 15 or more often 20.

[Flatbottom Boy]

Makes sense, thanks Glen. I had a few break on the hookset too so bigger line has to happen. 

[Ham]

Always good to think about things when you are getting bites, but not landing the fish, BUT it could have been the way they were biting it that night.