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RETRIEVE
When first using a swing jig, you have to start thinking of it as something other than a jig and more like a reaction bait. It will work like a standard football head, bouncing on the bottom, being dragged, and more, but there is a better way to get the most out of it. The best retrieve is a steady retrieve like a crankbait where you are bouncing the bottom.
When a fish bites the jig, the bite is a little different than your standard jig bite and more like a noticeable bite like you would get from a reaction bait like a crankbait, but sometimes it is just a feeling of losing contact with the bait.
WHERE TO FISH
The beauty of this technique is it will work just about anywhere. Like a football jig, it excels around rock, but works better than one around wood. Since you are moving the bait more than a traditional football head, it tends to deflect well off of cover like stumps and brush piles. Grass is one area where I would not use it just because it tends to gather grass at the connection to the hook, but that is not to say it wouldn’t work.
A prime location to throw the swing jig is around long rocky points and I will gradually fish deeper as the water gets colder late in the season or if it is in the heat of the summer.
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Fishing a swing jig is a great way to cover water, while still having the big fish appeal of a football jig. Covering water like a crankbait, you can fish it much deeper than most crankbaits can reach and then easily adjust to shallower water as needed without retying your bait. The effectiveness and versatility of this technique is what has made it one of my favorites over the past few years.