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Old 01-23-06, 12:06 PM   #1
JB
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Default jigs

Probably going to "bait" pnj on this on, so here goes....Bass jigs come in all sizes, but most range from 1/4 ounce up to 3/4 ounce. They can be dressed with hair, feathers, silicone rubber or other materials.
When I was an enthusiastic young bass fisherman, there was only one thing to put on the end of your jig, and that was the Uncle Josh pork rind. The pork rind - cut into frogs, eels, twin-tails, lizards or other such shapes - gave the jig a flowing, life-like look and feel as it moved through the water. The pork, stored in little jars of brine, tended to make big messes in a tackle box, but no serious bass fisherman would go out without his favorite varieties of pork bait, especially in the winter.
When soft plastics came along, many anglers switched to putting plastic frogs or crawfish or twin-tails on their jigs. The debate raged for several years as to which was better, pork or plastic. I've caught a lot of bass on both, so I won't take sides. But I would recommend keeping both on hand, because there are times when switching from plastic to pork, or vice versa, has seemed to make all the difference in fishing success.
Jig-and-pork or jig-and-plastic baits are good at any time of the year, but they really shine in midwinter, when lots of other techniques aren't working. If you can find bass on deep-water points or humps, around submerged creek channel edges, or around brushpiles anchored in deep water, then a bass jig is usually the best tool for catching them.
The basic jig-fishing technique is pretty much like fishing a Texas-rigged plastic worm. It's a slow raise and drop of the rod tip, done while maintaining just enough line tension to feel what the bait is doing, but trying to avoid interfering with the bait's natural falling action.
But there are variations. I once had a bassin' buddy (coulda been pnj, but who the hell knows lol) tell me the secret to his wintertime jigging success. According to him. The idea was to try to move his jigs as many times as he could without actually moving them more than a foot in distance. He wanted the jig to quiver, shake and jump - making it appear alive - while letting it stay in the same place as long as possible.
I tried to emulate his technique, and I'll vouch for it: It works. I especially like it when fishing around deep-water brushpiles, or along the tops of submerged points or ridges.
Most fishermen tend to use heavier line and stiffer rods for jig-fishing. My advice is still to use as light a line as you can, but use a rod with a stiff spine that gives you some hook-setting power. Your line, of course, will need to be strong enough to withstand a good hookset, so you can't use the same kind of line that you'd pick for fishing finesse baits on spinning tackle.
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Old 01-23-06, 12:32 PM   #2
Wishing2BFishing
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I never have any luck with regular jigs. Part of the reason may be because I don't fish in the winter.

I have had some luck fishing hairjigs for smallmouth. The smallies seemed to like the hairjigs in early-mid April.
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Old 01-23-06, 12:35 PM   #3
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Glad to hear someone else used hair jig (or as the guys in my bass club called it..the hair of da bear..no offense zooker..rofl)
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Old 01-24-06, 04:51 PM   #4
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Black and Blue hair jigs
great on the delaware river
Look for some hair jigs in the fly fishing section of bps and cabela's
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Old 01-24-06, 04:53 PM   #5
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same colors here to, what do ya tip them with? pork?
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Old 01-24-06, 06:32 PM   #6
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Doug Hannon (bass proffesor) said his favorite all time big bass lure was a hair jig. Undressed small ones always worked well for me with panfish and trout. I recently purchased several larger ones for bass and hope to break my personal best with them.

I hadn't purchased any pork trailers until last Nov. Plastics worked well, so I never thought it would matter. Then I got some clearance Uncle Josh's at a local tackle shop. I've heard contradictory statements on whether the pork works better in winter or summer. Mostly I've heard winter though.
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Old 01-24-06, 09:21 PM   #7
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i've caught some of my biggest bass in the fall on jigs...also in one reservoir near me hair jigs are killer sometimes when nothing else works...
i stopped using pork trailers years ago..i only use plastics.the best plastic trailers i have found are the tube craws and power craws.
i despise pork trailers for many reasons...the main one being they dry out and are shot once that happens.
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Old 01-24-06, 09:36 PM   #8
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I tie hair jigs. Usually small ones for panfish but I also make large bass ones.
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Old 01-24-06, 09:57 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fish On
I tie hair jigs. Usually small ones for panfish but I also make large bass ones.
What type of hair do you prefer? I want to start making my own as well.

My hair is getting pretty long and I was thinking of saving the cut hair and using it.
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Old 01-24-06, 10:01 PM   #10
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Craft fur in my opinion has by far the best action. It is also cheap for a large amount.


Bucktail is stiff and doesn't move as easily.

For making jigs all you really need is a cheap vise. I have two vise. Jigs are really easy to make.

When you buy some equipment and etc. You can give me a call and I will tell you how to make them. Your first ones always are bad and once you start making good ones you will never throw a bad one.

As a glue for knots I usually use nail polish in clear or clear with glitter.

You can add strips and etc. to make it look great.
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Old 01-25-06, 06:25 AM   #11
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I've been tying jigs now for about 18yrs and found that stainless wire in 22 gauge works best to keep whatever your using for the body be it hair,bucktail or silicone skirts. Its simple can be bought anywhere and lasts an no glue to worry with. Three tight wraps and a twist and your done. One of the reasons I love the wareagle spinnerbait is the skirts are wired on. Another plus to using wire is yiu get more of a flair when tying the body on.
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Old 01-25-06, 09:17 AM   #12
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bear hair is what they make the jigs around here with, also I've seen deer and rabbit hair for smaller jigs, but I am thinking bear hair is common for bass/hair jigs.
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Old 01-25-06, 12:31 PM   #13
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Bucktail isn't bad as long as I only use the thinnest fur near the hair tips. Another nice addition is using a bit of Flashabou, which gives a bit of flash. Sometimes I use only flashabou in florescent green/blue/chartreuse or black/blue on a 1/16-1/8 oz ball head jig with a long shank.

Pork eels have always been my favorite hair jig trailers, but will try pouring some super soft eelss
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Old 01-25-06, 01:48 PM   #14
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I am seriously gonna' use my own hair. It would be awesome to catch fish with a lure I made and used my own hair to dress it.
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Old 01-25-06, 02:19 PM   #15
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When I made a bass jig(not hair jig) and caught bass on it at a tournament and won I was really excited. Even better is me and my partner set record for biggest bag of fish.
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Old 01-25-06, 04:59 PM   #16
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Its always a rush when you catch a bass on something that know one has
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Old 01-27-06, 06:25 PM   #17
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Foxtails work well for jigs, especially if you want the hair to flair on the twitch and drop. Rabbit zonker strips also move a great deal, but also bear is preferred by many locally.
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Old 01-29-06, 06:00 AM   #18
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Default no luck

i never had any luck with a 10 pound bass sittin' right off the in some shallows with a jig until i through a big lizard on it then he inhale that sucker so fast




Quote:
Originally Posted by Wishing2BFishing
I never have any luck with regular jigs. Part of the reason may be because I don't fish in the winter.

I have had some luck fishing hairjigs for smallmouth. The smallies seemed to like the hairjigs in early-mid April.
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Old 01-29-06, 06:23 AM   #19
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Another jig material that is not used much on bass jigs but has a place in a tackle box is matibou. When fished in water that has some current init it has a added appeal due to the fact you have toimpart no action to it. When I fished up north in smallie country it was very effective. I actually used living rubber and maribou. and of course a pork trailer. Never really like the Uncle Josh Line but gotta tell ya the Super Pork was a success for me. It is easy to remove from the hook,doesnt dry out as easily as uncle josh,more livley , and the list goes on. The color variety is awsome.
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