Although it may sound amateurish....

[lunker-lander]

.... what should I look for in the 'Jig' part of a PNJ? Hook size? Colors? Weights? Rattles?

-Lunk-

[fishin' fool]

I think the term pig originated before plastic lures were made, and the jig trailers were make of pork skin like uncle josh that are still around today. Idk if this is what ur lookin for!?!?!?

[fishin' fool]

Ok.. i thoght about ur post... When I buy jigs, I consider the most important aspects: weight, stlye of head and position of the eye because that determins what cover it's made to be fished in, and skirt color. What is nice about jig trailers is that they come in so many size varieties, that I can use different sized trailers to help control the rate of fall for the conditions Im faced.
Good fishin

[Rebbasser]

Lunk, the "pig" part is the pork chunk, plastic chunk, craw, whatever otherwise known as the trailer. Don't overthink it.

[carolina-rig-01]

i like atleast a 3/0 on jigs up to 1/2oz. from there up i like at least a 4/0 or bigger. i really think that rattles aren't very important but if i use them i will add them to my trailer not the jig (the kind of rattle you would shove in a plastic lizard or whatever). the weight will depend on what you are trying to do with it. if you are just dragging it on the bottom then i like heavier jigs, for skipping or pitching i usually go with the lightest jig i can get away with (lighter jigs will skip better, and when pitching they will fall slower which i feel is a plus. experiment though because i have seen days when pitching a heavy jig would get bites when a lighter jig wouldn't (i think it was something about the way it was pounding on the bottom).

[CarpMan]

Originally Posted by lunker-lander

.... what should I look for in the 'Pig' part of a PNJ? Hook size? Colors? Weights? Rattles?

-Lunk-

Lunk, This is a pig doin' a Jig.

[bcklash]

Carpman, I'm lmao. Image what lunker could catch with that.

[Cranebird]

Jeepers cats Lunk you already bought a ton of jigs not to long ago ?

[lunker-lander]

Originally Posted by Rebbasser

Lunk, the "pig" part is the pork chunk, plastic chunk, craw, whatever otherwise known as the trailer. Don't overthink it.

OOPS! I meant 'Jig'

-Lunk-

[Bob Smith]

LL, your question needs to be broken out to include all the different places that you might fish a jig, and that should include the presentation method. For instance, if you are Pitching boat docks for instance I would suggest 3/8 oz to 1/2 oz simply because they are easier to pitch (thus making for more accurate presentations), the size usually means around a 3/0 hook size. Now if I were easing down a shoreline with some brush, over hanging limbs and fairly steep drop on the bank, I might use a "flipping" presentation. In which case I would probably go with a 1/4 oz set up in a bitsy jig with a 2/0 hook, or a 1/4 oz set up with a thick skirt and 3/0 hook for a slower fall rate on the jig. Another scenario may require fishing a rocky point or deep rocky hump, my go to would be 1/2 oz to 1 oz football head jig to minimize hangups in the rock, get the bait down quickly and tilt the trailer up and off the bottom. This usually comes with a 3/0 to 4/0 hook presentation. Finally penetrating thick grass mats requires a totally different jig head and weight. I have seen these up to 1 1/2 oz to 2 oz depending on the density of the grass. The grass penetrators usually have 3/0 to 4/0 hooks.

Hopefully I didn't overkill this topic? I think I targeted your question?

[lunker-lander]

Wow! Thanks for the answer, Bob!

Most of my fishing will be boat dock, shallow, sloping shorelines, isolated grass patches, and a little flippin' to stick and overhanging limbs like willows.

With all that said, what exact colors should I be looking for? I've heard about Black/Blue, Watermelon, Black/Chartreuse, etc. What should be my basics? Naturals first, then concentrate on exotics?

-Lunk-

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by lunker-lander

With all that said, what exact colors should I be looking for? I've heard about Black/Blue, Watermelon, Black/Chartreuse, etc. What should be my basics? Naturals first, then concentrate on exotics?

-Lunk-

There are several factors that govern the color you choose and the first three are water clarity, water clarity and water clarity! The next factor is prevailant forage and time of year. Forage will most likely be crawfish if you are working the jig slowly (baitfish if you swim the jig). the time of year usually dictates the crawfish color. Late fall to early spring the crawfish are very dark and appear almost black even in shallow water. Later in the spring they take on a greenish color often similar to Green Pumpkin, but in some waters this appears to be more of brownish hue like pumpkin. In the summer towards fall they will have more of the reddish claws and more mottled greens and browns and getting darker.

When the water is turbid and stained pretty bad I use the black and blues, black and chartreuses and similar colors for the trailers. Clearer water usually means I will use the natural colors in the greens, and browns. When I swim the jigs I am almost always throwing white on white.

I hope this helps.

[BassMoJo]

One more huge part ! When you set the hook ...do it hard ...theres nothing worse then losing a fish on a jig !

[Cranebird]

Bob I am thinking that you should not be trying to set a universal craw color selection. C-Bird color chart

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by Cranebird

Bob I am thinking that you should not be trying to set a universal craw color selection. C-Bird color chart

Just general as it pertains to most bass fishing situations. Having lived in and bass fished in North and South Texas, Florida, Virginia, California, Tennessee and now Georgia, and fished Louisiana, Missippippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma, Vermont and upper New York (Lake Chamblain). Those colors generally fit most situations. I am sure there is greater variance with the moulting stages and mineral content, but generally speaking that is a good indicator of how to choose colors.

[bassdaddy]

bob,,great advice you gave on the color selection,i use the same rule of thumb as you,,it seems to work 90% of the time for me,,not trying to hijack,,but does anyone else find it a lil scary that someone knows how to spell and even uses the word amateurish!!!!!