By Mark Romanack
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| Attractor jigs like this Bait Rigs Fin Spin do an excellent job of attracting walleye especially in the stained to dirty water conditions often found in rivers. |
A jig is a jig is a jig...To a lot of anglers jigs aimed at
walleye and pike fishing are all pretty much the same. To the elite 10% of the
angling community that routinely catches 90% of the fish, special purpose jigs
represent an edge in angling worth taking a closer look at. If walleye and pike
fillets are what’s for dinner, then it’s important to learn a little about
modern jig design and how these designs can help put more fish in the boat.
For those anglers targeting pike and walleye, special
purpose jigs are as essential to the tackle list as a fishing rod, reel and
line.
All fishing jigs have some features in common, but a growing
number of jigs are designed for specific fishing presentations. The round head
jig favored by so many anglers may be the “classic favorite”, but t jigs these days come in a host of
different head shapes and designs that allow them to be more efficient fishing
tools. Anglers that embrace these advancements in jig fishing strategy will
find success less fleeting on the water.
WALLEYE SPECIAL PURPOSE JIGS
A number of walleye jig designs fall into a category I’ll
call special purpose jigs. Within this larger category are a number of smaller
categories such as “attractor jigs”, “swimming jigs”, “weedless jigs” and
“stand-up jigs”.
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| Pictured here are three of the Author’s favorite “Special Purpose” jigs including the Bait Rigs Odd’Ball stand-up jig on the top, the Slo-Poke live bait jig on the left and the Slo-Poke Long Shank on the right which is ideal for pitching larger soft plastic grubs. |
Attractor jigs are distinguished by their ability to create
flash which in turn attracts fish. Flash is created in a number of ways but the
most common methods are to attach either a prop style blade to the hook shank
or a flipper blade to a swivel molded into the bottom of the jighead. The flash
these jigs put out is modest, but an often important element in generating
bites.
Attractor jigs tend to shine (no pun intended) best when
fishing in stained to dirty water conditions. The extra flash helps in making
these baits more visible to fish and in turn the benefits are more bites.
Rivers are a good example of a fishing situation that cries out for attractor
jigs because river waters tend to be more turbid than natural lakes. The most
common sizes of attractor jigs are 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 ounce models.
Swimming jigs are baits that are designed to be casted and
retrieved, swimming the bait in the lower 1/3 of the water column. Most jigs in
this sub-category feature a streamlined head design or what is known as a 60
degree eye-tie (line attachment point) that comes out the nose of the jig. The
combination of using a streamlined head and a 60 degree line tie enable these
jig designs to literally snake through rocks, grass and other cover amazingly
well. Swimming jigs are best paired up with soft plastic grub bodies that are
durable enough to stay on the jig. Common sizes in this jig category include
1/16, 1/8 and 1/4 ounce models.
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| Stand-up jigs like the one used by the Author’s wife Mari to catch this walleye are highly effective for fishing in contact with the bottom. Note how this fish is hooked in the upper jaw. Stand-up jigs position the hook point in such a way that most of the fish that bite are hooked in this fashion. |
Weedless jigs take the special purpose jig category to even
higher levels. These jigs are designed with either a wire or fiber weed-guard
that allows the jig to be fished in exceptionally dense weed cover or submerged
wood and rocks.
Weedless jigs tend to feature the 60 degree eye tie feature
and to keep them as snag free as possible these jigs are normally compact in
size and shape. The most common sizes of weedless jigs for walleye fishing are
1/16 and 1/8 ounce models.
Stand-up jigs are yet another sub-category of special
purpose jigs that are especially useful. Various head designs are employed to
create a jig design that positions the hook point at about a 45 degree angle to
the bottom. Having the hook point up off the bottom dramatically reduces snags
and creates a jig that has a much higher “hooking ratio” than traditional jig
designs.
Stand-up style jigs are a top choice for fishing the bottom
and this jig design can readily be used with soft plastics or live bait. The
most common sizes of stand-up jigs for walleye fishing are the 1/8, 1/4, 3/8
and 1/2 ounce models.
PIKE SPECIAL PURPOSE JIGS
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| Good pike jigs are hard to come by. The author recommends using jigs marketed as saltwater or musky fishing jigs for pike. These jigs have stout hooks and wider hook gaps suitable for using the larger plastic grubs popular among pike anglers. |
Jigs ideally suited to pike fishing require a little more
“functionalism” than the typical fishing jig. Because pike are powerful fish
and also because anglers use heavy lines when fishing pike, the hooks on the
typical lead head jig are not adequate. Good pike jigs feature stout hooks that
do an excellent job of bulldogging stubborn fish out of heavy cover. Also, a
good pike jig has a larger hook gap suitable for dressing these jigs with the
larger soft plastic bodies commonly used in pike fishing.
Some of the jigs that function best for pike fishing are
actually saltwater designs, made for targeting species like redfish. These
saltwater jigs have large and tempered hooks well suited to pike fishing and
the head designs are ideal for casting and retrieving in heavy cover.
The most common size saltwater style jigs suitable for pike
fishing are the 1/8, 1/4 and 5/16 ounce models.
Weedless jigs are another important tool in the pike
fisherman’s bag of tricks. Because pike are so often found in heavy weed cover,
fishing a jig with an exposed hook can quickly become frustrating. Weedless
jigs similar to those designed for bass “flippin” in heavy cover are ideal for
pike fishing applications. The most common sizes of weedless jigs for pike
fishing are 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 ounce models.
SUMMING IT UP
Jigs are fishing tools and special purpose jigs are highly
refined fishing tools. Embracing modern jig design is an easy way to refine the
craft of jig fishing while putting more pike and walleye in the boat.
MARK’S FAVORITE SITES FOR JIG SHOPPING
