Northwest Fishing Reports

Ive been overwhelmed recently with the amount of people that purchase jigs like booyah and strike king models for up to $3.00 each. I'm also very interested why so many people buy jigs with weed guards? Here's a little knowledge about jigs that I think most people should think about.

First off....make your own jigs! You dont have to pour them yourself just buy the jig and skirts separately and put them together. If you can pour your own even better. A 5 pack of Gamakatsu jigs is under $3.00 a 3 pack of skirts made by hart or strike king is under $2. So for $7.00 you can have 5 jigs with two different color patterns. With tax included that's $1.40 per jig and most importantly a good jig with a sharp hook.




Second...you dont need weed guards on your jigs. 99% of the time I used jigs I never cast or pitch them into a thick mat or cover. Unless you are going to flip super thick junk with 50lb braid the weedguard is just something to get in the way of your hookset.

Jigs are very easy to use and can be fished a million different ways that dont included flippin thick cover like we all see on bassmaster. Get simple and buy 1/4 or 3/8th oz jigs and fish them in the same spots you fish crank baits and drag them. Fish them where you toss your senkos...next to cover and under docks and hop them. If you cant use baitcasters then go with lighter jigs and cast them on spinning set ups.

As far as trailers or "pork" I like you use a hula grub or just a double tail grub. The action on the legs swimming gives me that much more confidence then a chunk that doesn't move at all when falling in the water.



Paint the jigs if you want and make them even better than store bought ones. You dont need powder coat just spray paint you have in the garage. If they get worn just paint again. Mix match skirts for different patterns. If you shop around you can get the jigs and skirts for even cheaper than I said but that's still better than $3.00. Sport CO, OE and Sportsmans all sell jigs and skirts so check them out. Look in the Fly sections and you can find some overlooks skirts. Some days I might lose a jig or two and others Ill lose a few hand fulls but that's just part of jig fishing. Have fun and fish jigs for big largemouth or fat smallies!

Great info, thanks! Jigs have been an overlooked part of my tackle box. I never even considered making them myself. I'm going to give this a shot

Seems like a great idea, and might make jig fishing a little funner too. So... what would you say are your best color combinations for Lg Mouths?

Do you know where you can buy brown or orange Twin tailed trailers??

the1fishingpro wrote:Seems like a great idea, and might make jig fishing a little funner too. So... what would you say are your best color combinations for Lg Mouths?

Do you know where you can buy brown or orange Twin tailed trailers??

Anywhere that sells yamamoto DT Grub (sportsmans, sport co, bass pro online, joes). For brown get color code 176. I like 150 (black). Both are good for LM.

Also if you use Hula grubs you dont really need a skirt at all. $6.99 for a 10 pack.

Very good article. I am not much of a bass fisherman, but I feel like I walked a way from that article with a little extra knowledge. Never thought about the weed guard interfering w/ the hook set. And I didnt know you could make jigs for that cheap. By the way I won one of you chatterbaits, I picked the RB type cant wait to try it out. I think I am going to go out on a limb and whip it out in the green for a salmon, and I will give it a shot a potholes too.

do you use jigs much for smallies DT? i've always though a nice crawdad/brown colored football head jig (like in your 4th pic) with a floating craw trailor would be dynamite for BIG smallies. never tried it though, i'm not sure why

CK14 wrote:do you use jigs much for smallies DT? i've always though a nice crawdad/brown colored football head jig (like in your 4th pic) with a floating craw trailor would be dynamite for BIG smallies. never tried it though, i'm not sure why

I use footballs with an exposed hook and a double tail grub. drag them in about 25ft over those humps on Banks. Anything brown works.

fishnislife wrote:Great stuff Dan.
I have put together jigs before but for some reason nothing beats picking them up all ready put together for you. Laziness I guess. I do enjoy creating baits like you but taking the time to do them is tough. Nice job on the article and pix. You really know what your doing when it comes to creating baits.


fishnislife

i 2nd that

:king:

do you have alot of skirt material? im looking for a few custom skirts to be made if you have time over the next few months.

Great thread danielt. You are right jigs can be made at home at a low cost and under alot of circumstances the weedguard is not necessary or may actually hinder the hookset if not trimmed properly.

But for me it's a like wearing an old pair of tennie shoes or a battered hat, it's comfortable. In most situations where I would fish a jig, I need the assurance of a weedguard. I fish mostly in natural lakes with plenty of weeds and wood. When I fish areas of deeper water, I tend to use things other than jigs. Usually a Carolina-rigged worm or a ballhead- or darterhead grub which is my idea of a deepwater jig.

I don't go crazy and buy jigs from the big name companies like Booyah or the others because to me a jig is a jig and I can usually get them for under a buck-and-a-half from BassPro (Uncle Buck's Best Bass Jig) or generics from Walmart. They look and act like a Stanley jig.

I will, however, make up some of the jigs you described this winter to increase my arsenal and give them a try in deep water. Thanks for the info. Always look forward to your ideas and tips, CAV

That's good stuff DanielT, I think I will look into making my own. The only thing I have to disagree with you on slightly is the weed guard thing. I find myself getting hung up way less if I'm using a jig with a weed guard in comparison not. I've lost so many football heads in rip rap it's ridiculous. Also, if there's wood around, I swear it becomes a magnet for the point of any exposed hook jig I'm using.

Good show on the pics and info - I'm going shopping tonight!

T Dot wrote:

fishnislife wrote:Great stuff Dan.
I have put together jigs before but for some reason nothing beats picking them up all ready put together for you. Laziness I guess. I do enjoy creating baits like you but taking the time to do them is tough. Nice job on the article and pix. You really know what your doing when it comes to creating baits.


fishnislife

i 2nd that

:king:

do you have alot of skirt material? im looking for a few custom skirts to be made if you have time over the next few months.

It takes the same amount of time to buy a made up jig as it does to but the two parts separate. All you have to do is stick the skirt that's already got the rubber band on over the jig. Maybe a whole 2 seconds.

Yes I can make you just about any color pattern you want. Let me know because I have a million single strands so its very easy.

Drewp wrote:That's good stuff DanielT, I think I will look into making my own. The only thing I have to disagree with you on slightly is the weed guard thing. I find myself getting hung up way less if I'm using a jig with a weed guard in comparison not. I've lost so many football heads in rip rap it's ridiculous. Also, if there's wood around, I swear it becomes a magnet for the point of any exposed hook jig I'm using.

Good show on the pics and info - I'm going shopping tonight!

Speaking of rip-rap, is there any way to fish a jig, tube, or worm down there without getting your line stuck in the cracks and forcing you to break off? There is a lake that I fish that has a rip-rap dam that runs for about 3/4 of a mile. But the rocks are so massive and tangled, I have not been able to fish it effectively due to constant hang-ups. I have even lost a good number of Rat-L-Traps and crankbaits in the mess. If I stay above it, I rarely get bit because the smallmouth don't look up to find crawdads, they look down for them. Any ideas? The best I have been able to do is fish the edge of the dam where it meets the clay bottom, but if you're not the first one there in the morning, that spot is taken. Help me!

that's tough cav, i'd say a weightless texas-rig would be about your only option. the only other options for grubs and stuff would be the charlie brewer slider head i think.

Try to fish a drop shot vertical. You might lose a bunch of weights but they are really cheap. Just fish vertical and dont move your weight at all if possible.

Why does everyone recommend using Drop shots? Why isnt fishing weightless better? you can get better jig movement w/o weight especially when it comes down to plastic worms. I would say that it is also probably easier to set the hook on a plastic that has not weight on it. Speed can make a difference sometimes.

the1fishingpro wrote:Why does everyone recommend using Drop shots? Why isnt fishing weightless better? you can get better jig movement w/o weight especially when it comes down to plastic worms. I would say that it is also probably easier to set the hook on a plastic that has not weight on it. Speed can make a difference sometimes.

different setups for different applications

:king:

in most cases dropshot is used deeper in the water column. you cannot fish as efficient or as effective in deeper waters unless you have weight.

danielt wrote:... Yes I can make you just about any color pattern you want. Let me know because I have a million single strands so its very easy.

i will get in contact with you

:king:

hopefully you have the materials im looking for.

you cannot fish as efficient or as effective in deeper waters unless you have weight.

That is not entirely true. It may be faster to dropping the bait to the bottom, but it doesnt mean its more effective. Are you a bass? all bass are different and they dont all want the same stuff. Maybe bass prefer a dead fish over a wounded fish, who knows exactly? But you cant just say that Weightless is unefficient. I know many ppl who catch bass weightless and im one of them.

Not trying to start a huge arguement or anything. Just trying to say that I disagree.

the1fishingpro wrote:

T Dot wrote:you cannot fish as efficient or as effective in deeper waters unless you have weight.

That is not entirely true. It may be faster to dropping the bait to the bottom, but it doesnt mean its more effective. Are you a bass? all bass are different and they dont all want the same stuff. Maybe bass prefer a dead fish over a wounded fish, who knows exactly? But you cant just say that Weightless is unefficient. I know many ppl who catch bass weightless and im one of them.

Not trying to start a huge arguement or anything. Just trying to say that I disagree.

i never said i was a bass. im assuming that wasnt a rhetorical question.

:king:

bass do have certain tendencies and patterns. anglers can figure out what the majority of the bass want. which is why most anglers find that pattern and apply the correct technique.

take note i did say deeper water. more often than not, dropshot is used in excess of 20+ ft, though it can be used in shallow places as well. the strike zone is differs where you would normally cast a weightless plastic. the strike zone is usually within a few feet from the bottom.

please elaborate on how you can fish a plastic without a weight and do the following:
- efficiently get the plastic to 20ft when the rof usually is 1 without current.
- effectively keep the plastic in the strike zone
- effectively find that hump / log / rock or that quick change in depth
- now complete the task when the depth quickly changes from 20ft - 30ft or visa versa
- to further push the bill, do that in multiple casts
- add in weather condition, how you will counter act slack line and wind speed

with a proper weight, all of the above can be accomplished.

the1fishingpro wrote:I would say that it is also probably easier to set the hook on a plastic that has not weight on it. Speed can make a difference sometimes.

a hookset is a hookset

:king:

regardless of weight. your rod and line are in question, not the weight.