Each jig head has it’s purpose, as does the hook you use. The weight of your head and size of your hook all play a role in different fishing situations and conditions. You can define a jig head as a weighted hook. The most important elements of your jig is the shape, the weight and the size of your hook. What depth you are fishing, the current, the type of bait you are using and the aggressiveness of the fish themselves all impact the type of jig you should be using. There are dozens of shapes and sizes of jig heads available today, for every fishing situation. Below are the main types of jig heads for fishing along with their uses.
Darter Heads - Darter heads are used for fishing finesse soft plastics, such as single and double-tail grubs.
Round Heads - The most commonly used jigs. They are for fishing split tail and small grubs. They can also be used for tying bucktails and marabou jigs such as our SmallieSpins.
Tube Heads - Designed for fishing tube plastics. These heads are used to insert into hollow tube baits.
Swimbait Heads - These heads are used when fishing swimbaits, most of these heads have wire keepers to secure your baits. You need to match your hook size with the size or your baits, for example, a 3” swimbait would use a 3/0 hook.
Shakey Heads - Jig heads that are usually ball shaped, with some having a flat spot at the tip. Most have 60 or 90 degree hook-eye angles. Used when fishing small straight worms.
Swinging Heads - The swinging head jig adds motion and provides more action than other standard jig types.
Weedless Heads - Weedless jig heads are used with silicone or rubber skirts and rubber trailers. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and are good for fishing in heavy cover.
Stand-Up Heads - Similar to the shakey heads, stand-up heads are flat at the head to enable the jig to stand up under water. They have a 60 degree jig eye and are typically fished with small finesse worms.
Fishing line wears and that 8lb monofilament on your spinning reel now functions more like 6lb or even 4lb after a year of fishing abuse. Monofilament, still the most commonly used type of fishing line by anglers, should be replace annually unless you clearly notice a defect or experience performance issues such as breaks and stretching. Good news, Spring brings with it great deals on fishing gear, particularly fishing line, as retailers clear out last year’s stock and bring in new products. Most fishing line manufacturers are running their yearly rebates. Fishing line deals can be as good as buy one, get one free or rebates of $5-$10 when you buy multiple spools. These great deals give anglers the chance to discard spools of old line and re-spool for the coming season.
Ice fishing is a great winter activity and for the angler it provides a means to reel in some fish while waiting for prime spring conditions. A common question is what is safe ice thickness? First every angler should never consider ice safe unless you have confirmed its thickness. Some tips to keep in mind is that different waterways freeze at different rates. Moving water, large water bodies and spring feed lakes take longer to freeze than small, calm lakes. Watch the temperatures for multiple days below the freezing mark to ensure good solid ice. Check ice with a chisel or check local fishing shops for up to date information before venturing out from shore. Finally remember that ice is seldom the same thickness on the same body of water. Check ice thickness as you move on fish and your next ice adventure will be safe and productive.
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