Jigs Up
When you look at fishing there are many ways to deliver plastics to the fish you are after. One that has stood the test of time that I have mentioned many times in past Big Bite News Letters is the Texas rig. This rigging when looked at is pretty much the same day after day hook, weight and the popular plastics pick for the day, but we are taking another option here that is even more versatile for this month’s News Letter; the Big Bite Jig Head. Ask any fishermen if they could have one bait that they think they could catch fish day in and day out, and what would that choice be? Many would answer a jig head.
Jig heads can be fished shallow; they can be fished deep and anywhere in between. Jigs can be tipped with live bait or it can be teamed with plastics to pretty much catch any fish that swims. Looking at the jig head you can make the statement that it is one of the most versatile delivery systems known to fishermen.
Today we are going to look at some of the jig heads that Big Bite has to offer that team with our plastic options. Some of these jig presentations are options that you have used already, but some may be new to you. I hope this will help you put more bass in your boat like it has mine.
Wacky Jig Head
Wacky rigging plastics has been a popular rigging option the last few years for many bass fishermen. Big Bites Wacky jig head is based on a 60 degree eye Gamakatsu wide gap hook that delivers a solid hookup every time you set the hook. The Wacky jig head comes in size 1/32oz to 3/8oz to cover all your depth needs. Popular Big Bite wacky bait options are 4″ and 6″ Finesse Worms, Trick Sticks and Shaking Squirrel.
In this past year I have used the Big Bite Wacky Head Jig for other plastics options because of the eye placement on the jig. With the 60 degree eye placement it come through the weeds better than a jig that has a 90 degree eye placement the only drawback with the Wacky Jig is it does not having a plastics holder barb on the hook, but to counter this a few dabs of super glue will get the job done. In the past year I have used Trick Sticks, Finesse Worms and Squirrel Tail and Shaking Squirrel options to just name a few with great success.
Another alternate rigging, I was using this head for was to put the jig head inside of a 3.5″ tube, poke the eye out and tie on the line. Again the eye placement gives the tube a wider fall pattern different fall than a 90 degree eyed jig head allowing you to cover move water as the tube falls. Another plus with this rigging is it makes it easy to skip up under docks. Any way you look at it there are more ways to fish the Wacky Jig Head than just in a wacky presentation.
Ball Head Jig – Finesse Worm Jig Head
This is where it all started and it still plays a big part in today’s fishing. The standard ball head jig is a standard in all tackle boxes. So why pick the finesse jig head over the ball head jig? It has to do with the fall. The ball head jig has a 90 degree hook eye while the finesse jig head has a 60 degree hook eye, the difference between the two jigs is the 90 degree hook eye will give the jig a straight falling presentation where the 60 degree eye will give the finesse jig more of a gliding action as it falls. Let me give you an example of when to use these different jigs.
We are fishing bass that are active and positioned on top of the weeds edge. I will choose to use the finesse jig head options as it will deliver my bait in a natural gliding action as it falls. Bait options that I will use will be Trick Sticks, Finesse Worms and Grubs just to name a few.
But let’s say we are fishing during a cold front and the bass are located at the base of the outside weedline and inactive. If I use a finesse jig head option I will not be able to get the bait to the bass that I am targeting as the jig many time will move away from the bass at the base of the weedline. In this case I need more of a falling jig not a jig that has a gliding action to it that is why I will use the ball head jig option for this presentation. When I move the jig it has more of a vertical falling action than a swimming action that will take the jig away from the weedline.
Fintwist Head and Fintwist Stand-Up Head
When you look at these heads you have to take a step back and thank Big Bites own Jeff Kriet for creating the shaky head craze. The day that he filmed the Day On A Lake segment for BASS was the day that the seed was planted in the shaky head frenzy and the rest is history. Now all we have to do is go to work and catch bass.
These two heads are made on the same base but differences in the head design make these two heads different in how they fish. The Fintwist Head is a ball head jig with a twist to hold the plastics in place. If I am fishing in weeds or around weeds this is the head that I will rig my plastics option on. Squirrel Tail, Finesse Worms, Trick Sticks and throw in tubes to this category.
With the 60 degree hook eye the jig comes through the weeds better than a 90 degree hook ball head. Add to that the rigging power of the twist to hold the plastics in place and being able to adapt how much I wanted to make the hook weedless makes this one of my go to heads for a variety of presentation when it comes to fishing in weed conditions.
Taking the Stand-Up Fintwist and you have a rock jig hands down. This is a Shaky Head Jig all the way but I have found it works for other presentations as well. Needing a better way to present a finesse craw presentation on the rocks I rigged a 3″ Yomamma on to a Stand-Up Fintwist and went to work. This presentation soon became a go to bait when I needed a bite to fill a tournament limit if I was fishing on or around rocks. I also would fish a tube head on this setup as well, just to name a few plastics alternatives. In the past few seasons I have depended on this presentation and it has paid off multiple times to help fill a tournament bag when needed and even on one occasion caught the biggest bass of the tournament.
Looking at all the Jig Heads that Big Bite has to offer is just scratching the surface, team these jigs with your favorite Big Bite plastics and you will have a combination that will catch fish that swim in any waters. If you have a special rigging that you are using that you would like to share with other Big Bite fishermen please log onto the Big Bite face book page and share with us your presentation.
To see all the Big Bite Jig Head options please log onto www.bigbitebaits.com
