Lets Talk Football Jigs

[Ham]

I know lots of guys are throwing FB jigheads bioth skirted and plain with plastic trailers. There seems to be a WIDE range in prices for the skirted and plain jigs. Given the fact that I will lose some number of jigs over the course of the day, I'd like to get a decent jig for a decent price.

I'm been fishing Jewel Finesse Football heads and Right Bite skirted heads. The hooks are a little light in the Jewels.

I'm been using a mish mash of un-skirted jigheads with twin tailed Hula grubs. Both catch fish.

I do vary weights based on depth I'm fishing and the amount of wind on the area I am fishing.

All sorts of greens and browns including PB & J, Green Pumpkin, Mo Craw, and more.

Is there a general water temp where a skirted jig will outfish a jighead with a Hula Grub?

Are there real world advantages to some of these > 4 dollars each FB head jigs?

Are you guys snap setting or sweep setting?

What is too light or too heavy a line for this technique in this clear water?

[techo]

I have been waiting for this discussion. Can't wait for the pros to weigh in. As a rookie.....I love Eakins/Jewel jigs. I have used a bunch, but I always go back to them. I have actually set the hook and reeled in a rock with their jigs. I do like the Chomper's jigs too. Another great jig is the Hawg Stump lure jig. I think he is out of LOZ somewhere.

As far as hook setting.....it depends on the fish. Sometimes they take it and go, sometimes they suck it in, sometimes they seem to nibble on it and I try to time the pop on their nibble.

I love the jig. I think it is the most versatile awesome lure made. You can swim it, drag it, hop it, verticle jig it......almost anything. It is easy to have a kid use too.

E.P., please tell Troy and the crew they have to owe me a commision by now! Almost everyone that fishes with me ends up a fan of the Eakins jig.

[Tom Spence]

I know lots of guys are throwing FB jigheads bioth skirted and plain with plastic trailers. There seems to be a WIDE range in prices for the skirted and plain jigs. Given the fact that I will lose some number of jigs over the course of the day, I'd like to get a decent jig for a decent price.

I'm been fishing Jewel Finesse Football heads and Right Bite skirted heads. The hooks are a little light in the Jewels.

I'm been using a mish mash of un-skirted jigheads with twin tailed Hula grubs. Both catch fish.

I do vary weights based on depth I'm fishing and the amount of wind on the area I am fishing.

All sorts of greens and browns including PB & J, Green Pumpkin, Mo Craw, and more.

Is there a general water temp where a skirted jig will outfish a jighead with a Hula Grub?

Are there real world advantages to some of these > 4 dollars each FB head jigs?

Are you guys snap setting or sweep setting?

What is too light or too heavy a line for this technique in this clear water?

I don't pretend to be an expert at anything, but I do love throwing a skirted football jig. I haven't messed around much with a jig head and plastics though. I prefer the Jewells but throw a Chompers as well. For me, the Jewells seem to come through rocky cover better. I like PB+J, green pumpkin, brown and purple flash, and the the hot cinnamon. I've had several people tell me to use the sweeping hookset and it has worked well. I think part of the reason being is that when I'm throwing one, its usually on a long cast and I have alot of line out. I've been throwing mine on a 7' Falcon original rod in med/heavy with a medium action tip. I recently switched to a 7.5' All Star in med/heavy with a little stiffer action. The stiffer action has let me feel the bottom better. I usually throw them on 14lb flourocarbon. Like I said, I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but its worked for me.

[Champ188]

Well, like t1365, i'm no expert on anything (well, i like to THINK i'm something of an authority on spinnerbaits) but i'll be happy to give the real pros some fodder.

Heads: I normally throw a skirted jig although I've been lucky enough to buy my heads and skirts separately. I'm a big fan of the Jewell heads with the heavier flippin' hook. I get them through Hook, Line & Sinker tackle store in Rogers. These guys also tie their own jigs in huge numbers and sell them under the Bass-X brand name. They're friendly competitors with Jewell and get their heads from them.

Color: Been throwing green pumpkin candy and watermelon candy all year at Table Rock, using the first in the river arms where the water is a bit more stained and the latter in clearer water.

Trailer: I'm a big, big fan of the fairly new Zoom Creepy Crawler double-tail trailer. Unlike some of the Yamamoto/Kinami products, the legs stand out far enough apart not to stick together and it takes very little movement to set them in motion. For $3 and change a bag, I don't think you can beat them. And like all Zoom products, they come in a good variety of colors.

Hookset: I strongly advocate a sweeping set, particularly where the bottom is smooth enough (pea gravel) to drag the jig like a C-rig. Drag it sideways and set sideways. Also, I like to let the fish actually pull a teeny little bend in my rod tip before setting. That way you know he's got it.

Enough from me. May the real experts weigh in soon.

[Ealy]

For me it's usually a Jewel or Chompers 5/8 or 3/4. On the skirt vs. hula grub I'd prefer the skirt. When you're pumpin that jig back a silicone or live rubber skirt is gonna have more action than just the hula grub. Remember this is often a big fish bait. I throw mine on a BPS 7' med heavy Extreme rod with 12 lb XPS Fluoro. I've tried 14 and 17, but I seem to lose sensitivity with it. You're usually fishing this out a little deeper and the lighter line has a better feel to it. It also gets down to them quicker.

PB&J, Brown/Purple Flash, Brown/Green Flash, Green Pumpkin Flash all work well on Ozarks lakes. Cinnamon Purple, Green Pumpkin, Rootbeer, Melon Pepper, Watermelon Red, and Smoke/Purple Zoom Fat Albert, Yamamoto, and Chompers twin tailed grubs all make good trailers.

A lot of guys use the sweeping hookset and that works well in dragging to the side situations. When working over a point or isolated structure, I like working it straight back to me like a texas rig hopping it pretty violently sometimes. When I set the hook I reel up and set it as hard as I can. They're easier to get in the boat when they're crosseyed.

Don't try to wear down the fish when you hook one on these. They love to jump up and pass the football back to you.

[Ham]

I'm glad to see you guys are mentioning rods as well. I use a 7' medium spining for 1/4 oz with 8-10 lb, but if wind forces me to go up in weight to 3/8 oz I throw it on a St Croix AC68MXF (6'8" medium Xtra fast). When I go up to 1/2 oz, 17 lb on a St Croix AC70MHXF gets the nod.

Now, Its not like I need another rod, but if there was a clear choice for a "better" rod well I'm all ears. Anyone use the Falcon Eakin's rod?

I'm snap setting mostly and too hard at that which is why I do tend to open up the Jewel Finesse FB's after a while, but my jigs have J hooks instead of the semi EWG hooks some jigs have. I try to make myself sweep set on EWG style hooks and real wimpy hooks.

Hey Ealy Are you fishing a G3? That looks like the bow of my HP180.

[Bill P]

I'm glad to see you guys are mentioning rods as well. I use a 7' medium spining for 1/4 oz with 8-10 lb, but if wind forces me to go up in weight to 3/8 oz I throw it on a St Croix AC68MXF (6'8" medium Xtra fast). When I go up to 1/2 oz, 17 lb on a St Croix AC70MHXF gets the nod.

Now, Its not like I need another rod, but if there was a clear choice for a "better" rod well I'm all ears. Anyone use the Falcon Eakin's rod?

I'm snap setting mostly and too hard at that which is why I do tend to open up the Jewel Finesse FB's after a while, but my jigs have J hooks instead of the semi EWG hooks some jigs have. I try to make myself sweep set on EWG style hooks and real wimpy hooks.

Hey Ealy Are you fishing a G3? That looks like the bow of my HP180.

I use the Eakin's Jig Special 6'-10 I really like it. I use it with an older model Ardent reel and 10lb green silver thread. I like it alot,and think about buying another.

[focused fishing]

We now pause for a brief commercial announcement:

I have been involved with Jewel for over ten years and have had some input on head and jig design. Let me see if I can shed some light on differences with the Jewel Products vs. others:

Head Design:

First and foremost is the way the head is molded, Jewel uses an injection molding process with tolerances to .005 of an inch. That gives their product unmatched consistency in the marketplace, every head is virtually the same as every other head. The hook in every head is straight, and head is perfectly balanced.

Everything on the head serves a purpose; the flat bottom allows the jig to sit up right at rest, the notch below the line tie acts as a pivot point when pulling over rocks and brush, the skirt and trailer lock hold both in position.

Custom powder coat in neutral colors that outlasts most other painted surfaces.

Hook:

The hook is a custom bend Mustad ultra point black nickel cross eye hook specifically designed to pull at a 45 degree angle for better hook up. The hook is exclusive to Jewel.

Skirt:

Double collar design skirt locks all strands in place and makes the skirt flare more, similar to the way a hand tied skirt flares.

Original color designs

Top three colors for me: PB&J, Brown / Purple Flash & Green Pumpkin Candy Flash

Sizes:

Available in 3/8oz. - 1 oz. a football jig for every depth.

As far as line and rods are concerned; on everything up to 5/8oz. I use a Falcon Eakins model rod, soft tip, good backbone. On heavier jigs I like the Falcon Mike McClelland football jig rod, it's a little stiffer to handle the extra weight. I use 15# Seaguar Invizx 90% of the time, if the water is extremely clear (10' visibility or greater) I will go down to 12#.

Hook Set depends on the situation:

Draggin: a sweeping hookset

Working through a brush pile: jerk

Hopping or stroking: Jerk

Swimming: Sweep set

Hope this helps.

EP

We now return you to your regular programming

Techo: PM Me and I'll see what we can get done.

[Don House]

Ok, here is my 2 cents worth.. Would not call myself the best or a Pro, but man I love my jig.. I had to make myself learn this tool, and man was it worth it. There are some guys on here that I watch everything they do with a jig, like Eric Prey and The Davis Brothers, hopefully they will speak up and if they do pay attention!

As far as My jigs, I use everything from a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce to 5/16 to 1/2 to 3/4 ounce jigs, skirted (warm water) and non skirted (in the middle) and of course hair jigs (Cold Water) and Shakey jig heads (Just about any time if they don’t want a craw presentation or more on the worm). The jigs I use are really not a brand name; matter of fact getting them is getting really hard because they are a special head. They are flat on top with a hook eye that is deep in the head so they don't hang up really bad, these fish go crazy over them. There are a few guys on here that I have given one or two to them and reports are good.

Since my other ones are so hard to get, I just started using a new jig that I found, they are made in Springfield, and they are called Thunderstruck Jigs. I love the Skirts on these jigs they have a large amount of strands and look really well in clear water and he can make me any color that I want and in all sizes. Worth a look at for sure.. Bassmasters Magazine just did a really nice article on them, so get a chance take at look at his site, same as the name.

Shakey Jigs, really all I want is a long shank hook with a screw on the head to get my worms really placed on the jig. I use a round head and a football head style, this all depends on depth that I’m fishing. If I’m fishing bluff walls or steps on a bluff end I like to use the football style, if I’m fishing the flats or pea gravel points I go to the round head.

How I use them well, one thing I really pay attention too is are the fish hanging on the bottom or suspended? If on the bottom I try to use a bigger jig 5/8 to 3/4 ounce depends on how deep I'm fishing. Slow dragging like a C-rig has worked very well for me this year, as well as the slow reel has been just as good. Engage the reel and move it slow across the bottom letting the reel do the work.

Next hopping and swimming the jig has also done well this year, hopping the jig is allowing the jig to hit bottom then lifting the rod to 9 o'clock position to the 10 o'clock position then stopping at 12 o'clock position, reeling up slack as I go. Swimming is one way that is working for me right now, casting out and allowing the jig to never hit the bottom, feeling the weight of the jig with the rod and using a pumping motion as it comes through the water. Trick is not letting it hit bottom and keep it moving..

If the fish are suspended, that is when I go to flipping docks in stalls and around the dock cables of the same docks. It seems when these fish suspend they like to hand on these items or just under the dock floats. I will break up the dock stall into 9 parts Front or walkway Left, Center, Front Right, then move to the Middle with the same Left, Middle and then Right and then move out to the end repeating the same Left, middle, and right. I also pay attention to the longer docks they have cables on the fronts and ends, and also midway on the docks, these really produce good fish as well.

Colors, well on this lake, PB&J, Brown with Purple Flash, Missouri Craw, Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Cotton Candy, All White and one called Grape Ape. Really depends on lake water color and of course color of the crawfish in the lake.. I have a really nice old man that lives next door to me, he loves to trap crawfish and for a few months out of the year he will trap a few for me and bring them over to match them up to jig colors for me.. Can you say matching the hatch!! Works well try it sometime. I could write a whole book just on colors and matching these jigs to the crawfish. You can learn so much such as when to tip the craw pinchers, when to change colors, and so on and so on..

Rods and Line to use, I really like a 7’0 med Hwy when in open water with a heaver Jig and a small 6’0 med rod when in the docks. The longer rod gives me a much better casting distance and the smaller rod allows me to get into places that a longer rod will not do, I’m a big fan of roll casting into docks instead of flipping, this lets me get into and back behind floats and walkways . And of course I’m very picky all of my rods must have high modules graphite. Anywhere from 60 million to 75 million modules of graphite per inch, from tip to butt, I have found these rods let me feel bites when most can’t feel them, or the release of the weight of the jig (also called just loosing the jig or that funny feeling or just a heavy feeling and of course that very light tick.) Works for me..

Line well the best by far is the Fluorocarbon lines. You just can’t beat the feel these lines give you without have to use the braded lines. 12 – 17 pound works the best and that depends on the weight of the jig, smaller jigs smaller lines! For me brands well that is your choice just like rods and jigs everyone has their own favorite.

Hook Setting I was taught a really neat way by a Bass Master Classic Winner, by reeling down first then setting the hook. I use high speed (6:3 to1) bait casting reel just too pickup line when needed. So when I set my hooks I was taught to reel down 3 -5 turns before I set the hook and not by sweeping, by a straight up and down motion or a popping motion. This really gets the hook placed right in the upper jaw of the fish and I the hard bone of the mouth. Sweeping works but I have found that I do have an issue with getting a good hook set, the jig seems to roll off to the side of the fishes mouth and hooking in the soft side of the mouth. After trying this now I don’t have as much trouble loosing the fish or having the jump off at the boat.

Well now that I have rambled on I will let someone else tell there little tricks that work for them as well..

Good Fishing Everyone..

Don

[okfisherman]

Anyone using the Falcon Lowrider Lizard Dragger for FB Jigs? I currently use the Eakins rod for my 5/16 jigs the Heavy action 6'10" Lowrider for the 1/2 oz. FB jig when fishing around cover or docks, and a 7' Heavy action Daiwa light and tough for fishing the heaver 3/4 and 1 oz. FB jig on deep structure. Just wondering if anyone had any experience using the Lizard Dragger as I am looking to replace my Daiwa light and tough. Thanks.