“What is the best lure?” ask five anglers the same question and you get five different answers. We can’t seem to see eye to eye on a lot of things, even those that work for us. Although this is quite an important question, it has nothing to do with the lure at all. The subject of efficiently catching fish has been debated for centuries, as it’s a pursuit that will last forever, that is until there are no fish left to catch in the ocean, or mankind altogether stops fishing.

The question is very much centred on a lot of things, the biggest of which is ego, yet the question in the centuries it has been asked, does not have an unequivocal answer. Many attempts have been made in the past and there are still a lot of debates, this is because one lure could work very well in one geographic location and it could go unnoticed in another. It could be that one lure is very effective for the most popular fish in a country or majority of its fishing culture, take the same lure to another place and it just won’t catch as much fish. Naturally, the lure would be branded as ineffective and another lure or method is used.

I have fished in quite a few places and have used a lot of lures, most of them effective up to a certain degree, while others are more regional specific and work very well in certain regions. There are also those that work especially well in different times of the day, in different depths, for specific fish and specific terrains and localities.

If you calculate all the variables, this equates to a lot of lures, in different sizes, colours, shapes, weights, in sinking, floating and suspending versions. The combinations are endless and this is the reason why you can’t have just one lure. If you’re reading this, nodding your head in agreement, you know exactly what I’m talking about – if you are one of the few that only have five lures in your box, either you are just starting out or you have been living under a rock for the past 100 years.

In any type of fishing, from lure casting to fly fishing and anything in between, you cannot have just one lure or fly. It is a fact – it is an addiction and something you’re naturally drawn to even if you don’t need it – Icarus to the Sun.

The Jig is Up

article_tackle_03

For years, my most used lure is not of new technology, it has been around for a very long time and is still widely used today, although it comes in a lot more shapes colours, hook configuration and a multitude of mutations, this particular lure has been in my tackle box even before I had the confidence to use them, I first bought a small pack because it looked pretty to me, I didn’t know how much of an impact and how they eventually would be, my most used lure type years later.

It is probably the lure that has opened up a lot of fish catching opportunities for me and more importantly, a steady producer of fish, in any fishing condition, from shallow water fishing down to fishing the great blue depths, my number one producer has been and always will be some form of lead headed jig. The jig itself has evolved very little; it is nothing more than a small piece of lead-mounted head the eye of the hook. Over the years, there have been a few variations but the overall structure remains the same and the simplest of all designs, one which is still very relevant till this day, is the original round ball head jig.

The overall structure of the jig may have stayed the way it has been for the last few years, but with significant improvements. There are some jigs that use tungsten for the weight instead of lead. Tungsten is heavier than lead so heads of the same weight are smaller compared to their lead counterparts. The hooks are now stronger and thinner than their counterparts from 20 years ago. The shape of the heads have also evolved, there are now a multitude of head shapes that provide a subtle change of action as opposed to the straight up and down action of a round ball jig head. There are those that roll the lure or dart side to side sharply as you twitch the rod tip.

Dress to Kill

article_tackle_04

The biggest change in the last 30 years however, is not how the jig itself is constructed, it’s the other half of the puzzle, but it’s how they are dressed.

When you say lead head jig before it almost always means you are referring to a bucktail jig – this means that the jig head is dressed with the fibres from a buck or male deer’s tail. The other variation is a jig dressed in marabou feathers (very soft feathers from a turkey). There are also those dressed with synthetic fibres such as nylon. These are mostly used for deep-water work and are usually tied on heavy-duty jig heads. Although these old style jigs still work wonders today, their use is now contained in small circles and are almost completely forgotten in place of the more modern and realistic soft plastic bodies.

The soft plastics of today closely mimic the size, shapes and colours of baitfish and are very realistic; it is really not a wonder why they have eclipsed the more traditional dressings of the past. The other advantage of the plastic bodies is of course there are types that are so realistic, they don’t only look and feel natural, they also TASTE like the real thing. Gone are the days of fumbling around for the best colours possible, the colours of the soft plastics these days come in different patterns and when in doubt, you can always grab the ones that look like the baitfish you see in front of you.

Soft plastics are relatively cheap and are almost always in packs of at least half a dozen, depending on brand, size and shape. The United States has traditionally been the number one producer of these lures, however, in recent years; Japan has been a source of breakthroughs and innovations.

Getting the Jig Right

article_tackle_02

The thing I love about fishing the jig is the sheer simplicity of it all. I can’t stress this enough – the reason why the jig works so well is because you can’t fish it the wrong way! With that in mind, it really escapes me why there are still a lot left on the shelves of the local tackle shops.

The formula that works for me in shallow water is to use only as much weight needed to reach the bottom. When fishing the edge of flats and in and around the mangroves as well as shallow water coastal areas, you really don’t need much weight to get down, even when there’s a bit of current mixed in. I use long and very light leaders when going after fish such as the Picnic Bream, Grunter, Gilt-head Bream and other similar fish. I fish the jigs slowly off the bottom with long pauses. A short jerk puffs up sand and gets the fish curious. They strike when the jig is resting on the bottom. I believe this kind of action mimics a shrimp, crab or a small fish trying to hide in the sand.

Lead head jigs are lethal on grouper and snappers as well. I often use a heavier jig when targeting these fish and also a heavier leader. I start with a long length of 5kg line terminating with the jig at the end. The stronger leader allows you to muscle the fish in and helps in keeping them off the rocks and other structure.

I love using bucktail jigs in blue water, especially for Dorado. The bucktail makes the jig cast like a bullet and gives it plenty of action when worked through the water fast. Dorado can’t seem to get enough of an all pink bucktail jig.

The Old Meets the New

article_tackle_05

The only thing that changed for me when fishing with the lead head jigs is the fishing line. I used almost the same rod and reel type since I was a kid, now though; I have the help of the high tech braid fishing lines proliferating the fishing scene these days. Using braid enables me to use lighter weights and going down deeper. The braid also doesn’t stretch, giving me more sensitivity and responsiveness that were not available years ago. Because it doesn’t stretch, it also means I make the jig move a lot slower and work it with very minute movements – things that were not available to us before.

Try it… Seriously

I’ve tried trolling jigs, bounced them off the bottom, cast them out and worked them like a lipped lure – it just doesn’t stop working for me. Lead head jigs in all its mutations are probably one of the most lethal but underutilized lure in existence and it’s really a shame if you don’t give it a chance. Just follow a few simple guidelines and you will find that you will be grabbing them more and more each trip.

Till next tide change,

Kit


Words + Photos By: Kit Belen