Thread: Need Feedback From Jig Fishermen and Women

I too can help add a little bit as I've been in the business for a while now myself.

I like to compile a little bit of data and I always allow my customers to request specific stuff. If I can sell it again, I'll buy in bulk and not pass off the added expense on to the customer.

For hooks, my Customers prefer the red sickle. They ask for it. That said, I've just started selling black as they are cheaper. When asked why my simple answer was, when you put a 4 inch plastic minnow on a 3/4oz jig, you cannot see the hook. Point was taken and they have zero problems with it. Like Fatman said, I still carry both on hand.

I sell a minnow jig in two different hook configurations. An O'shagneassy hook and a 60 degree sickle. Sales are about 60/40 with the heavy duty sickle taking the 60%.

I offer both sickle and standard shank hooks in my round ball jigs. Funny thing though, I've had the same 1000 hook order of standard hooks that I got three years ago while I've gone through nearly 25000 of the sickle hooks (mostly red). I still have about 300 regular hooks left.

I have customers that ask for something specific all the time. If I can make money on it, I'll buy the mold and make it up for them. Case in point, three years ago a customer wanted Erie jigs that he could custom tie. He wanted a specific hook. I knew I could sell the jig but wasn't so sure on the hook however the sale paid for all the materials. I couldn't tell you how much money I've made off from that mold since then. The hooks are gone too.

I've had customers ASK about Owner of Gama hooks. I won't talk them out of it but always ask why they are looking at them. In most cases, it is only because of something they read and have no first hand knowledge of the hook versus another. I have one pro that purchases jigs from me. He will either supply the hooks or pay the difference for me to purchase the hooks. Funny thing, I beat him in all four tournaments this year come to think about it!!! Maybe next year he won't spend all that money on hooks that didn't help him one bit.

I have customers that will purchase 10 jigs and each one is a different color. I have other customers that will purchase 400 jigs. It really just depends. I had one customer last spring that ordered 43 jigs in 43 different color combinations and sizes. These are heavy jigs for river fishing and you lose way more jigs than you catch fish. It took longer to do his order than a normal 80 jig order of 8 color combinations. I packaged each jig individually! I felt better!

On your website, advertise that you WILL do custom work. Work with the customer to get the colors and combinations right, email them pictures and so on. I do this a lot and promise my customer that I will NOT revele their personal combination for up to a year (most cases I never do). I will fish with them. Only once in a hand full of years has someone come up with one that has actually worked well. I still don't sell that on my site!

IF they want something you do not have, let them ask for it. Like I said, many of my molds came from someone asking if I had something or could make it. I've done well (money wise) on most of them.

Good luck

If you had to pick between red or black nickel finish sickle hooks, which would it be? RED



Would you ever buy jigs with premium Gamakatsu or Owner hooks? NO

How many jigheads total do you buy at once? 50 or 100,

Other than standard round head no collar and round head with barb for plastics, what other jig head styles would you like? FISH HEAD