Well, I did a hands on comparison today with the TM heads and my tungsten bead jigs .
I was using a 5’6” St Croix ULF rod paired with a Shimano Miravel 2000s and 2# Floroclear line.
Also I used a 5’ SC Triumph ULM rod paired with a Daiwa Fuego 1000lt reel and 2# Floroclear line .
I fished the side of the pond with the least amount of wind exposure.
I fished a TM jighead and TM body with the first ring cut off the front to put the hook point at the > on the rear . Both rods cast similar distances.
After about 30 minutes of no takers I switched both combos over to a 4mm tungsten bead jig with a TM mini magnet body .
Distances with both rods was similar. If anything I think a few of my casts with the tungsten jigs were slightly longer .
The tungsten jigs weigh around .60g , less than the TM jigs . The compactness of the mini TM combo may have contributed to its castability .
I ended up fishing the other side of the town pond with a float n jig and a drop shot rig .
Still came up with a big zero . The skunk was on !
One of the regular walkers at the park told me the pond still had some ice on it yesterday morning.
I did see a small group of small bass and bluegills in the edge of one of the corners in a sunny area . They were suspended and scattered when I tried to snap picture .
In my experiences , during late winter , early spring, when the fish suspend like that in shallow water , I usually stink it up .
Fun trying and at least I learned a few things about my jigs .
I think I’m going to stick with my tungsten jigs . I can shorten regular TM bodies to fit on my jigs .