Smaller is best?

[up2specks]

Well you guys with the small jigs (I like them as well) wouldn't fit in over in Mississippi where they catch a good many 4 pound crappie. They like at least a #2 Sickle hook and some larger than that.

Skip

Always a fun challenge(wise?) to take a letter opener to a gunfight, Skip!

u2s

[RLS40]

My majority of jigs are 1/32 & 1/16 once when fishing down to 10 FOW. I do have a few 1/45 and 1/80 once. The lighter jigs are fished under a float. It seems that the lite jigs fall slowly attracting a bite. Also if the fish are in a neutral feeding mode, small works best.
For water 10 feet or more is use a 1/8 once head.

[Lazy Cody]

Based on your comments, I ordered a pack 1/80 oz #10 ball head jigs. I'll give those a try and see whether I can make decent looking jigs.
Just so you know, I've never owned or fished with jigs this small.

They take some getting used to - bigger jigs are "easier" in a lot of ways. But I'm a firm believer that there are many times smaller & slower is the ticket!

[skiptomylu]

Always a fun challenge(wise?) to take a letter opener to a gunfight, Skip!

u2s

Yes hard to win a gunfight with a letter opener, lol!

Skip

[skeetbum]

I disagree about the deeper the water, the heavier the jig needed. Lately for me, a 1/16 is heavy and I hardly ever use it. The 1/32 ball head that comes out of my mold weighs 1/43 with a #8 hook. That and a 1/64 are what I mostly have on, and fish water down to 16’. Current changes things but the fish love the smaller jigs when they go into finicky mode and won’t touch a 1/32 with a BGBS. Not blowing my own horn but fellas,it just plain works. It takes more patience than anything else. Casting them with a float works some but there are some you’re missing. Wish you were close by, I’d be glad to show you.

[hankll]

So I'm interested in your comment about the 1/32 changing to a 1/43
First, how do you measure these jigs with different hooks.
Second, what is a jigs weight after an average tied up and do you measure them and consider that in your planned presentation for finicky fish?

My usual preference is a red hook and a 1/16th with a #2 hook.
If I get a 1/32, I believe it usually has a #6 and I would like a #4....just me, I guess maybe I could see that thought as the reason for getting lack of bites.
Are you going to smaller hooks for the light weight aspect? And doesn't that just get you a bunch of bream biting because of the smaller hook?

I disagree about the deeper the water, the heavier the jig needed. Lately for me, a 1/16 is heavy and I hardly ever use it. The 1/32 ball head that comes out of my mold weighs 1/43 with a #8 hook. That and a 1/64 are what I mostly have on, and fish water down to 16’. Current changes things but the fish love the smaller jigs when they go into finicky mode and won’t touch a 1/32 with a BGBS. Not blowing my own horn but fellas,it just plain works. It takes more patience than anything else. Casting them with a float works some but there are some you’re missing. Wish you were close by, I’d be glad to show you.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[kmc06005]

I disagree about the deeper the water, the heavier the jig needed. Lately for me, a 1/16 is heavy and I hardly ever use it. The 1/32 ball head that comes out of my mold weighs 1/43 with a #8 hook. That and a 1/64 are what I mostly have on, and fish water down to 16’. Current changes things but the fish love the smaller jigs when they go into finicky mode and won’t touch a 1/32 with a BGBS. Not blowing my own horn but fellas,it just plain works. It takes more patience than anything else. Casting them with a float works some but there are some you’re missing. Wish you were close by, I’d be glad to show you.

At the end of the day, I believe that a 1" jig held long enough in front of a finicky crappie will get eaten. The bite may be subtle, but some things they just cannot resist.

It's like that bowl of free peppermints when you are walking out of the restaurant. You probably aren't hungry, but your probably going to grab that little bitty mint.

That said bigger jigs are easier when the fish are biting them. Mainly they stay hooked better with bigger hooks, and they're easier to muscle with bigger tackle.

[z520tom]

100% agree. I have caught many crappie and bass also on my balanced jig flies with #10 and #12 hooks. I also believe that these small light jigs hold the fish very well.

At the end of the day, I believe that a 1" jig held long enough in front of a finicky crappie will get eaten. The bite may be subtle, but some things they just cannot resist.

It's like that bowl of free peppermints when you are walking out of the restaurant. You probably aren't hungry, but your probably going to grab that little bitty mint.

That said bigger jigs are easier when the fish are biting them. Mainly they stay hooked better with bigger hooks, and they're easier to muscle with bigger tackle.

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[skeetbum]

I made no changes on the mold, it’s just what it weighs when complete. The addition of tying materials I see as minimal as I don’t use much, just enough to get the right profile. But I don’t build the jigs with the weight in mind, it is what it is. I weigh them on a small digital scale that measures grams, grains and ounces. There are 7000 grains to a pound and I use that for a more accurate weight. Just basic math.

As far as staying buttoned up on larger fish, not an issue. I use sickle hooks almost 100% and a light drag. After the initial runs I’ll palm the side of the spool to give a little more pressure to get em to the net. The #8 sickle is, more often than not, on the end of my line. The mono leader takes up the abrasion that will part a small line, usually 3lb. I’ve landed numerous crappie over 2lbs, catfish weighed 3 1/2lbs, and largemouth 2 1/2 lbs. may not be big by some folks standards but for the 2lb line I use I think it pretty good. I haven’t weighed the head with a #2 or 4 hook but if I remember , I will and let you know what it weighs. If the salt water fish didn’t have such big teeth, demanding a heavy leader, I’d be using this in salt water. If I get some time this weekend I’ll get out the scale out and go thru my jig box and try to answer some of your questions.

[skiptomylu]

First off the hook make also no different what size as what weight the head is! Next I use a scale, lol! Read again, the 1/48th oz head is true weight is closer to a 1/32 Oz. I find almost even head not a true weight, but don't think it matters much except for my kind of long lining in spring. I want a jig that kind of floats along not so deep when I am trolling with my TM.

Skip

So I'm interested in your comment about the 1/32 changing to a 1/43
First, how do you measure these jigs with different hooks.
Second, what is a jigs weight after an average tied up and do you measure them and consider that in your planned presentation for finicky fish?

My usual preference is a red hook and a 1/16th with a #2 hook.
If I get a 1/32, I believe it usually has a #6 and I would like a #4....just me, I guess maybe I could see that thought as the reason for getting lack of bites.
Are you going to smaller hooks for the light weight aspect? And doesn't that just get you a bunch of bream biting because of the smaller hook?

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app