A Visit to the Jig Testing Facility

Visiting the jig testing facility with this jig:


Attachment 428155


https://youtu.be/euL_OYuMumY

How's it look?

If I was a fish I would be hooked! I love how it moves.

Thanks Buckeye

It's good to be able to see what the various material combinations do in the water.

I think this will have a good swimming action when retrieving.

Dude,,that looks and swims amazing,,,,I should start testing some of mine,,,,they’d probably sink and drown.

It's not a bad idea to test a one, especially if making more that one of the same material.

Today one jig with bucktail floated tail high in the 'facility'.
Trimming some bucktail restored it to an even keel.

Had a frog leg quality, eh? Nice!

Other jigs like this have some a nice tail swimming action on the retrieve.
Like the very tip of the material was moving back and forth like a real minnow.

I believe they will fish very well.

Stuff I use most.y for tails is bucktail,,,I know it’s stiff and swims awkward but man do the crappie lovem,,,,

I've had good success with bucktail also. Some bucktail and maybe a bit of flash works well.

The idea with this type of material is to get a swimming action on the tip of the tail when retrieved horizontally.
There's not enough room in the 'tank' to see that but this combination of material is promising.
Just need to get it to the lake for a real test.

The pictured jig is a little different from some other recent ones. It has craft fur top and bottom with EP fiber in the center with a few strands of flash on the outside.
It stays a little too wide in the water but may be okay. The goal is jigs with a slender body in the water like a real minnow with horizontal movement right at the tip of the tail.
Some recent jigs are getting there.

This is one of my first Big game crappie jigs, it’s a Redneck rubber company jighead 1/16 oz with a 2/Ott hook.. I covered it so thick with two tone bucktail to try and cover hook …no minnows used on these babies,,, and in 2017, I believe Scottie,my fishing partner and I caught several fish over 3 lbs on this hook and color combo..I call this one “ Butt Ugly”. Lol

Nice.
How were you fishing that jig? Vertical or horizontal?

I've got quite a few 'Butt Uglier' bucktails that have worked out but much less that that one.

That jig has a wide tail with little action looks like. But it works!

Something I have been wondering about lately is whether size/shape/profile or action is more important.
My conclusion is that both are equal so jigs that match local bait sizes and shapes along with good action is what I've been attempting.
Depending on the material, following the 'less is more' idea is seeming more and more accurate, especially when trying to get some movement in the material.
Some of the recent jigs are getting close to that but they had the material tied right on top and bottom so did not flair as much in the water, especially when on a retrieve.

The experimenting to get to this is fun and the water testing at home will be a great help in finding what works or not.

We were spiderrigging usually,,,we generally tipped the jig with crappie nibbles as well for smell,,,we caught some monsters that spring,,,the lake was Arkabutla lake in north Mississippi… what we call one of the Big 4 lakes in Mississippi,,,,