The In-Fisherman Staff Looks At Jigs

Wood Jigs

Charlie Brewer’s Slider fishing system was the first jigworm to make national news. His Slider head matched with a small straight-tail worm produced a gliding action that proved successful on less-than-aggressive bass. Even earlier, though, anglers in the Ozark region and Upper Midwest matched a standard ballhead jig with worms like the Creme Scoundrel and Mann’s Jelly Worm.

These open-hook designs worked weededges and deeper structure well. Lure makers in various areas have contributed novel designs. Conrad Peterson at Gopher Tackle built the original Mushroom Head, excellent for presenting a swimming-tail worm inside or outside weededges. The relatively small hook also snags less and can be snapped free from leaves—a definite turn-on for bass.

Yet it hooks bass in the corner of the mouth and holds them securely. New models of that style include Walker Fishing Systems Mini-Mag Jigs with an Owner Deep Throat, Wide Gap hook; Tournament Lures’ MushRoom Heads; Culprit’s Angle Eye Finesse Jig; and Gopher’s own new designs.

Western anglers have remained at the forefront of jigworm fishing for decades, as the deep, clear impoundments of that region are ideal for presentations of this type. Westys Bass Worm, for example, has been a staple item for more than two decades. Its elongated head keeps the stiff prerigged worm straight as it drags along bottom. A stinger hook is embedded toward the worm’s tail and secured with a 4-inch piece of monofilament. Westys wormers find that up to 30 percent of their catch occurs on the back hook, an eye opener for users of jigworm styles with only a hook near the worm’s head.

The darter head is another western style that works well in vegetation. Its conical nose with the eye on top lets the angler snap the jig upward, whereupon it glides to one side or another. It works nicely along rock ledges, falling from one level to the next. A few, including models from Kalin and Lunker City, are available with a wire hook guard.

To increase gliding action, Kalin’s added the High Rider Skimmer Jig, with its flattened head. Note that jigs of this type work best where bass are scattered over structure. For pinpoint fishing, a switch must be made to jigworm heads that fall straight.

A new style of jighead is designed to match swim baits, which are hot out west and anywhere bass feed on shad or other pelagic preyfish. It generally fits the jigworm category though it’s designed to carry shad-body baits, not worms.

Lunker City’s Fin-S-Head, available in 1/16-, 1/8-, and 1/4-ounce weights, was built to match that company’s Fin-S-Fish. Kalin’s Ultimate Swim Bait Jig, from 1/4 to 11⁄2 ounces, matches swim baits and shad bodies from 2 to 10 inches. These heads are contoured to match the fish-shape plastic bodies for a more realistic and streamlined package than a ballhead jig.

Standup heads are shaped to land so the worm or lure points upward, in a highly visible and attractive position. A plastic craw, for example, takes a natural defensive pose, and a lizard looks like it’s feeding along the bottom.