The gap or throat on a casting jig is considerably smaller than on flipping and pitching models. Smaller hooks on casting jigs normally are made from lighter wire. The lighter wire more easily penetrates a bass’ mouth, making these hooks ideal for light-line applications in deep water.

Dressed for the Dance

Many diehard jig fishermen pay as much attention to skirts as to head design and hook type. They believe skirt and trailer selection should match water color and temperature. Also, the bass’ activity level can dictate adjustments in skirt and trailer selection.

Today’s skirts are chiefly made from silicone, which is pliable and offers a wide range of colors. Some top anglers still favor living rubber skirts, however, for their flared look and action.

Hair jigs are made of various natural materials—deer, bear, fox, or elk hair. These baits create a more subtle profile and so are popular where water clarity favors a downsized approach. Hair also continues to flare and “breathe” in the coldest water.

Most bass pros alter jig skirts. When bass are relatively active and when water conditions are stained to slightly muddy, the large profile of a full skirt is desirable. When bass are inactive or the water clear, many pros shorten the skirt so it extends just barely beyond the bend of the hook, or they remove a number of strands in the skirt to create a sparser look.

Compared to worms or crankbaits, jig color selection should be relatively simple. Jigs represent two of the bass’ common food sources—crawdads and baitfish. Natural colors—browns, greens, and oranges—are most often used to imitate crawdads. When bass are feeding on baitfish like shad, light colors are better producers.

Jigs often are used to draw reaction strikes from inactive, cover-hugging bass. Under these conditions, darker colors work best at drawing attention to the falling lure silhouetted against the light surface. Thus, the black-blue combination outsells all other jig colors.

Other popular colors include black-purple, purple-brown, black-red, and black-chartreuse. Of course, darker combinations also work well under lowlight conditions. At night, a touch of a lighter hue creates contrast.

Rattles

Today, most jig models—casting and flipping—have rattles. It’s widely thought that a loud rattle enhances the presentation, though at times bass prefer a quieter bait. Sometimes a rattle can even turn fish off. Typically, when a lake is under heavy angling pressure and bass aren’t cooperating, savvy anglers give nonrattling jigs a try.

Rattle packs attached under the jighead make noise only when the lure is shaken with the rod tip or when it bumps something. Lately, lure manufacturers have used free swinging rattle pods to produce sound. Pods are connected to the jig by a flexible arm of heavy monofilament, plastic, rubber, or wire, placing the rattles out and away from the jig body.

This design allows the rattles to move independent of the head, and they strike cover as the lure falls. Many models use this rattle system—Northland’s Jungle Jig, Cyclone Baits’ Thunder Rattle Jigs, Johnson’s Jigs Rattlin’ Reptile Jig, the SoSlo Jig, Accent’s Premium Rattle Jigs, Terminator’s Pro’s Top Secret, Rippler Lures’ RattleLeg Jig.