To the untrained eye, there may be little difference between baits popular 25 years ago and today’s models. Jigs are conservative lures, in terms of design changes. Some might say the jig is the perfect bait. But in the fine points, those points that put more bass in the boat, jig modifications have enabled skillful anglers to keep the jig the number-one lure in many repertories. An array of jig types and tactics catch bass in depths of 2 to more than 40 feet. The hottest tactics today are . . .

Finesse Jiggin’—Though jig fishing carries the image of a power-fishing approach, the hottest application today is using downsized jigs designed to draw strikes from bass that shun other baits, including big jigs. Jim Eakins of Nixa, Missouri, has been dominating tournaments in the central United States, including Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma for much of the last decade. Lately, he’s had to share the spotlight with his son Troy.

This father-and-son team has spread the gospel of the mini-jig across this region. As their success has grown on national tournament trails, the renown of the Eakins Jig has spread into bassdom from northern California to southern Maine.

Eakins comments: “I’ve been a jig fisherman all my life, and in the mid-1980s, I recognized that I caught lots more bass with small jigs fished on light line. I went through 10 molds before I was satisfied with the shape and balance of the jig. The keys to a good jig are balance to create a natural fall and the ability to hook and hold fish.”

Eakins also settled on the short-cut collar on the jig skirt, which has become a trademark of this style of finesse jig. The cut skirt gives a crawfishlike appearance and also helps parachute the jig to the bottom in a slow, even descent.

Backed by a small plastic craw, the package truly resembles the real thing. Eakins has worked with Gayle Julian of Jewel Baits to create this jig model, a round jighead weighing 5/16 ounce, with a turned eye.

“The Eakins Jig is a system,” Eakins continues, “and matching lure size and weight to a rod and line are critical. I fish the jig on 10-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon line, occasionally going to 12-pound in dingier water. I’ve designed a rod for Falcon Rods, a 6-foot 10-inch model rated as a 5-power, on the light side of medium-heavy. You need a rod with a softer, more-tapered tip section than the typical pitching stick, but with a powerful midsection and butt.

“Bites on a finesse jig often are light, and you need to feel the bait and a light bite without being detected. A softer tip allows that.” As for the flat eye, Eakins has found far greater hooking success than with a straight eye, on his compact jig with its smaller hook. The eye protrudes at an angle slightly less than 60 degrees, which helps it pull easily through brush and around dock posts.

Eakins primarily pitches his little jig around brushpiles, docks, and along rocky terrain. For a finesse approach, he tries to place the lure carefully in key spots, then he lets it settle with minimal movement, followed by a few twitches or a series of short hops. If he has no takers within 15 or 20 seconds, he reels in and pitches again.