I just got some tackle in the mail that I'd forgotten I ever ordered - it had some Megabass Dark Sleepers and frogs that were backordered at the time (probably the Dark Sleepers are what held it up 4 months). At any rate, this little jig, and I mean little jig, is what I'd like some advice on. This particular one is 1/8 oz and the hook is probably like a 2 (not 2/0, that's a nickle beside it for comparison sake). It has the vertical line tie about perpendicular to the long axis of the hook. So it's similar dimension-wise to a SK Bitsy Bug as I remember, but it's been a while since I tried one of those. I'm going to be on a shallow river (South fork of the Shenandoah) this Saturday and wanted to try this bait out. Here are the things I'm considering:
1. Should I glue in the brushguard? As I remember, I got plenty of bites on the Bitsy Bug, but didn't my hookup ratio was so bad that I quit using it after a couple of hours. Looking back, the brushguard might have been the problem. By another token, the brushguard might keep this thing from getting snagged every cast. I do a lot of what I call 'drift casting' along the riffles that I fish this time of year, and the current has a way of sticking your baits/hooks into any conceivable crevice, stick, or piece of vegetation.
2. Should I use a trailer? I also remember using a small grub on the back of the Bitsy Bug, and considered that might be my problem for the hookup. When I took off the grub, the bite died off, which may have been the time of day or the part of the river I was fishing. I stuck the grub back on and fished it for a while, but don't remember the bite returning, and I think I just put that bait down and went back to a Senko (my go-to at that time). I'm wondering whether a jig like this will even work without a trailer. I've only used hair jigs without something as a trailer.
Thanks for any suggestions you have, especially if you've used this particular bait.
