Do jig head shapes make a difference?

[juicebass]

Hey guys,

So i stocked up over the winter with a bunch of new jigs.. I took them out of the packaging and placed them in my boxes but now can't remember what specific techniques they are for. (flipping, swim jig, finesse?) I can tell which ones the football jigs are but thats about it

Basically i wanna know if flipping jigs can have different styled heads? And swim jigs same question..

Can anyone explain? Pictures would help also..

ps- Can you flip a swim jig? i don't see why throwing any jig to a target and twitching the rod tip wouldnt work..

 

Thanks!

 

[IndianaFinesse]

Pitching a swim jig would work, but a flipping style head would be better because it is more bullet shaped so it slides through cover better.  The other difference between flipping style head and swim jig is the line the placement, flipping jigs have them at the front of the head and swim jigs have them on top of the head,  The side of the jig the hook is on.

[WRB]

Jigs with built in weed guards that are compact in design are generally used for vertical presentations, falling down through the water column.

Jigs that have the hook point set further back from the hook point 1" or more are design to be fished horizontally or swam through the water column.

This would be the general difference, any jig can be used universally, not the ideal presentation. Using a horizontal jig like a football head may snag more often and using a Arkie vertical compact  jig  you may miss a few strikes.

Tom

PS, this will get lots of diverse opions and that is OK.

[buzzed bait]

What Tom said.....

[primetime]

If you look on TW it will give you a good idea of which heads are used for what situation for the most part....

Grass Jigs usually have a line tie that is pretty close to a texas rig, bullet shape head, but they make jigs now you can fish in grass that stand up on the bottom, finesse flipping jigs with heavy hooks, casting jigs are pretty much all purpose, but you can do almost anything with a heavy duty swim jig since most swimming Jigs have thinner weedguards. 

I like Arkie style jigs for skipping but there are so many different styles now and Tungsten jigs designed for grass seem to be the best if you need to go heavy since they have a thinner head...If I am fishing grass that requires anything more than 3/4 I go texas rig or punch rig, it is just easier for me...

I have been swimming and Pitching/Punching the Flipping style weights that have the collar on them for a skirt. BPS sells a pack of 3 which are actually not much larger than Tungsten and you don't have to worry about Inserts and line fraying...They make a 1/2,3/4 and ounce...1/2 is the heaviest I ever swim, but you can buy skirts cheap and change up colors on the fly which is handy, but I pitch the Strike King Heavy duty swim Jig and also swim it around all types of structure. 

Football style jigs are designed for rock or hard bottoms and pick up grass easy, so they are not a good choice for flipping but I am sure they would work in the right situation...It is all about the line tie angle and hook angle, plus weedguard which you can always thin out if needed, trim a skirt, change it, but TW has about 8 sections that break it down, very few people agree on favorite jigs, although Colors are pretty standard, I rarely use anything other than Black and blue or brown/green

[juicebass]

On March 18, 2016 at 5:28 AM, primetime said:

If you look on TW it will give you a good idea of which heads are used for what situation for the most part....

Grass Jigs usually have a line tie that is pretty close to a texas rig, bullet shape head, but they make jigs now you can fish in grass that stand up on the bottom, finesse flipping jigs with heavy hooks, casting jigs are pretty much all purpose, but you can do almost anything with a heavy duty swim jig since most swimming Jigs have thinner weedguards. 

I like Arkie style jigs for skipping but there are so many different styles now and Tungsten jigs designed for grass seem to be the best if you need to go heavy since they have a thinner head...If I am fishing grass that requires anything more than 3/4 I go texas rig or punch rig, it is just easier for me...

I have been swimming and Pitching/Punching the Flipping style weights that have the collar on them for a skirt. BPS sells a pack of 3 which are actually not much larger than Tungsten and you don't have to worry about Inserts and line fraying...They make a 1/2,3/4 and ounce...1/2 is the heaviest I ever swim, but you can buy skirts cheap and change up colors on the fly which is handy, but I pitch the Strike King Heavy duty swim Jig and also swim it around all types of structure. 

Football style jigs are designed for rock or hard bottoms and pick up grass easy, so they are not a good choice for flipping but I am sure they would work in the right situation...It is all about the line tie angle and hook angle, plus weedguard which you can always thin out if needed, trim a skirt, change it, but TW has about 8 sections that break it down, very few people agree on favorite jigs, although Colors are pretty standard, I rarely use anything other than Black and blue or brown/green

Great advice! Thanks

[Catt]

When it comes to jigs everyone has their own personal repertoire of confusion!

What I look for in a jig is a smooth transition from the line to the eye & around the belly, which requires the eye to be slightly rolled forward. The reasoning is I want my jig to follow the line up to the cover & then slide over or through the cover smoothly. I want a quality brush/weed guard & a quality hook, both are more important to me than head design.

If I'm working a shoreline or offshore structure I do not switch jigs just because the cover changed; I can cast, swim, flip, pitch, or punch any style jig!

I throw only 3 jigs, Terry Oldham's EyeMax, Lunker Lures Original or Triple Rattleback, or a Texas Rigged Jig.

[Fishes in trees]

To address the question "Do jig head shapes make a difference?"   The basic answer is yes, they do.  There is quite a bit of info out there about this but basically you get to decide for yourself.

The great part of this is that there is a built in excuse.   Should you fish some jig style bait for a while and not get bit, you can always blame the head style.

[sarcazmo]

My favorite jigs have a cammed head that makes sure even if they fall on their side they right themselves.  Makes a big difference upon hookset.

Head design makes a pretty big difference IMO.

[TexRex]

I'm wondering what jig brands do you guys recommend? A brand with a durable hook and paint that doesn't chip.

[Turkey sandwich]

There's a lot of good info here.

 One detail that I haven't noticed has to deal with the placement of the line tie in relation to the head and shank of the hook.  Catt's pictures are good examples of jigs with line ties angled greater than 90 degrees from the shank.  The open angle has a few benefits.  I find at the "open" angle helps reduce weeds/scum collecting on the jig head and allows it to pass more easily through vegetation (this is just my experience).  The other benefit is that it allows for a better hook set by allowing the point of the hook to extend beyond the eye.  Especially on larger jigs, this can make a big difference in sticking fish versus having the larger jig head blowing it's mouth open wider than the hook, preventing any penetration on your hook set.  

 

One other thing to mind (in addition to the shape of the head) regarding where or how to fish a jig pertains to the gauge of the hook.  Heavy wire hooks are the deal when fishing the thick stuff on braid or heavy low-stretch line.  Lighter wire is more ideal for fishing away from the heavy stuff and requires a lot less gusto on the hook set to get good penetration and is more ideal fished with some give in your line or rod.  Heavy braid and a stiff rod can straighten light wire hooks and light or stretchy line can make hook sets with heavy gauge hooks difficult.  If you're fishing 40lb+ braid, you'd be shocked how strong that line really is.