expensive jigs

[BigBen77]

Until recently, I've been fishing with Strike King, Skinny Bear, lucky craft, pepper custom, and a host of other "quality" jigs. I tried Booyah, didn't like them, I thought that any jig as cheap as booyah's boos would probably be the same. A while back I was walking down the isles of the fishing section "just looking" and next thing i know, i was in my truck with some brand new $1.59 Arkie rattleband jigs. fished them one time and caught my personal best, an 8Lb large mouth. I have now been thoroughly testing these jigs and have reached a verdict. They work just as good as any $5 jig I've ever used. they use decent hooks, very sharp, Eagle Claw i think, good quality silicone skirts, and you can easily add rattles if you want. It has one of the most versatile heads there are, especially if you like fishing docks (like me  ).  There are cons to this jig. for one, the paint job sucks, the paint comes off quickly when fishing shell beds or rocks. two, there is no trailer keeper (this really wasn't a problem to my surprise, I didn't have any trouble with it). And three, don't expect to fish any deep water with it, the heaviest weight they come in is 1/2 oz. So for shallow water fishing, is there really any thing comparable? Thoughts?

[Senko lover]

Don't get me wrong, I love custom jigs and fish with them almost exclusively, but you can catch fish on just about any jig out there. That doesn't mean I'm going to use super crappy ones because I love custom jigs, but for what it's worth, cheap jigs catch fish.

[Ratherbfishing]

I seldom fish "jigs" at all.  For my money (and less of it), a texas rigged crawdad (with or without skirt in front of it) is considerably more weedless, and catches as many or more fish.

[smalljaw67]

Arkie makes a good jig, nothing wrong with them at all, they just aren't flashy. The hooks I believe are Mustad, at least in a few different kind of their jigs.  When you get into Dirty Jigs, Peppers Custom and the like, what you are getting paint jobs that are baked on with a clear coat and special colors in the skirt, as a jig maker I can tell you that the silicone used by the custom manufacturers is a lot more expensive than basic but when you are throwing a jig, it is often in water where it matters very little. Nope, nothing wrong with the Arkie, and just so you know, they make a hair jig called a "Muddler collar" hair jig that inspired me to tie something similar as my buddy had a great day pitching that jig to laydowns in 4' to 6' of water whit a 49 degree water temp and he used it with a simple chunk style trailer and he thumped 7 good ones.

[scaleface]

Inexpensive jigs are what I always use  .  Bass  will bite them as well as expensive jigs .

[jig]

I wouldn't worry about the paint job either, I believe you would catch just as many without any paint. At least that is what I have found. I make my own jigs and don't notice a difference with or without paint. Although I like how they look with the paint, I don't think the fish care .haha

[Catt]

I've caught many a bass on Arkie Rattleband Jigs!

Since I fish a lot of grass I switched to Oldham's EyeMax

 

[eyedabassman]

Bass don't know a top end jig from a cheap ( $$$ ) jig as long as it looks real and acts like a crawfish, is all that counts!

[avidone1]

I went through a rattle phase and was buying noisy lures or adding rattles to everything.  It was fun and caught fish.  I have a soft spot for Arkie jigs because I joined BASS and the first bassmaster magazine I got had Bo Dowden on the cover who just won the classic fishing a ........................wait for it........................................Arkie jig.   1980 I think

[kickerfish1]

I think that the Siebert jigs are great combination of everything rolled into one jig. You have all the custom options for your jigs that you could ever want. Not too many if any places let you pick: Jig head color, skirt color, wire tie or rubber band, head style, hook style and type, as well as adding an eye on the swim jigs. Prices are about $3 to $4 a jig depending upon what options you select. You can also purchase his jig heads and buy whatever skirts you want if you are a picky about color. Mike is willing to go the extra mile to satisfy his customers and make exactly what you are looking for. If you have any questions or don't see something that you like send him a PM or email him. He will take care of you...

I have over 1000 jigs in my collection. I have bought at least a few from about every manufacturer. I can tell you that a good chunk of what I have left is Sieberts. Really fond of the brush jigs with the owner deep throat hooks.

Good luck in your quest for the 'right" jig.

[BassThumb]

They all look like craws, regardless of price, but the more expensive jigs ($3+) have better hooks, and that will make a difference to the fish.

[Catt]

6 hours ago, BassThumb said:

They all look like craws, regardless of price, but the more expensive jigs have better hooks, and that will make a difference to the fish.

Terry Oldham's Trailer Hitch jigs have a 5/0 Gamakatu flipping hook specially designed & produced for Oldham's jigs.

Cost per jig, $2.35

[smalljaw67]

7 hours ago, BassThumb said:

They all look like craws, regardless of price, but the more expensive jigs have better hooks, and that will make a difference to the fish.

There are an awful lot of expensive jigs on the market using Mustad hooks. The reason is bang for buck, and with a flipping jig you want a heavy wire diameter hook. Try finding a commercially made jig using an Owner hook and the bet is that it will be a smaller manufacturer or a custom guy like myself, the reason is Owner treats everyone the same, you don't get a big price break until you hit a really large number of hooks so smaller places that use them have to charge a lot as the cost is often north of 50 cents per hook depending on model.

[Bluebasser86]

Cheaper jigs often use bronze hooks that will rust badly if you leave a trailer with salt on them or if they don't dry all the way. The hooks are more likely to roll and the skirts seem to gum up and the bands break easier. Jig life expectancy isn't long in a lot of cases, so those things might not be a big issue. 

I tie my own on a black nickel plated, conical (harder to roll than a needle point), point hook.The skirts are wire tied to keep them from slipping and to eliminate the issue of skirts rotting off the bait.I get my lead for free and have accumulated the tools for pouring over a decades time, so now a completed jig cost me less than $1 apiece even with a high quality hook. There's nothing that compares to that.

It's a lot like using a Wal Mart spinnerbait or a dump bin crankbait, there's nothing wrong with it, and they will certainly catch fish, it's more a matter of personal preference. 

[dman]

I just ordered from a new place for me called Swing Oil Baits...Have not received them yet but they look nice, Mustad hooks and the price is right!

$1.80 for Flippin:  http://www.swingoilbaits.com/FLIPPIN-JIG-SKU-201.htm

$1.65 for Football:  http://www.swingoilbaits.com/FOOTBALL-JIG-SKU-128.htm

.25 extra to have a rattle added

[eyedabassman]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

Terry Oldham's Trailer Hitch jigs have a 5/0 Gamakatu flipping hook specially designed & produced for Oldham's jigs.

Cost per jig, $2.35

X-2

[Kyhokie]

This just in....It ain't the arrow, it's the indian.

That being said, fishing expensive jigs is like having expensive golf clubs, in the hands of a novice it really doesn't matter. That being said again I like expensive Jigs and I like expensive golf clubs lolz, pops always told me that you can at least LOOK 10 Strokes better than you are. ?

[Evan K]

Siebert jigs are the best. The paint and skirts are super durable and they're not expensive. Built on a quality hook. I know it's mostly psychological, but tying on a jig I knew looked great and was super well built was a huge confidence booster for me when I was starting out learning jigs (and I still am).

[roadwarrior]

9 hours ago, Evan K said:

Siebert jigs are the best. The paint and skirts are super durable and they're not expensive. Built on a quality hook. I know it's mostly psychological, but tying on a jig I knew looked great and was super well built was a huge confidence booster for me when I was starting out learning jigs (and I still am).

That is a key factor in my mind, too.

 

[YoTone]

when i buy the $4+ jigs i tend to not toss it into places that i should be. a $2.39 booyah baby jig ill toss into anything  and not get worried about getting snagged and losing it.

[WRB]

Jigs are very simple lures; hook with molded lead head (or expensive tungsten ). 

What seperates one jig from another is the hook used to make the jig.

Most jigs use lower cost hooks that the points tend to bend or dull easily and to be constantly sharpened or are too small size. A jig with a 3 cent hook is cheaper then a jig made with premium 30 cent hook. 

Find jigs with premium hooks at a reasonable price point with the head design you like and shirt materials-color combinations and buy them because all the materials used will be top quality.

Tom

[Nitrofreak]

I spend a good bit of money on cheaper jigs because I go through a lot of them on the river system I primarily fish but they work!!!

I don't mind spending money for a custom jig when I know it will work, if I really want a specific build, I'll pay da man!! LOL!!

 

[J Francho]

All I care about is a quality hook, and a wire tied skirt.  I'm not paying more than $2 for a rubber band jig with a crappy hook.  In fact, I generally stay around or $4 a jig.  Siebert offers this quality at that price point.  Skinny Bear and Buckeye are two more available in local retailers that are close for not too much. 

[Nitrofreak]

56 minutes ago, J Francho said:

All I care about is a quality hook, and a wire tied skirt.  I'm not paying more than $2 for a rubber band jig with a crappy hook.  In fact, I generally stay around or $4 a jig.  Siebert offers this quality at that price point.  Skinny Bear and Buckeye are two more available in local retailers that are close for not too much. 

I still have some of Siebert's jigs from a few years ago, great jigs man !!

[sarcazmo]

Biggest difference I've noticed is head design.  Some work better than others.

If I really want a specific kind of jig now a a days I look for someone that pours them.  Almost always considerably cheaper than buying from a large store, and you get the profile and hook style you want.