jig weed-guards , to fan or not to fan? That is the question .

[scaleface]

Do you fan your weed guards ? Trim them up , bend them to make them more flexible . What are your weed-guard modifications ?

[LrgmouthShad]

No fanning. I push the weedguard down towards the hook and measure where it reaches the barb. I trim at that point so the weedguard just barely reaches the barb, and then remove strands of the weedguard as I feel necessary depending on what equipment I am using and the cover I am fishing.

[OkobojiEagle]

I cut the front 1/2 of them off at the base, then fan the balance.  Usually don't shorten any.  I've been known, on occasion, to cut the entire guard off at the base if the cover is very sparse.

 

oe

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

Do you fan your weed guards ? Trim them up , bend them to make them more flexible . What are your weed-guard modifications ?

Yes, yes, and yes, depending on where and how I'm fishing. Sometimes I even pluck out some or all too. At a minimum, I grab them and bend them back and forth, to make sure they aren't stuck together, or stiffened by the paint at the base of the jig head.

[Mobasser]

I've flexed them back and forth, and used a razor knife to trim them a little. I trim them from the bottom for thickness. Not too much for length. Always trying to find the right balance.

[Bird]

I trim the top at a 45* angle and press them down closer to the hook, minimal gap.

All my jigs have been molested in this fashion.

[Team9nine]

3 hours ago, Deleted account said:

Yes, yes, and yes, depending on where and how I'm fishing. Sometimes I even pluck out some or all too. At a minimum, I grab them and bend them back and forth, to make sure they aren't stuck together, or stiffened by the paint at the base of the jig head.

 

Pretty much this ^^

[Catt]

Nuthin! ?

 

Another plus for using Hack Attack Fluorocarbon Jig 

[Hammer 4]

I trim mine, and depending on the skirt, I may trim those also.

[Bankbeater]

I bend the guard over to the hook and then trim just before the hook point.  After I trim it I fan it out some. 

[Log Catcher]

I always push the guard down several times and try to spread it out. Very rarely do I trim any of it off at the base. I have separated the skirt and trimmed the front half down to make it a finesse jig.

[Basser2021]

I fan and trim

[papajoe222]

It depends on the cover I'm targeting. For weeds, I'll fan them. For wood or rock, I'll trim them to make them stiffer.  I don't believe I've fished a jig in 20 years that I haven't done some modification to the weed guard.

[Columbia Craw]

Even Lonnie Stanley separated his weed guard to create a channel for the hook point to fit through.

[WRB]

The only time I use a fiber weed guard is fishing heavy cover and prefer smaller dia fiber guard when I do use them.

90% of the jig fishing is in deep rock structure lakes with sparse cover usually brush. I use a spilt finesse worm about 2” lone held to the jig eye with a hitchhiker spring, the split tail covers the hook point. Adds color, movement and protect the hook point...win, win.

Tom

[Kyle S]

17 hours ago, Deleted account said:

Yes, yes, and yes, depending on where and how I'm fishing. Sometimes I even pluck out some or all too. At a minimum, I grab them and bend them back and forth, to make sure they aren't stuck together, or stiffened by the paint at the base of the jig head.

I too, do all of the same modifications.

[Bluebasser86]

Since I attached them to the jig myself, they're put on ready to fish, no modifications needed. 

[Siebert Outdoors]

I fish them how I build them.  No mods.

[fishwizzard]

I fan most jigs except for swimjigs that i am fishing through soft cover as fanning makes them pick up too much gunk.