Jighead size for swimbaits

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

What size jig heads (weight and hook size) and what size belly weight hooks (weight and hooks size) do you use for the 2.75 3.75 and 4.75 rage swimmers and Keitech swimbaits?  

[MediumMouthBass]

ill use 1/16 for fishing near the surface or in really shallow/weedy water.

1/8oz is the standard weight for me whether im fishing in the river or anywhere on the lake.

1/4oz for when i want to bring in 10lbs of weeds or get stuck in rocks, its way too heavy for most paddle tail swimbaits unless you are fishing it extremely fast or very deep.

 

Size of hook varies, im more interested in the length of the hook.

I usually dont pay any attention to hook size, i just grab a bunch of jigs (shorter/longer) throw them in a open space in my tackle tray and try to fit it best to whatever sized plastic ill be throwing.

 

For the belly weighted ones the Berkley Swimbait Weighted hooks or the Owner Flashy Swimmer's ill use anywhere from 1/0-6/0. But i typically will use the 1/0, 3/0 or 5/0 the most. But im throwing the 3.25-3.75 sizes mainly.

[casts_by_fly]

anything from 1/8 up to about 1/2.  For the most part, 1/8 and 1/4 are my main two for jigheads.  If I have to go bigger to accomplish something, I'm probably not fishing a swimbait in that scenario.

 

Weighted hooks are similar, but I use them less.

[fishballer06]

Weight is completely dependent on depth and speed I want to fish at. For general casting in shallower water 3/16 to 3/8oz is ideal. Deep water I'll go up to 3/4-1oz. Hook size I like a 3/0 to 5/0 size. A smaller 1/0 or 2/0 size is good for smaller baits and jig heads. In general, the longer the bait, the bigger the hook size. 

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

Is there a specific hook size/length that works well for each certain length? I’ve hear 1/0 for 2.75in. 3/0 for 3.75in and 5/0 for 4.75in? Is this good?

[MN Fisher]

[casts_by_fly]

  On 5/6/2024 at 6:42 PM, August said:

Is there a specific hook size/length that works well for each certain length? I’ve hear 1/0 for 2.75in. 3/0 for 3.75in and 5/0 for 4.75in? Is this good?

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that's probably about right for swim impact fats.  But it will depend a little on which hooks you're using (brand and shape).  I fish gamakatsu's and EWGs primaily for texas rigging them (weighted or unweighted).  The hook gap isn't an important as the length.  You don't want the bend of the hook to be too far back into the body where it starts to thin too much.  First, it kills the action and second its putting a big hole through skinny plastic.  Keitechs aren't the most durable anyway and that's really hard on them.

 

rick

 

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

Any brand of jig head that you recommend that has options for 1/0 and 3/0 hook sizes?

[softwateronly]

  On 5/6/2024 at 6:54 PM, August said:

Any brand of jig head that you recommend that has options for 1/0 and 3/0 hook sizes?

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DJ guppy head, unpainted silver is my favorite. Good ml wire hook, and nice body roll. Gamakatsu, owner, and deps all have nice ball head designs as well. 
 

scott

[Peacedivision]

  On 5/6/2024 at 6:54 PM, August said:

Any brand of jig head that you recommend that has options for 1/0 and 3/0 hook sizes?

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Keitech tungsten ball heads

Dirty Jigs guppy heads

[MN Fisher]

6th Sense has 1/0 and 2/0 hooks on their Finesse Jigheads - 1/8oz-3/8oz

https://6thsensefishing.com/products/finesse-jig-heads-raw?variant=41216724893835&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOooBp3WiPj8c8Lh1s6ATY68F-KfPZiYReko7nCz9wS-_j6fA9KLaKbY

VMC's swimbait head has sizes 2/0 on the 1/8oz and 3/0 on the 1/4oz swimbait heads

https://www.rapala.com/us_en/sbj-swimbait-jig

The VMC Hybrid Swimbait jig also has 2/0 and 3/0 hooks

https://www.rapala.com/us_en/hsbj-hybrid-swimbait-jig

 

Search around and you can find just about anything.

[Jig Man]

On Keitechs I use 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 guppy heads from Dirty jigs.  Today I used the 1/8 on the 2.8 and the 1/4 on the 3.3.  Both worked.

[ChrisD46]

  On 5/6/2024 at 4:22 PM, MediumMouthBass said:

ill use 1/16 for fishing near the surface or in really shallow/weedy water.

1/8oz is the standard weight for me whether im fishing in the river or anywhere on the lake.

1/4oz for when i want to bring in 10lbs of weeds or get stuck in rocks, its way too heavy for most paddle tail swimbaits unless you are fishing it extremely fast or very deep.

 

Size of hook varies, im more interested in the length of the hook.

I usually dont pay any attention to hook size, i just grab a bunch of jigs (shorter/longer) throw them in a open space in my tackle tray and try to fit it best to whatever sized plastic ill be throwing.

 

For the belly weighted ones the Berkley Swimbait Weighted hooks or the Owner Flashy Swimmer's ill use anywhere from 1/0-6/0. But i typically will use the 1/0, 3/0 or 5/0 the most. But im throwing the 3.25-3.75 sizes mainly.

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Dito except I'll usually use 1/8th oz. and 3/16th oz. swim bait jig heads with 3.25" ` 3.75" swim baits with around a 2/0 hook size.

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

This is a 3/0 1/4oz outcast jig in a 3.75in rage swimmer

Doesn’t the hook look a little small?

Sorry for the bad picture 

[MediumMouthBass]

  On 5/8/2024 at 12:33 AM, August said:

This is a 3/0 1/4oz outcast jig in a 3.75in rage swimmer

Doesn’t the hook look a little small?

Sorry for the bad picture 

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Looks a bit small, but heres an idea (i do it from time to time). See how the swimbait jig head is shaped like the actual head of a minnow? Cut the front off the paddle tail to where the first ridge in it is, then put it back on. It will look and fit perfectly then. (atleast it should)

[softwateronly]

@MediumMouthBass has great advice.  I also will rig it slightly above the centerline if I feel I don't have enough gap in the bite of the hook.  Good Luck!

 

scott

[GetFishorDieTryin]

  On 5/8/2024 at 12:33 AM, August said:

This is a 3/0 1/4oz outcast jig in a 3.75in rage swimmer

Doesn’t the hook look a little small?

Sorry for the bad picture 

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That outkast head and picassos smart mouth heads are great, outstanding quality and components, but for whatever reason those particular heads are a full smaller in gap, for whatever reason all of Picasso tend to run a little smaller gap wise once theyre over #1, but the shanks are generally long.

As for what weight to throw its varies on a few factors.  Depth, the speed you want to fish and displacement of the bait are the top 3.  Lighter head force you to slow down if youre trying to reach a certain depth where heavier heads can force you to speed up to avoid constant bottom contact.  The size and action of the bait with create lift in the water.  A bait with heavy tail kick, lots of roll and displacement, like a keitech fat, will require a little more weight than a fluke or straight tail, so long as the target depth and speed desired are the same.  

  

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

Have any of you guys tried the dirty jigs Matt Allen jig head or the tactical bassin finesse jigheads? What about the strike king squadron? Would any of those work well in 3.8 or 4.8 Keitechs?