Hair Jigs For Smallies

[ks cranker]

Hey Guys - I want to look into throwing Hair Jigs (craw imitator, not Float and Fly/minnow style) specifically for smallies. Seems like there are way too many choices to make. Can someone point me in the right direction. Also, do you normally use a trailer, if so what are some to try?

I typically fish for reservoir smallies if that makes a difference. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Fontana Finesse Man]

My favorite hair jig for smallmouth around my area are 1/4 or 1/8 oz with burnt orange head and olive or brown hair (watermelon or green pumpkin). Bear hair jigs are my preference with no trailer. Bought some BPS enticer smallmouth jigs that I am going to give a try this winter. Fish on 6 lb test and fished slow during the winter, I prefer to slowly drag rather than hop in the winter.

[Jig Man]

Try swimming a black bucktail jig with a real #11 pork frog on it.

[Bill Porter]

Use a blue craw on a black jig........

[bobbyc]

I really like very light hairjigs.

[NateFollmer]

I make my own on an 1/8 oz ball head jig. Olive, Black, Brown, Orange and Chartreuse seem to be the best colors to use. For trailers, I have found nothing works better than a baby rage craw or a Tabu whiptail worm - I cut the eye section off the whiptail worm though, that small profile really gets them going!

[stratosjoe]

1/8 oz up to 1/4 oz black bear hair no trailer or a u2 in black or brown. I also like to drag slowly if that does not work after giving it a good attempt (in cold water) I will hop but not over worked. Also 6lb Fluoro kinda partial to P-line or yosuri. My favorite way to fish period however i am going to start paying close attention to Mr. Hottle's reccomendation on the jerk bait

[Nick]

In some reservoirs one might have to fish deeper than I do in streams so a heavier hair jig may be in order. I fish 1/8 oz. weedless wire custom pours with a dandy 2/0 Gammy hook. Preferred color is brown and I use deer, fox, and maribou somewhat sparsely tied with a Zoom Skinny Chunk trailer in green pumpkin which is the perfect match for this jig. Tough to get these trailers any more so get 'em if you can! My equipment is Shimano E7 a 6'6" medium rod with 8 lb. flouro. Presentation is quite slow and crawling along the bottom with several pauses. I have cought 100's of big stream smallies on these.

[backwater4]

1/8 round black bucktail or maribou.

[Crestliner2008]

The May, 2011 edition of the In'Fisherman mag has a good article entitled, "Spring Hair Days for Smallies".

[paul mueller]

Punisher hair jigs are the best hair jigs i have ever fished. They work great on both smallies and largies, my favorite colors are camo, black/blue and black. they come with a nice gamakatsu hook and the head design comes through the rock really well. I like using a zoom super chunk jr.,a strike king 3x chunk or a reins ring craw for trailers. I fish these on a Dobyns Champion extreme DX 742 sf spinning rod with 15# power pro braid tied with a double-uni knot and a 8# gamma edge fluorocarbon leader. The braid really helps you feel light bites and get better hook sets. I have caught smallies up to 5 1/2 pds. and largies up to 6 1/2 pds. on this setup.

[Wild Bill [NY]]

I tiie jigs myself, and about 90% of the time, I am using a 1/8 ounce, all black , football headed kraft hair jig, fishing it on usually either 4 [preferrably during cold water] or 6 pound Sunline flouro line..

I don't use a trailer with them at all ; I use a trailer for my Ranger bassboat---LOL

[Glenn]

Perhaps of interest...

http://www.bassresource.com/mike-iaconelli-fishing/hair-jigs.html

[bass crazy]

Great article Glen . thanks