Jigs and jig heads

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

I am still trying to figure it all out and am at a standstill..What is the difference between a flipping jig and a swimming jig..I thought flipping was a technique as is swimming jig, is one style of jig head really any better for the named techniques than another..

mac

[Marty]

Mac,

I do both (flipping and swimming) with the same jig, a TNT Wadda Jig with a trailer, as for a football head jig I don’t use that much to make a commit on them.

The only other thing I do to the Jig is I slip the head of a tube (cut at about ¾ inch from the top) over the head of the jig. The reason for this is I believe it will give me a few nanno seconds more when the jig is in the mouth of the Bass – a softer feel to the head and not just lead. It is also a good place to put scent on.

[Dewayne]

IMHO

I prefer a finer wire hook on a swimming jig. I will generally just use a light football head with a medium wire hook for swimming. Don't get too hung up on the shape of the head.

[tunaman]

Different head shapes come through different types of cover or structure better... football heads are more conducive to rocky areas, arkie heads come through vegetation better, etc. Swimming jig heads are typically more narrow, I believe, so they swim through the water columns better.

Also, as Dewayne indicated, swimming jigs typically have thinner wire hooks than those used for filpping, as you don't encounter the obstacles when swimming as you do when flipping in cover.

Roger

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

I tend to do what you say already Dewayne..I guess my real question is there a real benefit from using one type of head for a specific technique as over another type head..Mostly I have been using an Arkie head and sometimes also use a football head jig..I am with Marty on the Wadda jigs, I use them far more often than any other at this time..

mac

[ash]

The head shape is typically more condusive to cover swimming through, a swim jig head is typically more narrow like a spinnerbait head. Also too Line tie position on a swimming jig head is not 90as a football head but 60 degree The Arkie style jigs are really a verstile jig used for both.

I like the ASSALT jig head for swimming (its a lot like the revenge) as the narrow head comes through the grass and you can set it down and it stands up most of the time.

[philip garcia]

Hey Mac,
another big difference between a flipping and swimming jig is the hook degree. What i mean Mac is flipping jigs are usually at a 60 degree bend and a swimming jigs are normally 30 to 0 degrees. This is an overlooked factor sometimes but is a very important one.

[Alex M.]

Mac's question is a legit technical question...

But wanna know what's NOT legit?
Mike McClelland was giving a seminar about football jigs for a good while at the Bass-A-Thon this past weekend. After going on about how, when, where, and why to fish the football jigs, he asks if anyone had any questions. A guy raises his hand and goes, "What's a football jig?"

OMFG....People were were just crackin' up, including McClelland...Sad part is that he was dead serious...

I felt like turning to the dude and saying, "Hey buddy....What's a cheeseburger???"

[Andy Giannini]

There are many different types of jigheads. Some are specialty jigs, and some are not really good at any single thing, they are more of a utility type jig. And from there you can go on into many different subgroups of jigs. (Like standup, rattling, grass, flipping, dart, round, bullet, arkie, aspirin, tube, casting, pony head, etc...)

Let's take flipping or close to you jig fishing on the Delta. Many guys swim or work flipping jigs on down, or swim them for a bit, using the one jig for two or three different things.

A Rattleback jig makes for a decent utility jig, ok in rock and wood, and probably not so hot in the grass, but great in tules, muddy bottoms, and it rattles.

Big boys or the old proline flipping jig had a really pointy head that just plain exceled in the grass, tules, and was ok in wood. The pointy head was easy to get hung up in rock. I would call that jig more of a specialty jig and less of an all around utility one.

So which one is better? That just depends on how you are fishing. If you are just wandering down the changing bank fishing different cover types a utility might suit the day better. But if you have narrowed down the fishing to submergent grass and tules the specialty grass type flipping jig might be the winning deal, and a lot more hassle free.

(But then again, if you are targeting deep rocky areas in a lake the football specialty type jig might be worth checking out, or investing some time in.)

.02 A.G.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Phil, when you mention hook angle, just exactly what angle are you refering to..

mac

[philip garcia]

I mean what angle the bend of the hook is from the shank to the eye . In other words the bend that is hidden in the head. If you have other questions you can call me. I will answer anything you need.