Jig Head Styles

[bcripps]

Can’t tell you how much I have been enjoying this discussion group.
I do most of my fishing in the Bahamas. My method is to jig around reef and bottom structure from an eleven-foot inflatable with a 15hp outboard. I move along slowly, just off plane, and troll a 3/8 oz bucktail jig behind, using a fairly aggressive jigging motion to target pan-sized jacks and yellowtail snapper.
My selection of jig head style has always been hit or miss… just picking up what was available in the islands or on sale at Wally Mart.
I plan to go back to the Bahamas next year and was trying to sort through all the jig styles in Cabela’s and, overwhelmed, I just ended up buying the plain everyday round jigs. I tie them up myself with a bit of krystal flash.
Now, finding you guys, I’m re-thinking my choice of round headed jigs. Would anyone care to comment on my choice? I’d love a recommendation or two.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Sorry about the delayed reply. But, if you are not going again until next year, it should not mess you up too badly.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am attaching a PDF file I put together on a partial list of some of the jig heads I make and use. Some of them have very specialized applications. Most of them would work for the kind of fishing you do. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The plain old round head jig is the traditional workhorse design. That is where I started, in making my own jig heads. But, since then I have "graduated" to all of the others. I might suggest a couple of alternatives.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]First, if you are slow trolling along the reefs, think about dragging some of the pony jigs...with small spinner blades. They often wake up neutral fish and the active fish hit them much more aggressively.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Second, try the spearpoint jigs. They are balanced to ride horizontally, while vertical jigging or trolling. This presents a more natural "attitude" to the jig. They also have a collar that helps in securing the bucktail and/or synthetic flash fibers to the jig.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have done a lot of casting around the reefs along several coasts. Generally the reef fish are aggressive and not too hard to catch. My main considerations have always been to balance the size and weight of the jig/hook combination with the size of the plastics I fish on them...and the size and toughness of the fish I expect to catch. I want a jig head that is heavy enough to cast but not so heavy that I am snagged in the reef all the time. I like to retrieve at slower speeds some times and that takes a lighter head. You also need heavier hooks for bigger fish. You can get by with standard wire hooks for most small inshore species, but big jacks and groupers can straighten out the wimpy hooks. Heck, even a medium sized snapper pulls pretty hard.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hope this helps. [/#0000ff]
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