Painted jig heads

[Big Mike]

I like painted jig heads but most of them paint the eyelet and I’ve got to bust the paint out completely or it creates a paint edge In the eyelet that can weaken the knot. Normally I tediously take another hook and dig it out. Not efficient and by the time I’ve done a bag, one ruined hook and a lot of wasted time. I was sitting in my office starting to do a bag and looked at my staple puller. It looked back at me and said, “Yes I am your answer.”. Wow, I did my bag super fast and in one punch it clears the whole eyelet. Who knew a staple puller was a fishing tool.

[nhunter344]

When the fish are biting and youre in a rush to change or replace a jighead, know that no matter how careful you are, you will always grab the jighead that slipped through the cracks and still has a painted eyelet.

[J.A. Veil]

Mike - a staple puller does the job well, but most anglers don't carry one around with them on the water. Years ago I got a small tool that does the same thing as a staple puller, and is small enough to fit in my tacklebox. It is about 2" long and 0.5" wide.

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[ronaultmtd]

Bare lead jigheads or painted? Caught fish on both...seems the plastic and the way your work the bait is key...last bag of jigheads I bought were bare lead

[J.A. Veil]

Most of the jigheads I buy now are unpainted. I buy batches of 50 of the little 1.8-oz ones for pickerel and panfish. For my go-to light tackle striper jigheads, I use Trout Eye jigheads, mostly in 3/16-oz size. The head is unpainted, but they include large diameter colored eyes that really shine in the sunlight. They have produced well for me.

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I still have loads of larger painted jigheads that I use for light tackle trolling or jigging.

[Mark]

Commercial lures and flies are made as much to attract humans as to attract fish.

I believe the fish we chase are usually not that discriminating -- especially the ravenous killers we seek in warm water. I've seen cold water trout reject a fly and that's annoying. It could have been drag during the drift or perhaps the fly didn't precisely match the hatch. I've also seen pickerel follow a fly or lure up to my boat and then turn off. That's frustrating. But on the next cast another pickerel will attack the same offering. I don't know why that happens. I've rarely seen a striper or white perch turn away from a meal.

Jigs are such a small portion of the lure, I doubt fish spend that much time examining them. Most of their strikes come from behind so you have to wonder if they even see the jig. Like Ron, I think they're more attracted to the trailer, its profile in the water, its noise, sometimes its color. The sound of the spinner we put on the jig is also more important than the jig itself, I believe.

I pour my own jigs with Do-It molds. They work fine unpainted but they're not as attractive to me. So I paint most of them. I have lots of colors and I've never found a color that fish rejected. Also, they continue to work long after the paint is chipped and eyes, which I took great care to paint or glue to the jig, have fallen off. Jig spinners will continue to work even after the trailing hair is gone. I stop using the damaged jigs only because they displease me in appearance, not because fish stopped biting them. I put them aside and re-melt them to make new ones.

I think the most important part of a jig is the hook. Is it strong and is the gap wide enough? If they answer to both is yes, then your primary concern should be keeping it sharp.

Finally, because I make my own jigs, I make sure the eyes are clear of paint before I store them for use. The powder paint I use rarely clogs the eyes anyway. If it does, I pierce it with a bodkin.

[Tim Elliott]

Mike, the staple puller is a great idea. I received one of those "ez tie" fishing tools as a gift from this past Christmas. It has several features that include clippers, a knot tying device, a hook sharpener, and a built-in needle to clear hook eyes.

I agree with the others however, that unpainted jigs catch just as much fish compared to painted jigs. Mark hit the nail on the head when it comes to lures attracting fishermen. Another good point that Mark mentions is the hook...a strong, sharp hook with the gap matched to the species that you plan on targeting is important when fishing a jig.

When the water temperatures are around 55 or less, I find that it is hard to beat a 1/100-1/32 oz. marabou or feather jig. The feathers pulsate in the water column even when suspended, enticing fish of all species and sizes when they are sluggish and reluctant to chase a faster moving presentation.

As the water temps increase, I begin to use 1/16-1/8 oz. jigs and soft plastics for panfish. For deep water summer white perch in the bay this year, I think I'm going to try tandem rigging a 1/4 oz jighead below a 1/16-1/8 oz jighead and add a split shot in front of a jig spinner to reach them when they occupy 6-10 feet.