7 Untold Factors About Jig Heads Every Fishing Enthusiast Should Know
For every fishing enthusiast, a jig head is an essential weapon. No matter when you try to search into any angler’s tackle box, you will most probably find jig heads every time. Many well-known and professional anglers prefer jigs over any other artificial lure as they believe that jigs are more versatile and easier to use. Another interesting thing about jigs is that they can be used in all seasons and works against most fish species.
The basic job is to lure various kinds of fish species using specific movements to impersonate an injured baitfish’s erratic swimming elegance. In the world of fishing, jigs have proved their usefulness in grasping large fishes such as bass.
Now let us talk about some basic unknown factors about Jig Heads that every fishing enthusiast must know-
1. The Framework of Jig Baits
The structural framework of jigs is that it is made up using a mold. This mol. assists in the appropriate shaping of the metal to form the jig’s head and collar. Most of the anglers prefer using jig heads made up of lead metal. Lead is the most suitable metal for making lures as it provides it with the ideal required weight. Other than lead, tungsten is also gaining popularity as a good alternative because of its environment-friendly traits.
After choosing the metal, the next step is to heat it until it converts into a liquid. Then it is poured into a mold which is generally lined with hooks. The chosen metal later solidifies and creates a weighted hook, better known as a jig head. Rounded jigs are the most prevalent and elementary jig used on the water by fishing enthusiasts and experts.
2. Details about Jig Hooks
The quality of jig hooks depends upon their cost. Most expensive and premium hooks possess ultra-sharp hooks, while the less costly ones have basic and regular hooks with no additional features. The bend of a hook is quite a distinct and necessary feature. It directly affects the placement of the eye on the jig head and determines the bait movement through the water. Eagle Claw Shank bent is a popular bend hook design.
The hook wire of a jig head has different important applications that you must know as a fishing enthusiast. There are mainly two kinds- light and strong. For fishing timbers and soft mouth fishes, light hook wires are favored. Light wires bend easily and pull freely without any sort of snagging. Whereas strong wired hooks mainly work in rocky and weedy areas of water.
Another point to keep in mind is that the length of the shank must accurately match the size of the body used. For worm or lizard bodies, longer shanks work better. At the same time, shorter shanks are specifically ideal for live minnows. Hooks come in various colors like gold, red, bronze, and black.
3. Designs of Jig Heads
Jig heads are available in different sizes and designs at Fathom Jig Heads. Below given are few popular designs along with their usage-
- Tube Headed Jigs
The Tube headed jigs come in two shapes- straight and tapered cylinder. Tube jigs fit conveniently inside a tube jig’s hollow body. In this design, the hook shanks are made longer than the average size. It is done so as it helps appropriately place the hook point closer to the bait’s tail end.
- Darter Headed Jigs
This design also comes in two shapes- cone and bullet-shaped. It contains a streamlined profile. This streamlined profile assists the jig in easily cutting through water without any hassle. Darter Headed Jigs are found very convenient for fishing currents.
- Round Headed Jigs
I have already mentioned in this article that round-headed jigs are the first choice of anglers. It is very popular among all kinds of fishers- whether beginners or experts. A huge reason behind this fame is the symmetrical styled head. This symmetrical style helps in cutting through water not only effectively but also quickly. The hook shank of this head sits flat, and the eye points directly in the upward position.
- Football Headed Jigs
As the name suggests, it resembles a football. The hook eye of this type of jig is placed directly in the center and pointing the ends in the left-right directions. It has a rounded design that helps it climb over tough areas like rocky regions, and you just have to keep retrieving it slowly. Football-headed jigs come with wide and curved heads that restraints them from tipping over the bottom.
- Stand-Up Heads styled Jigs
They feature an even bottom design that lies on the end when immobile, locating the hook at a 45-degree angle. This jig bottom design sources water confrontation. Being water-resistant, it decelerates the bait’s fall.
- Horse Headed Jigs
In this kind of jig, the blades are placed in the opposite direction of the hook eye. This placement is specially crafted to hold swivels and spinner blades.
- Airplane Headed Jigs
Following the principal structure of an airplane, this kind of jigs does have wings on their sides. These wings are very helpful to catch water as the jig sinks inside, ensuing in a spiraling downfall.
4. Details about Collars of the Jig heads
Collars are placed straight after the jig head. They have different functions and are available in many variants. Barbed collars are particularly used for capturing plastic baits tightly and preventing them from sliding down the hook. Then there are ball collars that have a very small nub to clutch plastics. Ball collars prove to be very useful as they help in averting thread from sliding down the hook. This sliding down of thread usually occurs when a jig is garbed with hair or feathers. Some advanced collars also have a screw lock feature in them that helps wire holders seize plastic figures. Other designs of collars that are quite popular are- straight collars, live bait jigs, etc.
5. How to choose the perfect-colored Jig Head
The color of your jig plays a very vital role in tricking fishes. It has to be a great combination so that you could easily reach your target. However, the choice of color depends upon the weather or fishing conditions and the angler’s confidence. Most fishers use two-tone jigs to attract their prey. You can go for any kinds of color, natural, fluorescent, primary, glow, and metallic, based on the fishing condition. It is often recommended to have a protective clear coat on your jigs to make them water-resistant.
Once the color is chosen, now you have to paint your jig head. There are standard painting procedures defined to coloring your jig ideally. You can try dipping them in liquid or powder but take care not to paint the eyes as well. To prevent uneasiness, you can purchase a handy tool for erasing paint from the eyes.
6. Some more features of Jig Head that you must be aware of
Do you know about Rattles? Rattles help the anglers in catching more fish. Another additional feature is the presence of an extra eye at the back of the head. This extra eye is present to attach snelled stinger hooks. It helps in capturing light biters. Next are weed and brush guards. These jigs help in safeguarding the hook from catching weeds or wood. A weed guard consists of plastic bristles. At the same time, a brush guard contains wire strands.
7. Jig Bait Body Materials
The body of a Jig bait adds bulk and profile to the hook shank. Some very famous kinds of jig bait body materials are- Lightweight Jigs. These are believed to be great finesse baits. Then there are some heavy baits, which are very beneficial as they hastily pierce the canopy of weeds. Bass Jigs, better known as Flipping jigs, are one favorite kind of body material of anglers. Many anglers prefer to add a trailer on the hook of their jig heads to enhance the bait’s profile. Other jigs are dressed up with hair or feathers, for example, Bucktail and Marabou. The material in these is properly tied to the jig’s collar to create the formation of a great body.
Conclusion
Jig designs are highly dependent upon the fishing conditions and various other factors. No matter how enthusiastic you are about using it, you should not fail to take proper caution while handling it. If your jig contains lead metal, then you must be extra careful because lead can cause some serious health damage if not tackled properly. You must refrain from putting your hands in your mouth after using jigs and wash them regularly while fishing. Moreover, caution apart, if used properly, Jigs can prove to be real fun. No one can deny that it does help you catch much more fishes than you would have caught using any other kind of fishing lure. These were the seven untold factors about jig heads that every fishing lover should know. Do check them out and apply them if you haven’t.