Jig Heads

A jig head consists of a hook that is moulded with a lead sinker which gives the lure both its weight and aids in its action. They are usually covered by a soft plastic lure, to attract fish with a vertical jerking motion or a technique known as slow rolling, whereby the lure is retrieved in a slow constant wind keeping it parallel to the bottom. Jig heads vary in style, hook size and weight so that you can choose the most relevant fish presentation depending on your target species. They are versatile, being used in both fresh and saltwater environments and are available in weedless/snagless designs.

As you can imagine, choosing the right jig head style is imperative to the success of your session. One popular option is the weedless or snagless style, allowing you to cast into areas where you might usually snag but with the hook sitting flush to the top of the plastic, it will glide right past snags without getting hung up. When a fish bites down on a weedless lure, the hook is exposed and it's time to put up a fight and reel your catch in.

Another option is the hidden weight system, popular among the light tackle species such as bream, whiting and flathead. The weight is simply hidden inside the plastic and provides a subtle, even sink as opposed to a head-forward sink. It makes for an excellent choice when casting for bream against boat hulls or pontoons as the plastic will softly bounce off the structure without scaring the fish.

Tackle Tactics (TT) have recently released a new head-lock system based off the traditional weight-forward jig head that ensure no soft plastics come off the jig no matter how tough the fish bites. It is vital that if you are using a super stretchy plastic such as a Z-Man grub that you use this type of jig head as help lock the plastic into position.

You need to consider the area you're fishing, how deep, how much current and how quickly you want the soft plastic to sink. Think about how your target fish feeds. For example, if you're chasing some snapper, you'll likely want the soft plastic to drop slowly and drift naturally until you jig it up and let it slowly sink again, so a lighter jig head is desired. However, a heavy head will come in handy for pelagic fish like tuna to provide a long cast and for a quick sink to flathead feeding on the sea floor.

The hook size that you want will vary depending on what dressing you'll use and the target fish species. Always match the hook size to the plastic. As a general rule of thumb, 5” plastic needs a 5/0 hook and a 7” plastic needs a 7/0 hook. This is true for most types of plastics except for grubs where the tail is included in the length therefore 4” grub would need a 2/0 hook.