Biggest jig size for trout one would use?

[smalljaw]

What is the biggest size jig you trout gurus would use on a regular basis to get trout? The reason I ask is my neighbors friend spied the marabou jigs I made for the neighbors son and asked me if I could tie some up for trout. Of course I was in a hurry and didn't have time to talk but I said it wouldn't be a problem and an hour later I was looking around my molds and realized the smallest jig I can pour is a 1/16oz and the smallest hook I can use is a #6, so I need to know if that is considered too big. I fished for trout a lot when I was healthy but I used 1/8oz and 1/16oz spinners, trout magnets on floats, and meal and wax worms on size #10 and #12 hooks. The thing is I've been doing nothing but bass fishing for so long that a size #2 hook looks small to me and I could imagine a #10 jig hook so I'm hoping for help here guys, thanks.

 

[Fatman]

Which mold do you have for the 1/16th??? I have the 1/16th - 1/32nd mold with and without collars, and I've poured the 1/32nd no collar down to a #10 jig hook. Overall size depending on water for me would be 1/32nd, but could go up to 1/16th. If they're going to be used on a fly rod 1/32nd down to 1/80 or 1/100th.

 

[smalljaw]

Which mold do you have for the 1/16th??? I have the 1/16th - 1/32nd mold with and without collars, and I've poured the 1/32nd no collar down to a #10 jig hook. Overall size depending on water for me would be 1/32nd, but could go up to 1/16th. If they're going to be used on a fly rod 1/32nd down to 1/80 or 1/100th.

I have my walleye mold with a collar and a roundhead without but I was looking at getting another mold down to 1/32. I had some 1/64oz jigs I tied on and they came out ok but nothing to write home about plus with my fat fingers the super small jigs like a lot of guys make isn't going to happen. The jigs aren't going to be fished on a fly rod, they will be on an ultra light spinning rod so a 1/32oz tied up will be about the lightest jig you could probably cast with a spinning rod unless you use a float. Would a size #6 be too big as far as hooks go, maybe going down to a #8 but that would probably be the smallest I would go and I'm not ready to buy another mold to tie jigs for fish I don't target. Up to now has just been an experiment for me as I wanted to see if crappie style jigs would work for bass and the experiment is working and it is why I keep on tying. I love the different materials but I would like to make some trout size jigs but they would be on the larger end which is why I wanted to know how big is too big.

 

[SaltyBuckster]

I would say to ask him what waters he fishes.Anything in a stream a 1/32 with a size 8 hook would be the biggest that I would use.1/64 oz with an size 8 being the favorite around here.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I've tied 1/8 oz bunny zonkers on a #2 sickle for a friend who fishes tailwaters below major dams for brown trout.Heads were poured from a walleye jig mold with recessed eye. He's been catching some nice browns up to 22 inches with them. My biggest trout were caught on 1/32 - 1/64 on #6 to #12 hooks. This year with drought conditions and low clear water #10 and #12 have worked the best.

 

[jiggerjohn]

I generally use a 1/24 oz or 1/32 oz roundhead for my Boolies, sporting a no 8 VMC hook(size 0 propeller) for trout in streams or shallow lakes. However, this Spring we hit an unusual weed growth extending far out from the shoreline in our local trout lake. So my son & I began using bigger Boolies on Hawn Jigs 1/14 oz HU head with size 2& 4 hooks, and a no. 2 propeller blade for increased dropping resistance & added flash out in deeper,darker water. We'd reel it a bit,then allow it to glide down toward bottom. Got some of our biggest trout ever, and lots of em! Heck, trout from 14" up have pretty darn big mouths & I can never understand the fly guys need for size 18 hooks!!

 

[smalljaw]

Thanks for all the help guys!! I talked to the guy last night and he confirmed what you all said, he wants heads in 1/32 and 1/16 with size #8 and #6 hooks. Right now I can do the 1/16 with #6 hooks but I would need to get a new mold but he told me that he fishes with a bunch of guys that use marabou jigs most of the time as they are looking for big trout, not the 7" variety that is common to waters I've fished and if I got the mold they would buy all I could make so I may be gettingh into trout size jigs. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Fatman]

The ballhead no collar is a popular mold. If they want sickles in the heads you may need to dry fit them before casting so it doesn't slow you down. Unless you want to make the round circle for the eyelet oblong shaped WITHOUT nicking the back edge or you'd end up with a lead encased eyelet.

 

[smalljaw]

The ballhead no collar is a popular mold. If they want sickles in the heads you may need to dry fit them before casting so it doesn't slow you down. Unless you want to make the round circle for the eyelet oblong shaped WITHOUT nicking the back edge or you'd end up with a lead encased eyelet.

I learned the hard way that sickle hooks from Matzuo are inconsistant. In fact a lot of vendors won't take the bad ones back anymore and the last time I got them I got 1000 and had close to 300 bad ones that didn't fit in my mold. They are great hooks and would be more widely used if they had some kind of quality control.

 

[LedHed]

sj - check out the Patterns/recipes, tutorials, & gallery for some great ideas. The mni marabou would be fish catchin money maker (easy to tye + cheap on materials).

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

As long as the 300 aren't bent or have open eyes don't get rid of them.I have molds that I'm sure they will fit. It's pretty common to get Matzuo's with the 90 degree leg that's too short or too long and I've always been able to find a mold that they fit. I'd pour some for you.

 

[smalljaw]

As long as the 300 aren't bent or have open eyes don't get rid of them.I have molds that I'm sure they will fit. It's pretty common to get Matzuo's with the 90 degree leg that's too short or too long and I've always been able to find a mold that they fit. I'd pour some for you.

JJ1, I sent them back to Capt. Hooks and they took them back but told me the quality control is so bad that they aren't going to give refunds on them as at least 25% have problems and you got it right, the legs are either too long or short and the eyes were open. I tried closing the open eyes and some I could and some broke so I sent back the ones that I had no use for. I have 14 molds but most are for bass fishing but I am going to get a minnow head mold and a round head without a collar mold and try tying the smaller jigs for trout and crappie. But now that I know you will take the odd ones JJ1 I may just get some more sickle hooks.

 

[Fatman]

x2 with JJ. I always try to dry fit the sickles in my molds. As JJ said if not one mold another. I've sent close to 700 sickles back to Matzuo and I always complain to them about the eyelet shank length. So far they've always replaced them.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Since this year I concentrated on trout jigging I can opinionate with a bit more experience. For stillwater shoreline casting & handling 1/24 is my minimum head weight. For river fishing I needed more weight to reach mid-current runs into pools, with 1/14 best choice. Of course, heavier jigs up to 1/5 cast farther but had to be retrieved faster to keep off bottom and had a higher hookup drop off rate.

In general, the heavier the jig the EZer a head snapping rainbow can kick it off. Also in general, too fast a retrieve will not get the bite frequency of slower. JiggerJohn and I concur that usually the smallest and lightest jig appropriate for a situation will account for best #s and species diversity, but sometimes bigger fish simply are more attracted to bigger jigs. So, in the area I recently fished where fish under 15" were considered small, #2 hooks on 1/14 or heavier heads were not oversize.

One example of bigger is better - my flyguy camping neighbor was flailing his usual #12s-20s and not getting bit, but switching to his max wooly streamer bumped his personal best 19" up to a ferocious 24" hook jaw brownie. Dude managed to get it into his 20" net but after releasing he was shaking and dazed - he couldn't recall I kept reminding him during the battle what an unusually beautiful bright coppery sheen the fish had. But then, this is the Miracle Mile.

For smaller fish tho 1/32 #8 and 1/16 #6 should cover most still or slow water trouting apps.