Does paint really matter?

[luremaker]

I had a guy ask me that question not too long ago at my store. "Does paint on a jig head really matter?"

Well, I answered him the best way I could. "At times, yes it does. At other times, no it doesn't. But, I always paint my jig heads if for no other reason than to keep the lead head from getting the white fuzzies after it's been in the tackle box for awhile."

I like a painted head, but will admit that I only fish painted heads on bucktail, marabou, etc. type jigs. For fishing plastics I just use an unpainted jig head.

For selling purposes I KNOW it makes a difference. For actual fishing...well again, at times it does make a difference.

So, what do you think? Does paint really matter?

Yes, No, Maybe sometimes?

 

[Barefoot]

I like the answer you gave him. Unfinished heads will work fine but if you are tying, your jig will look "unfinished"

 

[Fatman]

I like all mine painted

A buddy made me some of the Mo's grubs to match my paint jobs think they look way better than with just a plain head

 

[luremaker]

The secret to selling jigs is to catch the fisherman, not the fish!

 

[Kdog]

I paint everything. even the lead heads for tubes which are gonna be hidden. Have not always done this but last summer grabbed an older box and those gray nasty yucky unpainted heads were an embarrasment.

 

[BucktailJiger]

Mainly fish the river and 98% of the time a raw head is what I use . Do at times find the need for a colored head .

 

[AllenOK]

I started tying a few jigs a couple years ago, shortly after I started tying flies. I realized that I had all the stuff, why not?

However, I wasn't painting the heads, just tying onto bare lead.

Now, I'm painting all my heads. As an artist, I feel they look unfinished and/or unprofessional is they aren't painted. That said, I will fish a bare head with a tube or a grub. However, I have not actually used soft plastic in about a year. Go figure....

 

[plateboater]

Pink out performed all colors today.....4 rods with two jigs each. When I fish the IL or MS for saugers or walleyes they are painted. When I started to pour with my uncle mainly for the river.....they (Uncle and pals) were so extreme to have bronze and gold hooks swearing not only does color make a difference but some days hook color (outcome was double the work). And that was 25 years ago.

 

[hookup]

I'm like kdog, I paint everything.

But I was one told that "Color only matters when it matters, but when it matters, it really matters!" and that made sense

 

[Jig Man]

I'll fish a painted head before I'll fish an unpainted head... Every time!

 

[mjs]

I'll agree with the sometimes it makes a big difference. If I leave it plain I clear coat to keep it silver/grey. It's a colour too.

 

[LedHed]

Like mjs said - silver/gray is a "color too". And you are wise to seal the "plain jig" with a clear coat to prevent oxidation and contamination of your jig storage container. I also consider phosphorescent and UV enhanced colors really important as well. So - for me - yes, color matters.
For me, a colored head is an asset but the trigger mechanism (for the jig) is in the action.....

 

[Pup]

Sometimes? E.g. Egg-sucking leech patterns for steelhead and coho salmon.

 

[Shoemoo]

I mainly fish jigs for crappie, and they can be a picky, picky fish when it comes to color. One day they might hit anything and everything. Another day they might key in on certain colors and turn up their fishy noses at anything else. Colored heads just give you one more color in the mix.

Like say for instance they've decided they only want to bite on a jig with red and chartreuse today. If you throw a jig with an unpainted head, chartreuse body and white tail it will probably get ignored. But if you throw a jig with a red head, chartreuse body and white tail they would give it their attention.

 

[Uncle Grump]

Some years ago, I was having a nice morning w/ the crappie - was fishing a white head, w/ yellow marabou. For shnits and giggles, I started trying other jig colors. The bite dropped, way, way off. Went back to the original jig, and bang, bang, bang - fish on.

That morning, color mattered.

UG