Jigs in the rocks?

[AtticaFish]

I want to hear your feedback on what kind of heads anyone uses for fishing right down on the rocks. I tend to use alot of darter or minnow shape heads for most of my fishing just because i like the look of them, but they snag up pretty bad if you let them down into either rip-rap or bedrock bottom.

So what shape/style head do you think will snag in the rocks the least?

Would like to use them in the 1/8 - 1/2 oz. range for either tying or with plastic trailers... open to any suggestions.

 

[cadman]

I sell so many bass jigs, and hands down it is the football jig. All the guys tell me that it is without a doubt the best jig to use. Now as far as hook eye, straight or flat eye that is a difference of opinion. The flat eye hook is turned up so when you drag the jig on the bottom it will not abrade the line. The regular hook works as well. I personally like and fish the flat hook eye hooks. I fish from a boat most of the time so I can't comment about jig loss. But if you're fishing from shore I would still say that the football jig is still your best choice. Just my opinion.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Definitely football heads. I still lose my share of those.The places I fish for smallies eat jigs like candy and I can get 3-5 times more casts on a football head than any other head before the rock monsters eat it.

 

[jiggerjohn]

I fish very rocky bottoms along stone piers/breakwalls in Lake Erie and find that Hawnjigs' little 1/16 Spoonie jighead allows me to walk the rocks without too much trouble. In fact I get him to pour these in tin and without a neck, so they are even lighter & glide better, the lesser weight helping to thwart snags & glide "more lightly". Come to think of it, I caught a nice bunch of largemouth just this morning on this head, a rabbit fur throat and my all time most productive plastic -the Brewer 3" bass grub.

Also some years back we adjusted football heads to even improve their rock snaglessness - we put 1/16 oz lead football heads upside down in a vice and pounded em flat with a hammer-these grew to about the size of a quarter; we named em "wide glides"!

 

[Hawnjigs]

Here's a pic of the "No Neck Spoonies" JJ2 was referring to - actually Cabela's Wobble Jigs with the barb collars trimmed off for tying.

View attachment 2

I've never tried footballs, but the Wobble Jigs wide flat profile seems to maintain hook upright position and fall slower than chunky heads.

 

[Pup]

So what shape/style head do you think will snag in the rocks the least?

I agree with all who feel that wider heads alone will snag up less.

However, head shape matters little to me when I use bulky chenille-bodied jigs for smallmouth bass fishing in rivers.

Here are some examples of 1/4-oz. ball heads with either a #1 or 1/0 hook.



Use a #5 chenille for body bulk to exceed the head diameter. You can open the hook gap should you feel uncomfortable with their potential for hookups. Solidly-affixed googly eyes don't hurt the jig either and widen the head like a football.

Where I fish, the jig heads become flat-topped by days end. I lose very few of these to rock bottoms. You can "take them to the bank".

 

[AtticaFish]

Lots of good info here! I know i do have some of the football heads so will try those first. The wobble jigs look interesting as well, will have to think about getting some of them.

Pup - Yes, i have noticed the fatter style tubes i use do not hang up nearly like the thinner super-do's i also use.

I have some spearmenting to do....

 

[Hawnjigs]

The CWJ mold is out of production scarce & in high demand so I had to pay way over Do-it's current retail for mine on eBay. If you don't have access to a mold & want to sample a few heads, PM your address.

 

[cadman]

I agree with all who feel that wider heads alone will snag up less.

However, head shape matters little to me when I use bulky chenille-bodied jigs for smallmouth bass fishing in rivers.

Here are some examples of 1/4-oz. ball heads with either a #1 or 1/0 hook.

Use a #5 chenille for body bulk to exceed the head diameter. You can open the hook gap should you feel uncomfortable with their potential for hookups. Solidly-affixed googly eyes don't hurt the jig either and widen the head like a football.

Where I fish, the jig heads become flat-topped by days end. I lose very few of these to rock bottoms. You can "take them to the bank".

Nice looking jigs Pup

The CWJ mold is out of production scarce & in high demand so I had to pay way over Do-it's current retail for mine on eBay. If you don't have access to a mold & want to sample a few heads, PM your address.

Hawn, I didn't know they stopped production on those molds. I bought mine two years ago, and yes it is a good seller. The mold is still a P.I.T.A to work with but oh well.

 

[Pup]

Thanks for the comment Cadman.

 

[snake River]

after making jigs for bass fisherman for years I have found no 100% snag proof jigs .we have tried everything that you guys have mentioned plus build a few with snag proof spurning they only seem to get snagged up in the rocks regardless if I'm fishing off the bank or in a boat.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Since snags are unavoidable in uneven rock areas, I resign to lose 10 jigs per session to minimize use of 4 letter words.

Aside from lighter weight which may compromise casting & handling, snag resistance features on a jig might = less hooking ability. For example:
1. Smaller hook size.
2. Narrower hook gap distance between point and shank.
3. Shorter bite distance between point and eye/head.
4. Point turned down towards shank.
5. Weedguards or other head features that shadow the point.
Since feature #1 automatically includes #2 & #3, I prefer to use the smallest hook practical most of the time. As others have noted, a tip resistant widened head design that keeps the hook point upright is also a big help.

JiggerJohn has devised a bassin' system using #8 & possibly smaller hooks !

 

[AtticaFish]

Thanks for the input. Yeah, not really looking for a "silver bullet" of a stlye that will never hang up, just get frustrated on some days. When using any pointed (minnow/darter) shaped heads, if i even knick the rocks i am happy to get my jig back because that point must wedge in easy!!

BTW - the four letter words start out of my mouth after about the 2nd jig lost and only gets worse from there....

 

[jiggerjohn]

An often overlooked factor in jigging rocky areas is the condition of a hook after fishing such areas. Most often I'm using a sharp sickle hook, sized 2 to 6 (but sometimes smaller). From pinging off rocks and sometimes snagging (and "shooting" or slingshotting the lure free with tightened &quickly released mono) the point can nick up & dull. Yes, it's easy & prudent to change jigs. However, when home I sure don't want to throw away an especially hot jig ! So I borrowed from the expert knife makers and "strop" my sickle hooks back to a keen edge. All that is needed is the cardboard back of a writing tablet (or even a cereal box) and "polish" the hook point by rubbing a few times to remove micro-burrs and unseen scratches . Cardboard stropping is widely known among blade enthusiasts as an instant way to maintain a true razor edge. Try it on your used ,rock hopping killers and you'll discover that you may be throwing these "seconds" with sharper hooks than the original factory supplied points!

 

[Hawnjigs]

"Cadman" when you said you bought a Wobble Jig mold, I searched & found it for sale at Cabela's for way less then I paid!

http://www.cabelas.com/p-0011109311862a.shtml

 

[cadman]

"Cadman" when you said you bought a Wobble Jig mold, I searched & found it for sale at Cabela's for way less then I paid!

http://www.cabelas.com/p-0011109311862a.shtml

Hawn,
That's where I bought mine. I originally wanted to buy it from Do-It molds but was told that Cabela's has the patent on it, and only they can sell the mold. I guess the molds still are available after all from Cabela's.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Does anyone use Do-it Sparkie head jigs - if so are they snag resistant? I just poured a few heads, too bizzy to tie or test for awhile, but they seem to be very hook point upright balanced on a table top. In fact, its impossible to lay them sideways or upside down, as they just boing right back up.

View attachment 8

 

[cadman]

Hawn,
I use them in open water with minimal weeds, and the stay true dragged on the bottom or swimmed. I like them along with the Arky jig for this type of presentation. BTW what type of hooks do you have in that pic above?

 

[Hawnjigs]

Those are Sea Armor finish O'Shaughnessy Sickles 133050 #2 & 1/0. Bought a box each thru "Laserdoc" when he was dealing Sickles last year & when he quit hook meistering I contacted Matzuo for more & they said they didn't have any. (???) They're 90* but can be cast in the 60* Sparkie mold.

 

[cadman]

Those are Sea Armor finish O'Shaughnessy Sickles 133050 #2 & 1/0. Bought a box each thru "Laserdoc" when he was dealing Sickles last year & when he quit hook meistering I contacted Matzuo for more & they said they didn't have any. (???) They're 90* but can be cast in the 60* Sparkie mold.

Thanks Very Much for the info.