Gents/Ladies,

I need your expert advice on jig colors. I used to carry a varied selection of jig colors. However I recently read Stu's BWJ Grand Slam series for walleye and he had suggested carrying only yellow jigs with yellow twister tails.

So, I happily converted over to all yellow with a few orange sizes thrown in (mostly because I love fishing with them for their visibility in really murky water). This last fall I made my first trip up the Horse River in October and camped at LWB. I had my PMAX 170 and I could find the fish on the BW river as well as Crooked at different times during the day but nothing was biting--- at least on what I was throwing---on a yellow jig/yellow twister tail.

I chose to ignore the prescient advice of others on this forum which had reported that purple was the color of choice at that time of year. Does everyone else change color presentations per month/season? It seems like such a basic question but I'm reconsidering my color choices, i.e. yellow for May/June, maybe black/leeches for the July/August period?
and I'm a bit lost on which colors I might choose. I don't want to carry a wide selection of jig sizes/weights from 1/8oz.-3/8oz in 5 or 6 different colors--because the weight starts to add up!

Suggestions? All are welcome and thanks in advance!

Yellow is good, so is gold for jig color. I also like white curly tail grubs or minnows. I've only heard of the color purple being used on Rapala Tail Dancers. This is because the lure runs deep for Lakers. Purple is the last color to disappear in the color spectrum. I suppose you could use a purple jig for summer Walleyes that are hiding out in deep water.

Black, red, white, yellow, chartreuse,green,gold, and unpainted. IMO if you have these 8 you will cover 99 percent of what you need for color. Although yellow is a good color its not always the best color to use for that particular circumstance so its good to have a variety, and jig heads don't take up too much space. Now atatchments such as twister tails well that's a different story. Put a minnow or leech on the back of one of these jig heads and your odds will go up if the fish aren't biting.

I'm guessing you guys carry those in the 1/8 to 1/4 oz. size for the shoulder seasons? Heavier jigs for the middle of summer then?

I'm generally a white or unpainted. Don't forget motor oil

Seasons, weather, sun angle and other circumstances can dictate color choice. Let the fish tell you what they want. I use white, black, chartreuse, and orange mostly. Other colors will include pink, purple, gold, and silver.

quote Savage Voyageur: "Yellow is good, so is gold for jig color. I also like white curly tail grubs or minnows. I've only heard of the color purple being used on Rapala Tail Dancers. This is because the lure runs deep for Lakers. Purple is the last color to disappear in the color spectrum. I suppose you could use a purple jig for summer Walleyes that are hiding out in deep water. "

I don't think I've ever seen a gold jig head, I'll have to look for them. I have the purple/white taildancers as well as the purple thin fins. Both have been very productive in landing walleyes as well as lakers. Thanks for the suggestions!

Gander Mountain used to have a goldish/yellow in bulk by Northland. A couple of years ago they liquidated them and I bought all they had. They were/are our go to color in Canada and the BW. I always have other colors as my supply is dwindling, but that gold always outproduced. I've always seemed to do better on the yellow twisters too like Stu suggested....

quote HighnDry: "

quote Savage Voyageur: "Yellow is good, so is gold for jig color. I also like white curly tail grubs or minnows. I've only heard of the color purple being used on Rapala Tail Dancers. This is because the lure runs deep for Lakers. Purple is the last color to disappear in the color spectrum. I suppose you could use a purple jig for summer Walleyes that are hiding out in deep water. "

I don't think I've ever seen a gold jig head, I'll have to look for them. I have the purple/white taildancers as well as the purple thin fins. Both have been very productive in landing walleyes as well as lakers. Thanks for the suggestions!"

Northland sells them at Gander Mountain. I have seen some days the fish only want gold plated jigs.

quote Savage Voyageur: "

quote HighnDry: "

quote Savage Voyageur: "Yellow is good, so is gold for jig color. I also like white curly tail grubs or minnows. I've only heard of the color purple being used on Rapala Tail Dancers. This is because the lure runs deep for Lakers. Purple is the last color to disappear in the color spectrum. I suppose you could use a purple jig for summer Walleyes that are hiding out in deep water. "

I don't think I've ever seen a gold jig head, I'll have to look for them. I have the purple/white taildancers as well as the purple thin fins. Both have been very productive in landing walleyes as well as lakers. Thanks for the suggestions!"

Northland sells them at Gander Mountain. I have seen some days the fish only want gold plated jigs. "

Well, that's awesome. I'll have to bop down there sometime later this week to check them out. I should also mention that I almost exclusively use plastics, specifically Gulp leeches, Northland Impulse grubs and minnows. Those also might be part of the reason for the finicky nature of the fish I target.

quote old_salt: "Seasons, weather, sun angle and other circumstances can dictate color choice. Let the fish tell you what they want. I use white, black, chartreuse, and orange mostly. Other colors will include pink, purple, gold, and silver."

Good advice OS. Do you carry this selection all season or only some colors for shoulder seasons? I would estimate that I'd need only the 1/4oz or smaller for say, May/early June to fish in the shallows. That color would most likely be exclusively yellow. As I would move into June though, it might be wise to throw in the gold, black and white jigs with heavier jigs especially if water is warming up.

I'm a reformed engineer so I look for precision and order in things --- even if it can't be imposed on nature!

Lots of good advice here. The last few years I have had great success with Northlands multi color jig heads. Bubblegum, and Firetiger seem to attract the Walleyes for me under lots of different conditions.

Twister tails are fine and dandy but if you have access to leeches (early spring-end of summer) forget the plastics.

As for color I have found pink, orange, yellow/chartreuse, and white are what produce best. My first choices being pink or yellow.

Probably no wrong answer..........what I have a tendency to do is to match / coordinate colors. If I am throwing a motor oil grub I will probably have a gold or copper colored jig head. A black grub will get a black jig head. etc.

If I can't find the color I want to match a plastic I will use powder paint and dip my own. I like the way they come out as they are not perfect especially if you dip over a previously painted jig head........there seems to be more depth and realism.

I am a bit fanatical about hooks and choose only premium black nickel. I am not a fan of Northland jigs as they typically are dull and /or bend out easily on bigger fish. That "flex" on the bend will sometimes prevent the hook from setting (the force being applied having been used up in bending the cheap wire instead of seating in the fishes mouth).

I am a big fan of using jig spinners with jig heads and will also custom coordinate jig head colors, grubs and purchase specific blades to match. Does it matter? Maybe, maybe not but they are nice to look at and are confidence boosters.

quote HighnDry: "

quote old_salt: "Seasons, weather, sun angle and other circumstances can dictate color choice. Let the fish tell you what they want. I use white, black, chartreuse, and orange mostly. Other colors will include pink, purple, gold, and silver."

Good advice OS. Do you carry this selection all season or only some colors for shoulder seasons? I would estimate that I'd need only the 1/4oz or smaller for say, May/early June to fish in the shallows. That color would most likely be exclusively yellow. As I would move into June though, it might be wise to throw in the gold, black and white jigs with heavier jigs especially if water is warming up.


I'm a reformed engineer so I look for precision and order in things --- even if it can't be imposed on nature!"

My list is what I carry anytime I'm in the north Country. I usually pick contrasts to start out and will have everyone using different colors until the fish tell us what they want. For example, I might use a white jighead with an orange body.

I will use bright colors on sunny days and more natural colors on cloudy, overcast days. If it's raining, white or black.

quote old_salt: "Seasons, weather, sun angle and other circumstances can dictate color choice. Let the fish tell you what they want. I use white, black, chartreuse, and orange mostly. Other colors will include pink, purple, gold, and silver."

I forgot about orange, its always good in tannin stained water.

FWIW I think jig head color is over rated. it only represents 10% +/- of the total bait surface area. I switch all over and yes I fish different colors but, I'm still not convinced its a big deal when I'm only carrying minimal tackle anyway and I don't have access to a large variety of colors, sixes, types, etc.... We always do well with white, yellow and to some extent chartreuse. We've never done real well on orange in general (I'm now talking body color since its 90% of the lure color). Caught fish but, not like other colors. A lot depends on the particular lake, water color, time of year, cloud cover, etc... Lets get down to simple. If I had to choose one color its a no brainer white. Good Luck. Legal disclaimer.......Results may vary depending on countless factors.

quote mastertangler: "Probably no wrong answer..........what I have a tendency to do is to match / coordinate colors. If I am throwing a motor oil grub I will probably have a gold or copper colored jig head. A black grub will get a black jig head. etc.


If I can't find the color I want to match a plastic I will use powder paint and dip my own. I like the way they come out as they are not perfect especially if you dip over a previously painted jig head........there seems to be more depth and realism.


I am a bit fanatical about hooks and choose only premium black nickel. I am not a fan of Northland jigs as they typically are dull and /or bend out easily on bigger fish. That "flex" on the bend will sometimes prevent the hook from setting (the force being applied having been used up in bending the cheap wire instead of seating in the fishes mouth).


I am a big fan of using jig spinners with jig heads and will also custom coordinate jig head colors, grubs and purchase specific blades to match. Does it matter? Maybe, maybe not but they are nice to look at and are confidence boosters. "

Thanks MT. Always good advice!

quote old_salt: "

quote HighnDry: "

quote old_salt: "Seasons, weather, sun angle and other circumstances can dictate color choice. Let the fish tell you what they want. I use white, black, chartreuse, and orange mostly. Other colors will include pink, purple, gold, and silver."

Good advice OS. Do you carry this selection all season or only some colors for shoulder seasons? I would estimate that I'd need only the 1/4oz or smaller for say, May/early June to fish in the shallows. That color would most likely be exclusively yellow. As I would move into June though, it might be wise to throw in the gold, black and white jigs with heavier jigs especially if water is warming up.



I'm a reformed engineer so I look for precision and order in things --- even if it can't be imposed on nature!"

My list is what I carry anytime I'm in the north Country. I usually pick contrasts to start out and will have everyone using different colors until the fish tell us what they want. For example, I might use a white jighead with an orange body.


I will use bright colors on sunny days and more natural colors on cloudy, overcast days. If it's raining, white or black."

Good points. I forgot about weather conditions affecting one's jig color/bait choices. I have a chart somewhere that specifies that. I'll have to dig it out. I'm still left with choices I guess :)

quote BnD: "FWIW I think jig head color is over rated. it only represents 10% +/- of the total bait surface area. I switch all over and yes I fish different colors but, I'm still not convinced its a big deal when I'm only carrying minimal tackle anyway and I don't have access to a large variety of colors, sixes, types, etc.... We always do well with white, yellow and to some extent chartreuse. We've never done real well on orange in general (I'm now talking body color since its 90% of the lure color). Caught fish but, not like other colors. A lot depends on the particular lake, water color, time of year, cloud cover, etc... Lets get down to simple. If I had to choose one color its a no brainer white. Good Luck. Legal disclaimer.......Results may vary depending on countless factors."

Thanks BnD. Good points!

My philosophy on jig colors ...

1. The head color does not matter. I always buy plain dark grey metal heads because they're the cheapest.

2. The bait color depends on water color and season. My go-to is always a natural color..typically brown/green but whatever sorta looks like the available forage . .close is good enough. Size is more important, imo.

3. The only time I really go for an unnatural color is because of water clarity . .if the fish can't see it, they can't bite it! And at night - fish can see dark baits better than light colored ones. So . .my bait selection usually includes 80% natural colors . .15% whites, yellows and reds . .and 5% blacks and purples.

I'll adjust if I know I'm going somewhere with different requirements . .like if I knew I was going to be fishing a lot of murky water, etc. But for "general purpose" fishing in relatively clear water . . this is how I go.

I have personally experienced times where the fish were biting like crazy on a bait of one color and seemingly not on anything else . .even same bait in a slightly different color . . but that has been exceedingly rare..like once or twice.

My personal record waldo was 31" and caught on, you guessed it, a white jighead with an orange tail.

My take is that one needs a certain quantity of jigheads and tails/bodies. Figure out how many of each you need to not run out. Divide that total among a variety of colors. What is the difference between 25 jigs of one color and 25 jigs covering a variety of colors? Flexibility is important if you're serious about fishing.

BTW, don't forget swimbaits. If you're not using them in your arsenal, you're missing fish.

quote old_salt: "My personal record waldo was 31" and caught on, you guessed it, a white jighead with an orange tail.


My take is that one needs a certain quantity of jigheads and tails/bodies. Figure out how many of each you need to not run out. Divide that total among a variety of colors. What is the difference between 25 jigs of one color and 25 jigs covering a variety of colors? Flexibility is important if you're serious about fishing.


BTW, don't forget swimbaits. If you're not using them in your arsenal, you're missing fish."

Have swimbaits -- I picked them up late last summer but I have to admit that I didn't really get a lot practice with them. I'll use them this upcoming season though.

I also just hunted down some gold jigs at Joe's here in the Twin Cities. Which is great because now I have even more jigs to choose from!

Yup don't forget the swimbaits

quote old_salt:
BTW, don't forget swimbaits. If you're not using them in your arsenal, you're missing fish."

+ 1 Billion !

That's a nice fish that guy landed. I doubt that I'll be able stand up in my solo as he did without flipping over the side! I didn't see what he was using in that video but I've loaded up with about 4 or 5 different swimbaits of a certain size. I should be good on those.

My tackle bag is getting heavier.....

Black and white. Black jig head or silver (metal) jig head, 1/8oz most times.

quote HighnDry: "That's a nice fish that guy landed. I doubt that I'll be able stand up in my solo as he did without flipping over the side! I didn't see what he was using in that video but I've loaded up with about 4 or 5 different swimbaits of a certain size. I should be good on those.


My tackle bag is getting heavier....."

Thats a Shadzilla. I posted about them a while back and used them to good effect on last summers trip. I talk about them and the tackle needed here

I pour jigs in 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, and 3/8 for sept. oct. no paint. Grub colors are white... and something dark(black, watermelons pepper, smoke silver glitter). Light conditions dictate color, depth + speed+presentation=weight of jighead . There is some evidence that yellow may elicit a "kill" response because it resembles egg eaters( perch, sunfish). It shows really good in tannic water, but I have never wanted to kill a four inch grub. Quick reminder, plastic does not undulate well in water less 48 degrees, cold water think about t marabou or bucktail.

gold jig head is always at the top of my list. stained water bright green's chartreuse's .

A note on swimbaits: learn how to use them on those days when you can't do anything wrong. When you are catching a boatload, pull them out and learn the nuances then... easier to gain confidence when you are catching fish. Experiment with head size and body size. Frankly, I rarely throw anything less than 5 inches. Experiment with retrieve... anything from a slow rhythmic retrieve to an aggressive rip through weeds. A few years ago I caught an 18 inch walleye on a 5 inch with the tail and a few inches of an eight inch walleye sticking out t of its face. Swimbaits are another tool... regard them that way... not a lure for all occassions. The more I use them the more I find uses for them.

quote bassnet: "A note on swimbaits: learn how to use them on those days when you can't do anything wrong. When you are catching a boatload, pull them out and learn the nuances then... easier to gain confidence when you are catching fish. Experiment with head size and body size. Frankly, I rarely throw anything less than 5 inches. Experiment with retrieve... anything from a slow rhythmic retrieve to an aggressive rip through weeds. A few years ago I caught an 18 inch walleye on a 5 inch with the tail and a few inches of an eight inch walleye sticking out t of its face. Swimbaits are another tool... regard them that way... not a lure for all occassions. The more I use them the more I find uses for them."

Do you find that these have a negative buoyancy, i.e. they sink when you cast them out? I'm guessing that a 5-inch swimbait will generally sink less than say a Mepps #5 spinner but more perhaps than an 1/8oz. ball jig? One would need to play them accordingly given whatever depth/bottom structure they would be casting into.

These are basically really large shad bodies. A 5 or6 inch swimbaits from Big Hammer can paired with a 1/2, 3/4, or 1 oz. shadhead to achieve depth, speed, presentation.... depths of to 25 ft. Can be properly worked.

quote bassnet: "These are basically really large shad bodies. A 5 or6 inch swimbaits from Big Hammer can paired with a 1/2, 3/4, or 1 oz. shadhead to achieve depth, speed, presentation.... depths of to 25 ft. Can be properly worked."

Looks like we might have some thoughts in common.......I like the big hammer baits but I gravitated to an even slightly bigger presentation. These have been winning some tournaments. I also like how they are packed......they come in their own plastic tube which makes it nice on portages. They are pricey so I don't want them getting folded and bent up. click on the video link to get an idea of the scale of these........can you say big walleye and pike candy? Might even interest some nice lakers via jigging applications.
Ben Parker swimbait

Have we hijacked a jig head thread? Not at all ;-)

Here are the jig heads I am using with these Ben Parker large swimbaits in 2 to 4oz

Barbarian sand eel jig heads

I also picked up several of the Ben Parker Nichols jig heads which are actually meant for these swim baits.

Magnum swim bait head

For those whose interest might be piqued be aware you are talking fishing different tackle than what would ordinarily be used in canoe country. large plastics and 8/0 hooks require some beef.

I will be taking some 4 and 5 inch bodies, along with one ounce heads to the White Otter area this fall. However, since we are talking 2-4 ounce heads, I think I am going to throw the practicality flag. If you have to use specialized tackle and techniques, then we are getting out of the canoe range....and especially the idea of bringing tackle capable of a variety of techniques. Fishing out of the bow of a triton, I have used up to 2ounce heads and a flipping stick......but this technique would be quite wearing in a canoe. Now, if we are talking Minnetonka........

quote old_salt: "Seasons, weather, sun angle and other circumstances can dictate color choice. Let the fish tell you what they want. I use white, black, chartreuse, and orange mostly. Other colors will include pink, purple, gold, and silver."

Same here except I usually start with gold,orange copper, then the others mentioned.

quote bassnet: "I will be taking some 4 and 5 inch bodies, along with one ounce heads to the White Otter area this fall. However, since we are talking 2-4 ounce heads, I think I am going to throw the practicality flag. If you have to use specialized tackle and techniques, then we are getting out of the canoe range....and especially the idea of bringing tackle capable of a variety of techniques. Fishing out of the bow of a triton, I have used up to 2ounce heads and a flipping stick......but this technique would be quite wearing in a canoe. Now, if we are talking Minnetonka........"

"Practicality flag"? "Quite wearing in a canoe"?

I beg to differ........You merely need the right equipment as I have pointed out both in my "tackle taken" video as well as in the thread proper. Its been 3 or 4 years ago but I fished a muskie lake out of a canoe for about a week. With the right stuff you can cast or troll all day even with 8 oz lures. Not so hard..........EZ peazy with 2 to 4 oz jig heads. My time was spent equally between trolling and casting.

However I like your plan of big swimbaits and 1 oz heads in the fall........depending on when in the fall you might get a good shallow bite. But in August I want to be able to fish a large swimbait in waters say 15 to 25ft and I may often want a fairly quick retrieve......and that means some weight if I am going to put my big honkin piece of plastic in the strike zone and keep it there efficiently wether trolling or casting.

The set up I use is a Revo reel / 65b test power pro / Loomis musky rod. The rod is not heavy and would be considered "muskie light" by most hardcore musky guys. It could double as a heavy duty flipping rod but with a bit more beef near the handle and will handle lighter stuff, such as what you are using (5" swimbait / 1 oz head) admirably.

I've had great luck with these. They are found at Fleet Farm and have a variety of sizes and colors.

I don't know if the head shape makes them move differently but they seem to work for me and there is a "super glo" version that especially nice.

Lots of good stuff on this thread. Thanks for starting it.

Slo Poke Jigs

It's interesting to see those as I've been in Fleet Farm dozens of times and can't remember running across them.

We will discuss jig fishing in our presentation at Copia. Those SLO Pokes are very good, also. They do have a little different action.

Fleet Farm is the only place I've found them and I really like them a lot. The smaller ones did well with crappies last year on Agnes/LLC and the larger ones produced some walleye.

I'm not proficient at jigging by any means so I need all the help I can get!

Lots of good ideas here. Thanks. I'm still reading through everyone's posts.

quote old_salt: "We will discuss jig fishing in our presentation at Copia. Those SLO Pokes are very good, also. They do have a little different action."

What kind of presentation are you doing?

quote shock: "gold jig head is always at the top of my list. stained water bright green's chartreuse's .

"

+1, I'm a gold jig head guy too. Went fishing a few years ago with a retired guide up here. He pulls out his jig box and it's full of gold jig heads. He said any color works as long as its gold. He felt the same about his spinner blades. Been a believer ever since....

quote QueticoMike: "

quote old_salt: "We will discuss jig fishing in our presentation at Copia. Those SLO Pokes are very good, also. They do have a little different action."

What kind of presentation are you doing?"

Wally 13 and I are co-presenting a revised and updated version of the talk we gave 3 years ago.

'Planning a Fishing-based Wilderness Canoe Trip' at 4:30 pm on Saturday in the Bear room upstairs. We will cover a range of planning issues and tactics for fishing canoe Country. Jig fishing is part of the whole discussion.

I wish you would do a video on the class that we could see. Unfortunately I can't make the March dates. It would great to see it!

quote retired55: " I wish you would do a video on the class that we could see. Unfortunately I can't make the March dates. It would great to see it!"

We tried video when we did it 3 years ago, and it didn't come out well. The rooms are blackout dark and the only light is our PowerPoint. Just not a good situation for video. I wish you could make it.

I'm ok with taking pictures of our slides.

quote old_salt: "We will discuss jig fishing in our presentation at Copia. Those SLO Pokes are very good, also. They do have a little different action."

I'll be there! What day are you guys presenting?

quote old_salt: "

quote QueticoMike: "

quote old_salt: "We will discuss jig fishing in our presentation at Copia. Those SLO Pokes are very good, also. They do have a little different action."

What kind of presentation are you doing?"

Wally 13 and I are co-presenting a revised and updated version of the talk we gave 3 years ago.


'Planning a Fishing-based Wilderness Canoe Trip' at 4:30 pm on Saturday in the Bear room upstairs. We will cover a range of planning issues and tactics for fishing canoe Country. Jig fishing is part of the whole discussion."

I kind of lost track of my own thread for awhile but I wanted to cirlce back and post up a couple of photos of some of the swimbaits that I picked up over last summer/fall. Here goes:




Northland Tackle Slurpies, 4 inch, flourescent colors.

Some Storm Wildeye Curly Tails, Pearl and Bluegill in the 4 inch length:

Shiners, 4 inch length as well:

Here are some of the jig colors/sizes that I've ended up with:



Yellow jigs in 1/8, 1/4, and 3/8th oz. More to follow.

Some black jigs in 1/4 & 1/8oz and green roundhead jigs in 3/8 and 1/4, and 1/8ounces.

This is a traveling case that I stuff in my tackle bag. It has a variety of sizes and colors as well as some bucktail jigs in the 1/4oz sizes. There are yellow and orange in 3/8, 1/4 and 1/8 as well as black, white and gold. Most of these are 1/4 and 1/8oz. The bucktails are in 1/4oz size if I remember correctly.

These are the lot of what I have. I resupply from this storage plastic which contains that bulk of the jigs that I have: pink, white, black, green, orange, and yellow in various sizes in 3/8, 1/4 and 1/8th. There are tied-bucktails in black/pink (tail/head), yellow/yellow, yellow-red/brown, black/white --- all in 1/4oz. These came from a member on this site and are great to fish with.



Looking at this picture, I recognize a couple of football-head jigs with weedguards that I haven't fished a whole lot.

HighNDry,

Looking into your tackle box and I see some blue/white colored jigs.

I am partial to using blue/white jigs when I go walleye fishing. I especially like "glow" blue/white especially in stained water.

quote HighnDry: "


Some black jigs in 1/4 & 1/8oz and green roundhead jigs in 3/8 and 1/4, and 1/8ounces."

A word of warning to the mighty High and Dry........see that green jig in the upper left? Its bent outward. I dislike bending them back as they get even easier to bend out again......the point is likely dull as well as this looks like rock work.

Not a fan of these sorts of jigs which incorporate bronze hooks. They are usually dull and weak (they flex) and can cost you a big one. Just sayin...........You can file the point to sharpen them up a bit as once they get past the point they are fine........but even then you have to really keep an eye on them as the hand filed and sharpened point on a bronze hook can weaken it even further so much so that the tip can actually break when it comes in contact with a snag or a fishes hard mouth.........there is a bit of a fine line there.

I grew up fishing bronze hooks and have caught piles of fish on them........but now I use back nickel almost exclusively. I never worry if they are sharp and they have less flex, better.

quote mastertangler: "

quote HighnDry: "



Some black jigs in 1/4 & 1/8oz and green roundhead jigs in 3/8 and 1/4, and 1/8ounces."

A word of warning to the mighty High and Dry........see that green jig in the upper left? Its bent outward. I dislike bending them back as they get even easier to bend out again......the point is likely dull as well as this looks like rock work.


Not a fan of these sorts of jigs which incorporate bronze hooks. They are usually dull and weak (they flex) and can cost you a big one. Just sayin...........You can file the point to sharpen them up a bit as once they get past the point they are fine........but even then you have to really keep an eye on them as the hand filed and sharpened point on a bronze hook can weaken it even further so much so that the tip can actually break when it comes in contact with a snag or a fishes hard mouth.........there is a bit of a fine line there.

I grew up fishing bronze hooks and have caught piles of fish on them........but now I use back nickel almost exclusively. I never worry if they are sharp and they have less flex, better. "

Fact check. Bronze and black nickle are simply finish coatings on carbon hooks. Since I have no doubt you will scoff at this please read this Hook facts . Later; )

Why would I scoff? Obviously you still don't understand me......... I like truth and intellectual honesty and gravitate to it regardless of the source and I appreciate being informed, corrected and educated.

Am I skeptical? Perhaps........what i do know is that black nickel hooks seem to be much sharper and stronger than bronze hooks.......the price certainly reflects that something is different and even the casual angler should be able to notice a distinct difference between the black and bronze hooks.

Interesting read......thanks for posting it. Maybe its all in my mind........but it sure seems like those bronze jigs bend out easy compared to the premium black nickel. I will have to chew on this for a while.

Chewing is done ;-)

Same strength......that appears that is the truth. Thank you BnD as I am a more informed angler. But what is also true is that the black nickel hooks are sharper right out of the package which has been the crux of my argument all along. As I stated previously that once a bronze hook gets past the point all is well. It seems that the bronze hooks are not quite as sharp, the tip gets hung up on some portion of the fishes hard mouth and then bingo they bend out.......giving the impression they are not as strong as the black nickel (which seems to stick them much easier and thus getting past the point and seated they give a false conclusion of being stronger) And of course the bronze hooks rust quickly further adding to dullness........

Makes sense in my world. I will stay with the black nickel thank you very much which seems to always penetrate and secure a hook-up without bending open.

MT, are you familiar with Brad Paisley's "Online" song?

Personally, I fish a variety of jig colors for walleye mostly bright for SMB mostly darker.

I've noticed certain brands do not have as strong of hooks and those hooks tend to bend. There are actually times when I steer toward those cheaper jigs that will open up just a little bit. I use them only when fishing the Mississippi River from shore. I do a ton of jigging from shore and like any river in the spring its full of snags. When I fish a hook that will open up a little when enough tension is applied I am able to pull hooks out of more snags which saves me a bunch of time retying every few minutes. The trick is to find the right brand that will bend just enough to open up but not straighten out. Joes Sporting Goods in St. Paul had a bulk pack that I found to be perfect.

I also haven't noticed an increase in lost fish if you get ones that only open a little. In order to open up the gap in the hook the pressure needs to be on the very far point of the hook. If you hook a fish odds are you won't have just the point of the hook in the fish, if you do you won't be able to apply enough pressure for that hook to open the gap, the hook will tear out of the fish long before that happens.

For sure you do need to keep an eye on the point of the hook to make sure you maintain a sharp point. If you do that 99% of the time when you hook a fish you'll get that hook buried deep enough that you aren't putting pressure on the point of the hook during the fight.

This is all just from my personal experience so results may very. I spent countless hours of fishing in a snag rich environment along the Mississippi river that holds a ton of quality fish during the spring. Since having kids I haven't had time to fish that area as much. I used to spend every night fishing for 3-4 hours each night from March-middle of May along the river and did that for many years. Caught a TON of quality walleye and smallies with a lot of big carp mixed in for a real battle. Get a 15 pound carp out into the main river channel during the spring high/fast water and you've got a battle on your hands.

quote BnD: "MT, are you familiar with Brad Paisley's "Online" song?


Personally, I fish a variety of jig colors for walleye mostly bright for SMB mostly darker."

Nope but I'm a glutton for punishment so why don't you provide a link and you can show your colors.

Hey I found it BnD......inventive lyrics indeed!

But I prefer a little brotherly love in my music selections

quote Wally13: "HighNDry,


Looking into your tackle box and I see some blue/white colored jigs.


I am partial to using blue/white jigs when I go walleye fishing. I especially like "glow" blue/white especially in stained water."

Wally13, I'll have to dust those off and get them out there this Spring. I plan to be in Quetico in May. I recall a group of guys showing up in Harlan's shop in Red Lake one afternoon, searching for "blue jigs only". They claimed that was what the walleye were hitting on. So, there's precedence :)

MT,

Thanks for the tip on the hook gaps. I remember encountering a very accomplished angler in Quetico who demonstrated slightly bending out his beetlespin hooks to improve hooksets. I probably bent that one out that you noticed in the picture.

I certainly need to sharpen up my jigs as this is one part of my prep that I don't do enought of -- might explain my lack of success!

Tip on hook gaps? Me? I don't remember, must of been yesterday......just so we are clear.....I pointed that jig out in the pic as one I wouldn't fish with.

My basic rule of thumb is the smaller the gap the lighter and more flexible the tackle needs be. You can stick a big walleye with a #8 or even a #10 214 style Eagle Claw (as per "Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers" ) but you would want mono and a limber rod. A short stiff rod especially with braid is likely a pulled hook even if you did manage to gain a purchase. Longer rods and mono have a distinct knack of setting small hooks IMO.

Let's talk hook sharpening sometime on another thread.

If you want to do better jig fishing High / Dry then ditch the straight braid, go lighter on your mono, secure the jig via a gryp knot (Tie Fast tool) or use a fas snap to tie the light mono to in order to get 100% strength. This works well up to about 1/4 oz and 6lb clear mono. Back reeling when Mr Big crashes the party is helpful.