Puts more fish on the end of your line
It’s been said by many an angler that a jig is a jig regardless of brand or advertising claims. Truth is, the modern jig fisherman has so many jig shapes, sizes and designs to pick from that this adage is no longer true. A jig isn’t just a jig anymore, but rather a somewhat sophisticated fishing tool that can make or break walleye fishing success on any given day.
Jig design plays a huge role in how these lures function and for the record can and often does help anglers catch more of the fish that bite. The more an angler learns about jig designs and jig fishing strategies, the more successful they will become on the ice and for early season river jigging. It’s amazing how something as simple as a hook molded into a chuck of lead can play such a major role in modern fishing methods.
Long Shank or Short Shank
It’s fairly easy to divide jig designs into easily understood categories. A couple such categories include long shank and short shank hook designs. For decades the long shank hook design so common on ball head style jigs dominated the jigging scene. Then some smart cookie decided that shortening up the hook shank would make a more compact and useful jig fishing tool. Quickly, the short shank jig became known as the “live bait” jig, because for the most part these jig designs are not intended to hold soft plastic grubs, but rather designed to present live baits like minnows.
The adage that a little information is a dangerous thing applies in this case. Because short shank (live bait) style jigs have become so widely popular, anglers frequently use them for applications they clearly weren’t designed for.
Case in point, the ice fisherman after walleye is forced to vertical jig by the vary nature of ice fishing. River fishermen also spend a considerable amount of time vertical jigging.
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