Secrets of Successful Fishing: Choosing a Jig Head. Jig Basics for Beginners How to Make a Jig Bait

Floating heads for spinning with silicone lures - a chapter from Viktor Andreev's book "Soft lures for spinning". Twisters, vibrating tails, passive jigs, jig heads, rigging, playing, wiring, fishing with silicone lures, tips for novice spinners.

Floating heads for fishing with silicone lures

In addition to heavy lead jig heads, floating heads are also used when fishing with silicone lures. Larger and more loaded options usually work on the surface of the water, especially overgrown with algae. Smaller floating heads without loading are effective for bottom guidance on special equipment with a sinker and a diverter leader.

Photo 1. Floating heads on a bottom drive rig.

Floating heads for surface fishing with silicone lures

Recently, soft plastic lures are increasingly used when fishing on the surface of the water. But here they must be equipped with special floating heads. These are either ready-made options from light materials, or homemade loaded heads made of cork or foam (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Floating heads:
a, b) imported heads made of ultralight materials;
c) cork diving compound; d) surface cork ..

Making the latter is not difficult at all. A suitable hook is taken, a cylinder is cut out of the cork, in the lower part of which a lead load is attached. The harder we want to load, the more we have to take the plug. The front of the head is often chamfered to improve play. If the sharp edge is at the bottom (Fig. 14c), then during pulling such a head will dive and, conversely, the sharp edge at the top (Fig. 14d) will force the bait to go along the surface itself “with a wave”. And if you make a notch in the front end, like in poppers, then our head will also “gurgle”.

Better yet, make a compound model with the hook slipping loosely over the back loop of the cork.

The floating heads are successfully used when fishing for pike “over the grass”, as well as for asp and perch during the fight.

Floating heads for fishing with silicone lures at the bottom

There is another option for fishing with floating heads - at the bottom of a non-leash rig with heavy weights. In this case, the load is dragged along the bottom with stops, and the bait on a long leash follows, then deepening with pulls, then surfacing at stops. The floating head itself is often chamfered for better play in both horizontal and vertical planes.

Fig. 3. Bottom rig with floating head.

The simplest home-made version of a floating head is a long hook with a ball or cylinder made of polystyrene or polyethylene foam unfinished on the fore-end with the necessary buoyancy margin.

Photo 4. Homemade floating heads.

On such a floating head, the bait is always in the bottom layer, while periodically sinking and rising above the bottom, which often provokes even a passive perch.

Fig. 5. Bottom wire harness with floating head.

This fishing method is a special spinning rig, with the help of which predatory fish are caught in various water horizons, including those closer to the bottom.

As a rule, trophy specimens prefer to be at a depth and stay at a considerable distance from the coast. Therefore, it is more effective to get a trophy pike or zander with jig equipment.

For jig equipment, jig lures are produced. They consist of two parts: the bait itself and a jig head, of a certain weight and a certain shape. The weight of the jig head is selected depending on the fishing conditions. At great depths, heavy baits are used, and on the shallows, lighter ones. The shape of the bait is matched to the nature of the bottom of the reservoir. If the bottom is muddy, then it is preferable to opt for a jig head with a flat base.

The basis of any spinning fishing is the nature of the bait wiring. It is obtained as a result of the movement of the rod and the reel of the line reel. At first glance, everything is very simple and accessible. In fact, everything is much more complicated and success comes as a result of long training.

The choice of a jig rod is a very important factor in your fishing performance. The characteristics of the rod must correspond to the characteristics of the bait, otherwise it will not be possible to carry the bait believably and hook the fish in time. The spinner must feel and control the bait. It is very important to decide on the fishing conditions: either from the shore, or from a boat. Only after determining the main factors that you will have to face while fishing, you should start choosing a spinning rod.

If fishing will be carried out from a boat, then a long spinning rod is absolutely unnecessary. On the contrary, with a shorter one, it is much more convenient to catch a predator from a boat. Therefore, a spinning rod with a length of 1.9 to 2.4 meters is suitable for such conditions.

For fishing from the shore, the following philosophy is suitable: the longer the spinning rod, the better, since you cannot do without long casts. But again, the larger the spinning rod, the heavier it is, and this is an additional load on the hands. Plus, vegetation is possible on the shore of the reservoir, which complicates the use of long rods. In this regard, you can focus on the following dimensions: 2.7-3.0 meters. As practice shows, such a blank is absolutely sufficient for fishing from the shore.

All rods are divided into certain categories, including the nature of the action of the rod. For jig fishing, fast action or super fast action can be most effective. This is necessary for a quick and reliable strike. In addition, fast action rods respond more quickly to bites. This is especially important when fishing for walleye. He has a very powerful jaw that needs to be pierced with a sweep, besides, the pike perch takes the bait very carefully.

As a rule, it should be a reliable rod with a suitable test. The test indicates what weight of bait is best to use so that the posting process is controlled. There are three main groups of rods, separated by test characteristics. The first group is ultralight rods with a test of up to 10 grams. As a rule, such rods are convenient for catching perch and other, not big fish. The second group, with a test from 10 to 30 grams, is intended for catching a larger predator weighing up to 10 kg inclusive. Such spinning rods are most in demand, as they are more suitable for our fishing conditions.

The last group is rods with a test of more than 30 grams, which are used for fishing at great depths and at long distances, where weighty jig heads are used. A similar subspecies is relevant if you have to fish on a river with a fast current.

The material of manufacture also plays an important role. If the rod is made of modern materials, then it is not only durable but also lightweight. The only drawback of such blanks is their high cost, which is not available for a wide range of spinning anglers.

Jig fishing does not require any special attachments such as a reel. Basically, a regular spinning reel of the appropriate size is used. Nowadays, they are increasingly resorting to installing a baitcasting reel, although this is not necessary. The multiplier (sea) reel is designed for catching large fish. She will go, for example, for catching catfish. In all other cases, especially since it is more difficult to operate, it is quite possible to get by with an easier-to-use, inertia-free coil.

As a rule, experienced spinning reels choose high quality spinning reels with a special spool coating. If a braided line is used, a regular plastic spool will wear out quickly. The fact is that the braid has abrasive properties. As for conventional monofilament lines, there are no such requirements for the reel design.

Most anglers, especially in the conditions of small rivers and lakes, use monofilament line, although braiding is also possible. Unfortunately, braided line is more expensive than mono line, but mono line has a number of disadvantages, such as memory, increased specific elongation and lower strength compared to braided line. Although there are fishing conditions where there is no alternative to monofilament line. Some of its disadvantages can easily be turned into advantages.

Therefore, the choice of line is dictated by the fishing conditions. At long distances, it is preferable to use a braid, since a quick transfer of the bite to the rod tip is required, and at short distances, a mono line is enough, since in such conditions its extensibility does not so much affect the performance. In addition, its extensibility helps to dampen the jerks of large fish.

Jig baits

There are two main types of jig lures, depending on what material they are made from.

Foam lures... These are classic jig baits that are sold in retail outlets. These lures are easy to make yourself, which is what many anglers do. As a result, inexpensive homemade lures are obtained, designed for various fishing conditions.
Silicone baits... Nowadays, such lures are very popular among fans of jig fishing. In retail outlets, you can find a huge variety of silicone baits, differing in shape and color. Thanks to the special properties of silicone, it was possible to create baits that imitate not only various fish, but also various animals, as well as insects and other representatives of the underwater world. Various flavors are added to the silicone, which increases the number of bites. This is the so-called edible rubber.
Combined baits are created by the most anglers from the worn-out parts of silicone lures. Silicone bonds very easily under the influence of temperature. Therefore, picking up a soldering iron, you can create your own masterpieces.

There are several options for jig mounting, depending on the nature of the load:

Rigid jig head attachment... This is the easiest way to mount a jig. In this case, the jig head is connected to the bait in such a way that the weight is in front of the bait and the point of the hook comes out on top of the bait.
Flexible mount... This type of attachment allows you to get a brighter game of the bait. The bait is put on the hook, and the weight, such as "Cheburashka", is connected to the hook by means of a winding ring. The equipment can be used as conventional hooks with a long forend, and offset. Offset hooks allow you to get a non-catching bait.

In any case, the main thing is to choose the right hook size so that it matches the size of the bait. Quite often, double or triple hooks are used instead of single hooks. This increases the efficiency of fishing, but at the same time increases the risk of getting caught on underwater obstacles. How to properly attach the bait to a regular or double hook, you can find out on the Internet by watching the corresponding video. It is better to see once than to read it several times, especially since it is not so easy to describe this process, and even more difficult to apply in practice.

Loads differ not only in weight, but also in shape. Despite this, most jig heads are equipped with ball-shaped weights. They are suitable for almost all spinning conditions. In addition to spherical loads, you can also find loads in the form of a "boot" or "ironing". As a rule, such loads are characterized by the presence of a wide lower plane, which does not allow it to fall into the silt.

The effectiveness of jig fishing depends on a whole set of factors that, in one way or another, affect the effectiveness. The skill of the spinning player plays an important role. The ability to correctly apply the bait and to carry it out plausibly so that the predator sees its prey in it and decides to attack is one of the main conditions for the effectiveness of the tackle.

Classic drive is a regular step, which is formed either by upward movement of the rod or by cyclic line winding. If the step is formed by the movement of the rod, then after it you need to immediately choose the slack in the line, otherwise it will not be possible to fix the bite in time. If you make more than one stroke of the rod, but several, but less short ones, you will get a large step, which will include several small steps. Such a variety attracts fish more and the result does not take long.

Sometimes you need to run evenly, which may be due to the nature of the bait used. If it is a vibrotail, then a moderate, uniform drive simulates the movement of a fish quite plausibly. Depending on the behavior of the fish, sometimes a slow and sometimes fast aggressive posting is required, which provokes the predator to attack.

Demolition wiring is used on rivers. In this case, the bait is thrown upstream somewhere at an angle of 45 degrees. The bait begins to sink to the bottom, while the current carries it away. With small twitches of the rod, the bait is forced, as it were, to bounce at the bottom, which attracts both pike and zander.

The jig head structurally consists of a hook of the appropriate size, poured into a load of the appropriate shape and weight. As a rule, special hooks with a long shank are used for the production of jig heads. The hook is positioned so that its sting is always facing up. Here on the load there is an eyelet for fastening, which is also directed upwards. The result is a structure with a mixed center of gravity that pulls the bait down. This factor makes it easy to control the movement of the bait. The shape of the cargo can be any, since this does not affect its catchability.

Types of rigs

There are several types of spinning rigs.

A rig called Texas is characterized by the presence of a weight in the form of a bullet and an offset hook, on which there is a bait in the form of a worm. The load has a hole along its axis, as a result of which it can slide along the line. In the lower part of the load there is a hemispherical recess in which the upper part of the bait can be hidden. When using an offset hook, its sting can be hidden in the body of the bait, which minimizes hooks.

At the same time, it is necessary to correctly select the weight of the load so that it slowly sinks to the bottom. Lures such as worms are especially effective when lowering slowly or moving vertically.

This is a rig, similar to the previous one, with some minor differences. This installation is arranged according to the principle of spaced rigging, since the load is located at a distance of 40 cm to 1 m from the bait. In this case, the load can drag along the bottom, creating turbidity and attracting fish, and the worm-shaped bait is in a free state, which leads to its characteristic game.

In the case of using offset hooks, it is possible to use not only worms as bait, but also other types of baits, such as slugs or shads, imitating the movement of a fish. Since the lures have a certain weight, it is not necessary to load them. Such lures are good at catching pike and perch.

Rig with front hook

To minimize the chance of snagging, the hooks are equipped with plastic straps. For this, special spirals with rings are used, which are put on the hook, in the area of its bend. It turns out that the bait is behind the non-hook hook. Lures such as worms or slugs, thanks to their shape, easily pass through the grass. The hook must be unloaded by soldering its forend with lead solder or lead plasticine. As a result, the design will resemble a jig head.

Such rigs are rarely found, since they are little-known and used by few people. It is based on a light jig rig, to which a wobbler or a horizontal float is added. This is necessary when a fixed immersion depth is required, which provides a horizontal float. Very often the fish attacks the float. In this case, the float can be replaced with a floating wobbler by removing the rear tee.

A similar installation is used when fishing in the current. Below the hook with the bait, at a distance of 40-60 cm, a leash with a set of weights, such as a shot, is attached. In the case of hooks, the pellets move to free themselves from the hooks. As a result, the rig always remains intact.

This rig consists of a weight attached to the end of the main line. At a distance of 20-30 cm from it there are several leashes with hooks on which the baits are placed. With the help of such equipment, they fish in a plumb line. As a rule, it is used for fishing at sea, where there is a significant depth.

Jig rig for pike

As you know, the pike has very sharp teeth and it can easily bite into a regular fishing line. In this regard, it makes no sense to attach the bait directly to the line. To prevent the pike from biting off the bait, a metal leash is installed between it and the fishing line. Its length depends on the size of the predator that can bite. As a rule, a 20 cm leash is sufficient. When catching large specimens, it is possible to install a 40 cm leash.

Jig technique

The jig fishing technique is quite simple and effective. It allows you to fish both shallows and deep-water areas of water bodies. After casting the bait, you need to wait for the bait to reach the bottom. Experienced spinners can easily determine this by the sagging of the line. After that, you can start wiring. As practice shows, it is necessary to use several posting techniques in order to interest the predator. If there are no bites, then they start replacing the bait with another, more attractive one, or switch to another type of bait altogether.

Lead jig heads are the most popular. This material has sufficient mass, while it affordable(which makes the heads made from it very inexpensive) and easy to process (which makes it easy to make lead jig heads at home).

The main advantage of tungsten is its high specific gravity(this metal is almost twice as heavy as lead).

And although for the production of jig heads, not pure tungsten is used, but its alloys, which weigh less, such heads are still much more compact than lead weight heads of similar weight.

This allows you to perform the longest possible casts, in addition, the compact jig head sinks faster, which is important when fishing at great depths and with strong currents.

Tungsten weights are irreplaceable even if when to use a small lure on a heavy jig head: If you use lead in such a situation, it will be too large and may just scare the fish away.

News. Poachers caught fish with forbidden bait!

According to law enforcement agencies, four men were detained on suspicion of poaching. During the arrest, the men had 237 kilograms of fish caught with them. The fish inspectors were surprised by the fact that the detainees had absolutely no poaching equipment (nets, electric shock, explosives, etc.). When asked how they managed to catch so many fish, the men joked "good bite". But when inspecting personal belongings, one of the inspectors drew attention to the packaging with a foreign label. It contained a powdery substance of unknown origin. After the examination, it turned out that the substance can have a very strong effect on fish due to the action of special enzymes. The main property of this substance ...

Form

The game of the bait and the comfort of fishing in certain conditions directly depend on the shape of the jig weight. On sale you can find jig heads of such forms as:

boot;
a spoon;
banana;
rugby;
ski;
fish head.

Ball jig heads are the most popular among spinningists. This is the most versatile form; this type of head can be successfully used on any water body and in almost any conditions.

At great depths and with strong currents, streamlined jig heads are most applicable, which experience less water resistance when immersed.

Also need to mention gliding jig head... The load of such a head is soldered from three planes, each of which is usually made in the form of a "half-heart". This jig head has a number of undeniable advantages over other types of weights. On it, it instantly breaks off the bottom at the first turn of the reel handle and floats, avoiding obstacles, which is very convenient when fishing on a cluttered bottom.

During casting, the gliding jig head glides in the air, due to which the range of throws is significantly increased.

3 ways to increase your fish catch

There are many ways to increase your fish catch, but the most effective units are. Below the editors of the site share with you the 3 most effective ways to increase your catch:

... It is a pheromone-based supplement that activates receptors in fish. ATTENTION! The Fishery Inspectorate wants to ban this bait!
Any other bait with flavors is less effective, it is better if they contain pheromones. But the most effective way is to use new for 2016 — !
Learning different fishing techniques. For example, it is written about spinning wires.

Disengaged

In jig fishing, it is often necessary to comb through dense snags, grass thickets and other strong places with bait - after all, it is here that predatory fish almost always stand. In this case, it is necessary to use jig-heads-hooks.

Non-engaging jig heads are of two types:

jig heads with wire antennae;
jig heads based on offset hooks.

In addition, when fishing with an eared sinker on a foam rubber, rigs are used on the basis of double hooks with hooks pressed to the body of the foam rubber fish.

It should also be noted that when fishing with certain types of jig heads (such as boot, horseshoe, spoon, rugby) hooks happen less often, since the hook on the stepped line is positioned vertically when the bait falls.

Floating jig head

We should also mention the floating jig head, which is used for fishing with silicone lures. in the surface layer of water... Thus, you can very successfully catch pike "over the grass", as well as hunt for perch and asp during their fight.

By the way, if you are interested in catching such fish as: catfish, chub, asp, crucian carp and bream using the jig method, then read the details in ours.

Ready-made floating jig heads that can be found on sale are made of various lightweight materials, homemade ones are usually made from cork and loaded with lead.

Types of jig head hooks

Single

Jig heads with single hooks - the most common type of jig head(on the second place in popularity - hook heads with offset workers). Ordinary singles are also used in microjig, together with an eared sinker, with a pellet sinker located on the line, when fishing with leash rigs and when fishing without a load.

When using a single hook instead of a double hook, the number of hooks on the grass and driftwood is significantly reduced, and less often the hook overlaps the line during casting.

The jigs used in jig heads can have one, two or three notches on the fore-end, thanks to which the bait better adheres to the hook and does not slip.

Double

Doubles are the main type of hook used for jigging with eared sinkers.

Double hooks when fishing with silicone baits or foam fish can be left open; it is also widespread to use non-hook baits, which are made from foam rubber and doubles with hooks pressed to the body of the foam fish.

In jig fishing, they usually use doubles with an extended forend, with which the installation of jig lures is most convenient.

Offset

Offset hooks are hooks of a special shape with a bend on the fore-end, which designed to create non-hook baits.

Offset hooks are ideal for fishing both in dense snags, and among grass thickets and in other strong places.

On sale you can find jig heads with offset hooks, in addition, offset makers are used in combination with eared sinkers.

Dimensions (edit)

Hook size in jig fishing matched to the size of the bait... In addition, you should take into account the fishing conditions (how often hooks occur) and the activity of the fish. Larger hooks provide a high percentage of bites, but also provide a large number of hooks on grass, driftwood and other obstacles. The use of smaller hooks reduces the number of hooks and leads to an increase in the number of descents.

The following numbering of hooks for jig fishing is common: No. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 5/0. In this row, hook # 10 is the smallest, and 5/0 is the largest. It should be noted that different companies designate the sizes of the hooks produced in different ways, for example, numbering Eagle Claw is different from Cannelle numbering andVMC.

Gamakatsu hook numbering

Gamakatsu is renowned for its quality freshwater and saltwater hooks and jigheads designed for for amateur anglers and sportsmen.

The firm uses the standard numbering of hooks - from # 10 to # 5/0. There are also larger hooks in the company's catalog, but the most popular products are jig heads with hooks from 2/0 to 5/0.

Jig head 2/0 - hook length 35 mm, suitable for fishing with medium and small lures.
3/0 - hook length 38 mm, suitable for mounting medium-sized silicone baits.
4/0 - hook length 43 mm. Also works well for medium sized lures.
5/0 - hook length 48 mm. The head is suitable for fishing with large worms and large vibrotails.

How to choose the right jig head

In order to choose a jig head, you need to take into account:

fishing conditions (depth, current strength);
the size of the baits used;
the activity of the fish the spinner is set up to catch.

Based on the fishing conditions

To collect tackle for deep and strong current fishing you need to use heavy baits... A light lure, when fishing at great depths, will sink slowly and will have to wait too long before it reaches the bottom.

When fishing with a lure that is too light in the current, it will not be possible to carry out the correct step guidance - the bait, again, will sink too slowly (while the standard step should be from 2 to 4 seconds) or will not reach the bottom at all.

In addition to simply increasing the weight of the load, you can take more streamlined weight head(for example, a bullet weight instead of a ball) or a more compact weight (tungsten instead of lead).

By the size of the baits used

The larger the size of the baits used, the the jig head should be heavier... Everything is simple here: a large sailing lure experiences more water resistance, so it will take longer to sink to the bottom. In addition, an increase in the weight of the load when fishing with such a lure is often necessary in order to achieve a sufficient casting distance.

Depending on the activity of the fish

The more active the fish that is supposed to be caught, the faster and more abrupt traverse can be used, therefore, in this case, a heavier or more aerodynamic and compact jig head can be used. When fishing passive fish, as a rule, the use of light jig heads is justified, allowing you to perform smooth navigation.

We select the weight

The weight of the jig head must be selected in such a way as to achieve the speed at which the bait falls to the bottom. As a rule, with classic stepped wiring, the jig head should fall from 2 to 4 seconds.

For fishing in ponds

For fishing in small stagnant bodies of water, the following weight head weights will be needed:

On large lakes and reservoirs

When fishing in larger bodies of water, slightly heavier jig heads are required.
Below is a table of correspondence between the depth of the reservoir and the weight of the heads:

On the rivers

For fishing on the current, you will need heavier jig heads than those used on stagnant bodies of water, since the water flow pushes the bait up, and the spinner, so as not to lose contact with the bottom, it is necessary to make the bait heavier.

The choice of a specific weight depends on the strength of the current and the activity of the fish, in most cases it is advisable to choose such jig heads so that the time for the bait to fall on the step is all the same 2, 3 or 4 seconds. For most of the medium and small plain rivers, when fishing at depths of 2 to 5 meters, load heads weighing 8-16 g are suitable. The stronger the current, the more heavy and compact sinkers will be needed.

Competent selection of a jig head under the conditions of fishing - the key to successful fishing.

And do not forget that the key to success in fishing is knowledge of theory supported by practice... Indeed, a truly clear understanding of which jig head should be used in what conditions comes with experience.

Some subtleties of the selection of hooks and jig heads in the video for beginner fishermen.

Naturally, each theory should have at least some kind of practice as a basis. If some well-known and recognized fisherman catches his whole life, for example, under the heel of some bridge on the river or on and asserts that the head should be the lightest possible, then he is right. And another fisherman can fish, suppose, under the seventh support of the same bridge and argue that the weight of the head, the more - the better, and will also be right. The place is the place of strife.

Eight or nine years ago, I finally and irrevocably, as it seemed then, "obsessed" with a light and ultra-light jig, considering it a panacea for all occasions. The funny thing is that I, too, was right in my own way. Having mastered fishing with silicone lures with ultra-light heads, many times better than fishing with other lures, I naturally caught the lion's share of trophies in any place at any time ... ) reasons influencing the choice of the weight of the jig head.

Jig Head Depth and Weight Ratio Chart

The data in the table are subjective and correct for bodies of water with a relatively flat bottom without flow.

If the angler claims that it is necessary to fish with jig heads weighing fifty grams or more, then we can conclude that he catches mainly on reservoirs with a strong current (if the need to use a jig head of such weight arises on a reservoir with stagnant water, then the depth of this reservoir is such that it makes no sense to catch it with a spinning rod). If a lure with a light head is thrown downstream, it simply will not reach the bottom. I had to face this too. Last year we fished on the Volga, at a depth of twenty-one meters to the bottom we got only assemblies from two pivotally connected forty-gram weights. If you throw it across the stream, it seems to save the situation. But nothing of the kind! The cargo reaches the bottom quickly, but literally after two or three steps of wiring it is carried down by the current, as a result of which it "soars upward like a mountain eagle."

Depths and depths are undoubtedly the objective reason for using heavy and super-heavy heads.Another option for using jig heads of a fairly large weight. These are areas with an uneven bottom, where there are large and sharp drops in depth. Even if a light-headed lure feels good, the lure will most likely fly over the most promising areas. This pattern manifests itself regardless of the direction of the wiring, but most clearly - when wiring across a strong current. The scope of application of jig heads, light for these conditions, is somewhat wider than heavy ones.

When it makes sense to use the lightest jig heads

First example. The place where the fish is supposed to be is known, and it is not large. This can be a driftwood at the bottom, a curtain of algae, and so on. In this case, the bait, which flies past the fish ambush with a bullet, most likely will not interest the fish, since the predator in the ambush is usually not very active, and therefore will not chase the bait. It is better to feed the bait at a low speed here. The bait (let's digress from the topic) here is soft with an active game, the use of an attractant will give good results. A very typical example of such fishing is pike fishing with reeds to the wall. Here, the grip usually occurs immediately after splashdown of the bait during its dive. The longer the dive, the more chances of catching fish.

Another option is to fish out algae windows. Heavy silicone non-hooks that burst into the sleepy world of the underwater jungle like barbarians can only scare the fish away. And if you carefully toss a lightly loaded bait and move it with very slow stretches with long pauses, the result will not be long in coming.

Example two. Fishing in areas where driftwood, algae and other obstacles are present at the bottom. A lure with a heavy head will cling to everything that is possible and for what is not possible even with fast guidance in low-level flight over the bottom. A light jig head, with fast reeling, breaks off from the bottom almost vertically. In this case, the hooks will be significantly less.

Example three. Shaking from depth. It is believed that the best results are obtained from shallow to depth. But not always, especially when fishing from the shore, it is possible to perform it. Naturally, if the drop is not very sharp, then everything is more or less normal, but if there is a cliff in front of you, then the situation becomes more complicated. A lure with a heavy head literally starts to plow the bottom, and there can be no question of any stepped wiring. You can give a few more examples, but these will most likely be variants of one of the three above.

An unusual way to catch trophy pike with heavy jig heads

And now the most interesting thing: a case that is difficult or impossible to explain. In order not to make conclusions such as “having analyzed the trajectory of the bait and its speed at different stages of retrieval, the pike comes to the conclusion ...”, I will be guided only by factual data.

The pike prefers when the weight of the jig head is such that the bait plows the bottom. Once I got into a conversation with an old friend about fishing for pike in one of the reservoirs. We discussed the wiring. He asks: "Do you know how big pikes are caught there?" It turned out that some fishermen (I take off my hat to their ingenuity) thought of not stepping the lure, but equipping it with a very heavy head and dragging it along the bottom with smooth pulls. At the same time, many large specimens were caught.

It was then that I remembered the weighty pikes of familiar novice fishermen from the city, who had never used heads less than twenty grams, even at a depth of three meters. Everything fell into place.

The angler's worst enemy is stereotypes. When we started mastering jig, there were no magazines and books dedicated to this method of fishing. Therefore, it was harder for us, but at the same time easier. Nobody imposed their opinion. Where should a newbie go now? On the one hand, thanks to the rapid development of the Internet, it is easier for him - you can quickly learn. But on the other hand, he reads mutually exclusive recommendations and does not know what to do. I do not want to teach anyone and impose any axioms, but I will only say one thing - experimenting with the weight of a jig head is not only possible, but also necessary.

Among the various methods of spinning fishing, jig fishing has recently become widespread. One of the key elements of the rig when fishing with this method is the jig head, or as everyone used to call it the jig head. It also goes well in winter fishing.

In this article, we will talk about what a jig head is, what varieties it is, and also how to equip a spinning rod and fish it when using it together with silicone baits.

What is a jig head

A jig head is a lead or tungsten sinker (head) with a soldered or hinged double or single hook connected to it. To prevent the bait from slipping, at the solid heads near the sinker, special clamps in the form of a thorn, a ball, a fungus, an arrow are cast from the same material as the sinker. When using heads with a swivel joint, hooks with special notches or protrusions on the fore-end are used

The main purpose of using this element is to give the bait weight to increase its casting distance, accelerate the fall to the bottom, improve the game with various types of wiring.

Jig heads differ in weight, shape, material from which the sinker is made. We will talk about this and much more later.

Which spinning rod to use

For jigging, the choice of spinning rod depends on the fishing conditions:

When fishing in a small lake, a bet, a pond or a small river, it is best to use rods no longer than 210 cm.
For medium rivers and lakes it is better to use forms of length 210-240 cm.
When fishing on large rivers, large lakes x, vast water areas of reservoirs, it is better to use blanks longer than 270 cm.

The blank test is selected taking into account the total weight of the bait with a jig head, fishing conditions:

When fishing for small perch, small pike, in shallow reservoirs with stagnant water, rods with a test of 2-7 grams are used.
For small rivers, streams, ponds and lakes of medium size with a depth of more than 2 meters, when fishing for pike, perch, use blanks with a dough of 2-10 grams.
In the conditions of backwaters and river bays, the average size of reservoirs with stagnant water and a depth of more than 4 meters, forms with a test of 5-15-18 grams are used.
For fishing on rivers with a medium or slow current and depths over 4-5 meters, blanks with a test of up to 10-30 grams are used.
When fishing in reservoirs, on large rivers with depths over 6-7 meters, blanks with a dough of 15-30 grams are used.

The structure of a jig spinning rod should be fast or super fast - under load, only the tip of such a rod should bend.

In addition to all the characteristics described above, a jig spinning rod, in contrast to a twitching rod, should, with its overall rigidity, have a thin and flexible tip with a large number of small pass rings. This design is necessary in order to track the moment the bait touches the bottom at the tip, which is usually painted in a contrasting color with respect to the entire blank, and to perform various tossing and pulling.

In addition to the design features and characteristics of the blank, a jig spinning rod should have a comfortable handle - preferably made of cork or soft EVA polymer material - with a reliable reel seat and large guide rings with wear-resistant cermet inserts.

It should be remembered that fiberglass rods and low-quality composite rods are not suitable for jigging - such blanks are quite heavy and insensitive - the fisherman's hand will get tired very quickly and at the same time he will not feel neat and weak bites "in his hand".

The best option for this method of spinning fishing would be a blank made of high-modulus graphite with a solid or glued-in thin tip.

How to equip (plant)

For attaching lures equipped with jig heads of various sizes, both metal leashes with fasteners and nodal connections are used. The choice of this or that connection method depends on the conditions and the object of fishing:

When fishing in shallow ponds and lakes where there is no pike and the main type of predator is the perch, they use leash rigs - "Caroline", "Texas", "lead" (Moscow). With this method, the jig head is divided using a leash made of thin and transparent fluorocarbon, so that a sinker in the form of a ball with two ears (cheburashka) or a sliding "bullet" is located above and attached to the main line, and below it on a piece of fluorocarbon line from 70 to 120 cm long, there is a silicone bait with a hook. For the convenience of changing the lures attached to the leash, a small fastener is attached to its end.
When fishing for pike, pike perch, use a jig head attachment with bait to the fastener of a metal leash 15-20 cm long. The leash is tied to the main line or cord with any reliable nodal connection.
When fishing for very large and catfish, the nodal connection of the leader with the main line is additionally reinforced with a drop of "Super Glue".

Do-it-yourself jig: video

For jig casting, aluminum molds are used.

And one more video on how to make a jig head with your own hands:

Who is caught on a jig

Such types of predatory fish are caught on a jig as:

- catch the toothy jig throughout the open water season. The most successful is in the middle of spring and autumn.
- perch are caught mainly on leash rigs and small silicone jig lures, starting from early spring and right up to freezing. Its most productive fishing with this tackle is in the fall, when the perch gathers in large stakes and hunt collectively.
- zander is caught on a jig not only in the spring-autumn period, but also in winter on non-freezing rivers, in warm canals. Catching this fish is more successful at dusk and at night.
- they catch this large river predator with jig tackle mainly during the warm season. Like pike-perch, it is very often caught at night and at dusk.
Asp- falls on jig tackle when fishing for pike on river rifts, near steep slopes, under bushes and tree branches hanging low over the water. Actively fishing throughout the summer during daylight hours. Do not feed at night.

Also, jig lures are used to catch such peaceful species of fish as:

- catch with small jig lures during July-September.
Ide- actively fish on medium and large rivers with small jig lures. The ide is most active in spring and late summer – early autumn.

Depending on the shape of the sinker, the following types of jig heads are distinguished:

Jig heads with hard-welded hook:

"Ball";
"Excavator";
Swinging;
"Fish head"
"Oscillating";
"The head of the larva";
"Bullet";
"Ski";
"Rugby";
"A spoon";
"Inclined";
"Vanka-Vstanka"
"Banana";
"Horse head";
"Boot";
"Horseshoe".

Jig heads with articulated (movable) connection of a sinker and a hook:

"Ball";
"Lentils";
"Field".

How to choose a jig head

The choice of the jig head by weight is very important for normal play, long casting and its quick fall to the bottom.

It depends on the weight of the jig head and the size of the hook in which of the categories of the spinning fishing of the same name it is used:

Smallest one-piece and swivel heads with small weight hooks up to 3 grams used when fishing with nanojig. Such heads are used for lures of the smallest sizes when fishing perch, ide, chub.
Heads weighing from 3 to 7 grams- ideal for rigging microjig lures that are targeted at large and medium perch, a small grass pike.
For easy jig use heads weighing from 10 to 15-20 grams.
In an average jig, heads are used with a weight of 20 to 30-40 grams... They catch a variety of fish with a medium jig - pike, perch, walleye.
When fishing with large lures for heavy jig use the largest heads with impressive hooks and weights over 40 gram... This kind of jig is used to catch large pike perch, catfish and trophy pike.

The weight of the jig head is also selected taking into account the depths at the place of fishing:

Up to 2 meters - 3-8 grams;
2-4 meters - 6-10 grams;
4-6 meters - 12-16 grams;
6-10 meters - 18-22 grams;
Over 10 meters - 20-30 grams.

Choosing the right head by weight saves a lot of time and allows you to fish more perceptive places - when using a head that is too light and diving for a long time, the angler will end up spending much more time fishing the place than using a heavier one.

But at the same time, a very heavy head in conditions of shallow depth will significantly accelerate the fall of the bait and reduce the number of bites that occur most often at the moment of smooth lowering of the bait during a pause between reels or after casting. It is also undesirable to use heavy heads in places with a large amount of aquatic vegetation, snags - this will lead to frequent hooks and breaks.

Jig fishing videos for beginners:

Features of jig fishing

Compared to fishing with wobblers, spinners and other lures, jig fishing has a number of the following features:

Deep fishing- for fishing with classic jig equipment, depths of at least 2 meters are required. This is due to the fact that most of the predator's grasping of lures with this method of fishing occurs when the bait smoothly falls to the bottom in the pauses between reels and after it is cast. If the depth in the place of fishing is small, then even the lightest head will not provide a slow lowering of the bait and the predator will simply not notice it.
Stepped wiring- for jigging, a classic stepped wiring is used, consisting of 3-4 turns of the reel handle and a pause. The pause duration depends on the depth at the place of fishing and the weight of the head used. For normal fishing, the pause should last no more than 3-4 seconds. The rewinding speed will vary depending on the activity of the fish and the season.
Use of special forms- Fishing with jig lures requires complete control over the lure. Therefore, for this method, only rigid jig rods with a special thin and sensitive tip are suitable, capable of performing the longest and most accurate casts, allowing effective sharp and strong hooks, giving the bait a game that attracts a predator with various leadings.
Using braided cord- Another factor providing full control and high sensitivity of a jig spinning tackle is the mandatory use of a rigid and thin braided cord. The use of a fishing line is possible only with a small casting distance and the use of the smallest lures
Easy to learn- jig fishing, unlike twitching lures, is very easy to learn. This is the way many beginners often start their way in spinning fishing.

Having learned the basics and subtleties of jigging, you can successfully catch a variety of species of both predatory and peaceful species of fish. Also, another advantage of this fishing method is its low cost, a huge range of silicone lures.