Best source for jig heads

[lolanr]

I was wondering where you all buy your jig heads from, and what colors are your go to's. I was in Ontario and the guide had a Northland box with great colors and 2 sizes but I forgot to ask where he bought it and I haven't been able to find one anywhere. I mostly fish southern reservoirs.

[tbosch]

Last time I was at wholesale I saw a large assorted box of jig heads for sale. I cant remember who made them. I think they may have had bob izumi advertising them.

[Reeves1]

Best source for jig heads

House cleaning !

Found a box of them a couple days ago that I had made back 20 years ago !

[allenford]

Originally Posted by Reeves

House cleaning !

Found a box of them a couple days ago that I had made back 20 years ago !

that is a bonus for sure!

[WillyP]

You could try Jim's Jigs and Tackle, works out of Lake Isle area, may sell in Bulk, these are the only Jig's I have ever used, has all colors, retails at CDN Tire, Fishin Hole.

[Waxy]

I'm very partial to the BiteMe jigs made by Wayne Tumac from SK, they're hard to find, but you can usually get them at The Fishin Hole. I know that Pokey's Tackle Shop in Regina will have them.

I'm also planning to use more of the Finn-Tech Knuckleball jigs this year.

Waxy

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

lolanr If you want Bulk Jig heads , The Fishin hole , or Wholesale sports is the place that has them , Also the Fishing Centre to I believe has them but don't quote me on that , but forsure The fishin hole does .

[Wes_G]

Originally Posted by lolanr

I was wondering where you all buy your jig heads from, and what colors are your go to's. I was in Ontario and the guide had a Northland box with great colors and 2 sizes but I forgot to ask where he bought it and I haven't been able to find one anywhere. I mostly fish southern reservoirs.

I think BAss pro is going to be the best place for jig heads. Dont get me wrong, Wholesale and I am sure fishing hole have a good selection, but most if not all the jigs that I use up in Northern Ontario are all half ounce, and wholesale just doesnt have any, not in Lethbridge, Calgary, or the edmonton store when I tried last year. I ended up having to do mail order through bass pro. And they had a huge selection as well, and 95% of the colors were actually in stock.

[Izumi]

If you have an Ebay account check out this seller from Niton Jct.

http://stores.ebay.ca/lots-of-lures

[wapiti11]

Gents;
I have bought the jig heads from the Niton Jct. folks and they are excellent.
Wapiti11

[lolanr]

Thanks for the great advice! I will check a few of these places out. I was wondering is it worth trying a few of the different shapes. Waxy mentioned the knuckleballs.

[Waxy]

Originally Posted by lolanr

Thanks for the great advice! I will check a few of these places out. I was wondering is it worth trying a few of the different shapes. Waxy mentioned the knuckleballs.

I've pretty much been using the BiteMe jigs exclusively until now. I prefer the slightly egg shaped heads to the round ones on most jigs, and I MUCH prefer their paint schemes, and the shorter hook shanks.

I'm curious to try the Knuckleball jigs because I've been watching the guys on The Next Bite using them and explaining why, and it makes sense to me. I like the idea of getting the hook - and the bait - up an inch or two off the bottom. The colours look really good to me as well, and I like the built in bait holding feature. I figure I'll buy a few of them at BassPro and see how I like them. I'm always up for trying new ideas.

Come on BassPro!

Waxy

[jeprli]

Why don't you get DO-IT Molds??? It's way cheaper, especially if you use a lot of jigs and need different sizes. I have a round head mold with 3 of 3/8 and 3 of 1/2oz cavities, also an erie head mold with 1/8 and 3/8 cavities. They are about $50 here in Calgary and you can find them at Russels or you can try internet for all the different kinds and sizes.

One of the biggest benefits is of course the cost of making them and also you're free to choose any style and size of hook you want.

Most production jigs come with soft wire hooks(what the heck is up with that)which straighten out when you hook into a big fish.

My preference are Gamakatsu 111, 604 hooks, also VMC Barbarian, Owner...

P.S. I don't think the color of jighead is important, maybe glow in dark ones...

[Waxy]

Originally Posted by jeprli

P.S. I don't think the color of jighead is important, maybe glow in dark ones...

REALLY!!!!!!??????

Based on my experience, I would say the colour is CRITICAL.

Waxy

[bobalong]

All the jigs listed on the previous posts will catch fish but if you want strong hooks stick with the slow poke and smack jigs. They both have the hook upright when at rest or dragged along the bottom which will increase your hookups substantially. Lindy has some interchange jigs out this year, but once again the hooks are quite "soft" compared to the slow poke and smack jigs. I wouldn't get to concerned about a bunch of colors, but would concentrate more on the size and style of jig as the color is the last thing the fish sees, as they "feel" the lure/bait vibration long before they see the color. This is not to say color has no effect but it is not the first thing I would be considering when buying any lure actually.

[Waxy]

Originally Posted by bobalong

All the jigs listed on the previous posts will catch fish but if you want strong hooks stick with the slow poke and smack jigs. They both have the hook upright when at rest or dragged along the bottom which will increase your hookups substantially. Lindy has some interchange jigs out this year, but once again the hooks are quite "soft" compared to the slow poke and smack jigs. I wouldn't get to concerned about a bunch of colors, but would concentrate more on the size and style of jig as the color is the last thing the fish sees, as they "feel" the lure/bait vibration long before they see the color. This is not to say color has no effect but it is not the first thing I would be considering when buying any lure actually.

Any links to these jigs? I'd like to have a look at them, I might have to try them out. I'm looking for stand up style jigs that aren't "snaggy". The upright hook on the Knuckleball jigs is the big reason I plan on giving them a try.

I agree on quality hooks. Soft hooks like you get on the Cdn Tire special jigs drive me crazy - a 2lb walleye shouldn't bend your hook lol.

As for your comments on color -

How does a fish "feel" a jig tipped with a minnow? Plastic bait?

IMHO, they don't, or at the least, it isn't the primary attractant. The action is imparted almost entirely by the fisherman, and produces very little in terms of vibration. When fishing jigs, especially slowly, you're relying on scent and the fish's vision to trigger bites. I myself would never underestimate the value of colour in that scenario, I've seen it first hand too many times.

I'm not saying a person needs 5 of every color combo under the sun in their tackle box (though I'd love to lol), but it's good idea to have a good selection of colors and try them all, you might be surprised at the results...

Waxy

[jeprli]

Maybe I should make myself clear...I don't care about the color of the head since it will not be used with live or frozen bait or worm or anything, OK bud!?
I use my jigs with soft baits, never tip em with anything living or frozen.

There are different molds for stand-up heads as well, and you also have specific hooks for them.

For those color crazy folks there are a whole assortment of dip-in paints, but I still don't know why you would paint a jig head???

[bobalong]

[As for your comments on color -

How does a fish "feel" a jig tipped with a minnow? Plastic bait?

IMHO, they don't, or at the least, it isn't the primary attractant. The action is imparted almost entirely by the fisherman, and produces very little in terms of vibration. When fishing jigs, especially slowly, you're relying on scent and the fish's vision to trigger bites. I myself would never underestimate the value of colour in that scenario, I've seen it first hand too many times.

I'm not saying a person needs 5 of every color combo under the sun in their tackle box (though I'd love to lol), but it's good idea to have a good selection of colors and try them all, you might be surprised at the results...

Waxy[/QUOTE]

I have tried the color thing, but now fish with basically two or three colors/patterns, for jigs, cranks, spinner rigs,...... but very the size, shape and action of the lures and find I catch as many fish if not more fish than just changing lures to change the color. If changing colors a lot catches you more fish then that is all that really matters, just havn't seen it make a big difference for me.
I would not underestimate the lateral line or "feel" that a fish utilizes to find its prey, especially in stained water. If you look at studies done on fish you will see the lateral line "feel" and scent are the biggest factors in attracting fish with color being the last.
How many times have you seen two anglers using the same color jig, same bait, one angler is slaying them the other can't get a bite, not missing bites, not even getting them. Its the action or the vibration that the fish is zeroing in on, with the color and bait being ignored for the fish that is putting out the right vibration. IMO anyway.

[Waxy]

Originally Posted by bobalong

I have tried the color thing, but now fish with basically two or three colors/patterns, for jigs, cranks, spinner rigs,...... but very the size, shape and action of the lures and find I catch as many fish if not more fish than just changing lures to change the color. If changing colors a lot catches you more fish then that is all that really matters, just havn't seen it make a big difference for me.

I would not underestimate the lateral line or "feel" that a fish utilizes to find its prey, especially in stained water. If you look at studies done on fish you will see the lateral line "feel" and scent are the biggest factors in attracting fish with color being the last.

I agree that "action" is critical, but I think we're using different definitions of it.

I would call action any movement or vibration that a lure creates on its own - ie the wiggling of a crankbait or spoon, the blade spinning on a spinner, etc...there's no doubt that those things are the key to triggering bites with those lures. To my mind, a jig doesn't really have an action (unless you put a fairly large plastic tail on it), let alone something like a lindy rig. It's only the movement imparted by the angler. The lure itself does very little in the way of producing vibration or flash. That's where I feel color plays a key role.

I also agree that bait size and profile are key, no matter what presentation you're using. I think experimenting with those variables will definitely improve your success. I probably don't experiment with them enough actually, I tend to have favourite sizes, and that's kinda dumb when I think about.

How many times have you seen two anglers using the same color jig, same bait, one angler is slaying them the other can't get a bite, not missing bites, not even getting them. Its the action or the vibration that the fish is zeroing in on, with the color and bait being ignored for the fish that is putting out the right vibration. IMO anyway.

Fishing isn't all luck or gear, that's for sure, just like new golf clubs won't get you onto the PGA, all the right gear won't necessarily catch fish either. There's a lot of skill and individual technique involved in fishing, and it's one of the things I love about it. There's ALWAYS something you can learn and another variable to experiment with.

In that example, especially if we're talking jigs, the variable is the action the angler is imparting, and not the vibration of lure itself IMHO. I guess that does relate to the lateral line, but I think it's visual as well.

I have occasionally seen that, but far more times I've seen two guys, using identical setups other than colour, either jigging or rigging, where one colour will consistently outproduce another, and when the other guy switches to the hot color, his success instantly increases. I nearly cried on a fly-in trip one year when I lost my last jig in the magic black and yellow color.

I've seen something as simple as the color of the snelled hook or the color of a bead on a lindy rig make a major difference on the number of bites. To my mind, there's no explanation for that beyond the importance of color.

I'm always open to new ideas though.

Waxy