10 hours ago, F14A-B said:

I’m not taking precious time painting a ball head jig because it simply doesn’t matter to fish. Do it if you enjoy the tackle grooming aspect but seriously the fish simply don’t care.. 

 

It doesn't take that long.  And I'm not sure the color of the head cannot make a difference at times.  Some finesse guys swear that a chartreuse jig on their Ned rig makes a difference.  

I have a hard time believing that, of all the things that might look unnatural and turn off a bass (action, movement path, lure color, weird hook sticking out, line-tie, etc.), an unpainted jighead would be a top concern. 

41 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

I have a hard time believing that, of all the things that might look unnatural and turn off a bass (action, movement path, lure color, weird hook sticking out, line-tie, etc.), an unpainted jighead would be a top concern. 

Did anyone say it was a top concern?  I would say most of the things on your list should be a higher priority than jig head color.  

 

I will also say that not all jig heads are created equal.  I fish a 3/4 jig and craw and 1/16 oz Ned Rig.   I'm more concerned about how the 3/4 oz head looks than the 1/16 oz.

I like painted heads on my bass jigs because the paint (powder coat) is harder than plain lead. Exposed lead tends to bite in to sharp rocks worse than painted. If a jig lasts long enough to wear down the powder coat, I cover it with Sally Hansen hard as nails and it holds up pretty well.

 

The fish haven't demonstrated any preference to me over the years... not yet anyway. 

in really clear water I think unpainted is the best look for baitfish imitators, so it's my preference.  Therefore, when I'm dragging a craw/goby presentation, I definitely prefer painted or the muted tungsten look that doesn't chip/change color.  This is all a bigger consideration fishing for smallmouths than largemouths.

 

scott

I use painted because I like the pretty colors...

I buy all my crappie jigs unpainted, then paint them up - varied numbers of each color, but I always have the following four colors with me.

 

   

Green Chartreuse      Black                        Fire Craw                Green Pumpkin

 

I bought a selection of unpainted swim-bait heads and got eyes to add to them as well.

 

I don't have specialized equipment - a cheap embossing heater from Michaels, a home-built rack of aluminum and wire, and an old toaster-oven for final baking works just fine.