Jig Heads for Small Swimbaits

[Drawdown]

What’s the best bang for buck in this category?

 

Looking at the VMC Moon Eyes, which use 2/0 hooks in 1/8 and 1/4 weights.

 

But I was wondering if anyone makes a reasonable size #1 or #2 hook jig? I saw Chris Zaldain’s Santone jig, but wonder if $8 for a 3-pack is a bit steep for an exposed hook.

[throttleplate]

long shank fireball jig from Northland.

https://shop.northlandtackle.com/long-shank/long-shank-fire-ball-jig/

[fishballer06]

Any cheap roundball jighead will work. The problem you have once you start going with too small of a hook is bending out the hook. 

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_Round_Jig_Head_5pk/descpage-GRJH.html

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Ultrahead_Round_Jig_Head_5pk/descpage-OURH.html

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Round_Head_with_Lockdown_Keeper_5pk/descpage-ORHL.html

 

Dirty Jigs makes a nice one if you really want something with paint and an eye on it. 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Dirty_Jigs_Matt_Stefan_Guppy_Swimbait_Jig_Head_3pk/descpage-DJSGH.html

 

The Megabass Okashira heads are listed as a 3/0, but they seem much smaller than that in person due to the shorter shank on them. 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Megabass_Okashira_Jig_Head_3pk/descpage-MBOJH.html

[Big Rick]

I second the Dirty Jigs Guppy Swim bait head.  The hook is fairly stout for it's size and these heads work perfect with a 3" paddle tail. I've caught some nice fish on these jig heads with no issues. 

[throttleplate]

3 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

The problem you have once you start going with too small of a hook is bending out the hook. 

 Agreed about bending the hook. My deal is fishing the rivers and getting snagged on zebra mussels that are basically glued onto the rocks. I can get free only because the hook bent up 90 degrees from me hand pulling on the line, I will then bend it back normal and keep fishing. No name jigs from doing the same have come back to me with broken hook.

[fishballer06]

3 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

 Agreed about bending the hook. My deal is fishing the rivers and getting snagged on zebra mussels that are basically glued onto the rocks. I can get free only because the hook bent up 90 degrees from me hand pulling on the line, I will then bend it back normal and keep fishing.

In that case, assuming you're not catching trophy sized fish or in a tournament, use whatever is most economical that can get the job done. 

[BassNJake]

25 minutes ago, Big Rick said:

I second the Dirty Jigs Guppy Swim bait head.  The hook is fairly stout for it's size and these heads work perfect with a 3" paddle tail. I've caught some nice fish on these jig heads with no issues. 

I agree these are good. I fish around the marina all winter

I get free a lot more with these from the cables than the moon eyes.

But I got a bunch of moon eyes so I use them too.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

The best quality small jighead for the money has got to be the Berkley Half head.  It's a mushroom style head with a good cone keeper and a really sharp fairly stout #1 fusion hook.  

The Brush Easy which is a ball head with mono guards.  You can get them from #2 to a 1/0 depending on the weight. Great all purpose head.

[A-Jay]

There is a plethora of good quality swim baits and matching jig heads to choose from now.  On line vendors literally list what seems like hundreds.  I’ve fished a dozen or so types & brands.  To keep it simple, I’ve pretty much settled on two; listed below.

  I do prefer softer baits in the 3 to 5 inch size range, with something close to 4 inch being a big player.  While clearly less durable, I seem to get more bites.  Along with that, having the right action, especially on the fall, is a must for me.  

 When it comes to jighead shape, design and the all-important hook, again I like to keep it simple but here I am fairly particular.  Brand Name is my desired direction but will go with a Lesser-known deal when there’s merit.  I am eternally looking for jigheads with a quality medium and medium light wire hook that is also The Right Length.  Too stout here can be tricky to sink on the medium gear I use; especially on a long cast or very deep running bait. Additionally, too long of a hook seems to ‘mute’ and can even over power a bait.  I seem to get the best action when the bend is coming out the top of the bait no more than half way back of the baits overall length.  More than that is No Bueno.

My favorite heads match up to baits when they only go in about a third of the way (if that makes sense).

Strike King Rage Swimmer ~ Keitech Swing Impact FAT

Owner Ultrahead Football Jig Head ~ Owner Ultrahead Round Jig Head

Gamakatsu Round Jig Head ~ Dirty Jigs Tactical Bassin' Finesse Swimbait Jig Head

A-Jay

[PressuredFishing]

I picked up 4x4 heads, good quality but tun slightly heavier than advertised 

[Drawdown]

Thanks so much for this, A-Jay. I’m going to keep referring to it.

[Revival]

Gamakatus and Guppy heads are what I’ve used for the past couple years.  Just got some VMCs but haven’t used them much.

 

The Guppy heads are one of the few hooks where you can get weights like 3/8 but still in a 1/0 size hook.

[OkobojiEagle]

I've been using these for a couple decades and they're available to buy again.

 

https://gophertackle.net/mushroom-head-jig-big-johns

 

oe

[RHuff]

On 7/18/2022 at 3:46 PM, GetFishorDieTryin said:

The best quality small jighead for the money has got to be the Berkley Half head.  It's a mushroom style head with a good cone keeper and a really sharp fairly stout #1 fusion hook.  

The Brush Easy which is a ball head with mono guards.  You can get them from #2 to a 1/0 depending on the weight. Great all purpose head.

 

 

 I've used the half head as a ned rig but never tried it on a swimbait? Does it impede the action of the paddle tail of the swimbaits at all? 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On 2/16/2024 at 1:11 PM, RHuff said:

 

 

 I've used the half head as a ned rig but never tried it on a swimbait? Does it impede the action of the paddle tail of the swimbaits at all? 

Not at all.  It's a fairly streamlined shape and mates very clean to just about anything.  

[WRB]

I use Owner darter jig for rocky structure lakes. Good hook and sizes from 1/16 to 3/8. 

Dobyns Light Wire Swimjig for longer horizontal casting.

To,

[looking45]

My friends and I use this. The bait doesn’t slide down the hook

[RHuff]

4 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Not at all.  It's a fairly streamlined shape and mates very clean to just about anything.  

 

 I love it. Instantly change from a swimbait to a Ned.. Smart idea

[RipzLipz]

@Drawdown Answers are all over the place & typically are - nothing wrong with that. Some anglers like matching painted heads, some don’t care & use unpainted. I don’t believe it matters about the paint but what does matter is the hook & I feel you get what you pay for in that regard. Owner is my preferred hook of choice but Mustad, Gamakatsu, VMC, Eagle Claw/Trokar, just to name a few, are other well known/used brands that will probably work just as well as any. There are quite a few Japanese brands of which I’ve never used that might also be worthy contenders. Whichever brand you choose, get one with a good bait keeper so your bait doesn’t slide down the hook & I feel it’s reassuring to know the brand of hook being used in any jig not made by a known hook manufacturer. I don’t skimp on line or hooks. Just how I choose to roll, as I don’t wish for that potential PB to come off due to a dull or cheap hook that might bend out or break.

 

With all that said, have your pick of the litter:

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-SWBJGHD.html

[JN94]

I like Eyestrike Trout Eye jigs for my 3" paddletails. The hook wire is pretty perfect - it's not a medium wire but also not a heavy wire, it's somewhere right in between. I've fished it on ML rods without having any hookset issues and MH rods with 6-8lbs of drag without it bending out. They also make a "finesse" one that comes with a 1/0. The standard is a 2/0

[ChrisD46]

A lot of good recommendations provided here  - but if you are looking for a quality made finesse jig head with a stout #1 size Owner hook that won’t break the bank - then look no further than site sponser Siebert Outdoors Morel Jug Head .

[txchaser]

Any recommendations for a ball-head jig for small (2.8) swimbaits? Looking for a short shank hook that's pretty stout. 

 

The Morel mentioned above might work fine, I wonder about the head shape causing a different swim though? 

 

 

[ChrisD46]

On 2/21/2024 at 7:20 PM, txchaser said:

Any recommendations for a ball-head jig for small (2.8) swimbaits? Looking for a short shank hook that's pretty stout. 

 

The Morel mentioned above might work fine, I wonder about the head shape causing a different swim though? 

 

 

Good question - if anything , the flat front mushroom head may come through the water more erratically causing a slight "hunting" action of a finesse swim bait OR it may not make any difference at all ? Worth a try either way and Siebert Outdoors makes great Morel (Midwest) jig heads in a ton of colors using great hooks .