Were jigs always this expensive?

[MediumMouthBass]

Going through the isles of DSG i was seeing football, swim, and grass jigs costing $5-8 per, figured since it was DSG the items were just heavily marked up. But im getting low on my supply of jigs (down to my last 50) so i went jig shopping online. Somehow this is the norm for jig prices.

Im quite baffled by it, since in the past ive always just bought a bunch of jig heads from Siebert for around 1.50-1.75 and either made my own skirts or got some of his or 6th sense packaged ones. The total costs of the jigs would always end up between $2-2.50 at max. For a high quality made custom jig.

Although i have bought some pre made jigs for casting into trees or other brush, but these were from TW or Midway on sale 2 in a pack for $1.75-2 total.

 

Ive noticed the more expensive jig makers have alot of marketing and youtube/social media hype around them. And a heavy amount of it.

Is there really a reason these jigs that are mass produced are costing $6+ for one?

And the local bait makers want close to $8-10 for one, and its not the best looking jig either.

 

What am i missing? I can understand for some stuff more $ = more fish, but thats mainly a jerkbait thing. Wouldnt people rather just buy the stuff separate and spend the few seconds it takes to put a skirt on a jig to save alot of cash? I can maybe understand this if someone bought a few, but i love fishing a jig and buy alot of them. If i bought another 50 it would cost me $200 extra just to have someone else put a skirt over the jig.

Are the skirts more durable? Hooks stronger?

 

 

(i know someone will call me cheap for this, i have no issue spending money, but i do with wasting it)

 

 

[PourMyOwn]

I can't answer your question because I haven't bought a jig in years, but $8 for a hand made local jig? I believe you, but who in the world would pay that?

 

Best of luck finding what you're after.

[river-rat]

I have used Oldham's jigs almost exclusively for over 25 years and can assure you they are first quality products. Terry Oldham makes three jigs that each costs under $5.00 and there is nothing cheap about any of them.

 

Eye-Max Jig (best grass jig on the market in my opinion) - $4.75/each

Trailer Hitch Jig (flipping and casting jig) - $3.75/each

Oldham's Football Jigs - $4.00/each

 

There are 24 different color combinations to choose from. If you're interested, you would have to call the company and speak with Terry to place an order. 

 

I can assure you that you will not be disappointed in the product.

 

Here is a link - oldhamjigs.com

 

 

[PBBrandon]

I personally would never spend that much on a jig. Anything over 5 bucks is too much imo.

 

Almost all of my jigs are SK and I usually snatch them up when they are $2 a pop during Walmart’s yearly winter closeout.

[Munkin]

Started making my own 20 years ago because I couldn't get the Eakins jigs locally. Just but a bunch of heads and put your own skirts on. All the common colors of skirts you can buy pre-made and I recommend the Hole-N-One skirts that everyone sells. Pre-made heads and skirts it should cost you about $2 each to make a jig.

 

Allen

[WRB]

Try looking at Siebert Outdoors our site sponsor. The expense is often related to the hook and materials used plus labor.

Cheap hooks are worthless! Buying your skirt tab materials and jig heads adds up fast!

Tom

[MediumMouthBass]

3 hours ago, WRB said:

Try looking at Siebert Outdoors our site sponsor. The expense is often related to the hook and materials used plus labor.

Cheap hooks are worthless! Buying your skirt tab materials and jig heads adds up fast!

Tom

Ive been buying Siebert jig heads for the past year, after getting advice from this forum and it comes to $1.70 per jig. And i bought a lot of skirt materials because after doing the math i can put these together for about $2-2.50. Making the skirts is fun for me, like tying flies. Plus being able to make it look exactly how i want it to is a big deal when fishing smaller lakes that are high pressured.

But before doing this i would just buy the Strike King ones or other brands from local shops or Walmarts for about $1.50-3. And just became accustomed to this being the price i should pay for jigs.

 

Now all the sudden every jig i see being sold by the big brands is $5, $6, or higher. Using regular hooks, nothing premium. And some of the skirts in store look all bunched up and stuck together. But most of the more expensive ones seem to be the brands that are heavily hyped up with youtubers and social media marketing.

On 1/9/2025 at 2:37 PM, PourMyOwn said:

I can't answer your question because I haven't bought a jig in years, but $8 for a hand made local jig? I believe you, but who in the world would pay that?

 

This is what ive been asking for days now, i try to support local smaller shops when i can. But a bunch of the local bait makers in PA are charging $6-8 for a jig, $8-10 for a spinnerbait, and 50 cents to a dollar per generic mold soft plastic.

[Pat Brown]

I have jigs that I've been throwing for 4 years. 

 

I have jigs that don't make it past the marina. 

 

When I first started throwing jigs - I lost a pile of them to be honest.  Looking back on it - I hadn't mastered the art of gently pulling my bait up to obstructions and popping them through gently.  I was working the bait too much for a long time and lost a lot of jigs not knowing how gentle to fish them.

 

Over time I feel like jigs tend to be one of the more economic options out there if you fish them long enough.  By a long shot to be honest with you.

 

A big key to this is learning to identify jig versus Texas rigged soft plastic spots on your bodies of water and being willing to tolerate losing a few baits in the process of determining whether an area is good for a jig. But I have days where I will catch quite a few fish on a jig and quite a few big fish and then I will tie that jig on and do it again.

 

Once you know your waters' good jig spots - if they are there -  you'll hardly throw anything else in those spots.

 

YMMV

[Jig Man]

That’s why I started making my own jigs a long time ago.  Even with today’s prices I buy the hook I want for about $.30 and skirt tabs for $.30 each.  A hook and 2 full tabs run me less than $1.00.

[Jigfishn10]

I do the same as @Jig Man I mean let’s face it, what’s the life expectancy of a jig? 2 or 3 fishing outings? So it made sense for me to make 40 or so for the season and hope I lose 20ish  

[PourMyOwn]

19 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

I do the same as @Jig Man I mean let’s face it, what’s the life expectancy of a jig? 2 or 3 fishing outings? So it made sense for me to make 40 or so for the season and hope I lose 20ish  

Same here, my father and I started pouring in the mid 90s. Now I have my retired mother-who loves to sew- watching @smalljaw67 videos because she thinks tying jigs "looks like fun."

[papajoe222]

The only jigs that are worth more than $5 or $6, IMO are tungsten jigs. Their big selling point for me is how much more information feedback I get from one vs a lead head. My jig game is my strong suit and tungsten jigs keep me at the top of my game.

[Jig Man]

12 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

I do the same as @Jig Man I mean let’s face it, what’s the life expectancy of a jig? 2 or 3 fishing outings? So it made sense for me to make 40 or so for the season and hope I lose 20ish  

I wish I could get 2 to 3 trips out of a jig.   Where I fish I am lucky to get more than an hour or so out of one.

Plus I carry 5 color patterns in 3 sizes of my main jig so just having 4 of each as backups that’s 5 dozen jigs.

[Pat Brown]

If you fish jigs from the bank a lot try a 3/16 oz finesse jig with a bulky trailer and a stout weed guard on 20 lb big game - you'll hardly ever lose that jig unless you find a bunch of fishing line or something - and even then with most finesse jigs I'll bend the hooks before I break the knot with 20 lb big game.

 

I've caught plenty of fish on jigs I got back and corrected the hook with my pliers.

 

😎👍🏼 

 

I don't know if it was @Catt or @WRB or @LrgmouthShad or who anymore - I can't keep track of who's wisdom I'm stealing 😉 - but *somewhere* I read or heard at some point that you gotta get the jig kinda snagged up in the cover and then rather than try to violently pop it free - you gotta slow down - take a deep breath - relax - give it some slack and *gently* try to kinda work it through and out of the cover - constantly giving it slack and very gently trying to free it - and THUNK is often what happens!

 

Basically go slow and gentle when you get hung up and you almost always get em back or get bit!

 

When it finally "clicked" for me was when someone posted or told me that and I really stopped losing near as many jigs.

[Jigfishn10]

1 hour ago, Jig Man said:

I wish I could get 2 to 3 trips out of a jig.   Where I fish I am lucky to get more than an hour or so out of one.

Plus I carry 5 color patterns in 3 sizes of my main jig so just having 4 of each as backups that’s 5 dozen jigs.

You’re fishing real sticky stuff  

[Catt]

14 hours ago, Jigfishn10 said:

what’s the life expectancy of a jig? 2 or 3 fishing outings?

 

1 hour ago, Jig Man said:

I wish I could get 2 to 3 trips out of a jig

 

Y'all definitely don’t wanna fish with me!

 

I'll spend a whole week on Toledo Bend or Rayburn with one jig. 

[Jigfishn10]

Yep @Pat Brown, just finesse it through. A slight pop, pull, shake or whatever will make the jig drop or break free. I’ve learned that once free you can pretty much expect a pick-up. 
 

Jigfishn10 was my 2010 year to absorb all there was about jig fishing. I joined here the same year and guys like @Catt, @WRB and a whole host of members were kind enough to stop and post their experiences with a jig.

[Jigfishn10]

57 minutes ago, Catt said:

Y'all definitely don’t wanna fish with me!

 

I'll spend a whole week on Toledo Bend or Rayburn with one jig. 

I fish a lot of grass, so when I lose a jig it's from something toothy or I transitioned to a small patch of rock...Usually, but not always  

[Jig Man]

I mostly fish TABLE ROCK or it smaller rockier cousin Stockton where jig life expectancy is very low plus I don’t like to go get a hung up bait when the boat might scare fish.

[Catt]

Most anglers try forcing a jig through grass which is all wrong, you gotta finesse the jig through grass!

 

When you feel the jig starting to load up in the grass...stop. Release pressure, pull up until you feel heaviness again but apply slightly more pressure, then release, continue until the jig breaks free. You want the motion to be similar to & as fast as working a shaky head, you're just applying more pressure.

 

Same applies to "wood" 😉

[F14A-B]

Brother, everything has gone up in price, everything..

[scaleface]

I use to buy cards of jigs for less than a dollar per jig. There would be 10 or 12 jigs in a plastic slip stapled to a strip of cardboard. I forget who made them. Someone here in Missouri. 

[MediumMouthBass]

9 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I wish I could get 2 to 3 trips out of a jig.   Where I fish I am lucky to get more than an hour or so out of one.

 

Wow, ive been fishing my main 2 for the past year now on 12lb line in different lakes/ponds. I carry about 2 dozen but these two never gave me a reason to change colors.

Its the river however thats claimed so many innocent ned rigs and jigs for me😌. If rains in NY there will be a trees all over the bank. Its like if Gone in 60 seconds was made to be a fishing movie.

 

No wonder you guys are pouring your own jigs, seems like the most economical move for us all.

This thread has became something else, for the best. So many good comments on here about everything jigs. I am going to start getting some molds and other stuff for making plastics, will have to look into pouring as well.

[Fried Lemons]

I used to joke that jig fishing is more expensive than swimbait fishing. I don’t throw them from the bank anymore unless it’s an area I have fished before and know is relatively safe.

[FishTank]

I generally fish a jig every time I am out, depending on how the fish are biting. One of the lakes I go to are a combination of forest and busted up rocks. There is very little bottom that has grass, mud or sand. I lost 24 jigs there last year. I would limit myself to loosing 3 jigs and that's it, no matter how the bite was going.  I also limit myself to spending only $6 or less to replace them. I might spend a little more for tungsten (especially the ones from Beast Coast) but I will only buy them on sale.  So with that said 24 jigs is my spending limit. 

 

41 minutes ago, Fried Lemons said:

I used to joke that jig fishing is more expensive than swimbait fishing. I don’t throw them from the bank anymore unless it’s an area I have fished before and know is relatively safe.

 

@Fried Lemons I think if I fished a jig all the time this would definitely be true.  The most expensive thing I loose is time. Whether or not, I am retying or trying to get it unstuck, it can take up valuable minutes and disturb any fish that jig might be near.