Today I got into a mix of spotted bass and smallmouth.  I was using the Keitech swing impact fat in 2.8 with a dirty jigs 1/8 oz guppy head.  It took 8 baits to land 15 fish.  I love them but the little buggers are fragile.  Do any of you have a hack to extend their life?

Nope. I just keep shelling out the $$$. I go through a pile of 'em during A-rig season, but I've found the juice is worth the squeeze. Nothing else I've tried works as well, especially once the water gets into the lower 40's.

Toothpick pushed through from left to right side, just in front of the hook bend. 

I’m using the larger size for slotted bass, using this head. I’m getting 4-8 fish per bait. Once you thread the bait on, it won’t come off or slide down the hook. It takes several fish to break the tail off. 

As long as tail still attached, mend it, works very well to fix the rips and tears.

 

 

A spot of super glue (especially if you trim 1/4” off the head) will get you a half dozen to a dozen on a basic jig head. 

Super glued to the jig really helps, nothing helps with perch biting off the tail 

16 hours ago, webertime said:

Toothpick pushed through from left to right side, just in front of the hook bend. 

What is its purpose?  Would a small piece of wire do the same job?

 

 

 

This is a sample of what I am talking about.  The other thing is the bait gets thrown if the fish jumps.

 

 

21 hours ago, Jig Man said:

Do any of you have a hack to extend their life?

Yeah. Use these instead, but you'll need a head with a keeper that works with elaztech.

Z-Man Slim Swimz Swimbait | Tackle Warehouse

4 hours ago, herder said:

Super glued to the jig really helps, nothing helps with perch biting off the tail 

 

Don't I know it.  And pickerel also.  Wednesday night I made my SECOND cast with a brand new 3.8 on a jighead and a perch bit off the tail.  I decided I wasn't going down that route that night and put on a mooch minnow instead.

14 hours ago, RRocket said:

 

Love em. Saves me money.

8 hours ago, Jig Man said:

What is its purpose?  Would a small piece of wire do the same job?

 

 

 

This is a sample of what I am talking about.  The other thing is the bait gets thrown if the fish jumps.

 

 

So a toothpick is just easier to trim and being slightly larger in diameter will hold a bit better.

Evidently I can't upload a 101kb image...

So here's what I'm talking about

https://images.app.goo.gl/GKazF

Mend-it will fix the trashed one in the pic, if you can find the tail. 

Barring that, change baits - try the biospawn exoswim or a z-man bait.

2 hours ago, webertime said:

So a toothpick is just easier to trim and being slightly larger in diameter will hold a bit better.

Evidently I can't upload a 101kb image...

So here's what I'm talking about

https://images.app.goo.gl/GKazF

It looks like the toothpick might be a bit large for a 2.8 Keitech.  I’ll try it tomorrow and see how it does. 
 

 

I know that I can try other baits but I have a couple of hundred Keitechs.

On 7/24/2025 at 3:58 PM, Jig Man said:

Today I got into a mix of spotted bass and smallmouth.  I was using the Keitech swing impact fat in 2.8 with a dirty jigs 1/8 oz guppy head.  It took 8 baits to land 15 fish.  I love them but the little buggers are fragile.  Do any of you have a hack to extend their life?

 

It's not perfect, but the TD guppy head has a smooth top on the keeper or a northland tackle smeltinator has the cones, either one of those with some loctite super gel keeps the plastics much longer and still has the same look/action.

 

scott

 

TW has some really cheap smeltinators right now, color and hook size seem arbitrary though.

You can melt the noses with a butane lighter and they'll heal up for reuse. 

2 hours ago, softwateronly said:

 

It's not perfect, but the TD guppy head has a smooth top on the keeper or a northland tackle smeltinator has the cones, either one of those with some loctite super gel keeps the plastics much longer and still has the same look/action.

 

scott

 

TW has some really cheap smeltinators right now, color and hook size seem arbitrary though.

I actually have more of the Diryt Jigs guppy heads than I do Keitechs.

3 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I actually have more of the Diryt Jigs guppy heads than I do Keitechs.

 

That's why you're the jig man!  At least it's catching fish.  I'd go for glue and mend it and ride it out, the price of success.

 

scott

I use the glue.  I have mend-it but these baits are beyond anything it can do.

While I think the Hayabusa solution is the best, the Ryugi Inset Keeper works well too.

 

 

I've tried melting the heads with a lighter... Not the best solution because it does heat the inside too well... I got a soldering iron to try to insert to melt the interior to see if that will be better but I haven't tested out my theory just yet lol... 

There are several options.  You can go with an additional keeper, as in a toothpick or purpose made wire harness.

You can try to find screw lock heads.  They can be a pain to work with at times, but as far as fish per bait, they're probably the best stock keeper you can get.

Add a very small drop or 2 to the jigheads keeper or.  I found cone keepers like that of Smeltinator or Berkley's swimjig heads work the best.

If your using lead collar keepers, twist the head the bait 45* to the left or right as you push it over the keeper.  Once flush with the jighead, twist the head back to its normal position.  That prevents the barbs from channeling out the plastic of the entire head section.  When you turn it back straight, the keeper has more undamaged plastic to bite into and hold the bait on the shank.  Note that this method does not work with most cone style keepers that have 360* coverage.

Try tying your own keeper.  I like tying my own keepers on certain jigheads.  For softer baits I like to use heavy FC or Mono for softer baits, as opposed to wire.  All you need is some thread, heavy line and some type of adhesive.  I use UV resin because I have it, but you can use clear nail polish or some kind of gel glue.  If you really want to get fancy you can use shrink tubing under and or over the thread, so that the thread bites onto the shank easily and over the thread for a clean and streamlined look.