What are your thoughts on the two? Does one have an advantage over the other?  When do you use Living Rubber Jigs instead of something else?

 

Personally,  I can't get a bite on living rubber or the ones that are mixed with both. I have tried for years and no real luck. A regular silicone skirt will out catch rubber every time. I have also tried it in cold water. Also, no luck. I'm just confused as to why fish in my lakes will bite one and not the other. 

I use living rubber a lot as well as silicone.  I can’t tell much difference.

I rarely throw a stand alone jig but do use skirts when punching 90% of the time. 
All my skirts are rubber because of the way they flare where a silicone one doesn’t as much. 
 

There is a definite difference and advantage to that flare which has proven effective. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

The only living rubber jigs I use are Lefty’s Puff Ball*.

Living rubber has more movement then silicone skirts and fall slower at given jig weight and more compact size. Silicone skirts fold back onto its self with nearly no movement of the fall. Hair does the same thing as silicone but flares out when the jig stops. 
The big difference is color choices, silicone is nearly unlimited. With living rubber and hair the color choices a limited. The trailer adds the color and most of the movement for any jig.

Tom

* Mark makes both living rubber and silicone skirt strips.

I just bought 2 dozen of Gary Dobyns Football jigs, living rubber w silicone.

 

Most all of my casting or flipping jigs are silicone. 

Rubber flares and maintains its bulk regardless of water temp.  The strands move even after the jig stops.  The mere water movement of a bass swimming up to the jigs will cause the strands to move.  Can you get the broad color schemes? No.  That’s okay.  I fish Sieberts LR jigs in the Flippin jig, football style head and the Sniper jig.  If I want some metal flake, I get it in the trailer. One last thing, LR must be wire tied to get max action.

So I’ve been tying silicone and mix of silicone and living rubber.  I can’t get a bit on the rubber and silicone jigs. But I always catch them on the silicone skirts.  Not to say im gonna stop tying and fishing the rubber skirts. But I’m much more productive on silicone 

I like living rubber jigs. In many situations, I believe they give me more bites. Hard to beat Siebert’s. 
 

Silicone is also good. 

18 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

Rubber flares and maintains its bulk regardless of water temp.  The strands move even after the jig stops.  The mere water movement of a bass swimming up to the jigs will cause the strands to move.  Can you get the broad color schemes? No.  That’s okay.  I fish Sieberts LR jigs in the Flippin jig, football style head and the Sniper jig.  If I want some metal flake, I get it in the trailer. One last thing, LR must be wire tied to get max action.

I like Siebert’s mata jigs. They’re part silicone and part living rubber. You get the color you want while still getting the movement of living rubber.

Honestly, the only time I throw living rubber jigs is when I have to slow way down. That's cold water fishing for me and I can attest to the fact that a bass will pick up a LR jig that has been sitting in one spot for a minute or more. 

Another fan of Mike's jigs.

So I fished a mixed silicone/rubber jig 11 times this year and got skunked each time on various sizes and colors but I caught 4 on a green pumpkin one this past Sunday. I think my problem is moving it too quickly.  The fish I caught hit either as soon as it hit bottom or just sitting still. I rarely can fish a jig on the rocky and wood infested bottoms on my lakes. If you let it sit,  a rock will eat for sure. 

 

This guy hammered the mixed silicone/rubber jig I was using. 

 

I like them at night and super dirty water and fishing deeper structure.  I agree that it’s the kind of action that’s good to just let it sit - they get bit.

I added the Living Rubber jigs awhile back due to the demand for them.  I sell quite a few but nothing like the silicone skirts.  IMO it has its place.  For example fall rates, bigger profiles, and the movement of it.  At times it does produce better than silicone. IMO.  

Hell, I don't even know what the difference is.

 

I did a quick search and my go-to jig is silicone.

 

I guess that's my answer.   

On 10/3/2025 at 1:36 PM, F14A-B said:

just bought 2 dozen of Gary Dobyns Football jigs, living rubber w silicone

 

This is my go-to football jig, never gave much thought to the mixed skirt material but they get bit.

35 minutes ago, Peacedivision said:

 

This is my go-to football jig, never gave much thought to the mixed skirt material but they get bit.

Well I ordered 2X3 packs so they sent me a box with 24 🤷🤪 about time I got lucky lol

I like a very full skirt, reason why is I can trim the length, make finesse jigs and reduce the bulk to around a dozen strands. Most Jigs at BPS are terrible truthfully except for Denny Brauers structure jig, I love that jig and with an owner hook I don’t miss many at all. 
 

Gary’s Jig (old stock) are made with Gamakatsu. There sharp no doubt but they dull pretty quick. No problem w a file unless you seriously roll a point. 
 

Owners on Jigs are my favorite. Mustad ultrapoints are solid. All my chatterbaits use those. They do hold their point better I believe. Imo..

8 hours ago, Siebert Outdoors said:

I added the Living Rubber jigs awhile back due to the demand for them.  I sell quite a few but nothing like the silicone skirts.  IMO it has its place.  For example fall rates, bigger profiles, and the movement of it.  At times it does produce better than silicone. IMO.  

Like I said above, I love your mata jigs (silicone/rubber)! 👍

Only time I use living rubber is cold water. They melt together way too easy to use in hot temperatures.

 

Allen

21 hours ago, Munkin said:

Only time I use living rubber is cold water. They melt together way too easy to use in hot temperatures.

 

Allen

I’ve never had that problem and I have a custom living rubber jig I’ve never used that’s been in my tackle bag since 2013. It still seems new.

I use both;  much prefer silicone, and not just on jigs.

I’ve done really good on the @Siebert Outdoors brush mata jigs when they want a bigger bulkier profile and the jig sort of sitting still on the bottom or a slower more parachute like fall!  Cold and or muddy water = killer 

7 hours ago, woolleyfooley said:

I’ve never had that problem and I have a custom living rubber jig I’ve never used that’s been in my tackle bag since 2013. It still seems new.

 

Jig that's lasted for 12 years? It must not work well if you still have it. 

 

Allen 

16 hours ago, Munkin said:

 

Jig that's lasted for 12 years? It must not work well if you still have it. 

 

Allen 

It was made by a friend that is no longer with us and I don’t have the heart to fish it and risk losing it as it’s irreplaceable. I keep it with me for good luck.