TackleTour

I've long been a fan of Trout Magnets despite getting too many missed hook sets with their 1/64 oz. shad dart jig head. Recently I found an alternative on eBay (search: 1/64 SHAD DART JIG HEAD CRAPPIE PANFISH LURE #8 RED SICKLE 100 PACK). Today while fishing a town pond for blue gills, the eBay version was performing well but I thought nothing of it until I switched to the original TM brand and suddenly came up empty on multiple hits. Immediately switched back to eBay and the gills were once again brought to hand. At only 15 cents each, they're a nice upgrade w/o an upgraded price.

This is why I use Daiwa Gekkabijin Light Game jig heads. Of course they’re about 90 cents each but the hooks are sharper than a needle. All hook sizes are extremely sharp but if you’re not careful handling the #10.....#8....#6.......they’ll wind up in your finger. Yeah they are expensive.....but if you watch any of my videos you’ll see I don’t set the hook using these jig heads.....the fish hook themselves.

Regards

I second the Daiwa Gekkabijin. Landed a 4 1/2 and 5 1/4 pounder trout the past month and lost none. Wish I could say the same with spoons where I loose a lot of hookups so I have to still figure out the hook situation with spoons.

The Daiwa Gekkabijin sure look nice but once I start worrying about the cost of breaking off Trout Magnets it will take the fun away for me. I’m a cheapskate who already spends too much on this hobby!

I hear you Knotty. I'm with you on cost control - that's why I can't own a whole bunch of JDM rods and reels.

However, in light of the cost of gas, time, rods, reels, fresh lines etc - the cost of the jigs are actually a very small percentage of the total cost and it is the part that actually hooks the fish. Lets say I get 20% more hookups (I think it is more), that's 20% greater effectiveness in the number of fish landed when I consider my gas, time, ,rods, reels, fresh lines etc. There's no way, no matter how much money I spend on rods, reel and line that will get me 20% more hookups. So that few dollars extra per trip on jigs is a high value 'multiplier'. Hope I make sense.

Makes total sense ultralight. I would apply that logic when heading to a special location, like a trout stream. But when I'm just fishing local ponds for warm water species (which I try to do on most days) I try to keep the cost down.