good jig heads for up north

[zebbo]

any suggestions on some tough jig heads for using up north???

[Piscineidiot]

Owner jigheads are good, but they tend to be a bit heavy, so you have to mount them on big plastics.

I assume Dave Press' Jiggy Jigs'd be good for the lighter work considering they're also built on Owner hooks.

Nitro Heavy Wire jigheads are also good for the lighter work, I use the 2g a lot when fishing the salt. They fit the 4" snapback finesse jerkbaits well. However, they will still open if you push them far enough, so just be a bit careful.

Ted likes his Squidgy finesse heads, they do have a nice solid hook, I don't like the wire keeper though.

[Dave Press]

Hi guys.

I actually use Owner light gauge (super needle point) hooks for my standard jigs, and Owner Cutting Point for my bigger Saltwater Series jigs. They are widely regarded as the best Saltwater hooks around.

The only other Jigs I could reccommend for that style of fishing is Owner's Jigheads with Cutting Point hooks...however they aint cheap.

[Nath_18]

The only problem with heading North is you have to get the best gear possible to with stand the caning you get from the fish, and you have to get lots of it...:D

If you want the best jigheads possible at a dirt cheap price I would go for the Jiggy Jigs. Your getting the same quality from Daves products as you do from Owner's, Gamma, Nitro ect only there half the price which means you can get more of for less..

check out his online store mate :)

cheers, Nathan

[zebbo]

thanks fellas,
i appreciate the suggestions
those jiggy jig heads look lyk the way to go

zebbo

[Bear]

Drop in and have a look at the range of TT's at Sewelly's. They have some great jigs for bream as well as Northern fishing.

[Richo]

I used TTs last month in Exmouth and they worked a treat.

[Piscineidiot]

I don't mean to be a buttock,

But I found that the lighter TT jigheads aren't all that much different in terms of hook strength than say, a Squidgy head. I had them open up a coupla times while playing some very average GT's, by that, I mean things less than a kilo. Really not that big.

Don't know if they use different hooks throughout the range though?

[Nath_18]

In that case Owen I would say that the fish wasnt hooked right and the hook opened up. If a fish hook is "hooked" correctly it shouldnt open up like you say it did even if your using thin guage Owners or Heavy guage TT heads.

Do you get what I mean because im a little confusing sometimes :D

cheers, Nathan

[Piscineidiot]

I do understand what you mean Nath, and it might also have had something to do with my brutish drag setting, but hooking something 'wrong' can't be avoided in a lot of cases...I'd just prefer if things didn't give up, even when put to the test like that. Granted, if it hits bone and the fish turns, it'll bend it open, but trevally don't have spectacularly bony mouths, and as I recall, it was hooked in the corner of the mouth....

[yellow door 1]

One bad experience can be enough to turn you off the whole range. Only if you are predisposed to rash judgements.
(if you take offence at that - I'll accuse you of proving my point)

I have made some outlandish claims on what I expect of tackle based on what I used to do before light tackle breaming. It took a post from Shortlite to make me see sense. (the one about light hooks on small hard bodies)

When pushing tackle to its absolute limits we occassionly believe the hype of tackle manufacturers. On the flats you could believe every word they say but in structure when the drag is screwed up tight, the limits of the tackle are pushed to the extreme something is going to pop.

In my bait fishing I used to use tackle that was massively over gunned for the fish I was catching. The tackle I used for whiting would now be my snapper gear. Even if I pumped as hard as I could i wouldnt straighten a hook or pop a leader. It simply wasnt possible.

Bream live in places where locking up or putting a heap of pressure on is required. But to get them to take a lure you have to make the leader inconspicuous. If you lock up on a fish and something goes wrong the last thing you blame is yourself. It was either the leader, the fireline or the hooks. I've thrown lures into spots where I know they wont come back. If I wanted to cover my arse I'd whinge about the abrasion resistance of a certain leader or the strength of brand x's trebles.

Fact is - bream arent hard to hook - they are hard to land - we send in a lure that may or may not break when it hits something solid- on a leader that can break when you tie a knot - and then whinge when things go wrong.

Use heavier gear and you'll land most of the bream you hook -BUT HOW MANY WILL YOU MISS.

If you fish by yourself, you can fulfil you own prophecies but when the lad next to you goes light and catches fish after fish you can take something from that.

Bream get their respect as fighters based on the light tackle needed to tempt them into fighting. If you dont agree with the light tackle theory - give 3lb leaders a go on your home patch.

[Piscineidiot]

Hehehe, you're right Lawrence.

Me using 20lb trace off rocks kinda proves the point. It's amazing how much force you can put on something even when using 4lb braid, so long as your trace can stand the strain.

I'm learning quickly too, that with that amount of pressure, anything made of fine wire will give under the circumstances. So, it's best to either up your terminals, or just risk it with light drag settings.

I've always felt that the only thing that makes bream a truly sporting fish is how light you have to go to get them to bite...

You're right about the gear too. Now that my rod's been modified, I've been over-gunning a lot of my target fish...Keep trying to push the limits of the rod when it's not called for, just cos I wonder how much pressure I can put on. Turns out, it's too much for a lot of the jigs and trebles I'm using, so I think it's time to ease up.

I don't take offense at all, pulling those hooks on two nice fish within the space of an hour or so, and Ted's constant ear-bashing have kinda taught me my lesson...

Owen

As for the 3lb...ahem, I'm hoping you were joking Lorry...:D

[Shortlite]

Yeah dude!! Lawrence, you are spot on there mate. In pushing for control on light gear, you sometimes forget that not all the links in the chain have the same strengths.

Even on my little rod, I have opened Nitros and Squidgy Finesse hooks. Granted, it happened on big fish, but it goes to show that lighter leader and hooks just cannot take the same pressure at all.

Owen, sorry for shooting you down big style all the time, but a bit more care and equipment skills will go a long way. I didn't think the Owner trebles could get smashed like that, 'cos I've landed Atlantic tarpon on them, and they are tough buggers. One poxy little bream decides to bite hard and a size 14 suddenly becomes a hook/circle/harpoon combo. Them mangrove jacks are not nice on gear either, and the country they live in is not one for finesse, light drags or soft rods.

Now back to the original question. In a heavy gauge wire, yes I like the Squidgy Finesse Head hooks. Their molding and hook keeper needs improvement. Fine wire we found some cheapies that have excellent hooks, but being cheapies aren't great on finish. Nitros are good, as are TT's. Yet to get in some jiggy jigs for trial by fire.