In my estimation, plastic will get the most bites 90% of the time. But when a fish is not that active, the jig will get more bites because it’s a male and it’s easy for her to catch.
Compare that to a rodent or a coffee tube, which she won’t bite. If I can get 10 jig bites over 20 other bites on different bait, my chances of catching a bigger than average fish are higher. It might not be the biggest difference, like 3.5-pounders compared to 2.5-pounders, but it’s there.
The Hack Attack jig was designed to fish in matted grass or heavy wood. It’s got a 27-degree line tie, which puts the line tie almost at the center of the head. This means it can go in and out of cover really easily. It also has big gap between the hook point and the eye. Compare that to a line tie that is turned at a 90- or 60-degree angle and it covers up half of bite on your hook point. With the 27-degree line tie, there will be nothing in the way of your hook point. I know when I drive that hook, it is going.
What I’ve noticed with a big weighted jig, like a ¾ oz, is that you’ll stick the fish hard and be pulling it in, but it’ll come off because the line tie was in the way. And what’s happened is the line tie is what caught in the roof of their mouth, not the hook point. It feels like they’re hooked, but the hook never got close. You want the line tie to come out of the way so the hook can penetrate.
Another important feature of a jig is a heavy hook. You don’t want a hook that can flex, because it will cut its way out of the fish’s mouth. The fish will have totally engulfed the bait, but the hook is all the way to the edge of its mouth because the hook flexed. You need a hook with a strong shaft so it can withstand the pressure in heavy cover. It will penetrate and go straight in, rather than tearing up the fish’s mouth.
This hook was designed to catch tuna offshore, so it will really take a pounding. Why would you need a tuna hook in a jig? It makes up for human error when your instinct is to jerk the line and pull that fish in; the hook can withstand that force.
Read more about choosing between structure or football jigs.
