what jig head size do you use

[BabySnapperKiller]

I'v been into soft plastics fishing these days introduced by DerekD.

I bought a bunch of 1/4 1H size jig head and try with different spots. The 1/4 gives me good casting distance and fast sinking. But when I watch Shroom's videos he always use 1/12, 1/16 ones.

What size do you guys use?  

[Tommy TJ]

I choose jigheads depending on the fish I am targeting, the size of the soft plastic I'm using, and also the conditions (wind/ depth/ current), so it's good to have a range to choose from if possible. Assuming you are targeting bream and flathead, it is essential to have different jigheads for each fish as bream have much smaller mouths than flathead, and they also seem to be a lot more fussy when it comes to the sinking rate of the lure (to heavy = unnatural). Flathead in general are not very picky... I commonly catch flathead as bycatch when targetting bream, however the reciprocal is not true as I rarely catch bream as a bycatch when targetting flathead.

 

For flathead I usually use hook sizes 1/0 up to 4/0 and weighted between 1/8th and 1/4 oz. Fishing in deeper water, or in stronger current I will choose to use the heavier jighead so that it can get down to the bottom. In shallower water though the lighter jighead gives the most natural presentation of the lure.

 

For bream I usually use hook sizes 4 up to 1, and try to fish the lightest jighead possible, heaviest I will use for bream being 1/8 oz, but more commonly I'm using 1/12th jig heads for lures like 2.5" paddle tail or grub. Again I'm usually matching the hook size to the size of the lure. For bream I also like to use hidden weight jigheads in the 1/20 oz weight because the weight is distributed evenly along the hook so the sinks more horizontally in the water instead of sinking head first.

[Green Hornet]

Great reply @Tommy TJ. The only thing I could add for the original poster is another reason to use larger, heavier jig heads for flathead is to match the larger plastics that they’re prone to take.  
Down my way 4-6 inch plastics are the norm if you’re solely targeting flatties and of course you drop down to 2.5-3.5 inch if you’re after bream as well, like you mentioned.

[noelm]

As a general rule (for me) I use the smallest head I can get away with, meaning, wind, current, plastic size and species expected.

[DerekD]

Excellent response @Tommy TJ.

Hi @Mr.Wang . The reasons I start people on the 1/4 oz 1H (heavy gauge wire) TT jighead (usually with 3" minnow) are:

• it gives good casting range
• you can see and feel it when it hits the bottom which is great for learning the principles of soft plastics fishing.
• it is very effective on pelagics and flathead for that matter
• gets down in deeper water in a reasonable time
• the added tension when bringing in the lure helps avoid wind knots.

I also have the same jighead in 1/6 oz and 1/8 oz. I'll work the area with the heaviest jighead and then gradually reduce jighead weight (but still use same 3" minnow lure) for longer hang time and a more subtle presentation.

When you are starting out I recommend not dropping below 1/8 oz otherwise there is an increased risk of wind knots and sorting out bird nests.

Once you are more confident feel free to drop down to lighter lures but be aware of winding on with some tension (being in contact with the lure helps with this).

For 2 inch grubs I'm a big fan of Gamakatsu 211 ball head jig in 1/8 oz and either size 1 or 2 hook. These are a special order in that weight.

Regards,

Derek

Edited February 8, 2023 by DerekD

[Little_Flatty]

Shroom is often fishing fairly shallow water so there isn't much need to go much heavier than 1/12. My go-to in similar environments is also 1/16th. Generally speaking, with all fishing (bait, lure or otherwise), lighter is better to a point (lighter sinkers, lighter lines etc). At least psychologically for me anyway! I swear that in these environments, that I get more hits with the extended 'hover' time of the lure over the bottom.

That said, you do need to be able to reach the fish and keep your lure in their zone, in all conditions. So you can't overdo the lightness.

I agree with @DerekD; keep fishing with your 1/4oz and maybe as you go, get some lighter ones to try to see if it improves your results. Start with 1/8th, then 1/16th and so on. 1/32oz and lighter is starting to get into the ridiculous range, but there will be uses for these as your skills improve. Fishing very light jigheads requires light gear, good casting and line management skills.

[big Neil]

2 hours ago, Mr.Wang said:

I'v been into soft plastics fishing these days introduced by DerekD.

I bought a bunch of 1/4 1H size jig head and try with different spots. The 1/4 gives me good casting distance and fast sinking. But when I watch Shroom's videos he always use 1/12, 1/16 ones.

What size do you guys use?  

You have all the information in the answers to your questions Mr. Wang. Do as they suggest and your results will soon pick up. Good luck, bn

[dirvin21]

Depends what plastics you're casting

With 2.5 inch paddle tails I use 1/12th to 1/16th

2.5 inch Grubs I'll go as light as 1/20th

I fish small plastics for maximum hang time in the water targeting fish like bream and trevs

It's more about precise casts pinpointing where the fish are

[Bennyg78]

Generally the bigger the lure the bigger the jig heads.

To echo what a lot of other people have said, 3-4 inch plastics I find myself using 2/0,3/0,4/0 plastics weight wise it depends what you are wanting to do with the plastic.

I find myself generally reaching for a size 2 jig head fine gauge for most bream fishing, and again like many others haves aid light as possible. The battle you'll find is how light you go versus the current and versus your patience ( counting down to 20 after you work the lure can sometimes seem an eternity).

There's also lots of variables and trade offs that come into play; like if you're landbased do you sacrifice some of the hang time in the water for cast distance with a heavier jig head and vice versa.

@DerekD has given you a good starting point and once you become familiar with casting that 1/4 around think about what you're chasing and change it up.

[BabySnapperKiller]

10 hours ago, Tommy TJ said:

Assuming you are targeting bream and flathead, it is essential to have different jigheads for each fish as bream have much smaller mouths than flathead, and they also seem to be a lot more fussy when it comes to the sinking rate of the lure (to heavy = unnatural)

Thanks for the detailed info @Tommy TJ

Does fish usually attack when the lure is sinking or retrieved?(heavier lure, faster sinking).

I caught my first flathead by slowly winding. 

I also find that heavier lure tends to snap more 😭

[BabySnapperKiller]

10 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

Down my way 4-6 inch plastics are the norm if you’re solely targeting flatties and of course you drop down to 2.5-3.5 inch if you’re after bream as well, like you mentioned.

My biggest lure is 3.5 inch atm and I find most of the tackle shops jig head hook size is at least 1H

[BabySnapperKiller]

9 hours ago, DerekD said:

• it gives good casting range
• you can see and feel it when it hits the bottom which is great for learning the principles of soft plastics fishing.
• it is very effective on pelagics and flathead for that matter
• gets down in deeper water in a reasonable time
• the added tension when bringing in the lure helps avoid wind knots.

Yes @DerekD!

I prefer heavier one as it gives me confident casting range.

I probably forgot about feeling the bottom hit these days, I cast and watch the line slack, wait a few seconds and start to retrieve. 

Didn't manage to land many fish hence asking about whether I should switch to lighter jig heads.

And my jig usually get snapped and costs me 3-4 on average in one fish trip   

[BabySnapperKiller]

9 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

1/32oz and lighter is starting to get into the ridiculous range, but there will be uses for these as your skills improve. Fishing very light jigheads requires light gear, good casting and line management skills.

The 1/32oz one feels like just the hook itself lol

I will continue to play with 1/4 to practice my casting and line management then. 

9 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

That said, you do need to be able to reach the fish and keep your lure in their zone, in all conditions.

This also feels very tricky, I always stay at one position and keep casting different direction as I thought perhaps I didn't work very well on my lure. Twitching, lifting, flicking

[BabySnapperKiller]

7 hours ago, dirvin21 said:

With 2.5 inch paddle tails I use 1/12th to 1/16th

2.5 inch Grubs I'll go as light as 1/20th

I fish small plastics for maximum hang time in the water targeting fish like bream and trevs

I used Berkely 3inch minnow guess Ill stick with 1/4 to 1/8 then. My next visit to the tackle shop I shall keep an eye on the hook size for lighter jig heads.

[BabySnapperKiller]

6 hours ago, Bennyg78 said:

The battle you'll find is how light you go versus the current and versus your patience ( counting down to 20 after you work the lure can sometimes seem an eternity).

This is so true!

Every cast I start a count! And sometimes wind is a bit stronger which affects my casting and I wonder how people manage to use lighter gear under that condition. 

As for current, not much thoughts on that as I cannot see LOL

[BabySnapperKiller]

4 hours ago, Obsessed Fisherman said:

Bring some metal lures, then you can marvel at how far you can cast then you won't even notice that you are not catching any fish.

I have metal in my box every time then I go fishing. The only successful metal catch was at night at the wharf, where mini tailor starts going crazy and bit everything moving in the water.

And agree, metal casting is fun!