Electric Grape Juice

 

 


 

 


Crappie/Panfish Jigs

The innovation of plastic baits ushered in a whole new world of possibilities for the panfish angler, but along with the good came a headache…..torn plastics from the keeper barb on the jig. The average angler looses more plastics to tear-offs from having the plastic body split at the barb than they loose to fish. Today's commercial jig market is more than willing to swamp the fishing-public with small jigs designed for panfish and crappies but they just can't seem to get rid of that plastic-wasting barb. While the collar-less ball-head has enjoyed years and years of being around, availability has been very limited. The narrow bodies on so many of the new plastic baits we see in the marketplace today simply will not tolerate being used on any jig with a barb. These small jigs are the ticket to get rid of that glitch.

The smallest member of this family is a 1/32 ounce head. They are available in the colors illustrated and named on the color plate either a size 6 or a size 4 hook. A size 2 hook can be special ordered in the 1/32 head and these are super good jigs for carrying 2" twisters when the water is warm and the fish are relating to structure in deep water. They can be started and stopped in mid-retrieve and seem almost neutrally buoyant. The slightest pump on the line sets the tail to action again. The #6 hook is a great size when sunfish are part of the target fish or when using a narrow-bodied plastic. The size 4 is great when using paddletail-type baits, 1/12" twisters, the ever-popular solid-bodied tube and nail-tail type baits for crappies. The VMC hooks are super sharp in the #4 and #6 hook sizes while the #2 hook is an Eagle Claw.

1/16 ounce jigs are available on two hook sizes as standard: #4 and #2. A size 6 hook can be special ordered in the 1/16 ounce head for those who want to fish smaller bodied plastics on hooks able to grab a sunfish, but need the added weight to stay in touch with their line or to get deep faster. The color illustrations shown and mentioned for the 1/32 heads pertain to the 1/16 ounce heads as well.

These jigs are sold 10 jigs per pack. You can order up to 10 packs of the 1/32 AND 10 packs of 1/16 heads, just not over 100 jigs of one size. Colors can be all one color or mixed.

Prices for both the 1/32 and 1/16 heads are $2.45 for each 10 pack.

Pink

Blue Infusion

Chartreuse

Merlot - Black Base

Hot Yellow

Blueberry - Black Base

Orange

Strawberry Chewin Gum

Double Trouble

Orange Blossom

Lime Light
  

Copper Head
 
Now Available in Sickle Hooks at $3.15 per 10 Pack

 

A Note On Color

The top four colors shown in the illustrations for the Crappie jigs are CrappieTom trademark colors that have been developed over the course of several years. The Merlot [very deep wine-red] and Blueberry are glitter colors using a black base paint, while the Electric Grapejuice and the Blue Infusion are transparent colors with glitter enhancing. The Grapejuice and Infusion are coated in two steps. While the immediate appearance between the two reds and the 2 blues may seem almost to duplicate each other, there are huge differences in how each works with the water and how much light is available. On darker, cloudy days with no sun, the black-based heads get the nod starting early in the day with the Merlot, switching to the Blueberry around 11 and then back to the Merlot when the sun gets behind hills or starts to set. The same time frame is followed per color when the sun is shining, only then the transparent based colors of Electric Grapejuice gets the nod to start and shifts to Blue Infusion as the day gets going. The difference between the black based heads and the transparent based heads is contrast and how they show up in the water. Early and late in the day the sun's rays hit the water at angles much less than head-on. At this time, the purples [Grape Juice and Merlot] will pick up the sun's energy and stand out as a strong glowing gray to the fish. The black-based Merlot color will actually do better under the clouds because the black allows what is available for natural light to show up in the head color with the red glitter over-tones only muted enough to contrast with the water as a less bright gray. The two reds will be easier for the fish to see early and late in the day.

Blue is actually a strong color for crappies at mid-day. Blues are strongest [most easily seen by crappies] when hit by almost direct sunlight [clouds or sun]. The difference between the black based and transparent based paints is the same as for the Merlot and Grapejuice.

The Merlot and Grapejuice have a blend of red glitters in the paint to enhance light reflectivity and add subtle highlights to create the deep wine-colored finish. The Blueberry and Blue Infusion are laced with a blend of blue and green glitters to achieve the same unique finish. The color variations found in the Merlot, Electric Grapejuice, Blueberry and Blue Infusion are found very, very near to the ultra-violet band of light in the spectrum. Crappies have an extremely strong attraction to all segments in the ultra-violet band. These colors have portions of the light band which we cannot see, but the crappies can.