What is a jig?

Anglers might call lots of different lures jigs.

That can range from long, slender, metal lures, usually made from chrome-plated lead or tin, or even brass, in older versions, to soft-plastic lures.

Bucktails can also be called jigs.

There are also jigs made for sea bass fishing, with unique-shaped heads, rubbery legs and stuff.

And so on.

But the way the lure is fished is really what makes it a jig.

If the lure can be fished in an up-and-down pumping of the rod, called jigging, it’s a jig.

The answer to what’s a jig might be somewhat vague, but one thing isn’t.

Jigs catch fish, everything from largemouth bass, striped bass and weakfish to false albacore and tuna.

Hogy lures offers SI Epoxy Jigs, from Standard Issue Tackle.

These are long, slender jigs, the most common type, that anglers sometimes simply call “metal.”

The Epoxy Jigs are all-metal lures, with a lead core, but are covered with two coats of epoxy.

That’s a finish that helps with durability and light reflection, protecting the color and, included on most models, the scale-pattern.

The jigs feature through-wire construction, and most come with a single VMC treble hook, attached to the lure with a split-ring.

The Epoxy Jigs were originally meant to be fished for false albacore and bonito, but can be tossed to whatever fish swipes metal, including striped bass and blues, from a boat or the surf.

The jigs originally ranged from a 3/8-ounce 2-1/2-incher to a 4-ounce 6-incher, for fish like that.

But now the Tuna Rigged Epoxy Jigs, a heavy-duty version of the 4-ounce 6-incher, is also offered for tuna fishing.

Anglers liked the originals so much for albie and bonito fishing, that they demanded a version for tuna, the company says.

For more info, visit Hogy’s website.

Watch a video on the Epoxy Jigs.

Watch another on bluefin tuna fishing with the jigs from Cape Cod.

The jigs can imitate a long, skinny baitfish
like a sand eel, shown above.