Game & Fish West

OLD SCHOOL

There’s no denying that technology has revolutionized bass fishing in recent years. Today’s electronics provide incredibly precise underwater views. The materials and engineering of rods and reels make them exponentially more efficient and effective than tackle introduced just a decade ago. Lures are made to cast farther and more accurately than ever before and feature actions and finishes that make them virtually indiscernible from the living creatures they are meant to mimic. But not all productive baits are newfangled contrivances; sometimes the key to success these days comes from the distant past.

Comprising natural or manmade materials tied around a weighted hook, hair jigs are one of the original artificial fishing lures. Their lifelike movements and silhouette can resemble almost anything in a bass’s diet, but especially darting baitfish and crawling crayfish. That makes them irresistible to bass, even those numbed by

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