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Lure Review

In The Mood ... For Jigs (continued)

D&M's Jackpot Jig: Dale and Mark Meddock are no strangers to the Northern California Tackle Scene. Dale does his best to spread his knowledge about baits and bait making to whomever might listen and Mark is an accomplished tournament angler. Their Jackpot Jig is the latest in a long line of skirted bait offerings. It is designed as a modified arkie jig suitable for the flipping and punching.


Introducing the D&M Jackpot Jig.

 

D&M Custom Baits Jackpot Jig Specifications

Type Modified Arkie head for Punching
Skirt Silicone
Sizes 3/4 oz, 1 oz, 1 1/4 oz
Colors/Patterns 22
Hook 5/0 Gamakatsu Flipping Hook
Additional Features Custom Colors are available, rattles are available, each bait comes with a matching twintail grub trailer
MSRP $4.49

   
The Skirt: The Jackpot Jig comes with a 64 strand silicone skirt that is secured to the modified arkie head with a heavy band. The standard colors were developed for Northern California waters but custom orders are available for both colors of the skirt and to have them hand tied if you prefer
.


The Jackpot Jig features a modified arkie head...

The Hook: D&M Custom Baits takes no shortcut with the hook. This jig features a heavy gauge, 5/0 Gamakatsu flipping hook. Along the shank of the hook is a painted bait keeper, and the option of a rattle is available although sold separately.


... and features a silicone skirt held on with a heavy duty band.

Head & Line Tie: The line tie for this bait is in a standard position for an arkie type head. D&M prides themselves in saying the line ties for their baits will never be clogged with paint. Indeed each bait we handled (and we handled A LOT!) came with a line tie that was free and clear and ready to be tied to the end of the line. The head itself is an interesting take on the arkie with a molded snout used to house the weed guard and provide a space for the bait's eye sockets.


The one downfall of this bait, the durability of the head's finish could be better.

Durability: If there is a downfall to this bait, it is in the durability of the paint. After only half a day fishing, the head on one of our baits showed obvious signs of wear. This obviously did not affect our fishing, but for a four dollar and fifty cent ($4.50) jig, we were hoping for a more durable paint treatment.


Worn paint or not, these jigs still catch fish.

Availability: D&M Custom Bait products are available at select tackle stores throughout California, or by emailing the company at "dmcustombaits at wavecable dot com".

 

Ratings: (We've re-calibrated our ratings standard for 2008 and have included a key at the bottom of the following matrix as a guide):

D&M Custom Baits Jackpot Jig Ratings (?/10)

Construction/Quality A well built jig. 7.5
Performance Well suited for flipping 7
Price A bit on the high side for a jig 6
Features Quality hook, but a standard banded skirt 6.5
Design (Ergonomics) Unique head design, good selection of colors 7.5
Application A good jig for flipping and deepwater rock piles 7

Total Score

6.92
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

 

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus

Minus
J Plenty of color options L Banded Skirt
J Stout Gamakatsu Hook L On the pricey side for a jig
J Good heavy jig option L Not yet widely distributed

 

Effectiveness: Though built in part for the technique of punching, the Jackpot Jig from D&M Custom Baits is still more suited for general flipping. Certainly sized right for punching, the jig is not quite streamlined enough to get through the thicker vegetation though we certainly applaud the effort. We actually liked it best for fishing deepwater humps and rock piles where the jig's weight helps you get it down fast and stay in contact with the bottom.

 

Next Section: Gann's Performance Tackle...

 

   

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