Dirty Jigs Swim Jig No Jack Swim Jig Product Review

Lure Review

Getting Down and Dirty with the Swim Jig

Date:	12/1/19
Tackle Type:	Lures
Manufacturer:	Dirty Jigs
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 7.75 - GOOD

Introduction: Bass fishing, more than any other subset of the hobby is defined by trends popularized by specific techniques and baits. As of this writing, the hot new trend is the Ned Rig which is really just a specific approach to fishing soft plastics on a jighead. An enduring bait seemingly immune the ebb and flow of these trends and arguably the most basic bait a good bass fisherman can use is the jig. But if you think about it, even the somewhat boring and basic jig has its popular variants: football, flipping, casting, finesse, ballhead, arkiehead. One bait company that's made these jig varieties their specialty is Dirty Jigs. We met up with Luke Clausen last Fall to talk about his favorite, Dirty Jigs's Swim Jig.

Dirty Jigs Standard and No Jack Swim Jig Specifications
Type	Swim Jig
Skirt Material	Silicone (50 strands for both jigs)
Weight	Std - 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 ,1/2oz : No Jack - 5/16, 3/8 ,1/2oz
Colors/Patterns	Std - 41 : No Jack - 29
Hook	Std - 5/0 3x Mustad : No Jack - No Jack Gamakatsu
Additional Features	Bullet head, vertical line tie, custom painted matching heads
MSRP	Std - $4.49 : No Jack - $4.99

We take a look at two of the swim jig products offered by Dirty Jigs. On the left is the No-Jack swim jig and on the right is their standard swim jig

Impressions: Dirty Jigs actually makes a few different swim jigs. Clausen showed us two of his favorites, Dirty Jigs's standard swim jig and their No-Jack swim jig. Each features a bullet shaped head with a vertical line tie, and a 50 strand, silicone skirt. The standard swim jig is molded around a 5/0 3x strong Mustad hook while the No-Jack is built around an extra-heavy Gamakatsu hook. The skirt for both jigs is secured to the jighead via a thick elastic band, and each variety features a matching fiber weed guard.

The primary difference between these two baits is the hook. The standard swim jig (above) makes use of a 3x Mustad

The No-Jack features an extra-heavy duty hook from Gamakatsu

Real World Tests: I fished this Dirty Jigs Swim Jig duo during the Fall of 2018 and early into 2019 on a variety of different setups as conditions dictated. Initially, I chose a prototypical jig stick like my Daiwa Tatula TAT721HFB, but I since I found myself fishing this bait primarily on a straight retrieve, I discovered that something with a more forgiving tip would be a better choice because my hookup ratio hit and miss.

Luke Clausen introduced us to Dirty Jigs's Swim Jig lineup

I thought about a heavy cranking stick similar to what I use with a vibrating jig, but it was a little difficult to get the thought out of my head of fishing that single hook on a cranking stick. This despite that's exactly what a vibrating jig is too! I had some success with Phenix's Feather FTX-71MH with a slower, 6.6:1 reel in the Okuma Cerros, but a medium powered rod (yes, it's rated medium heavy, but fishes like a medium), felt a little light.

Each bait features a bullet shaped head finished with 3 layers of paint

When it came down to it, I found the stick that best suited my needs with a swim jig was Megabass's F5-75X Javelin. This stick is on the heavy side of medium-heavy and has a relatively forgiving tip that can respond to those swipe hits, yet really good length and backbone to help keep those fish buttoned when you swing for the set.

The skirts for these jigs feature 50 strands of silicone for a big, full profile

Next Section: Fished with fluorocarbon line...