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Are You Ready For Some Football!! ... Jigs?
(continued)
 Dandy Baits: Sponsored jig brand of one of the West's most renowned anglers, Bobby Barrack, Dandy Baits is a company out of Nevada that started in the bait business as a custom order spinnerbait and jig company. The company now seems to be in full blown production mode with products available in an increasing number of tackle stores. Of course, today we look at their football head jigs.
Introducing Dandy Bait's
Football Headed Jig.
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Dandy Baits Football Jig Specifications
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| Type |
Football Jig |
| Depth |
Any |
| The Skirt |
Silicone |
| Weight |
1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 ounces |
| Colors/Patterns |
22 |
| Hook |
Gamakatsu Wide Gap |
| MSRP |
$2.89 |
The Skirt: The Dandy Baits Football Jig features a full silicone skirt with really intricate color mixes, but instead of being hand tied, as many of our other jigs in this article are, the skirts of these jigs are held in place by a black rubber collar. As a result, in the water, these jigs don't flare as wide and lively when holding still. Of course, this is something that silicone skirts aren't known for anyway, but a tighter wrap would help just the same.
This jig features an
iridescent silicone skirt.
Hook: Dandy Baits pride themselves on quality materials and they make no exceptions with their hooks using highly regarded Gamakatsu hooks on all their baits. Those on their football head jigs have a nice wide gap and a stronger wire than we typically see on football head jigs. These jigs are built to stand abuse with heavier lines and in thicker than normal cover.
Bonus points for a name brand hook - Gamakatsu.
Line Tie: The line tie on these jigs are at about a forty five degree angle to the hook shank providing leeway for the head to stop on a rock and have the hook and trailer pivot up when tension is applied to the line. This is especially important if you want a jig you can drag, rather than hop along the bottom.
The line tie for
the Dandy Bait's
football head jig is at a 45d angle to the hook shank.
Durability: We fully expected to experience some of our jigs falling apart as a result of the rubber collar fastening of the skirt material to the jig head but this simply did not happen. The paint on the jigheads also hold up very well and hook durability is also very good.
Our only disappointment with this jig is the way in which the skirt is fastened to the head with this rubber collar instead of being tied.
Availability: Dandy Bait products are available direct from their website at dandybaits.com or through a handful of retailers including
Tackle Warehouse. The company also offers a flipping version of their jig, some spinnerbaits, and a buzzbait.
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):
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Dandy Baits Football Jig Ratings (?/10)
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| Construction/Quality |
A nicely made jig |
7 |
| Performance |
Solid all around though we wish the skirt had more flare |
6 |
| Price |
An excellent price point |
9 |
| Features |
Skirts are not tied on, but they feature very intricate color combinations |
7 |
| Design (Ergonomics) |
Pretty standard football head jig |
7 |
| Application |
Good in deepwater applications, but also can be used in cover with heavy line. |
8 |
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Total Score
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7.33 |
| Ratings Key: Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! |
Pluses and Minuses:
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Plus Minus
|
| J Excellent price point |
L Skirt is not hand tied |
| J Very intricate color patterns |
L Might be tough to locate for some |
| J Gammy Hook |
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The silicone skirt of the Dandy Baits jig does not have as much flare in colder water environments.
Effectiveness: The color we procured for testing in the Dandy Baits is not one of their more intricate colors. A visit to their website reveals many more interesting combinations that will really do well in clear water situations. That's the advantage of silicone skirts - more realistic and intricate color patterns. In the end, for situations we encountered while fishing this collection of football head jigs (water temps in the 40's to low 50's) we preferred some of the other baits in this roundup.
Next Section: Kevkel 
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