About Uncle Josh: Uncle Josh is among the oldest lure manufacturers, with production beginning in the 1920's. Started by Alan P. Jones an avid fisherman and owner of the Jones Dairy Farm. While fishing for bass Alan realized the potential of fishing with live frogs, but soon found that as frogs became more and more scarce he no longer was able to practice his favorite bass fishing techniques. It was then that Alan began searching for the perfect material in which to create realistic looking frog lures. Since he was already in the meat packing business he soon discovered that pork rind was just the thing. Today Uncle Josh's considerable lineup of products includes the pork frogs that made them famous, catfish and carp baits, pork worms sea rind baits, preserved baits, and now jigs!

Uncle Josh makes the new Pork Jig with either a weed cutting head (shown) and a flattened flippin' head

Impressions: A jig, is a jig, is a jig....right? Uncle Josh doesn't think so, and their new Pork Jig proves to be quite inimitable. In the past, one of the chief reasons that plastic pork-like frogs are used is because they are easier to rig and remove from jigs than traditional pork. Standard porks in bygone years came with no pre-cut hole, and were a nightmare to remove at the end of the day. Frustrated anglers tired of wrestling the pork past the barb found themselves relegated to cutting them off. This is no longer an issue with Uncle Josh's complete jig & pig system. The Porks are already pre-slit for easy utilization with spoons, spinners, and jigs.

Uncle Josh's new Pork Jig looks like a traditional jig with the exception of an innovative "FastClip" Pork System that allows anglers to switch porks in seconds, thanks to the extended trailer wire. This system is easy to use, but we wondered if the placement of the pork so much further back from the main hook would affect performance. Our concerns were soon put to rest once the Uncle Josh Pork Jig underwent field testing.
 

Uncle Josh is perhaps most famous for their pork jigs, which now come in a colossal assortment of color and size variations

  
Field Tests: We tested the Uncle Josh Pork Jig on two lakes, one of which offered crystal clear water clarity, and another with 2-3ft viability is stained water. We tested using a variety of techniques but focused primarily on flipping and pitching.
 

  
Casting: Casting jigs far is fairly easy as they are well weighted, especially when sporting an additional trailer, but this is not the way most anglers choose to fish these lures. Jigs are not the superlative lures for searching out fish and definitely catch more fish when pitched rather than retrieved, simply because positioning and presentation are key to fishing a jig successfully. The Uncle Josh Pork Jig comes with a beefy brush guard and two head options: a sharper weed head, good for cutting through plants, or a flatter flippin head, ideal for bumping against woody and rocky structure. Learning how to toss this bait short distances, but accurately, takes both time and patience, but once you become an accomplished flip and pitch angler you will discover it to be among the fastest ways to pull fish right out of shoreline structure. The extended fastclip pork system actually gives the Jig a bigger presence, and a nice falling motion with the right sized pork. Accuracy and repetitive casts are key to fishing this lure with success.
 

Uncle Josh Porks are among the best trailers on the market, and a proven pro favorite for adding that extra edge in search of big bass

Retrieving: Adding a pork to your jig can make a real difference in the quality of fish boated, many pro anglers believe that a pork increases the bait's substance, and thus makes it that much more attractive to big bass. For years jig fisherman turned to porks, but recent plastic introductions have provided anglers with another alternative. While plastics are easier to maintain, and mess free, I personally have remained loyal to pork. As long as you make sure your Uncle Josh Porks don't dry out I find that they not only hold onto your jig better than plastic, they also remain soft and exhibit the best action in cold water, where plastics often become stiff. Uncle Josh Pork trailers are also more buoyant than plastic and help give jigs the perfect fall rate. The best thing about the Uncle Josh Pork jig is the ability to change out porks in seconds. This allows you to either switch to a larger or smaller pork on the fly, and instantly alter your dive rate.

While anglers can retrieve the Uncle Josh Pork along the bottom to illicit strikes the most effective way to fish this lure is slowly within the heart of structure. I found the Uncle Josh Pork Jig very effective in cold or stained water, situations where fishing other baits was futile. The colder the water, the slower you will want to retrieve a jig. Often I would get my best strikes when the jig was basically motionless in the center of structure. Once in a while I  would shake and bounce the jig to provoke bass, and during pauses they would commit to strikes. This isn't easy, and definitely takes both patience and practice.

The single most difficult part of fishing the Uncle Josh Pork is learning to detect a quality strike and set the hook without delay. Sometimes Bass are going to commit to the jig and inhale it, other times they simply tap it, or snap at the pork portion alone. On top of that the jig is most effective in and around structure, so you need to learn to properly distinguish a bump with wood and a strike. Anglers new to jig fishing may find themselves setting unnecessarily, no worries, with practice you will learn to visualize exactly what the Uncle Josh Pork Jig is doing beneath the water.

The Fastclip system is the easiest and cleanest way to hook on a pork trailer

 
Durability: The Uncle Josh Pork Jig comes with two head styles, allowing you a choice when in it comes to cutting through hydrilla or brushing up against submerged trees. The Jig is as durable as they come, and the pork trailers are extremely hard-wearing. The only weakness the pork trailers possess is raw heat. When exposed to the sun for extended periods these porks will undoubtedly dry out. When not in use they should always go back to the jar.

Overall I was impressed with the Uncle Josh Pork Jig, and the fastclip system is robust, and remains in good shape, even after switching out dozens of trailers. To top it off the Pork Jig uses a quality Gamakatsu hook in the construction, and this 5/0 hook remained sharp as a razor even after being scoffed up by a heap of fish.

Bass will often try and engulf the entire jig and pig setup

Applications: This jig will work where other baits fail, such as heavy structure and heavily stained and cold water. When Bass are lethargic a properly finessed jig can on occasion produce an aggravated strike. I prefer fishing the flippin head Uncle Josh Pork because I enjoy bumping the bait at greater depths rather than retrieving or cutting through structure. By pitching the lure into wood pilings or submerged tree limbs I was able to present the Uncle Josh Pork Jig in front of big bass. When the weather is warm the jig remained effective, with the ability to toss the lure right up against shore, and target bedded bass.

The capability to change porks so easily allowed me to customize pork color to the time of the day and varying conditions. When it is sunny I preferred to use the watermelon and white porks, and when it was cloudy and dark I would turn to the blue, moss green, and black trailers. When the water is muddy go with a larger pork trailer, and switch to smaller green colors in crystal clear water situations. The flexibility of this jig and pig combination allows anglers to experiment and customize their ideal setup for their unique circumstances.

Pluses and Minuses:

Conclusion: Flipping and Pitching is the most effective close quarter fishing style you can learn, and with new lures as flexible as the Uncle Josh Pork Jig, big bass don't stand a chance. The best thing about the Uncle Josh Pork Jig is that it can be fished successfully by itself, or with a trailer. These lures are ideal for quick as well as subtle presentations, and the ability to change out pork trailers quickly allows you to perfectly tailor and refine your presentation. If you are not a pitch and flip angler...yet, you can still fish the Pork Jig with a ground hugging retrieve with success, but we highly recommend learning the art of pinpoint presentations. Overall the Uncle Josh Pork Jig is a smart package, one that is sure to make a jig and pig angler out of anyone.

Until next time....Tight Lines.