



|
Getting Back to Basics With a Quality Tie, Cooch's Wadda Jig by TnT Baits

Date: |
11/01/06 |
Tackle type: |
Lures |
Manufacturer: |
TnT Baits |
Reviewer: |
Cal |
Total Score: 8.58
Introduction: Is there no more common a bass lure than the jig? These little skirted baits are about as basic as it gets, aren't they? Pretty much any bass fisherman worth his gear has, at one time or another, tied one onto the end of their line. Yet for all its pervasiveness and apparent simplicity, is there any bait as intimidating for the average bass fisherman to really get into and learn? The head styles, skirt choices, color selection and trailer options alone are enough to drive those inexperienced with a jig back to the Senko or lipless crank or whatever their favorite bait might be! Enter Troyce Taylor and Andy Cucchia, two jig fishing devouts, and their plan to take back the unnecessary complexity from jig fishing and deliver to those who just want to catch fish, a jig with the basics in mind. Introducing Cooch's Wadda Jig, manufactured by TnT Baits.
TnT Wadda Jig
Specifications
|
Type |
Flipping Jig |
Depth |
Any |
Skirt Material |
Living Rubber |
Weight |
3/8 and 1/2 ounce |
Colors/Patterns |
2 (black or brown with the possibility of more colors to follow) |
Hook |
Mustad Ultra Point Hooks |
MSRP |
$2.75 each |
Background & Impressions: Andy Cuccia, or Cooch as his fishing buddies know him, is a professional bass fisherman and guide out of Northern California. Troyce Taylor is an avid bass fisherman and custom jig maker. It was Cooch who contacted Troyce with the request for a jig with some simple, yet custom touches. A snip here, a tie there, a few successful guide trips afterwards and the result was a groundswell of requests for this jig. Thus Cooch's Wadda Jig was born! The goal for Cooch, really, was a quality, keep it simple and basic jig. The ultimate decision in bringing it to market by Troyce, was based on his desire to show the bass fishing public what a quality, hand tied jig was all about. Always in the market for quality baits, I placed an order so that I could see what the fuss was all about. After my order arrived, I talked to both Troyce and Cooch about their creation, and came away with a new appreciation for bass jigs in general.
|
Introducing Cooch's Wadda Jig by TnT Baits
|
The Field Tests: Of course, concepts, goals, and theories are one thing, the real proof, for any jig, is in the catching. Off we went to the California Delta for a series of trips with the TnT Cooch Wadda Jig tied and ready to go on both the front and back decks.
Complete test rigs for TnT Wadda Jig
Field Tests
|
|
Rig One |
Rig Two |
Rod |
Megabass Diablo |
Daiko Cobretty Dempsey |
Reel |
Daiwa Millionaire I'ZE Light |
Abu Morrum UM 1601C |
Line |
20 lb Sunline Shooter FC |
14 lb Berkley Fireline |

|
Rigged and ready to go on a mystery rod
|
|
Here you can see the wide, stable footprint afforded by the use of an Arkie style jighead
|
Jig Head: The TnT Cooch Wadda Jig features a powder coated, Arkie style jig head which is akin to an all-purpose type head. You can fish this style head both in the rocks and weeds but because of its wide footprint, its strength lies in keeping the hook standing upright when at rest on the bottom. This style of jighead is a good choice for waters like the California Delta where you run into different cover situations in matter of a few feet. Instead of the need for having different sticks on deck with different style jigheads tied on, the Wadda Jig can be fished in many different cover situations freeing up your deck and your concentration so you can continue fishing.
|
A
close-up of the powdercoated finish on our Wadda Jig's head
|
A small item of note was my experience with some premature wear issues on the powder coated heads of these jigs. While not as susceptible to damage as the typical, painted jigheads, other products I have fished with a powder coated finish were practically
indestructible. I contacted Troyce about this issue and he told me there were a couple of early batches that were baked in his finishing oven at the improper temperature. This error had since been corrected and reports on all subsequent products are that the typical, longer-lasting characteristics of a powder coated finish are holding up.
|
A look at the backside of the Wadda's jighead
|
Weed Guard: The Wadda Jig features a fiber guard consisting of forty individual strands. Many of today's factory jigs consist of a twenty-strand weedguard with thicker, individual strands as compared to the forty. The advantage of more strands of thinner fibers? More flexibility in the guard for better hooksets while maintaining weedless protection. I fished these guards two ways, trimmed and untrimmed so
I could see to see how they perform both situations. What I found was little difference. Whether trimmed or not, the guard provided good, weedless protection while not getting in the way of a proper hookset. Good insurance for those days you forget a step or two when tying on your jig or when you're just too plain lazy to trim the guard.
|
The Wadda Jig features an eighth inch, forty strand weedguard
|
Next Section:
Durability, Effectiveness, and Conclusion
 |
|






|
|