The ultimate smallmouth bass jig.
If you fish for smallmouth or spotted bass in rocky, clear water lakes and reservoirs, this is a jig that you need to try. The tightrope baby firework jig was designed by JayPee Hey and Ryan Whitacre who fish the clear, urban waters of Chicago for giant smallmouth bass.
01. Ultra-compact Tungsten Jig head
This jig was designed for fishing smallmouth bass in clear water, so it needs to be ultra-compact. The jig head is made from tungsten, so that it can be as small as possible. The tungsten weight also adds an incredible amount of sensitivity to the presentation. You will not miss a bite with this jig, and you will feel every rock on the bottom of the lake as you search for fish.
02. High Quality Components
The Tightrope Baby Firework Jig has extremely high quality features that make it great for targeting large fish. The hook is sticky sharp and will easily penetrate the fish’s mouth, even when using light line which is important when fishing ultra clear water. In addition to quality hardware, the skirt is hand-tied. The hand-tied skirt allows the silicone to flare out more than a standard rubber ring that most jigs have which entices fish to bite and makes that jig more snag-resistant around rocks.
03. Nearly Snag-proof
Jaypee and Ryan designed this jig specifically to keep from getting snagged in the rocks that can often be found along the Lake Michigan shoreline around Chicago. The round jig head design paired with the hand tied skirt make the jig incredibly snag-proof around rocks and rip-rap. The round jig head allows for the jig to easily bounce around crevices and be popped out of snags. The hand-tied skirt causes the silicone to flare out, which acts as a hook guard around hard cover. The jig is also equipped with a fluorocarbon hook guard that protects the hook from sticking into rocks and cover. All of the features do not make the jig 100% snag-proof, but it will give you the confidence you need to toss and hop this lure around rocks and places other jigs would snag up easily.
04. Eye Catching Colors
All of the colors in this line up are fantastic, but there are three staples that I like to use. Those three colors are Watermelon Gold, Summer Craw, and Pink. I like to use Watermelon Gold on sunny days with clear water when I need a natural presentation. I tie on the Summer craw pattern in low light conditions, or if I want a finesse presentation when fishing for largemouth in slightly stained water. I can’t explain it, but the smallmouth love hitting the pink color. I’m not sure what the pink mimics in nature, but I like to throw it at dawn and dusk. It reminds me of throwing a morning dawn or tequila sunrise colored drop shot bait. It just works.
05. Trailers
When picking out a trailer the most important thing to keep in mind is to keep it small. You almost want to treat this jig like a ned rig head. My favorite trailers to use are standard ned rig plastics, tiny craw chunks, and drop shot plastics like the Berkley Maxscent Flat Worm. If you are looking for a place to start, use a Z-man Finesse TRD ned rig plastic. The Z-man ElaZtech plastic is made out of a high floating material which will make the jig stand upright and allow the skirt to flare out completely. I also like to use the YUM Craw Chunk in the 2 3/4“ size when trying to mimic crawfish. When I want to imitate a goby or other bait fish, I use a Berkley Maxscent Flat Worm. If you are trying to mimic bait fish, don’t be afraid to tie on a tiny paddle tail like a Keitech 2.8 and fish this lure like a standard swim jig. All of these options will get bit, just pay attention to what your target species is feeding on.
Conclusion
If you fish extremely clear water, near rocks, or are just trying to find a smaller presentation for your body of water you need to try the Tightrope Baby Firework Finesse Jig. It excels when targeting smallmouth bass and sports in clear water, but don’t be afraid to use it when fishing smaller waters like ponds and streams when you need to mimic smaller forage.