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brushpiles or in cold water. Thick, heavy spoons sink faster and are better in deeper water or swift current. Casting spoons should be attached with a swivel to allow freedom of movement and keep line twist to a minimum. Topwater spoons, also called "weedless spoons" (e.g., Johnson's Silver Minnow), are for casting and retrieving in aquatic vegetation. When reeled rapidly, these lures rise to the surface and skim over vegetation without snagging. Most feature a single hook welded to the body so it retrieves with the point turned up and away from snags; the hook is also shielded by a weed guard. Jigging spoons (e.g., Fergie Special) are designed to fi sh deep areas for bottom-dwelling fi sh. They are thick, fl at and heavy. JIGS Jigs are excellent lures many sport fi sh species. Small jigs can be used for bluegill and crappie, and larger jigs can be used for bass fi shing. A jig is composed of two parts: a weighted hook and a jig body. Jig hooks are made using a mold, which shapes metal to form the jig's head and collar. Most jig heads are made from lead, which gives the lure its weight. Round heads are one of the most popular jig styles, but heads can also be fi sh head shaped, coned shaped, or oval. A symmetrical head allows it to cut through the water quickly and sink fast. The jig head will usually have a collar with a small point to keep the jig bodies from sliding down the hook. There is a wide array of bodies for jigs. The most common are made out of rubber or silicone, but are also often made with marabou feathers, bucktail hairs, threads, yarns – you name it. These come in many shapes and can resemble a grub, frog, fi sh, lizard or insects. The colors of these can range widely. A common jig and body combination is a ball head jig with a twister-tail grub. This jig can be used to lure just about any sport fi sh. The curled tail undulates and emits vibrations when the jig is retrieved off the bottom and resembles a baitfi sh. Tube jigs, soft-plastic hollow bodies with tentacles at the hook-end, are also widely used. On a slack line these baits slowly spiral in a tight circle. When stationary, the tentacles will wave in the water current and when twitched they will pulsate. Flipping jigs (or bass jigs) work well for catching bass. The body is a skirt of rubber strands or bucktail that quiver as the jig descends and pulsate when the lure is jigged. These often come with thick plastic bristles called weed guards that help to prevent the hook from getting tangled in underwater vegetation. These jigs will sometimes have rattles in them. Collar Body Head How to fi sh with spoons: Cast and retrieve. At the right speed, a spoon will twist onto one side and then twist the opposite direction. If it rolls completely over and spins through the water, the retrieve is too fast. Jigging spoons are typically dropped over the side of a boat and jigged vertically below. 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 CHAPTER 2 ● EQUIPMENT