I'm finally on a roll. Over thirty fish in the last 3 outings of which 5 have been keepers up to 38 inches. The killer lure that has caught most of these fish has been the white bucktail jig.
Though the bucktail jig is probably the most versatile lure to use in saltwater, you rarely find them being sold in tackle shops. Plastics have overwhelmed the retail business. But, make no mistake about it, the bucktail jig is still one of the most potent weapons a striper fisherman can possess.
I like to use my homemade bucktail jigs in current situations. I have gone with the smaller flathead jigs (1/4 -1/2 oz.) in the daytime when fishing shallow water flows. After dark where the water is deeper and moving, I have opted for hotlips jigs up to 1 1/2 oz. The velocity of the flows as well as depth often determine the size of the jig needed to reach the bottom.
It is very important that you add enticers onto your jigs. For those smaller jigs described above, I like a three inch triple ripple grub tails made by Bass Pro. These have the best action of any grub tail on the market. On the big jigs described above, I like to add a 5 1/4 inch Uncle Josh pork rind strip.
The key to fishing bucktail jigs (without the float) is to scratch the bottom and keep the jig moving slowly on or near the bottom. An occasional pump of the rod tip will give the jig added action.
