They Still Hit Bucktail Jigs

Here's a Boston Harbor schoolie that fell for
a homemade flathead bucktail jig, a hot
number all week in this area.

I found a lot of fish, mostly schoolies,  this week in Boston Harbor.   I was getting them from both shore and boat. The interesting thing about these fish was that they were really keying on bucktail jigs spiced with a curly tail.  Yes, bucktail jigs still work, though few are using them these days.
In recent years, plastics on jigheads have put bucktail jigs on the back burner. The convenience of plastics have a lot of fishermen sold on them.  But when the bait is small and you are looking for a durable offering with action plus, nothing can beat that bucktail jig. Over the years I have caught black sea bass, albies bluefish, stripers of all sizes, fluke, scup, pollack and sea robins on bucktail jigs.  Just about any fish in the ocean that hits an artificial will hit buckail jigs. That's why it has been dubbed "the most versatile lure in saltwater" in countless publications.
I cast and tie all my own bucktail jigs.  I especially like the "lima bean" or flathead shape.  I only use white heads on my jigs and I generally tie on sparse amounts of white bucktail with red thread. I also like to add a Bass Pro, 3-inch triple ripple plastic tail to my jig to give it added action. That combo has been the winner for me in recent years. In Boston Harbor this week, the half ounce flathead fished on light tackle was taking the fish.