M-Pack Lures Jig Review
New weedguard design just might be the deal
Born in Texas, M-Pack Lures’ flagship products are a trio of jigs – football, flipping and swim-jig models – that feature an innovative Structure Guard system said to make the jigs more weedless and snagless than was previously possible. Each jig can be had for about $7, and they come in a wide enough array of sizes and colors that most applications are covered.
I’ve fished the Football Jig and Flippin Jig now for a few months, and they’ve impressed. Below, I’ll go in-depth on a few of the key features.
- The Structure Guard is legit
- It’s just a good jig
The Structure Guard
The primary feature of all M-Pack jigs is the Structure Guard, a patented rubber weedguard that loops over the hook and secures on it with a piece of rubber tubing. It’s designed to protect the hook from most obstacles and snags, but to compress or fold to the side when you set the hook on a bass.
Designed as an improvement on the classic fiber brush guard, it isn’t a totally new idea, as fly tiers have been making similar weedguards out of heavy fluorocarbon for a while. Still, the Structure Guard is an admirable piece of innovation that actually works.
A jig with a Structure Guard isn’t bulletproof, but I’m a believer to a fair extent. I’ve flipped and dragged the Flippin model around a lot of wood, some rock and some grass, and I’ve got no complaints. I think it does better flipping and dropping it around wood than a regular jig by a decent margin. You’ll get hung, but not as much. Around grass the advantage is less pronounced, and I expect it varies a lot depending on the type of grass you fish. I threw it mostly around some green milfoil up north, and it did well, but I don’t think it blew past a regular jig.
The Structure Guard really excels on the Football Jig. For dragging on ledges and over stumps and brush you’ll definitely notice a difference. The combination of the already fairly snagless football head with the Structure Guard really does the trick.
I dragged a jig over some pretty heavy brush and stumps for about three hours one day and got hung twice. Both times, I was able to free the jig, and those are the only times I can recall hanging up while dragging it.
One feature that M-Pack Lures advertises is the supposed ability of the Structure Guard to keep fish pegged. Per M-Pack, after the hookset the guard will pivot back up and pin the jig and hook in place a little during the fight. I haven’t lost any fish that I’ve hooked with it, but I’m still a little skeptical that it works as advertised in that instance. It’s just hard to prove. As for actually hooking fish, I’ve got no complaints. Every legit bite that I expected to hook I hooked.
It’s just a good jig
When it comes to a jig, I’m not much concerned about the component brands that go into it. The main thing is that it does everything you want a jig to do. These jigs do. The hooks are plenty stout, the skirts are good quality (though if you like a straight silicone skirt with no tinsel you’ll want to swap them out) and the paint jobs are on par.
The Verdict
The only mark against these jigs is the price. At $6.99, they’re priced about $2 above some other high-quality jigs. That’s not insignificant, but it’s offset by the fact that you’ll probably lose fewer of them and can likely carry fewer and still be prepared for a day of fishing. Other than that, the M-Pack Flippin and Football jigs get good grades in every department.
Pros
- The Structure Guard is legit
- It does everything well
Cons
- There could be more color variety
- It’s priced a little above the competition
Details
Company: M-Pack Lures
Product: M-Pack Lures Football Jig and Flippin Jig
Football Jig weights: 3/4 and 1 ounce
Flippin Jig weights: 3/8 and 1/2 ounce
Cost: $6.99
Website: MPackLures.com