I’ve started using worn-out jigs as swimbait heads. They have wide-gap hooks and come in all sizes.
A lot of us have started throwing those big swimbaits when we’re fishing ledges, and you need a pretty heavy head to get them down there as quickly as you want. A ¾-ounce jig, for instance, is good for that. And when you lose one – which you will – it’s not like you’re losing one of the expensive heads that are made for swimbaits.
Rigging a swimbait with a jig depends on the design and size of the bait, and there are a lot of different versions. I like the Strike King Shadalicious. After I’ve removed what’s left of the jig’s skirt and the weedguard, I just put the jig beside the Shadalicious and see where I want the hook and the line tie to come out and go from there. I cut a small hole where I want the point to come out, push the jig head through the hole and forward, and bring the line tie out at the nose of the Shadalicious. That’s all there is to it, though it’s important that the swimbait is on the jig straight or else the lure won’t run like a real baitfish.
— National Guard pro Mark Rose of Marion, Ark.