Despite being brought to light by a handful of well-known pike anglers on the French fishing scene, the use of the Rubber Jig, a lure naturally associated with black bass fishing, has until now remained fairly confidential when it comes to the specific pursuit of pike. Given this new interest, more and more brands are offering them, and that's good news.
It's true that there are reasons to wonder why this type of lure didn't appear earlier in the pike angler's arsenal, so effective is it on this species. Through a series of four articles on the subject, I'll try to convince you that this is a lure you can bank on.
What is a Rubber Jig?
It consists of a lead head fitted with a silicone skirt and an anti-weed device, to which is usually added a "Trailer", i.e. a flexible lure that is attached to the hook shank (shad, finesse, crayfish...).
While the shape of the jig head will influence the behaviour of the "Rubber Jig + Trailer" pair, and the silicone skirt will provide its share of fine vibrations, it's the anti-weed device that gives the Rubber Jig its full dimension, making it a veritable 4X4 capable of threading its way through the most congested places. That's its main advantage.
What are the differences between Rubber Jig Bass and Pike?
The difference between a Rubber Jig for black-bass and for pike lies mainly in the hook size. Although it's perfectly possible to fish pike with Rubber Jigs for black-bass, I prefer not to go below 5/0 in hook size. I'm particularly fond of "Wide Gap" hooks when I'm using a Shad or other bulky Trailer so that the hook point is clear.
Under what conditions should it be used?
As you can see, the Rubber Jig is at its best in crowded areas, the idea being to go and solicit our scaly friends in areas where they are not used to seeing lures, and as a general rule this type of approach results in particularly aggressive attacks from the fish.
The Rubber Jig is primarily used for fishing edges overgrown with dead wood and water lilies, but it can also be used for fishing open water structures (submerged trees, rock piles, etc.).
