Northstar Baits

[RK]

Hey Guys -

If you haven't already done so, go check out NorthStar Custom Baits. I just got my order, and they're fantastic. Tied skirts (no bands to decay and fall off, or get cut by a pike), great paint jobs, nasty hooks, and a huge color selection with some really unique color combos. Plus the "hairy" series jigs are really unique. They're going to be killer after turnover with a big old redtail chub on them. Also pretty excited about the heavy swim/flip jig. Going to be a good one to slow roll like a spinnerbait in the rushes this September...

Best of all, they're made by our very own River Rat316...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[CHM]

Did you get any swim jigs? If so, how do they look? I have been meaning to place an order but life gets so busy....

[RK]

Yeah, definitely got some swim jigs. They look great. Head, hook and weedguard are perfect, and he has some great colors. Olive minnow and smokey bluegill look awesome, and watermelon magic too. Smokey bluegill with a smoke/blue flake grub is going to be killer next June. Will for sure be getting more as my supply of other brands gets burned up.

The tied skirts on these jigs is a huge deal to me. I hate hooking a pike that cuts the rubber collar so you end up with a bare jighead and skirt strands floating everywhere...

Cheers,

RK

[CHM]

Great! Thanks RK.

[buzbunni]

Yeah, definitely got some swim jigs.

Thanks for the review Rob. Definitely gonna order some of those.

What weight do you prefer for swim jigs?

[vern]

Yep, these are real nice. I ordered a few of the gill colored swim jigs & a few black/blue. Great jigs & great service.

[RK]

Thanks for the review Rob. Definitely gonna order some of those.

What weight do you prefer for swim jigs?

I bet I throw a 1/4 oz 90% of the time. Sometimes a 3/8 if I want to go fast and still keep the bait down, or if I'm casting into the wind, but with the right rod and a trailer even a 1/4 oz is pretty easy to cast because they're so compact and the sparse skirt isn't that wind resistant.

That having been said - I am going to try fishing them a little deeper than I usually do at some point.

Cheers,

RK

[CHM]

I like 1/4oz, or 5/16 if available with some baits. I have noticed that the heavier baits (3/8 and up)seem to hang up more when fished in pencil reeds. Not sure, but my guess is that the lighter mass of the 1/4oz allows the weed guard to kick it out of the way, and on the heavier baits the weed guard collapses, allowing the hook to get into the weed.

I usually use a 5" grub hooked tail down. If you pick the colors right it really looks like a sunfish swimming for it's life!

[RK]

CHM -

I think you're exactly right on the lighter heads deflecting better. Also, balance is critical overall, so the jigs tip back upright when they do hit something.

Anyone see the new Berkley "Swim Jig" with a horizontal eye set back from the nose of the jig?? You'd have 10 pounds of rice on it 10 feet into a retrieve...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[river rat316]

Thank you for the review RK! I know I said I was going to have a sale in mid August but my schedule has been flipped on its head right now, I am hoping to do a sale around Labor Day, orders need to get caught up first though, which should happen.

As far as swim jigs I find myself throwing a 5/16 the most, still light enough to deflect off of cover, and heavy enough to work the water column of you want to. Check out paddle tail trailers if you have not done so already, I have been throwing berkley hollow bellys and one that I make myself with some great numbers put in the boat!

[Ctrl_Alt_Dlt]

I just got my order of 16 jigs from Northstar too! GOt an extra too! My brothers saw them and took almost all of them. Some of the best looking jigs I have ever seen. Cannot wait to try them. They look very promising.

[thatoneguy]

I put my order in back in May, got distracted by something shiny, and haven't tried any of them yet! They do look great though, and I plan to test them on Saturday AM. We'll see if I can get a photo of a pig with a North Star jig dangling from its lip!