Friday, June 28, 2013

BassTEK Tungsten Jigs Reviewed

Earlier this year, BassTEK Tungsten Jigs, a new local company opened up shop.  What makes these jigs different from most others on the market are that they are made from (as the name indicates) tungsten, an alloy that is nearly twice the density of lead.  That density translates into a smaller profile and more sensitivity for the user.

Currently, BassTEK offers mainly flippin' jigs and some soft plastic stick baits.  Though my area of focus with this entry will be on the jigs.

3/8oz skirted jig and a 3/8oz unskirted jig.

I made my initial order in March and received my package that same week.  My first impression was good, I liked that everything was labeled (not all companies do that).  I ordered one of the 3/8oz. skirted jigs and a pack each of the 3/8oz, 1/2oz, and 3/4oz unskirted jigs with the intent to make up a few of my own skirts.  Needless to say, I ended up picking up a pack of some green pumpkin/watermelon skirts at Fleet Farm until I have time to get some of my own made up.  Anyway, first impression was good overall with the only constructive feedback being the barb trailer keeper, concern being that the trailer may slip past the barb and down the hook.  I've had better luck with a wire keeper that some other manufacturers use, but on the other hand, that is on a swim jig - different jig meant for different uses.

3/8oz unskirted BassTEK jig.

I took these out with me and played with them while I was on vacation over bass opener and was highly impressed with how sensitive they really are compared to conventional lead jigs.  I was able to throw this into many of the laydowns in the area and could feel the jig as I crawled it over the limbs.  I also took these to a small river where I've been able to catch smallies near the boat launch.  The water was higher than normal with all the rain we've been getting so I had trouble finding the rock patch off the end of the ramp where I normally catch them but once I found it I knew.  While I didn't catch anything off that spot, I found that, upstream a bit, they were holding tight to shoreline cover, this one hit it on the first drop.

Pig in training.  Check out BassTEK's Facebook page for examples of the fish these baits can catch.
The jigs come through grass well, too.  That is always something I'm concerned about with jigs but it hasn't been an issue with these.  I spent a little time at a small lake near my house and flipped it into and through some matted veggies and while there were some weeds that would hang around the jig eye, it was about equal with what I'm used to with my swim jigs.  Oh, and that barb trailer keeper?  Never had an issue with it in any of those three scenarios.

Pricing for these jigs is very competitive (or better in many cases) with other tungsten jigs on the market (1 per):  $4.99 for the 3/8, $5.50 for 1/2oz, and $6.99 for 3/4oz.  Although, you can cut those costs significantly by purchasing the packs of unskirted jigs and making some of your own skirts, something that I am likely to do so I can have my bluegill colors.

The real question is:  Are these jigs worth the cost compared to traditional lead jigs?  That depends on you, if you derive income from your fishing, then the answer is a simple risk/reward scenario:  Yes.  If you are like me, some dude that loves to fish:  Maybe.  Personally, I like whatever advantage I can get, so for me it is a yes.

The fact that they are a local company takes any kind of hesitation out of the equation.

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